The Easiest Way to Get to the Luxury Outlets at Mall Firenze from Florence
Mall Firenze is a designer outlet mall, that is home to some of the most iconic luxury brands in the world, such as Gucci, Versace, Armani, Prada, and Valentino. Situated just 35km/22miles away from the center of Florence, Mall Firenze is a popular shopping destination for fashion lovers who are seeking to score high-end fashion pieces at discounted prices. (If you are curious whether the mall is worth a visit, read this post)
While you can certainly drive to the outlet, we recommend taking the Busitalia bus, which is the easiest and most convenient way to get there.
Table of Contents
Overview
Busitalia is a subsidiary of Italy’s national railway company, Trenitalia, and offers bus services throughout the country, including routes to major cities and tourist destinations.
The Busitalia bus to Mall Firenze departs from the bus terminal in Piazzale Montelungo (just a few minutes walk from the Florence Santa Maria Novella train station), and takes approximately 30 minutes to reach the shopping center, depending on the traffic, of course.
The bus stop was relocated within the last year, so make sure you are heading to the right place. To reach Piazzale Montelungo from Firenze SMN Train Station:
- exit towards the left hand side of the Station on to Via Valfonda
- continue until Via Strozzi and cross over Via Strozzi
- go towards your left circling partially around the Fortezza da Basso up to the bus terminal Piazzale Montelungo
See the map and the instructions on how to find the bus stop here.
Also, check with the driver on where the return bus pick up location will be. When we visited the outlets, the pick up was on the other end of the Mall, and not where we were dropped off.
Tickets
The tickets cost 7€ one way / 13€ round trip. Kids ticket (under 12) is 3.50€ one way / 6.50€ round trip. Children under 4 ride free.
You can buy tickets:
- At the ticket office inside Santa Maria Novella train station
- At the City Sightseeing office
- On board
- Online
We chose the latter option, as it was convenient and easy. We received the QR code via email, so all we had to do is to present it to be scanned by the driver upon boarding the bus.
Timetable
The current bus schedule is below.
To ensure that you have a seat on the bus, we recommended that you arrive at the bus stop at least 15 minutes before the departure, especially if taking the first bus of the day.
| From Florence to the Mall | 8.50am | 9.10am | 11am | 12pm | 2pm | 4pm |
| From the Mall to Florence | 9.45am | 10.10am | 1pm | 3pm | 5pm | 7.20pm |
Bus Seating
Busitalia buses are clean, modern, and equipped with air conditioning, making it a comfortable ride even during hot summer days.
The seats are spacious with decent legroom. There are also small tray tables with a cupholder.
The Busitalia buses used for the Mall Firenze route are double deckers. Do try to snatch the coveted front row seats on the top deck to enjoy the scenic views of Tuscany countryside.
Final Thoughts
If you are like us, and you prefer not to drive in an unfamiliar country and leave the transportation to the professionals, the Busitalia bus is an excellent option. With reasonable ticket prices, reliable service, and comfortable seating, we think it is the easiest way to get to the Mall Firenze.
