We will be in Milan in April with a rental car, and we're planning day trip to Foxtown shopping center. Could you provide any helpful review or information?

Why would you be in Milan with a rental car?

You can take the train from Milano Centrale to Mendrisio and walk about 1 km. to Foxtown. It will be a Swiss Rail train heading to Lugano. Take your passports.

https://www.sbb.ch/en/home.html

It might take a few minutes less to drive. Or not. Depending on where you're staying in Milan, you'd probably have to navigate around the limited traffic zones (ZTL) which could end up making the drive time longer. FWIW, we drove in and out of Milan on a trip many, many years ago. That was before the ZTL, and we said we wouldn't do that again.

A few years ago, we were driving in the Varese area and stopped at Foxtown out of curiosity. I'm not a shopper, so I can't imagine making an excursion specifically there, and I certainly couldn't spend a day there. But, hey, it's your trip!

It sounds like a day in hell to me, but who knows what fuels people's trips to Europe, eh?

Drive either along the E35 up to the motorway exit Mendrisio or take any (direct) Lugano bound TILO train or any Chiasso bound train and change there to a Lugano bound regional train up to Mendrisio. Foxtown is only a few steps from both, motorway exit Mendrisio or railway station Mendrisio.

We've been going to Foxtown at least twice a year for a decade, so I think it's a pretty safe bet that I have more experience with the mall than anyone else on Fodors.

First, do not drive. Getting there from Milan might not be a problem, but finding a parking spot most definitely will be, especially if you plan to arrive after the mall opens.
Taking the train to Mendrisio station is an option, but I don't really recommend it. For one thing, it's not that short a walk. You can try for a taxi but there are about four taxi drivers (not companies, drivers) on duty -- sort of. If it's a holiday or flu season or there's an important football (soccer) match playing, well good luck to you. We have been there, done that, called all the listed drivers and had one experience where none of them would be available for at least two hours (see above, important football match).

Second, decide whether you really want to go. It's not a mall for just popping in and out. Either plan to spend several hours or focus your shopping on Milan (highly recommend heading out to the edge of the Brera district, around the Moscova subway stop and walking down the Corso Garibaldi or Via Statuto down to Via Brera... you will find lots of great shops along the way). If you are willing to make a day of it, you can catch a bus to Foxtown directly from central Milan. FoxTown Mendrisio - Shopping Tour from Milan , which will also do pickups at certain hotels.

If you'd like to combine a little sightseeing and some lunch with your shopping, then I recommend catching a morning train to Lugano instead, having lunch at Ana Capri, a good restaurant across the street from the station, or in town at Bottegone del Vino. Then catch the S10 (direction Chiasso) to Mendrisio San Martino, the station opened up a while back primarily to serve Foxtown shoppers. It's much closer than Mendrisio station proper.

Before getting to Foxtown, you should check out the list of stores currently open (occasionally some brands leave or others are newly arrived) then make a game plan on which ones most interest you. Our normal day starts with a cappuccino at the cafe across from Ferragamo, then up to the third floor and working down from there. Be advised that while Foxtown does not allow "seconds" to be sold, it does allow stores to sell items made for outlets. Just something to be aware of. In our experience, the best premium brand selection can be found at Ferragamo (great for shoes, accessories and clothes at some very significant discounts), Loro Piana (reduced but still expensive; I have bought scarves there that were part of the current offerings at stores like Saks and Neiman Marcus; they have a good selection of beautifully made clothes for men and women), Tods (particularly for their driving shoes, huge selection of those), Burberry (they have two stores, one for men, one for women; the women's store has some very good bargains). Prada is...ok. They used to be much better but now seem to offer mostly made for outlet items. Valentino is also good for bags and shoes (esp if you like the Rockstud line), clothes not so much. Etro is good for clothes. Gucci is the only store where I've seen a line to get in. I have bought a pair of shoes there (the Blooms slip on sneakers; 60% below the price at the Gucci store in Zurich). Some of the things we regularly buy at Foxtown are pretty mundane -- pajamas from Calida and socks from Missoni.

Don't overlook the lesser-known Italian brands like Agnona and Borbonese. The mid-priced brands like Coccinelle and Furla are popular. We've bought quite a bit of cookware at good discounts from Le Creuset but we live in Switzerland, I don't think international visitors will want to drag heavy pots and pans around. If you get hungry, one of the better places in the mall itself to stop for a bite is the Swiss Chalet; we usually grab a beer and split their large Swiss charcuterie platter.

Notes: on the lower level, down the narrow hall from Le Creuset is a place where you can check your coat and packages. They charge, but just a few francs. Be advised that the layout of the mall can be very confusing. Strongly recommend on a weekday rather than weekend visit.

You are right, Weisser Tee: I meant Mendrisio SAN MARTINO. Sorry!

Yes, they can handle VAT refunds. At least, we've often been asked if we needed it (we don't). As for parking, if you're going on a weekday, try to get there at least 30 minutes before official opening. You should be able to get inside and the cafe across from Ferragamo might be open. We never drive but I have gotten there about 10 minutes or so before opening and been able to get inside. Policies change, though, you can always email the mall and ask. [email protected]

On week-ends, I have no idea, but expect the parking areas to get very full very fast.

I live in Como and have been to Foxtown countless times. Parking during weekdays is never a problem unless for those few days before Xmas.

If you are driving from Milan you need to know that on Swiss motorways (autostrade) you need to have a vignette - this costs currently 40 Swiss francs and lasts a year so it obviously is very expensive for one trip which can be avoided if you use the cantonal (non motorway routes). However, to avoid this you must exit the Italian autostrada at Como Monteolimpino and cross the border at Ponte Chiasso and then follow the directions for Mendrisio.

Thanks so much. I have a few follow-up questions: Where can I obtain this vignette? How much additional time would the drive from Milan to Foxtown take with the detour you suggest? If I should drive to Como, where is a good place to park for a few hours or all day, within walking distance of the town and ferries? Thanks again.

Nochblad doesn't suggest any detour: the itinerary from Monte Olympino along the pricipal road is not longer than along the motorway: about 5 miles in both cases. But the maximal speed for this last leg would be 50-80 kms/hr instead of 120 kms/hr. So you may need some 5 minutes more.
But you are free to buy a Swiss highway sticker at the Swiss customs at Chiasso and may be take it home for your collection.

neckervd - I would say more than 5 minutes. Allow 20 but you avoid the CHF40 cost of the vignette. You will not be able to take it home as it is applied to the inside of your windscreen and if you try to take it off it breaks up into various pieces.

The speed limit on the autostrada to Mendrisio is not 120km throughout as most of it now is limited to 8okm and there are speed cameras which make about CHF1 million PER MONTH!!

Parking in Como - I suggest either the parking silo in Viale Lecco or (easier to find coming from Milan) Parcheggio Centro Lago with the entrance in Via Fratelli Recchi. Coming from Milan I would suggest exiting at Como Monteolimpino and at the very first roundabout take the first exit in the direction of Como, after about 1km you will see a supermarket called Iperal. At the roundabout take the right and at the next roundabout take the second exit which will take you down Via Nino Bixio. At the end of this you will pass under a railway bridge and arrive at another roundabout. Take the first exit and move over to the left hand lane before the traffic lights. Passing these move across to the left and at the next traffic lights keep to the right hand lane. You will then see the entrance to the car parking ahead of you on the left.

By the way - following on from an earlier posting about reclaiming the sales tax on purchases it is not as advantageous in Switzerland as in Italy as the tax is only 7.7% rather than 22%. What you should remember is the "administration fee" applied which generally is 30%. The dirty secret is this fee is a bit of a scam as a significant amount is actually shared with the seller of the goods. This means that in Italy you only get back 12.6% roughly of your purchase price (22/122 x 0.7). In Switzerland the recovered amount would only be about 5%.