Hi, my girlfriends and I will be in Italy mid-late Sept. We are interested in taking a day trip from Florence to the outlets in the area (The Mall, Fendi Outlet, Prada Space Outlet). There are some tour operators who specialize in this, but most charge an arm and a leg for a "private tour". The ones that are affordable have strict schedules that conflict with ours. Can anyone tell me the best way to get to the three outlets in one day from Florence, WITHOUT a guide? Should we rent a car? Use the rail system combined with taxis? I know there's a bus to The Mall, but we have no idea how to get to the other 2 places from there. There are 4 of us. Any help would be greatly appreciated!

For some views for and against outlet shopping near Florence, try putting "Florence, outlet" (without the quotation marks) into the search box.

others may disagree, but I highly suggest you drive there. The Mall is located in an industrial area 20 minutes outside the city. Fendi is about a 3-5 minute drive from the Mall. Prada is further away (I think).

Hi Lynn,

Are you sure you want to do this, with the Euro as high as it is?

Lynne,
I'll be in Florence from the 7th of for a month. Let me see what I can figure out from Florence and post it here for you.

Ira,
it doesn't matter what the exchange rate is, if you want to shop there is always a way.

If we couldn't tell from the name, now we KNOW without a doubt the Ira is a man!