How to get here
Our campus is located in Palazzo Vaj in the heart of the historical centre of Prato, a 15-20 minute walk from the main train station Prato Centrale and a 5 minute walk from the smaller station Prato Porta al Serraglio.
Our campus is located in Palazzo Vaj in the heart of the historical centre of Prato, a 15-20 minute walk from the main train station Prato Centrale and a 5 minute walk from the smaller station Prato Porta al Serraglio.
Florence airport (Peretola) is approximately 25 minutes by car or 40 minutes by bus from Prato. Major airlines operate out of Florence airport including Alitalia, British Airways, Air France, and Lufthansa. A one-way taxi fare from Florence airport to Prato costs 40-50 euro.
The bus service, operated by Autolinee Toscane, departs every 15 minutes from the Guidoni bus stop. To reach the bus stop, take tram line T2 from outside the airport and get off at the first stop 'Guidoni'. To reach our campus you are advised to get off in Via del Ceppo Vecchio, just before the castle (Castello dell'Imperatore), then continue on foot for a further 3 minutes (300m).
Another option is to take the T2 tram line from outside the airport, get off at Alamanni Stazione, and catch the train to Prato. A contactless payment system is in effect on all buses and trams in Tuscany. The EMV contactless payment system means that travellers can pay onboard using a debit, credit or prepaid card as well as with digital wallets on smartphones or smartwatches.
Pisa airport is approximately 1.5 hours from Prato by train, or 70 minutes from Florence by bus. You need to change trains twice if travelling from Pisa airport to Prato. Low cost airlines such as Ryanair and EasyJet operate from Pisa airport.
Bologna airport (G. Marconi) is approximately 70 minutes from Prato or 40 minutes from Florence by train. From Bologna airport, you can reach Bologna Centrale train station by bus, taxi or the Marconi Express. The Marconi Express is a monorail train that connects the airport to Bologna Centrale train station in 7 minutes and operates everyday from 5.40am until midnight. A bus or taxi ride takes about 30 minutes. From Bologna Centrale, it's about a 1 hour journey on a regional train to Prato, or about a 30 minute journey to Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station.
Please note that the Prato–Bologna railway line will be closed for maintenance from Monday 29 September to Saturday 13 December 2025.
Travel to Florence from Bologna is also possible by taking the Appennino Shuttle Bus direct from the airport to just behind the Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station, at Piazzale Montelungo. A contactless payment system is in effect on all buses and trams in Tuscany. The EMV contactless payment system means that travellers can pay onboard using a debit, credit or prepaid card as well as with digital wallets on smartphones or smartwatches.
Rome airport (Leonardo Da Vinci-Fiumicino) is a 45 minute train journey from Roma Termini train station and 2.5 hours by train from Prato (with two train changes).
Prato is about 30 minutes from Florence, about 1 hour from Bologna, 1.5 hours from Pisa, 2.5 hours from Rome and 3 hours from Milan and Venice by train.
The train station closest to our campus is Prato Porta al Serraglio, a 5 minute walk. The main train station Prato Centrale is a 15-20 minute walk or a short bus ride away.
Train timetables are available on the Trenitalia website. The Italo train service is also an option for travel between major cities in Italy (but not to reach Prato directly).
Please note that the Prato–Bologna railway line will be closed for maintenance from Monday 29 September to Saturday 13 December 2025.
Prato can be reached by bus from Florence. The Autolinee Toscane bus company operates the Prato-Florence line and departs from Viale Guidoni T2 Hub. To reach Viale Guidoni, take the T2 tram line direction 'Aeroporto' from outside the main Firenze Santa Maria Novella train station at the Alamanni stop. The closest stop (300m) to our campus is Via del Ceppo Vecchio.
From Prato Centrale train station, you can take either the number 1 bus (direction: Ospedale portineria) or the number 3 bus (direction: Galciana) to Piazza delle Carceri, located 200m from our campus.
Bus information is available on the Autolinee Toscane website.
A contactless payment system is in effect on all buses and trams in Tuscany. The EMV contactless payment system means that travellers can pay onboard using a debit, credit or prepaid card as well as with digital wallets on smartphones or smartwatches.
Take the A11 Firenze-Pisa highway for approximately 8km and exit at Prato Est. After the tollgate, keep to the left and head in the direction of Vaiano-Vernio for approximately 3km going through two underpasses. After the second underpass, turn right into Via Carlo Marx and continue straight towards the centre of Prato passing through three sets of traffic lights. Enter the city walls at Via Frascati and continue straight until Piazza Santa Maria delle Carceri (you will see a castle). Turn right onto Viale Piave where you will find metered (paid) street parking.
There are larger paid parking areas in Piazza Mercatale and in Via Arcivescovo Antonio Martini.
Please note that you need a permit to drive in some other parts of the historical centre.