Bicester Village – Is It Worth Going To This Famous Luxury Outlet Mall Near London?

Bicester Village is a famous luxury outlet mall located less than an hour from London by train. The wife had a great time shopping here because many of the luxury products were significantly cheaper than in Singapore. This article was last updated on 13 May 2020.

Table of Contents

• Bicester Village
• Getting To Bicester Village From London
• VIP Card (10% Discount)
• Which Shops Should You Visit?
• Playground
• Food at Bicester Village
• Tips
• Map of Bicester Village
• Bicester Village – Is It Worth Going?

Bicester Village

This popular outlet mall is home to over 160 fashion stores, many of which are high-end luxury boutiques. According to the mall’s website, you can enjoy discounts of up to 60% on usual retail prices here.

Some of the brands include Coach, Jimmy Choo, Gucci, Burberry, Ferragamo, Michael Kors, Celine, and many more. Check out the full list of brands on the official website.

The open-air mall is lined with rows of pastel barnyard-like shops. It has a clean and spacious design which made shopping here a pleasant experience.

I saw plenty of Chinese tourists during my visit; apparently Bicester Village and Buckingham Palace are the top two tourist attractions in Britain for Chinese people.

Getting To Bicester Village From London

To get to Bicester Village, I booked the Klook Train Package for £23. This was the cheapest and most effective method I could find.

It consists of a return train ticket for a 45-minute direct trip from London Marylebone Station to Bicester Village.

It is a “Fully Flexible” ticket, meaning that there is no fixed return timing. This Klook Train Package is a collaboration between Klook and Evan Evans Tours.

At 9.30am on the day of my trip, I went to Marylebone Station and met up with the Evan Evans Representative outside WHSmith to collect my train ticket.

At 10.06am, I boarded the train. There were plenty of seats available and they were quite comfy.

I reached the Bicester Village train station after a smooth 50-minute ride. I proceeded to walk through the rainbow entrance and enter shopping paradise.

At 6.15pm, we left Bicester Village after the wife was done with her shopping. The train was quite packed on the way back to London, but we still managed to get seats.

There are other methods for getting to Bicester Village, but personally I find this way to be the most efficient and value-for-money.

VIP Card (10% Discount)

My Klook train package included a free “VIP Card” that offers 10% discount at participating outlets in the mall.

After alighting from the train, I went to the Guest Services department at the entrance of the mall to redeem this discount card. There was a long queue of about 15 people.

This card gets you a 10% discount at many shops so remember to use it!

Which Shops Should You Visit?

Based on our experience, it is definitely better to shop for British luxury brands at Bicester Village. This is because brands are usually cheaper if the outlet mall is based in their origin country.

For example, Bicester Village has the best prices for British brands, Woodbury Common is best for American brands, and The Mall Firenze is best for Italian brands.

Case in point: the wife managed to buy a pair of Jimmy Choo flats for just £250 (after tax refund), which is around 40% cheaper than in Singapore.

Other notable British brands to look out for include Burberry, Ted Baker, Clarks, Stella McCartney, Paul Smith, Mulberry, etc.

As for non-British luxury brands, they are still cheaper than retail prices in Singapore, but the discounts are definitely not as attractive.

For example, we came across a Gucci “GG Jacquard Wool” scarf at Bicester Village that seemed to be selling at an attractive price. However, when we went to The Mall Firenze, we saw the exact same scarf being sold at an even lower price.

Playground

I came across a pretty wooden playground. However, it was closed to the public during my visit.

Food at Bicester Village

There are many food vendors scattered around the mall. I enjoyed a tasty Ham, Cheese & Mushroom crepe (£6.50) from Creperie Angelie.

I was also pleasantly surprised to see popular Taiwanese bubble tea chain YiFang. I had the Xingyi Plum Green Tea (£5.35) which was sweet and refreshing.

Bicester Village is home to various restaurants such as the popular Café Wolseley, Itsu (East Asian-inspired fast food), Shan Shui (Chinese food), Le Pain Quotidien (bakery-cafe), and Pret a Manger (famous sandwich shop chain).

However, the wife had plenty of boutiques to visit so we didn’t waste time dining at any of the restaurants.

Tips

1. Remember to bring your passport. You will need it to get a “tax-free” receipt for claiming your VAT tax refund later.

2. Before going down, plan your visit by using the Bicester Village map. This is important because there are MANY shops here.

3. Visit Bicester Village on a weekday because it is usually very packed on the weekends.

4. Remember to use the “VIP Card” to enjoy an additional 10% discount.

5. Try to go as early as possible (before 10am) to beat the crowds.

6. Bring along an empty luggage to store your loot. It will be much more convenient than carrying around paper bags.

7. Wear comfortable shoes because the outlet mall is quite big.

Map of Bicester Village

This is a map of all the shops at Bicester Village (accurate as of 03 April 2019). Click on the picture to enlarge. The official outlet website has an interactive map too.

Bicester Village – Is It Worth Going?

Happy wife, happy life

Bicester Village is definitely worth the trip because you will get to enjoy great discounts, especially for British luxury brands. As for non-British brands, they are also cheaper, though the discounts are not as attractive. Overall, shopping here will be cheaper than shopping in central London. If you are a Singaporean, you can be assured that the branded goods are mostly cheaper than in Singapore. Going to this outlet mall is really easy because it is less than an hour’s train ride from London. Therefore, make sure you include this outlet mall in your London itinerary!

Bicester Village
Website: www.tbvsc.com/bicester-village/en
Opening Hours*: | Mon to Sat: 9am – 8pm | Sun: 10am – 7pm |
*Based on my observation, the opening hours vary throughout the year. You can check out the most updated opening hours on their website before going down.