Bicester (‘Bicester’ as in ‘Mister’) village is the stuff of legends. I’ve heard so much about the place ever since I was a teenager – ‘An outlet store where you can get designer bags for a few quid’.

Because I didn’t have a few quid spare for a train ticket up there, never mind a Mulberry bag – I didn’t go. Well anyway, my friend Bronni had a few days off from work, so we decided to go to see if it really lived up to the hype.

Bicester Village is just outside Oxford. We got a train from Marylebone station right to the village which took 45 minutes and cost £10.

First things first, it’s posh as hell. It’s like you’re not in the UK anymore. It’s like a classy mall in Dubai (not that I’ve been – just imagine they are) and there are a load of tourists. Apparently, Bicester Village is the second most popular tourist attraction for Chinese people in the UK – after Buckingham Palace.

What is Bicester Village?

I had never even heard of Bicester Village until I moved to London. It’s a weird secret which only a few people in the UK know about, let a lot of tourists know about.

It’s a high-end outlet village an hour out for London. It’s not like your standard outlet though, it’s incredibly fancy – almost chic!

The reason people come, isn’t because it’s beautiful it’s because they slash super high-end brands such as Gucci, Prada and Versace from eye-wateringly high amounts, to somewhat affordable levels.

It is also packed with stores that you’ll find on the high-street (I’ve listed examples below – with prices), prices slashed again, to frankly ‘cheap as chips’ levels

I LOVE it. It’s my happy place.

How to get to Bicester Village

If you’ve decided to go – here is everything you could possibly need to know.

Bicester Village address and postcode

There’s no need to go putting Bicester Village’s postcode in your phone, it’s the easiest place to get to, with the train station literally stopping outside it.

The address is Bicester Village, 50 Pingle Drive Bicester, Oxfordshire, OX26 6WD, England.

Marylebone to Bicester Village

Train to Bicester Village

If you’re in London, Marylebone is the best station for you to go to. It’s pretty cheap and will cost you around £10 – £15 minutes and will take around one hour (as long as there are no delays).

The train is very comfortable (though I didn’t notice food being served), but on the way back it was horribly busy. Don’t expect a seat.

Car to Bicester Village

If you plan to drive to Bicester Village (parking is free). It’s about 62 miles between Marylebone and Bicester Village and takes about the same time as it does to go on the train.

Coach or bus to Bicester Village

There isn’t really a normal bus that takes you directly from London Marylebone to Bicester Village. You have to go to Oxford and change and takes over two hours.

However, there are plenty of coach companies that take you directly the outlet. The main one is the ‘Shopping Express‘ which is a sleek and chic coach service that runs from central London, picking up guests from hotels to Bicester village.

• Adult return – £28
• Child return – £20
• Family return (two adults and two kids) – £84

Oxford to Bicester Village

It’s super easy to get to Bicester village from Oxford. If you’re driving, it will take about 20 mins but it is quicker to get the train from Oxford which will cost around £5 – 8 and will take 14 minutes.

If you would prefer to spend less and get a bus, you can get a direct one from Magdalen Street in Oxford’s City Centre. It takes 38 minutes and leaves every two hours Monday to Sunday.

Getting around – the Bicester Village map

It’s not a confusing shopping outlet to walk around, being one long strip of shops, but, the Bicester Village map is a handy thing to have just in case.

Here’s the Bicester Village map, with everything you could need on it. There are offers in it, stores as well as where you can eat.

If you have an Apple or Android phone, you can download the Bicester Village map which will not only tell you where to go, but also:

• Give you opening times
• Give you exclusive offers
• Give you information about guest services
• See videos/interviews/behind the scenes footage

Bicester Village opening times

Bicester Village is open seven days a week but with different opening times, especially on Sundays.

• Mon 9 am – 9pm
• Tue 9am -9pm
• Wed 9am – 9pm
• Thu 8am – 10pm
• Fri 8am – 10pm
• Sat 8am – 10pm
• Sun 9am – 5pm (BUT – there are exceptions).

On Sunday, Burberry, Coach, Dior, Dolce & Gabbana, Boss, Gucci, Michael Kors, Moncler, Ralph Lauren, Prada, Ted Baker and Tod’s open at 11:30am for browsing, then 12pm for shopping, but close by 6pm.

Bicester village outlet shops, sales and price review

Here are the best bargains I could find in Bicester Village:

Uggs at Bicester Village

I’m not apologising for still liking UGGS. I know they’re a bit ‘2004’, but they’re cosy and I don’t mind having damp feet whenever it rains.

And frankly, I’m not alone because UGGs are still seriously pricey and the shops are always packed. Sometimes you have to queue to get into the store in London.

Traditional UGG’s themselves were selling for around £80 – £110 which isn’t too bad, but the best bargains were unsurprisingly not on the boots.

These flats (I do like a flat shoe with glitz) were down to £30.

There were also current items like wellies and slippers which were decently reduced and were current stock which you could buy full price online.

 

Jack Wills at Bicester Village

I don’t like Jack Wills. I was too poor and chubby for the clothes when it was really popular (bitter much?) and I think the price of the clothes take the mick.

However, there are still people who love the brand, so I braved the beautiful teenagers who work there and looked for bargains.

Unless you’re going to the sale section, where the was the odd item at 75%+ off, the discounts weren’t amazing.

I don’t get puffa jackets. Apart from the fact their probably warm, why would anyone want to look like they have extra fat rolls?

Michael Kors Bicester Village

We spotted some amazing deals in Michael Kors, but a man kept following me around talking to me, so it was irritating (just want to take photos mate – sod off!).

This big black tote, which would work for most occasions was £105 – and there was a promotion on at the store offering extra discount too. I thought that was pretty barginous.

How pretty is this bag? Thing about Michael Kors is that its not leather, which bugs me a bit. But £100ish for a designer bag that will last a good few years isn’t too bad.

DKNY at Bicester Village

I think DKNY had the best bargains. Not only that, there was 20% off everything in the whole store.

There was lots of offer too, but mostly bags and wallets rather than clothing.

All Saints at Bicester Village

I have a soft spot for All Saints, even though it again is pretty overpriced.

There was loads packed into the shop (probably too much), and everything seemed to be at least half price.

This lovely biker jacket below is £98 down from £328, which is a big discount.

Now don’t get me wrong, you can go to Primark and get a jacket for £6 – but that’s not the point of Bicester village, or this blog. High-end stuff calls for a high price (but there’s always a bargain to be had).

Missoni at Bicester Village

I’m just nowhere near fancy enough to wear Missoni, but I love its bright colours and prints.

Literally, every outfit in the store was eye-wateringly expensive, but some of the accessories like the umbrellas and flip-flops were ‘do-able’ if you really wanted to own some Missoni.

Though, I really don’t think these towels are worth the £40 even though they are reduced. They just don’t have that Missoni signature look.

Furla at Bicester Village

Furla was all about the accessories and there was even a bag Bronni seriously considered buying.

I know I should be judgy about a £30 keyring, but I get it. I’ve bought fancy ones before and I will again.

Ugly keyring, but beautiful discount!

Ralph Lauren at Bicester Village

Have you ever been to an outlet village and there hasn’t been a Ralph Lauren? They go hand in hand.

As standard, everything seemed to be about half price, but the real bargains were in the sale section at the back of the store.

There were lots of polo shirts of every colour for £25, down from £120.

Mulberry at Bicester Village

I don’t know why, but it’s my dream to own the bag below. I’ve wanted one for years. Ah, the Alexa…

But I can’t fork out for one – not even at the reduced price.

This was the worst store in the village. The staff were overbearing. I must have been giving off shoplifter vibes or something because they were like flies around honey. I couldn’t pick a bag up without someone asking me if they could help.

I decided to leave the store and took a couple of snaps on the way out. The discounts seemed pretty decent – but the experience wasn’t. I was quite angry actually.

Kate Spade at Bicester Village

Kate Spade is my weakness. I own quite a bit, and although I know its overpriced – I think everything is beautiful (and *just* affordable), which makes it dangerous.

Oh by the way, if you can’t get to Bicester village – you can usually find Kate Spade in TK Maxx stores if you want to find a bargain.

This picture is annoyingly blury, but there was also 20% off everything in-store – which meant you could bag a Kate Spade watch for £75ish.

Marc Jacobs at Bicester Village

Westwood Bicester Village

Pandora at Bicester Village

Pandora is my personal hell. To get into this tiny shop in Bicester, you had to queue. And then you slowly snaked around the shop in line to get to the items. Nah… I tried two minutes and had to leave snapping pictures of whatever I could on the way out.

By far it was the most popular store in the outlet village.

What didn’t help was the wind had changed and there’s a chicken farm close by. Have you ever smelled chicken poo? I have, while being squashed in a queue in Pandora. I don’t recommend it.

That said, there were pretty decent discounts on the jewellery brand which accounts for its popularity.

The White Company at Bicester Village

I’ve just moved into a new house so am always looking for bits and bobs to fill it with. I like the idea of The White Company because its what I imagine posh women fill their homes with while their husbands are out trading or whatever rich people do.

It was mostly candles and hand creams which weren’t that cheap and hardly any home-wear.

The best bargains were the sheets I found at 70% off. Even though a load of the stock wasn’t even 50% off, if you’re the kind of person who does fill their home with expensive White Company candles – any discount is better than none I suppose.

I struggled to get excited about paying £8 for these candles – but they were the best bargains in the store.

Le Creuset at Bicester Village

Another brand rich people adore! Have you really made it until you have a big Le Creuset orange casserole dish? *eye-roll*

Another brand you can find in TKMaxx, this store was very small, with the stone-wear being around 30%-50%. That’s still pretty pricey, but they do have a lifetime guarantee (so keep the receipt!).

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I’ll 100% be going back because I’m a sucker for a discount. The best deals were the sale sections within the outlet store, giving you a double discount. I reckon it would be amazing to go in the January sales or Black Friday where there is likely to be an extra discount code on everything in stock.

A quick thing about the food – there isn’t a lot of choice. If you look online or read a map, it seems like there are a load of restaurants, but really, they are fast food booths. The only real options are right at the beginning and the end of the village.

Oh, and you know what – I think the weather matters. Bicester Village is really beautiful. There are lots of flowers around and its a pleasure to be in. And although the shops are inside, you’re outside quite a bit. When we went, the first half of our day poured down which was a bit miserable. It was so much nicer when the sun came out later. Of course, you can’t control the weather, but don’t think of it as a ‘rainy day’ trip.

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Have you been to Bicester Village? What do you think of it? Let me know in the comments!

Love outlets? Check out my Gunwharf Quays review.

Want to read more?

• Are online outlets worth it?