Bicester Village, Bicester

Fantastic place for some retail therapy. I go here seasonally and always find some gems in some of the many world class brands here. I would say that going here in order to save money would leave you disappointed. I would instead recommended going with an open mind (from experience I rarely get exactly what I planned to but instead I end up with clothing I appreciate but not necessarily need.

Like most outlet stores if you don't have a list of exact items you require you might be lucky and find something good here for a reasonable price. It gets very crowded during weekends so if you can avoid coming at that time the experience is a lot better. Recently some of our more favourite stores left so we may be back in a year or so.

If you're into brand name shopping, this is the place to be. If you're coming from London, simply take the train and the station is at the back of the outlets. You'll be greeted by a number of staff members who tell you about special deals. You can easily spend a whole day shopping here so check out what shops are here and see if you're into them. Huge savings compared to the shops in central London but do keep in mind that it is an outlet, so items may be designed for an outlet and/or from last season.

It's been nearly 20 years since I last visited and Bicester has ballooned since then. It's something of a fight to get a parking space and then the mall is crawling with the masses at the weekend. There are some good deals here but mostly I could price-compare online. I remember back in the day it was worth the long drive coming out here but these days I wouldn't bother unless I lived nearby.

So bicester village at any other time than weekday daytime is just horrid and heaving with tourists. Which seems bizarre to me for a place where essentially there are expensive shops selling their wears for slightly less tham highstreet. And i mean slightly. It isnt a bad spot to pop to for midweek browse and lunch though. But i would strongly suggest avoiding at all costs nov-jan outside of 9-5 mon-fri.