Today is a shopping day. I rented a car to drive to Bicester Village, which is about 60 miles away from London city. The drive is quite comfortable and it takes approximately 80~90 minutes to reach. Nothing much to note on the driving style if you are coming from a commonwealth country, it is pretty much like driving in Singapore or Malaysia for me. A couple of interesting points to note while driving in Zone 1 is that 1) There is a traffic light in almost every 50 meters; and 2) There is a concession fee to drive in Zone 1 which costs £11.50 during working days and free when it is public holiday (Why can't Singapore follow this type of system? Why???).
Rented a car from EuropCar. I have opted for a normal sedan but during the car collection, the following conversation ensued with the front desk personnel:
A: How many people are you travelling with?
Me: 3 adults and 2 child.
A: Wanted anything more comfortable?
Me: What do you propose?
A: I could give you an upgrade for £70.00 + VAT (That is 20%)
Me: No thanks, I will stick with the standard sedan.
A: ... ... ...
Me: ... ... ...
A: I could give you a special upgrade for £50.00 + VAT
Me: What will I get for that?
A: You will get a Range.
Me: A range?
Me: ... ... like a Range Rover? (Snickering while saying that)
A: Yes.
Me: 😲😲
So ladies and gentleman, that's how I ended up with this monster of a car. Its totally worth it! It is such a pleasure to drive one.
Before you reached Bicester Village, there may be traffic marshalls trying to "pursuade" you to park at the ADDITIONAL CAR PARK and then take the shuttle bus to Bicester Village itself to ease the traffic congestion from cars turning in circles trying to look for a parking space. If you go early in the morning or after lunch time, just head straight to the actual Bicester village to park. Family travelling with kids, please note the following:
1) Bicester Village's walkway from shop to shop are not covered so when it rains, you will need to look for shelter. You may think that "What's the big deal? You just pop in a shop and you are sheltered from the rain". No my friends, while this may be true at times, Bicester Village is beaming with shoppers and most shops or restaurants are filled with people or the shops requires you to queue before entering. ADVICE: Bring umbrellas!
2) While there are toilets scattered around Bicester Village, the most convenient ones are at the centre of the village. There are child/baby friendly toilets so you may avoid the snaking long queue for toilets.
3) There are some restaurants, cafes and take-away eateries in Bicester Village so don't have to worry as much. Some good places for family with little children are Pret-A-Manger and Itsu. If you wanted a comfortable sit down area, there is Farm Shop on one end of the village and another restaurant at the opposite end. ADVICE: As there are many people, you either try to pack some sandwiches from the hotel or buy them from Pret-A-Manger. You can also buy Sushi or bentos from Itsu within Bicester and eat it at the outdoor area. Otherwise, eat a little earlier or later than the other shoppers.
There are many branded merchandise here and most of them are at reduced price because they are either out of season or they may have been in store for a long time although they are technically still new since they are not worn or used. Major brands include Christian Dior, Ferragamo, Furla etc. If you are buying for kids, I only managed to find 2 places i.e. Polo Ralph Lauren and Burberry. Oh, two things to note though is that:
1) There are other shops on the outer side of Bicester Village. Many people (Including yours truly) just focused on the inner side of Bicester Village but didn't noticed that there are other shops on the outer side.
2) Children merchandise is always tax free, so you don't have to ask for it while making payment.
Bicester is quite near to Oxford University and Warwick Castle, which are both excellent place to visit since you had already driven so far up north but one final piece of advice. IF you are intending to visit Bicester Village, be warned that you may never leave the place until it is closed, which is around 9PM and that means you won't be able to visit Oxford University (A must go if your child or perhaps you are a Harry Potter fans) and/or Warwick Castle. Try to go to these places before Bicester Village.
There are not many photos as yours truly's hands are occupied with you-now-whats.
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Read more:
Project WWWT Day 13 of 72 - London, United Kingdom
Project WWWT Day 12 of 72 - London, United Kingdom
Project WWWT Day 10 of 72 - England United Kingdom
Project WWWT Day 8-9 of 72 - Paris Disneyland, France
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