syuonthedot

Hi all,
I would like to plan a day trip from London (by bus/train).
Between Oxford-Bicester Village vs Bath-Swindon Outlet, which one would you choose?

This will be my 3rd trip to England after 10 years (obvioulsly I forgot almost everything!) and this will be my friend's first trip. She asked me to handle everything.
I have been to Bath (Bath is beautiful!) and Oxford before but I have never been to both, Bicester Village and Swindon Outlet so I am not sure which one is a good option for shopping.

We will be visiting Cheshire Oaks outlet as well a week before that

bilboburgler

ttt
Interested in the answers

flanneruk

Neither Oxford nor Bath are really suitable for visiting by car.

Getting to the outlet by public transport is a real pain from Bath, while it's a 30 min bus journey, running every 15 mins, from central Oxford to Bicester Village (http://www.stagecoachbus.com/PdfUplo...e_44548_S5.pdf)

However, while a day return ticket from London to Bath lets you pick up the train coming back at Swindon, you need, at least for the next two years, separate London - Oxford and Bicester North-London tickets.

Bicester, BTW, is heavily geared to the Asian market. Foreign visitors are probably more likely to be familiar with the brands than at Swindon (which is a tad British - as in Coronation St, rather than Downton Abbey), but colours and sizes available often may not suit burly Westerners.

anicecupoftea

The outlets are all pretty similar, with lots of overlaps. If you're going to Cheshire Oaks, I wouldn't bother with the others unless they have a specific shop you want to visit.

syuonthedot

Hi Flanneruk,
I am an Asian. Thank you for your advice. As my friend is a first time visitor, I guess Bath is more beautiful than Oxford?

syuonthedot

Anicecupoftea,
There are certain specific shops but I am more concern with which outlet that have great discounts and stocks.

flanneruk

" I guess Bath is more beautiful than Oxford?"

Why guess?

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and certainly wouldn't be my criterion for visiting anywhere. They're towns - living, breathing communities of people, their predecessors, and the buildings and institutions they've established and enlivened over the past couple of thousand years. You wouldn't choose between Delhi and Lahore on "beauty", surely?

But this IS the 21st century. If that's all you're interested in, go onto Google Streetview.

syuonthedot

Flanneruk,
As stated above, this is my 3rd trip to England. The previous one was 10 years back. And I have been to Bath, but that was 17 years ago. I was a little kid. Obviously, I forgot almost everything.

Btw, thanks for your advice. Will google more.