How to get from London to Bicester: Train, bus or drive?

Looking to travel from London to Bicester soon and wondering the best way to get from the capital city to the home of one of the UK’s most popular luxury shopping destinations? With a journey of approximately 52 miles (84 km), there are numerous factors to consider, such as the quickest and cheapest (especially if you’re looking to splash out on the many designer outlets) way of travelling.

In our guide below, we’re covering all the key facts and stats to help you decide how to get to Bicester from London, and even make our top suggestion for how we would personally make the journey.

Photo by Des Blenkinsopp

Which is the best method of travel?

*All figures included are estimates as of May 2025 and are liable to change

• Quickest way to Bicester: Train (from 43 minutes)
• Cheapest way to Bicester: Bus (from £16)
• Our recommended way to travel: Train
• Why?: For just under an hour travel time and an average of £25 for the ticket, we think the train is the most balanced option for both access and affordability. That being said, if you’re planning to go all out when shopping, you could benefit from the extra boot space by driving.

London to Bicester by train

When taking the London to Bicester train, you’ll have a few options for arriving stations: Bicester North and Bicester Village.

London Marylebone to Bicester North by train

You can expect a journey time of around 43 minutes to an hour if you are hopping on the direct service provided by Chiltern Railways and getting off at Bicester North. One of the greatest benefits of this route is that it only stops at High Wycombe, so you’ll be constantly on the move. This can cost as little as £23.50 but is often closer to £34.20. Be sure to apply Railcards, book in advance and/or during Off-Peak times and keep an eye out for Split Tickets for the best deals. 

London Marylebone to Bicester Village by train

Alternatively, you can hop on Chiltern’s other service, which takes a bit longer (around 53 to 70 minutes) but will take you directly to Bicester Village.

Alternatively, the route, taking you from London Marylebone to Bicester Village station, has average ticket prices around £35.80, but this can drop as low as £23.50 when booking in advance, using Split Tickets (which is automatically applied when booking through Trip.com), or using a Railcard. This direct route takes you from the Big Smoke to the South East, passing through Gerrards Cross, Beaconsfield, High Wycombe, Saunderton and Princes Risborough.

London Paddington to Bicester Village via Oxford

You can also take an indirect route, which starts from London Paddington and involves hopping on a GWR service to Oxford, and then changing onto a Chiltern Railways service, which then takes you to Bicester Village station. However, as these stations are pretty close together, we’d recommend starting your journey from London Marylebone for ease of travel, duration and a cheaper ticket.

Though Chiltern Railways doesn’t offer First Class services, you can still expect free WiFi, power sockets at every seat, and ‘Quiet Zones’ for an enjoyable journey before and after your shopping spree. 

Photo by R~P~M

London to Bicester by bus

London Victoria to Bicester Village coach by Evan Evans

There is a dedicated Coach service by Evan Evans, which runs a once-a-day Monday to Sunday service from 9:30 am to 7 pm that takes passengers to Bicester Village. You can hop on from various locations, including London Victoria, St. James’ Court, Thistle London Marble Arch Hotel, and Hilton London Kensington. Onboard, you can expect free Wi-Fi, USB charging, and a free E-VIP code to save an additional 10% at participating boutiques. This journey will take approximately 2 hours if departing from London Victoria, with a ticket price of £45.

Find out more about Evan Evans services here.

London Victoria to Bicester Village by Oxford Tube / National Express via Oxford

You can also complete the journey by hopping on the Oxford Tube or National Express services from London Victoria’s Green Line Coach Station. This bus will take you to Oxford in around 2 hours, where we recommend changing at Gloucester Green Bus Station and taking the X5 bus onwards to Bicester, a non-stop service which takes around 27 minutes if you’re aiming for Bicester Village.

If your crossovers fall nicely, you can complete this journey in approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes, which is not impossible for a day trip but would likely mean an early start to the day. A single ticket on the Oxford Tube is often around £15-20, and the X5 leg typically costs around £1-3, so the overall journey will be around £16-25, which is a great price for those looking to save and are willing to take a longer journey.

The Oxford Tube service offers reclining seats with footrests and legroom, wireless charging and USB ports, reading lights, air conditioning, toilet and washroom facilities, and free 4G WiFi internet access.

Find more about coach options to Oxford here.

London to Bicester by car

Driving to Bicester is a popular option for those travelling as a family, or those looking to avoid lugging their recent retail purchases from Bicester Village back by public transport.

The most popular route when starting your journey from Central London, take the A40 out of the capital, which merges into the M40 Northbound. Leave the M40 at Junction 9, then follow signs for Bicester Village via the A41. There is a dedicated Bicester Village Link Road which will take you right to the dedicated car park if that’s where you’re headed.

Speaking of, Bicester Village offers plenty of free parking opportunities, as well as premium parking options, charging points for electric vehicles, and accessible bays, though we recommend arriving early to avoid disappointment. 

Following this route, the journey will take around 1 hour and 30 minutes to 2 hours, depending on traffic conditions and where exactly you start your journey in London.