Things to do in Bicester

Bicester is a gateway more than a destination, and most of what is listed here is indoors: the answer to a wet afternoon, or to children who have had enough of the shops. The sights, the old town and the villages round it are in our guide to things to do in Bicester. If you do one thing here on a dry day, walk the old town; on a wet one, book a film.

For a wet day, and for children

Vue is the town's cinema, seven screens in the Pioneer Centre on Bure Place, in the middle of the town, with new films in 2D and 3D and concerts, sport and theatre on the big screen. Tickets are cheaper online. Park at Sainsbury's and scan the cinema's QR code, which takes the free parking from two hours to four, enough for a film and a meal.

AirHop, on Talisman Business Park, is an indoor trampoline park with an obstacle course, sessions for ages 4 and up, toddler sessions and quieter SEN sessions, and a café for those not jumping. Clip 'n Climb, on Bessemer Close, has more than 20 climbing lines on automatic belays, family sessions from age 2, and a pottery-painting room for anyone who would rather not climb. Only climbers pay; the rest can watch from the café. Both open for fewer hours in term time, so book a slot before you set off.

Bicester Leisure Centre on Queens Avenue is the plain public pool, with a 25m pool and a learner pool at council prices. Public swims run at set times only and are booked online, and under-3s swim free. Bicester with children puts these together with the parks and the free days out.

At Bicester Heritage

Bicester Heritage, the old RAF bomber station on the Buckingham Road, opens to the public on event days such as the Scramble. On other days the site is for people who work there or have booked with one of its businesses, and two of those take visitors. The Sky Wave gin distillery, in the North Tanker Sheds, runs 75-minute tours and tastings on Fridays and Saturdays, strictly for over-18s, with four gin and tonics in the ticket, so come by taxi or bring a driver, who can ask for a drivers' pack. Use the main gate on Buckingham Road.

Everyman runs supercar and film-car driving days on the site's experience track, on a few set dates a year. It costs less than a race-circuit day, spectators are welcome, and its entrance is Gate 8, not the main Bicester Motion gate. Pick a date before you buy, or buy a voucher and book once the dates are out.

The sights

The old town fills a morning. St Edburg's Church is Bicester's Grade I parish church, with brasses of about 1500 and a Morris & Co. window of 1866; it publishes no visiting hours, so ring the parish office before a special trip. The Market Square has had a market since 1239 and No. 47 of 1698, with its oval-windowed tower, and the Friday market trades on Sheep Street beside it. Garth Park, a few minutes east, is the free town park round a Victorian hunting lodge, with a bandstand, a café and play areas.

Bicester Village, the open-air designer outlet on the south side of the town, is the reason most visitors come, with more than 150 boutiques and its own station. How Bicester Village happened tells its story.