How to Visit La Vallée Village Paris Shopping Outlet
Last Updated on 17th May 2024 by Sophie Nadeau
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Those looking for designer deals will do well by heading to La Vallée Village Paris shopping outlet, which is a short train ride away from the city centre. Here’s how to visit La Vallée Village as a day trip from Paris, as well as what to know before you go.
Those wishing to go shopping in Paris will have no shortage of places to go to look for everything from vintage finds to luxury department stores. And if you head out of the city on the RER A?
Well then you’ll find the Val d’Europe shopping mall (which has over 190 shops and 30 restaurants) and La Vallée Village Shopping outlet, which is the closest outlet to Paris and can still be found within the Île de France region.
Contents
What is the Paris shopping outlet?
La Vallée Village is a shopping outlet that comprises of over 110 stores, including plenty of designer French brands. The village was opened in October 2000 and has since become the most successful outlet mall in France.
As well as ‘accessible’ designers from the high street such as Sandro, Maje, Levi’s, and Guess, there are also high-end designers such as Gucci, Balenciaga, Prada, and Burberry.
La Vallée Village is part of The Bicester Village Shopping Collection Villages. Other shopping villages in the collection in Europe include outlets in London, Milan, Munich, Dublin, Barcelona, Madrid, Brussels, Antwerp, Cologne, Düsseldorf and Frankfurt.
Is shopping at La Vallée Village a good deal?
Well, the short answer is yes and no! Many designer brands are up to 30% off full ticket price, meaning that if you check the product before you buy, you can get a a good deal. However, be sure to always double check online because you won’t always be getting a good deal.
Having shopped at designer outlets in North America, I would say that those of Europe are often not nearly as good of a deal.
A number of items remain at the full recommended retail price (I noticed this when looking at the bags at Marc Jacobs), meaning that you might as well wait for sales or try and find them on second-hand sites like depop or vinted. If you spy something you particularly love, do make sure to check the price online!
Furthermore, if you visit during sale season (French sales, known as ‘soldes’ are highly recommended by French law and only take place for a few weeks during the summer and winter seasons), then shopping prices are reduced even further. There are also various discount days throughout the year.
What’s unique about the Vallée Village is that, as well as older pieces from previous seasons, there are plenty of pieces and items that are brought in directly from the store.
Therefore, you can often buy pieces from current collections (at some stores) for a discount. Note that there are some items which are made exclusively for the outlet.
How to get extra discounts at La Vallée Village
If you’re looking to get an extra good deal, then you can sign up to become a VIP member (it’s free). You’ll get a little barcode that can be scanned at shops to gain points, and you’ll also occasionally get a percentage off of some purchases in stores (though honestly it was unclear to us when we would be able to benefit from a discount and I didn’t get the additional discount on anything I purchased).
Some of the stores in the adjacent Val d’Europe shopping mall will also give discounts to holders of the La Vallee Village VIP privilege card. Find out more details here.
VAT in France
VAT stands for Value Added Tax and is known as TVA in French. It is a type of sales tax and it is legal requirement for stores to include the price of TVA in the ticketed price of an item. It is applied to almost everything you buy, including adult clothing and accessories.
However, if you do not live in the EU, then you can claim the tax back and end up with 12% off your favourite products, though you will initially have to pay the tax and claim it back. Some luxury brands offer a lower tax refund back.
This qualifies to most purchases over €100 and so you should ask the boutique assistant for a tax refund form that should then be signed by yourself and the shop assistant. You also have to be over the age of 16 and cannot have a visa for Europe (be sure to check all restrictions for yourself).
There are a few ways to reclaim the money back. The first is to drop off the forms that you have filled in at the airport (you’ll need the form, your passport, and receipt) at either the customs office or a PABLO kiosk desk. Another option is to register for the Global Blue Card.
How to reach the Paris outlet Village
Via regional train
The easiest (and cheapest) way to take this day trip from Paris is to jump on the RER A from Châtelet-les-Halles. Please note that you can’t use a typical metro ticket as this is only for Zone 1. Instead, you’ll have to purchase a special ticket (which you can still buy at the usual machines).
Tickets cost €5 each way. On the ticket machines (which are available at all stations) you’ll want to select a ticket that says ‘from this station’ and buy a ticket to ‘Val d’Europe’. If you’re stuck, go to a guichet (counter).
Do not accept help from plain-clothed people in the metro and train stations. One of the most common tourist scams in Paris is for passersby to appear as if they’re helping you, only to overcharge you for tickets.
Trains depart every fifteen minutes or so and more frequently at rush hour and during the weekend. On the RER A, you’ll want to head in the direction of ‘Marne la Vallée Chessy’ (which is home to Disneyland Paris).
The Val d’Europe is on the penultimate stop of the RER Line A and is around a 30-40 minute train journey from central Paris. Once at the station, you’ll have to walk all the way through the Val d’Europe in order to reach the outdoor outlet village.
Via shuttle bus
There are buses which go to and from the centre of Paris. Tickets must be reserved ahead of time. Buses depart from the 12th arrondissement. Find out more details here.
As of 2022, the price is €25 per adult and €15 per child, ages 3–11 (free for children under 3) for a half day ticket and €30 per adult and €20 per child, ages 3–11 (free for children under 3) for a full day ticket.
Those who are looking for the ultimate luxury shopping experience might consider splashing out on a 2-way transfer from Paris which includes a €50 voucher to spend at La Vallée Village and a 2-course meal at Menu Palais. Find out more details here.
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You will receive emails from La Vallee Village every now and then (i think twice a month or every other week) as an update on the additional discounts for selected stores/brands over selected period of time.