2024 Comprehensive Guide to Visiting La Vallée Village, Paris

For those passionate about fashion and searching for a unique shopping experience on your journey through France, La Vallée Village, located just a short distance from central Paris, offers an exclusive sanctuary. This open-air shopping destination blends high-end fashion luxury with the enchanting atmosphere of a quaint French town. With over 120 boutiques offering sensational reductions on premium brands, the village is a testament to the sophisticated lifestyle that France is celebrated for. Whether you're hunting for that unique item or indulging in the pleasure of luxury shopping, La Vallée Village is a key stop for international tourists exploring France.

As we explore La Vallée Village further, we'll guide you through how best to enjoy your visit, from navigating your way there, discovering top brands, securing fantastic discounts, to shopping smarter and saving your VAT via Wevat tax refund app.

La Vallée Village: your A-to-Z shopping guide

Optimal Duration and Arrival Time

Since La Vallée Village includes over 120 boutiques and more than 10 cafés, setting aside at least half a day is advisable. This allows you to meander through the boutiques, enjoy the architectural beauty, and perhaps pause for a gourmet bite. The village opens its doors early, and arriving in the morning can help you beat the crowds, offering a more relaxed shopping experience. Opening hours are from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. every day of the week. Check here for the latest updates.

Getting There

Reaching La Vallée Village is a breeze, thanks to its proximity to Paris and accessible transportation options. By RER train, take Line A to Val d'Europe station, and a mere 15-minute stroll will bring you to the village. Alternatively, the Shopping Express® shuttle provides convenient round-trip services from central Paris locations, merging comfort with ease as you travel to and from this shopping paradise. Additionally, if your itinerary includes a magical day at Disneyland Paris or if you're staying in its vicinity, numerous bus services offer easy connections to this shopping haven.

Shopping Extravaganza: Shops and Brands

Upon your arrival at La Vallée Village, you'll be greeted by an exquisite array of boutiques from nearly every major high-end designer brand imaginable. Explore the luxurious realms of Gucci, Prada, YSL, LOEWE, Celine, Burberry, Givenchy, Balenciaga, and Valentino, where the latest trends and timeless pieces await. But the luxury doesn't stop there; affordable luxury brands such as Longchamp, Coach, Marc Jacobs, and Tory Burch also offer chic options without compromising on style or quality.

In addition to these global giants, La Vallée Village takes pride in showcasing a rich selection of French fashion brands. Wander through the boutiques of Sandro, Maje, ba&sh, and The Kooples to infuse your wardrobe with that coveted French-style flair, featuring elegant shirts, dresses, and accessories that embody the spirit of Parisian chic.

La Vallée Village also caters to lovers of streetwear and casual fashion, with stores like Polo Ralph Lauren and Tommy Hilfiger presenting their iconic collections. Dive into the world of beauty with premier retailers L’Occitane and Clarins, where skincare, fragrances, and beauty essentials await to pamper and rejuvenate. For those looking to enrich their home and lifestyle, the Village's Family & Lifestyle brands offer an array of homeware selections, perfect for finding that special something to elevate your living space.

Unveiling the Discounts

The allure of La Vallée Village extends beyond its picturesque setting to the exceptional discounts on offer. Shoppers can expect to find reductions of up to 60% off the retail prices. Seasonal sales and special promotional events further enhance the potential for incredible savings, making every visit a new opportunity to discover amazing deals.

For those keen on maximising their savings, joining the Village's free membership programme is a wise move. Simply register on the La Vallée Village website or through their app. Each purchase at participating boutiques, when scanned with your personal code, earns you Stars — transforming your shopping spree into a rewarding experience with more Stars leading to greater rewards.

Maximising Savings with VAT Refunds

Non-EU residents, now including travellers from Great Britain post-Brexit, are eligible to reclaim VAT on a wide range of purchases in France, such as apparel, accessories, electronics, beauty items, and more. For detailed guidance on eligible items for VAT refunds, explore our additional blogs and the help section.

In an exciting partnership, La Vallée Village introduces Wevat as one of its tax-free shopping partners, offering international visitors a seamless way to increase their savings. Wevat stands out for its user-friendly approach to tax refunds, ensuring that visitors can shop smarter and save more.

Thanks to lower processing fees and a streamlined digital procedure, Wevat digital tax refund app not only potentially increases your refund rates to up to 13% (compared to the 8-12% typically offered by the traditional method) but also eliminates the need for cumbersome paper forms. What you need to do is to simply request an invoice addressed to Vatcat France at the point of sale instead of filling out the traditional paper tax refund form. You can simply ask the shop assistant to help you with this, including but not limited to stores that have signed up with Wevat like Saint Laurent, Timberland, Givenchy, Claris Virot, Paul Smith, Charles Tyrwhitt, Repetto, Figaret, Gerard Darel, L’Occitane en Provence, Berenice and more.

For departure, instead of navigating through complex customs procedures at the airport with the traditional method, Wevat's streamlined scan-and-go system significantly simplifies the process, offering a quicker, more efficient way to claim your refund. It's as simple as that! For more information on airport or train station procedures, refer to our detailed articles.

Simpler tax refunds with Wevat at La Vallée Village

Follow these five steps to get your VAT back in a simple and fast way with Wevat.

Download the app – make sure you have signed up and have onboarded before visiting the store
Request a ‘facture’ (invoice) - show the ”request an invoice” screen in the app to get a purchase invoice with Wevat company name and address. Make sure the invoice is not addressed to yourself!
Snap your invoice – upload it straight to the app, ideally immediately after the purchase, before you’ve left the store
Generate refund barcode – follow the prompts on the screen to get your digital refund form
Scan and go – visit the tax refund kiosk at your departure point, scan your refund barcode on the Wevat app, and off you go! Make sure to keep your goods on hand in case customs inspects the goods (in unused and original packaging).
A special perk for all shoppers: To enhance your shopping experience, we’re thrilled to offer faster refunds for any customers shopping at La Vallée Village with Wevat from April. This means you can expect to receive your refund within 7 days after your departure!

Tips for getting an invoice:

Ask for a “facture” (Invoice in French) with Wevat’s company name and address (Click our mascot on the app homepage to find the “request an invoice” screen. Simply show the screen containing Wevat’s address details to the store staff to get the right business invoice
Avoid requesting a paper tax refund form or mentioning tax refunds in the store, otherwise the sales assistant will issue you a paper tax refund form from a traditional tax
Tourists have the right to use their chosen tax refund provider, and stores are legally obligated to provide invoices upon request. However, some shops may refuse to issue an invoice because they receive commission revenue from their in-store tax refund services. If you encounter this situation at La Vallée Village and your purchase is less than €6000, don't worry – you can still get your tax refunds with us by using receipts instead. Here’s how to do it:
1. Write down the following on your invoice or receipt: "Bought on behalf of VATCAT FRANCE," your first and last name, and the purchase date. Then, sign the shop receipt
2. Upload the receipt on the app
3. If your purchase exceeds €1000, send us your proof of payment on live chat

So there you have it - a comprehensive guide to shopping and maximising savings at La Vallée Village in Paris, France. With its array of world-renowned brands, exceptional discounts, and the added advantage of tax-free shopping with Wevat, it's a must-visit for anyone looking to elevate their shopping experience. Pack your bags, set your sights on La Vallée Village, and prepare for a day of indulgence, discovery, and unparalleled savings.

About Wevat

Wevat is a digital tax refund app that makes it easy for travellers to save money on their shopping in France! We are a community of people who love traveling, shopping, and saving money. Since our launch in 2019, we've helped refund travellers from 88 countries more than €18 million on their shopping.

Compared with in-store VAT refund providers, Wevat gives you up to 23% more VAT back with no minimum spending requirements on each purchase. With Wevat, you can simply snap a picture of your purchase invoices and then generate and scan your barcode when you leave France. There are no paper forms, repeated scanning, or dropping off forms required with us. Our super-friendly, multilingual customer support team will be always on hand to support you throughout your trip via our app.

We are fully regulated by both French and UK customs and tax authorities.

Download our app now to start saving money on your shopping in France!

Download Wevat