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London/Paddington-Maida Vale - area within the City of Westminster, in central London

Location of the Paddington-Maida Vale area in London Paddington-Maida Vale is a district of northwest central London, around the vast Paddington Station of Paddington Bear fame.

Understand

This inner London district is somewhat bereft of attractions but it does have a large range of budget and mid-priced accommodation. That, combined with the convenient central London location and transport links, makes it a popular area with visitors.

Paddington and the areas between it and Hyde Park - Bayswater and Lancaster Gate - consist largely of Victorian houses, some of them rather grand, which have been converted into either small residential flats or hotels. Maida Vale to the north is similar but almost entirely residential and is most notable for canalside streets and the houseboats of Little Venice. St John's Wood is distinctly upscale and leafy and includes the home of world cricket at Lord's and some of the most sought-after real estate in London.

The area has a number of connections to music. The BBC Maida Vale studios have been used for recording live music since 1934 including the John Peel Sessions. Abbey Road Studios, and the famous pedestrian crossing pictured in the Beatles' Abbey Road album are in St John's Wood.

Get in

By tube

The district is served by the following tube stations, in Zones 1 or 2:

By train

Paddington station

Paddington station (PAD, IATA: QQP), Praed St, W2 1HQ, 51.515556°, -0.175833°. The London terminal for Great Western Rail trains from the cities in the southwest of the country, as well as services to Heathrow Airport and the Elizabeth line (Crossrail). Paddington station itself is a minor tourist attraction that is notable for offering the first London Underground service to Farringdon and for Michael Bond's eponymous Paddington Bear franchise. While waiting for a train, listen to the Isembard Kingdom Brunel statue by scanning the QR code. 2022-04-09

London Paddington is served by:

By bus

Various bus routes go to and through Paddington. Visit the Transport for London Website for details. Use of a Hop-On Hop-Off sightseeing bus is also a possibility.

By boat

A Waterbus runs from Camden Lock through the Regent's canal to Browning's Pool, Little Venice.

By bicycle

A traffic free local cycle route tracks alongside the Grand Union Canal in from around Northolt to Paddington Basin. The route is not part of the national cycle network.

See

Statue of Paddington Bear, Paddington Station While there is not a great deal to see in the way of traditional visitor attractions, Paddington makes a convenient base for exploring other parts of the city.

  • Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum, St. Mary's Hospital, Praed St, W2 1NY, 51.517222°, -0.173056°, +44 20 7886-6528. M-Th 10AM-1PM. £2
  • Abbey Road Studios, 3 Abbey Rd, St. John's Wood, NW8 9AY (tube: ), 51.531925°, -0.178353°. No tours. World-renowned studios where many famous musicians and groups, most notably The Beatles, recorded music. The equally famous zebra crossing, immortalized on the cover of the Beatles' album Abbey Road, is right in front. In the vicinity, in Cavendish Avenue, is a home that used to be owned by Sir Paul McCartney.
  • Little Venice, 51.5216°, -0.1821°. A canal basin where the Regent's Canal meets the Grand Union, just a few minutes walk from Paddington Station.

A packed Lord's, one of the great sights in English sport

Do

  • Lord's Cricket Ground, Wellington Rd, NW8 8QN (tube: ), 51.5294°, -0.1727°. The home of cricket, Lord's usually hosts two international five-day Test matches each summer (which sell out), as well as limited-overs One Day International and Twenty20 cricket. It's the usual stadium for Middlesex County Cricket Club, who were promoted in 2022 and now play in Division One of the County Championship. Lord's houses the Marylebone Cricket Club Museum, with a vast collection of cricket memorabilia - tours are usually available daily except on match days. 2022-10-02
  • Queens Ice and Bowl, 17 Queensway, W2 4QP (tube: or ), 51.5108°, -0.1874°, +44 20 7229-0172. Queens is an entertainment centre with 50,000 sq ft of activities including ice skating, 12 lanes of ten pin bowling, karaoke rooms, bar, food and video games.
  • London Underground Tours, 51.52247°, -0.15671°, +44 2071 831055, +44 7869 678717 (mobile). W, Th, F, Sa (and bank holidays): 11AM. Guided tours that cover the tube's 150-year-history in two hours, including its construction, design and social history. Meet at the Sherlock Holmes Statue. Adult: £20, Child (under age 12): £12, Senior (60+): £12
  • Go Boat, Merchant Square, Paddington, London, W2 1JZ (on the north side of Paddington Station 50 m west of the rolling bridge), 51.51852°, -0.17381°, bookings@goboat.co.uk. 8-person boat hire for self-drive journeys round London canals. £55 2017-10-01
  • Paddington Central (Sheldon Square), 1A Sheldon Square, W2 6PY ( [rail]), 51.51938°, -0.18008°, info@paddingtoncentral.com. Checkout constantly changing events at the Paddington Central development with the amphitheatre in Sheldon Square, or visit for the food, shopping and atmosphere. 2017-10-02
  • Puppet Theatre Barge, 51.52159°, -0.18246°, +44 20 7249 6876, info@puppetbarge.com. A floating puppet theatre on a converted barge. Varied schedule of performances. 2020-02-20

Buy

Eat

Good value eats abound in this area. The Bayswater/Queensway area has many excellent Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese options. Edgware Rd is another good bet for Middle Eastern and the area around Paddington Station itself is a hive of small cafes. Warwick Avenue and Maida Vale are home to some good, stylish mid-market restaurants.

Budget

Near Paddington station

Around Little Venice

Bayswater

Along Edgware Road

Mid-range

  • Kalamaras, 66 Inverness Mews, W2 3JQ (tube: ), 51.512496°, -0.187284°, +44 871 3327813. Temporarily closed as of May 2022. Markets itself as London's oldest Greek restaurant. Not sure if that is true but it has been around a long time in this quiet mews in Bayswater and is a favourite with local residents. Counts several celebs amongst its regular clientele. Try the taramasalata and keftedes. Mains £10-15
  • The Waterway, 54-56 Formosa St, W9 2JU (tube: ), 51.522784°, -0.18787°, +44 20 7266-3557, info@thewaterway.co.uk. Stylish bar and restaurant alongside the canal at Little Venice. Has alfresco dining area right by the water during summer. Mixed European food Mains £15-20
  • Il Gusto, 11 Craven Rd, W2 3BP ( [rail]), 51.514844°, -0.176693°, +44 20 7402 2111. 8AM-11PM. An inexpensive casual Italian restaurant serving pasta, pizza and seafood. Also has an extensive dessert menu. Mains: £7.50-19.50 (Nov 2018) 2022-05-01
  • Four Seasons Chinese Restaurant, 84 Queensway, W2 3RL (tube: ), 51.51293946743316°, -0.18737756604865738°, +44 20 7229 4320. noon-11PM. One of London's most esteemed Chinese restaurants, known internationally for its Cantonese-style roast duck. 2022-05-01

Splurge

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Drink

Sleep

This district has probably the greatest range of budget and mid-price accommodation in central London.

A lot of the hotels here are converted Victorian houses which makes for a charming stay but can also mean dodgy plumbing and poor heating systems. And check if the property has a lift if this is important to you.

A good option for the value-conscious is to check the large range of service apartments available. The standard of accommodation at these is often much better than you would get in an equivalently priced traditional hotel.

Budget

Hostels

Hotels

Mid-range

Splurge

Connect

Go next

Paddington

Date Time:Please wait...Timezone:Europe/LondonCoordinates:51.52, -0.17

Greater London

2nd-order administrative division

England

Primary administrative division

United Kingdom

gov.uk
Population:66.5 MDial code:+44Currency:Pound (GBP)Voltage:230 V, 50 Hz