Paddington is a lot more than the station and the bear, with canalside gardens, a rolling bridge and a whole floating restaurant scene most people rushing for a train never stop to notice.
We used to be exactly that person, always cutting through Paddington at a jog with a suitcase, never once looking at what was actually around the station. Give it an hour or two and it turns out to be one of the better mixes of old and new in west London: Brunel’s Victorian roof at one end, a rolling bridge and a floating cinema at the other.
Marylebone sits a short walk east and Notting Hill just west, so it’s easy to fold Paddington into a longer day rather than treating it as a place you only pass through between trains.
The best things to do in Paddington
Look up inside Paddington Station
Busy as it always is, Paddington Station is worth pausing in rather than rushing through. As the grand terminus for Great Western Railway, its iron-and-glass roof was inspired by the design of Crystal Palace for the 1851 Great Exhibition, and it’s worth looking up to take it in properly rather than keeping your eyes on the departures board.
Platform one has a statue and commemorative plaque for Paddington Bear, whose name comes from the shop author Michael Bond visited to buy his wife a toy bear. Bond drew on his own wartime memories of evacuee children for the character, and famously described him as “a refugee with a label”, which adds a layer most people don’t know about when they stop for the obligatory photo. We’ve dug into the whole story in our guide to Paddington Bear’s London, and nods to the character turn up throughout the surrounding area. Inside the station, shops including The Paddington Shop and Isle of Flowers make it a reasonable place to pick up a souvenir before a train.
Wander the waterways of Little Venice
The stretch of canal between Paddington and Maida Vale earned its nickname from Margery Allingham’s 1934 novel Death of a Ghost, in which she dubbed a house overlooking the water “Little Venice”; estate agents took the name and ran with it. Today it’s a patch of colourful narrowboats, canalside cafes and the occasional gondola, best explored either on foot or from a guided boat along Regent’s Canal.
We’ve written a longer guide to Little Venice if you want to make more of a morning of it, boat trips here are practically a rite of passage, and it’s worth combining with a walk further along Regent’s Canal if the weather’s playing along.
Watch old-fashioned puppetry on the Puppet Theatre Barge
Moored to the north of Rembrandt Gardens in Little Venice, this floating theatre hosts an hour of old-fashioned puppetry, complete with music and songs, inside a cosy cabin built for the purpose. Shows and tickets are listed on the Puppet Theatre Barge website, and it’s a genuinely charming way to spend an hour with kids who’ve had enough of walking.
Find the Pet Cemetery in Hyde Park
Not technically part of Paddington, but only around ten minutes on foot from the station, so it’s worth the walk. Highlights include the small, slightly macabre Pet Cemetery tucked away near Victoria Gate, hundreds of tiny headstones for Victorian and Edwardian pets that most visitors have no idea is there, and the Serpentine Lido, for anyone up for a spot of wild swimming.
Failing that, the grass is just as good for an afternoon with a book, and it’s one of the easiest ways to get a proper dose of green space without leaving central London.
Follow the bear on a Paddington guided tour
A two-and-a-half-hour walking tour that starts at the bear’s statue inside the station and takes in filming locations and spots referenced in the original Paddington books, a good option for families or anyone who grew up on the stories and wants to see where Paddington first stowed away to London.
Hire a boat in Paddington Basin
GoBoat rents self-drive electric boats from Paddington Basin, no experience required, for a slower way to see the canal network than walking allows. Rent one and head up towards Little Venice to explore its leafier stretches from the water, ideally with a picnic on board rather than trying to find somewhere to moor.
Watch the Rolling Bridge curl into a circle
An unusual bridge on Merchant Square, built from eight triangular sections that curl up into a circle. The Rolling Bridge first opened in 2004 alongside its sister, the Fan Bridge, and rolls into its curled position on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays at midday, worth timing your visit around if you want to see the mechanism actually working rather than just sitting flat.
Sit out at the Floating Pocket Park
Also on Merchant Square, this 700 square metre park floats on Paddington Basin, combining benches, patches of lawn and planted flowerbeds into one of the quieter spots to sit down in the area. It’s an easy stop to combine with watching the Rolling Bridge do its thing, or just somewhere to eat a sandwich away from the station crowds.
Watch a film from your own boat at the float-in cinema
The Openaire floating cinema screens everything from Mamma Mia and Dirty Dancing to Pulp Fiction on the water, with viewers watching from their own small boats in front of the screen. It runs as a summer season rather than year-round, so check dates before you plan an evening around it.
Grab lunch at Sheldon Square Amphitheatre
In warmer months, this is a good spot to pick up food from one of the restaurants overlooking the square at Paddington Central and eat outside on the grass. There isn’t much else to it, but it’s a solid place to break up a day of exploring Paddington rather than eating at your desk or on the platform.
Brunch on a barge at Bondi Green
Set on a pair of barges designed by pop artist Sir Peter Blake, this Australian-inspired brunch spot pairs a bright exterior with a stylish interior. The menu at Bondi Green covers avocado and eggs, French toast and granola, with a £42-a-head deal for two dishes and bottomless drinks, if you’re making a proper morning of it.
Order the carbonara at Bizzarro
An Italian restaurant two minutes’ walk from the station, with an extensive menu running from hearty classics like spaghetti carbonara to more unusual dishes such as fettuccine with salmon and vodka, backed by a solid wine list. It’s been serving this stretch of Craven Road for decades, which counts for something in an area with a lot of newer competition.
Try the ceviche at Ayllu
A Peruvian-Japanese fusion restaurant built around a fish-heavy menu of ceviches and fresh sashimi, alongside meatier options like roasted pork belly and slow-cooked short rib. Ayllu‘s weekend bottomless brunch, at £40 a head with ninety minutes of prosecco, is a popular draw, and one of the better reasons to linger in Paddington rather than heading straight for a train.
Eat among the trees at Pergola Paddington
A canteen-style restaurant with a forest-themed interior and views to match, serving burgers, kebabs and dumplings, with two bars for anyone after just a drink. Pergola Paddington gets busy, so booking ahead is worthwhile. Worth knowing: like the other Pergola sites around London, it tends to run as a seasonal opening rather than staying open all year, so check what’s currently running before you plan an evening around it.
Have a pre-train pint at The Monkey Puzzle
A traditional British pub five minutes from the station, with no-fuss food, a solid range of beers and a beer garden for the rare sunny afternoon. The Monkey Puzzle is a reliable choice for a pre-train pint, nothing fancy, but exactly what you want twenty minutes before a departure.
Pick up a souvlaki at It’s All Greek to Me
A Greek restaurant serving gyros platters, moussaka and meatballs in tomato sauce, with a souvlaki bar at It’s All Greek to Me for anyone after something to take away and eat on the move. Good value, and a decent change of pace from the station’s chain options.
Order dumplings at Bonda Kitchen
A Malaysian dim sum restaurant with a strong range of steamed and fried dumplings, including a kimchi option worth pairing with the prawn fried rice. Bonda Kitchen sits on Sussex Gardens, an easy few minutes from the station if you want something more interesting than a sandwich before a train.
Play snooker over pizza at Heist Bank
A bar built around a games room, with snooker and table tennis alongside handmade pizzas and craft beer. The beeramisu, a boozier take on tiramisu, is worth saving room for, and it’s a solid pick for a group that wants something more active than just sitting at a table all evening.
Browse the stalls at Church Street Market
Running from Edgware Road towards Marylebone, this market covers fresh fruit and veg, crafts and clothing, and is close enough to the station to make an easy stop before or after a train. It’s a proper working market rather than one dressed up for visitors, which is exactly the appeal.
