Paddington and Maida Vale is a central district of London.
To know
This district within the city lacks tourist attractions but has a wide choice of budget and mid-priced accommodation. In addition to this the connections with transport are good, consequently it is frequented by tourists.
The area of Paddington, together with the areas of Hyde Park (Bayswater and Lancaster Gate) are made up of Victorian houses, some of which are quite large, converted into small apartments and hotels. Maida Vale to the north, it is similar but is mostly residential and is distinguished by the long canals of Little Venice and boats used as homes. St. John's Wood it is definitely of a higher standard and greener.
How to orient yourself
Paddington and Maida Vale: full screen map.How to get
By subway
The district is served by the following stations:
1 Paddington (Metro lines: District, Circle and Bakerloo).- 2 Paddington (Metro line: Hammersmith & City).
- 3 Bayswater (Metro lines: District and Circle).
- 4 Queensway (Metro line: Central).
- 5 Lancaster Gate (Metro line: Central).
- 6 Maida Vale (Metro line: Bakerloo).
- 7 Warwick Avenue (Metro line: Bakerloo).
- 8 Edgware Road (Subway lines: District, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Bakerloo).
- 9 Edgware Road (Metro line: Bakerloo).
- 10 Royal Oak (Metro line: Hammersmith & City).
- 11 St John's Wood (Metro line: Jubilee).
| Metro lines passing through Paddington and Maida Vale |
| North London ← Hammersmith and Fulham ← | OR  IS | → Mayfair and Marylebone → Bloomsbury |
| West London ← Notting Hill and North Kensington ← | OR  IS | → Mayfair and Marylebone → Bloomsbury - Soho |
| Westminster ← Notting Hill and North Kensington ← main ring ← | S.  IS | → main ring → Mayfair and Marylebone → Eastbound transfers from Hammersmith |
| Hammersmith and Fulham ← Notting Hill and North Kensington ← Hammersmith side ← | OR IS | → Hammersmith side → Mayfair and Marylebone → Bloomsbury - Camden |
| Wimbledon ← Notting Hill and North Kensington ← | OR  IS | → Mayfair and Marylebone → Terminus |
| Hammersmith and Fulham ← Notting Hill and North Kensington ← | OR  IS | → Mayfair and Marylebone → Bloomsbury - Camden |
| North London ← Hampstead ← | No.  S. | → Mayfair and Marylebone → Westminster |
On the train
The station of 12 Paddington is the London terminal for trains coming from cities in the south-west of the country:Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Swindon, Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol, Bath and PenzanceIt also receives trains from:Worcester, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Heathrow Airport, Reading ed Oxford.
The "Elisabeth line" of the Crossrail company is currently under construction and is expected to open in December 2019.
By bus
There are many lines passing through Paddington. We recommend that you visit the site Transport for London for more details. You can also use the Hop-On Hop-Off tourist service.
On a boat
A water bus runs between Camden Lock, passing the Regent Canal, to Browning's Pool, Little Venice.
By bike
A traffic-free cycle path travels along the Grand Union Canal from Northolt to Paddington Basin. It is not part of the National Cycle network.
How to get around
What see
Although there is not much to see, this area is convenient as a starting point for exploring the city.
- 1 Alexander Fleming workshop museum (Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum), St. Mary's Hospital, Praed Street, W2 1NY, ☎ 44 20 7886 6528.
£2. 
Mon-Thu 10: 00-13: 00. 
£2. 
Mon-Thu 10: 00-13: 00.
- 2 Abbey Road Studios, 3 Abbey Road, St. John's Wood, NW8 9AY (Tube station: St. John's Wood). World famous recording studio, frequented by the most famous rock bands and orchestras, made famous for being the place where The Beatles recorded their records. Nearby are the famous pedestrian crossings immortalized on the cover of The Beatles record Abbey Road. Nearby, on Cavendish Avenue, is a house that was once owned by Sir Paul McCartney.
What to do
- 1 Lord's cricket stadium (Lord's Cricket Ground), Wellington Road, NW8 8QN (Tube station: St John's Wood). From the home of cricket and a must visit place for cricket lovers. This statio usually hosts two five-day international matches, each season and other competitions. Although international matches are very expensive, they manage to sell out quickly. Official stadium of the Middlesex County Cricket Club, match tickets are also available on the same day.
- 2 Queens Ice and Bowl, 17 Queensway, W2 4QP (Tube station: Bayswater or Queensway), ☎ 44 20 7229 0172. entertainment center with 5,000sqm of activities including: ice skating, 12 bowling lanes, karaoke rooms, bar, kitchen and video games.
- 3 London Underground Sightseeing Tours (London Underground Tours), ☎ 44 844 504 808. Two-hour guided tours cover the 150-year history of the London Underground, including its construction, design and social history. The meeting point is the Sherlock Holmes statue.
- 4 Go Boat, Merchant Square, Paddington, London, W2 1JZ (On the north side of Paddington station, 50m west of the sliding bridge), @[email protected]. £55. 8-seater boat rental for small cruises on London's canals.
- 5 Paddington Central (Sheldon Square), 1A Sheldon Square, London W2 6PY, @[email protected]. They continuously organize events with a large space and an amphitheater within the Sheldon Square. It is advisable to check on the website what is currently on. You can also just stop to eat, shop or enjoy the atmosphere.
Shopping
- 1 Whiteleys, Queensway, W2 4YN (Tube station: Bayswater), ☎ 44 207 229 8844. Large shopping square with many shops of famous British brands and a UCI cinema.
How to have fun
- 1 Mad Bishop and Bear, Praed Street, W2 1HB (In Paddington station you have to go to The Lawn restaurant area and go up to the top floor.), ☎ 44 20 7402 2441. Mon-Sat 07: 30-23: 00; Sun 10: 00-22: 30. A surprisingly good pub. It serves good Fullers brand ales. Also featured in the CAMRA good pub guide. Breakfast is served from opening until noon, after which standard pub food is served.
Where to eat
Good value restaurants in this area. There are many excellent Middle Eastern, Indian and Chinese restaurants in the Bayswater / Queensway area. Edgware Road is another good option for Middle Easterners and the area around Paddington Station is full of cafes. Warwick Avenue and Maida Vale have some good mid-priced restaurants.
Average prices
- 1 Cous Cous Cafe, 7 Porchester Gardens, W2 4DB (Tube station: Bayswater), ☎ 44 20 7727 6597. Moroccan cuisine at decent prices. Try the Tajines (£ 10-15) and the mezze plates (£ 7-12).
- 2 Kalamaras, 66 Inverness Mews, W2 3JQ (Tube station: Bayswater), ☎ 44 871 3327813. Main courses £ 10-15. Claims to be London's oldest Greek restaurant and even if that's not true it has been open for a long time in this small alley and is very popular with locals. Among his clientele there are also celebrities. Try the Taramasalata and the Keftede.
- 3 London Street Brasserie, 16 London Street, W2 1HL (On exiting Paddington Station, keep Garfunkel's restaurant on the left, cross the street and walk two blocks and London Street is on the right), ☎ 44 20 7706 4444. 07:00-23:00. This restaurant within the Hotel Indigo London-Paddington offers a wide selection of healthy dishes in a relaxed atmosphere. Open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, it also offers seasonal menus all with natural, organic recipes and with no transgenic fat.
- 4 The Waterway, 54-56 Formosa Street, W9 2JU (Tube station: Warwick Avenue), ☎ 44 20 7266 3557, @[email protected]. Main courses £ 15-20. Restaurant / Bar (actually a gastrupub) in style overlooking the Little Venice canal. In summer you can eat on the terrace overlooking the water. European cuisine.
Where stay
This district probably has the largest variety of accommodation in all of central London. Many of these hotels are converted Victorian homes that may be charming accommodation, but they may also have poor heating systems and poorly functioning plumbing. In case you need it, you should check that the place has an elevator.
For those managing finances it is also worth checking out the large variety of apartments available, as the quality is generally better than average hotels.
Moderate prices
Hostels
- 1 Equity Point London, 100-102 Westbourne Terrace, W2 6QE (two minutes walk from Paddington station), ☎ 44 20 7087 8001, @[email protected]. From £ 15 including breakfast, internet connection and mattress topper. A budget hostel with clean rooms.
- 2 The Green Man Publove Hostel, 308 Edgware Road, W2 1DY, ☎ 44 20 7723 7980. Dorms from £ 12, private rooms from £ 45. Very cheap hostel located above a pub and aimed at revelers, so it can get very noisy.
Hotel
- 3 Ascot Hyde Park Hotel, 11 Craven Road, W2 3BP (a few minutes walk from Paddington station), ☎ 44 20 7402 5447. Singles: £ 40-100, Doubles: £ 44-113 (prices fluctuate a lot). Check in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. Very popular budget hotel.
- 4 Bluedaws Private Hotel, 133-135 Sussex Gardens, W2 2RX (just minutes from Paddington station), ☎ 44 20 7723 6040, fax: 44 20 7262 8390. Singles £ 25, doubles £ 35, triples £ 45, including English breakfast. Very clean budget hotel.
- 5 Mina House Hotel, 21-23 Craven Road, W2 3BU (just minutes from Paddington station), ☎ 44 20 7723 9276. From £ 79.
- 6 Miter House Hotel, 178-186 Sussex Gardens, W2 1TU (5 minutes from Paddington station), ☎ 44 20 7723 8040, fax: 44 20 7402 0990. Two star hotel.
- 7 Barry House Hyde Park, 12 Sussex Place, Hyde Park, W2 2TP (close to Lancaster Gate and Paddington station), ☎ 44 20 7723 7340, fax: 44 20 7723 9775. From £ 65.
Average prices
- 8 Brynteg Hotel, 109 Sussex Gardens, W2 2RU (Tube station: Paddington), ☎ 44 20 7723 6040, fax: 44 20 262 8390, @[email protected]. Singles £ 50, doubles £ 65. A 3 star Bed & Breakfast with modern and perfectly clean rooms. En-suite bathrooms.
- 9 Lancaster Hall Hotel, 35 Craven Terrace, W2 3EL (Tube station: Lancaster Gate), ☎ 44 20 7723 9276. Singles £ 79, Doubles £ 99 including breakfast. Small hotel managed by the YMCA association. The rooms are small but well priced. Not to be confused with the more expensive Royal Lancaster Hotel.
- 10 Mercure London Paddington Hotel, 144 Praed Street, W2 1HU (Tube station: Paddington), ☎ 44 20 7706 8888, @[email protected]. Singles from £ 70, doubles from £ 120. Good quality / price ratio. The rooms are small but well furnished and clean, the plumbing works very well and the gym is new.
- 11 The Westbourne Hyde Park, 51 Gloucester Terrace, W2 3DQ, ☎ 44 20 74025077.
High prices
- 12 Hilton London Paddington, 146 Praed Street, W2 1EE (at Paddington station), ☎ 44 20 7850 0500, fax: 44 20 7850 0600. Practically inside Paddington station. A good and comfortable place to stay.
- 13 Royal Lancaster London, Lancaster Terrace, W2 2TY (Tube station: Lancaster Gate), ☎ 44 20 7262 6737, @[email protected]. from £ 120. Opposite Hyde Park and many rooms have park views.
- 14 Hotel Indigo London-Paddington, 16 London Street, W2 1HL (Tube station: Paddington), ☎ 44 20 7706 4444, @[email protected]. From £ 130. Check in: 14:00, check-out: 11:00. Close to Paddington station.
- 15 Hempel Gardens, 31-35 Craven Hill Gardens, W2 3EA, ☎ 44 20 7861 5499. £110-220. It offers a minimalist atmosphere, unique in the area.
- 16 London Short Letting Apartments, 7 Spring Street, W2 3RA, ☎ 44 20 7706 1122. £75-525. It offers short and long term apartment rental service in the central and western area of the city.
- 17 Danubius Hotel Regents Park, 18 Lodge Road, NW8 7JT, ☎ 44 20 7722 7722, fax: 44 20 7483 2408, @[email protected]. £148-198. Very nice staff. The rooms are spotlessly clean with a great view of Regents Park. The breakfast is excellent as is the service. The location is great especially if you are a cricket fan, as it overlooks the Lords Stadium.
How to keep in touch
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Paddington and Maida Vale
Commons contains images or other files on Paddington and Maida Vale
