London/Paddington-Maida Vale

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.

By tube

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

• Paddington (Zone 1) – (District, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Bakerloo lines)
• Bayswater (Zone 1) – (District and Circle lines)
• Queensway (Zone 1) – (Central line)
• Lancaster Gate (Zone 1) – (Central line)
• Maida Vale (Zone 2) – (Bakerloo line)
• Warwick Avenue (Zone 2) – (Bakerloo line)
• Edgware Road (Zone 1) – (District, Circle, Hammersmith & City and Bakerloo lines)
• Royal Oak (Zone 2) – (Hammersmith & City line)
• St John's Wood(Zone 2) – (Jubilee Line)

By train

• Paddington station

  address: Praed St, W2 1HQ
  The London terminal for trains from the following cities in the southwest of the country: Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Swindon, Plymouth, Exeter, Bristol, Bath and Penzance, and also for trains from Worcester, Cheltenham, Gloucester, Heathrow Airport, Reading and Oxford. As of August 2019, Elizabeth line (Crossrail) services from Shenfield and Abbey Wood are expected to commence in March 2021.

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.

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

  phone: +44 20 7886-6528
  address: St. Mary's Hospital, Praed St, W2 1NY

• Abbey Road Studios

  address: 3 Abbey Rd, St. John's Wood, NW8 9AY
  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.

• Lord's Cricket Ground

  address: Wellington Rd, NW8 8QN
  The home of Cricket and a must visit place for cricket lovers. Lord's usually hosts two international five-day Test matches every season, as well as limited-overs One Day International and Twenty20 cricket, although tickets for internationals can be expensive and will often sell out. Lord's is also the site of many Middlesex County Cricket Club home matches, with tickets for County Championship games and day/night limited-overs fixtures available on the day. It is also home to the Marylebone Cricket Club Museum, the world's oldest sporting museum, featuring a vast collection of cricket memorabilia. Tours are available daily except on match days, preparation thereof, some special events, and the days surrounding Christmas.

• Queens Ice and Bowl

  phone: +44 20 7229-0172
  address: 17 Queensway, W2 4QP
  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

  phone: +44 2071 831055, +44 7869 678717 (mobile)
  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.

• Go Boat

  address: Merchant Square, Paddington, London, W2 1JZ
  8-person boat hire for self-drive journeys round London canals.

• Paddington Central

  address: 1A Sheldon Square, W2 6PY
  Checkout constantly changing events at the Paddington Central development with the amphitheatre in Sheldon Square, or visit for the food, shopping and atmosphere.

• Whiteleys

  phone: +44 207 229 8844
  address: Queensway, W2 4YN
  Large shopping plaza with many of the usual suspect British high street brands including Costa Coffee, Gap, Kurt Geiger, H&M, Sports Direct and Zara; plus an Odeon (UCI) cinema.

• Paddington Bear store

  phone: +44 2074 025209
  address: Paddington Station, W2 1RH
  The official store of Michael Bond's famous Paddington Bear with merchandise including books, DVDs, souvenirs and of course, marmalade.

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.

• Cous Cous Cafe

  phone: +44 20 7727-6597
  address: 7 Porchester Gdns, W2 4DB
  Moroccan cuisine at decent value prices. Try the tagines (£10-15) or mezze plates (£7-12)

• Kalamaras

  phone: +44 871 3327813
  address: 66 Inverness Mews, W2 3JQ
  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.

• London Street Brasserie

  phone: +44 20 7706-4444
  address: 16 London St, W2 1HL
  The London Street Brasserie at the Hotel Indigo London-Paddington offers a wide selection of healthy meals in a relaxing atmosphere. Serves a selection of breakfast, lunch and dinner meals. It features seasonal menus that draw from as many natural, organic and zero trans fat ingredients as possible.

• The Waterway

  phone: +44 20 7266-3557
  address: 54-56 Formosa St, W9 2JU
  Stylish bar and restaurant alongside the canal at Little Venice. Has alfresco dining area right by the water during summer. Mixed European food

• Il Gusto

  phone: +44 20 7402 2111
  address: 11 Craven Rd, W2 3BP
  An inexpensive casual Italian restaurant serving pasta, pizza and seafood. Also has an extensive dessert menu. Mains: £7.50-19.50

• Mad Bishop and BearA surprisingly good pub. It is a Fullers pub, serving well-kept real ales. It is in the CAMRA Good Beer Guide. Breakfast is served from opening (M-F 9AM, Sa 7:30AM, Su 10AM) until noon, standard pub food is served at other times.

This district 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 always check if the property has have 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

• Mondrian Apartments

  phone: +44 207 5611871
  address: 105 Seven Sisters Road London, N7 7QS
  One-bedroom serviced apartments in the North of London.

Hostels

• Equity Point London

  phone: +44 20 7087-8001
  address: 100-102 Westbourne Ter, W2 6QE
  An affordable hostel that has clean and cheap rooms.

• The Green Man Publove Hostel

  phone: +44 20 7723-7980
  address: 308 Edgware Rd, W2 1DY
  Very cheap hostel above a pub aimed at young partying types. Gets very raucous indeed. Dorm and private rooms.

Hotels

• Ascot Hyde Park Hotel

  phone: +44 20 7402 5447
  address: 11 Craven Rd, W2 3BP
  Popular budget hotel.

• Bluedaws Private Hotel

  phone: +44 20 7723-6040
  address: 133-135 Sussex Gdns, W2 2RX
  Very clean budget hotel.

• Mina House Hotel

  phone: +44 20 7723 9276
  address: 21-23 Craven Rd, W2 3BU

• Mitre House Hotel

  phone: +44 20 7723-8040
  address: 178-186 Sussex Gdns, W2 1TU
  Two-star hotel.

• Barry House Hyde Park

  phone: +44 20 7723-7340
  address: 12 Sussex Place, Hyde Park, W2 2TP

Mid-range

• Brynteg Hotel

  phone: +44 20 7723 6040
  address: 109 Sussex Gdns, W2 2RU
  3-star bed and breakfast. Well appointed, modern bedrooms with spotlessly clean and en-suite facilities.

• Lancaster Hall Hotel

  phone: +44 20 7723 9276
  address: 35 Craven Terrace, W2 3EL
  Small hotel run by the YMCA. Rooms are small and basic, but reasonably priced and comfortable (and with free Wi-Fi). Breakfast is normally served from 7:30-9:30AM (though apparently can be arranged earlier through management the day before) and consists of various breads, jams, hardboild eggs, cottage cheese, deli meats, yogurts and breakfast cereals; with a choice of fruit juices and tea or coffee. Not to be confused with the much more expensive Royal Lancaster Hotel.

• Mercure London Paddington Hotel

  phone: +44 20 7706-8888
  address: 144 Praed St, W2 1HU
  Good value for the price. The rooms are tiny, but that is where the resemblance to other London hotels ends. The rooms are immaculate, the plumbing is perfect, the decor is beautiful, and the fitness room is brand new.

• The Westbourne Hyde Park

  phone: +44 20 74025077
  address: 51 Gloucester Terrace, W2 3DQ

Splurge

• Hilton London Paddington

  phone: +44 20 7850-0500
  address: 146 Praed St, W2 1EE
  Essentially inside Paddington Station. A nice and convenient place to stay, particularly if someone else is picking up the tab.

• Royal Lancaster London

  phone: +44 20 7262-6737
  address: Lancaster Terrace, W2 2TY
  Right alongside Hyde Park and many of the rooms have clear views over the park.

• Hotel Indigo London-Paddington

  phone: +44 20 7706-4444
  address: 16 London St, W2 1HL
  Close to Paddington Station.

• The Hempel

  phone: +44 20 7298-9000
  address: W2 3EA
  Offers a Zen minimalist atmosphere, unique for the area.

• London Short Letting Apartments

  phone: +44 20 7706-1122
  address: 7 Spring St
  Provides a wide range of short and long let apartments service around west and central London.

• London Perfect Accommodation

  phone: +44 20 3287-8605
  address: Gloucester Terrace
  Great value accommodation in central London and the surrounding areas.

• Danubius Hotel Regents Park

  phone: +44 20 7722-7722
  address: 18 Lodge Rd, NW8 7JT
  Very friendly staff. Spotlessly clean quiet room. Great view of Regents Park. Breakfast is excellent. Service the same. The location is superb, particularly for any cricket fan, as it looks right over Lords cricket ground.