10 Reasons Why The Best Place To Stay In London For Tourists is Paddington
If you're visiting London as a tourist and you're trying to find the best place to stay, it's important for you to take into consideration these 3 important factors:
Quality of your Hotel's neighborhood
There is a common misconception that the best places to stay for tourists in London are in and around the iconic areas. On the contrary, staying in these areas means you’ll be subjected to awful overcrowding, long wait times for restaurant tables, and overpriced food, drinks, and hotel rooms.
Staying in an area of London that offers easy and direct access to ALL of the major tourist attractions
Unlike many European and American cities, there is no ‘downtown’ to speak of in London. It is a sprawling city and the major tourist attractions are spread out over a large area. It will save you valuable vacation time by choosing an area that provides DIRECT access to ALL the major attractions.
Easy access to Heathrow Airport
The last thing you want to do is traipse all over London getting to and from the airport. Having direct access will make your vacation a whole lot easier and save you time! If you’re flying into London via Heathrow airport you’ll have direct access to Paddington. (see reason 1 below)
Check out my 10 reasons why Paddington best place for tourists to stay in London reasons below, and you’ll see how these factors tie into each and every one.
10 reasons why Paddington is the Best Place To Stay In London For Tourists
- Paddington provides direct access by railway to ALL of London’s major tourist attractions. (see more)
- Paddington provides direct access to Heathrow Airport, and is London’s only railway station that provides a direct, non-stop service. (see more)
- It’s arguably more family friendly than any other area in London. (see more)
- The selection of restaurants. (see more)
- The selection of hotels. There is hotel in Paddington for every budget. (see more)
- Paddington Waterside and Little Venice. (see more)
- Hyde Park is just steps from your hotel’s front door. (see more)
- It’s a hop, skip, and jump to from Paddington to these tourist attractions. (see more)
- That Paddington “experience”. (see more)
- It’s home to some of the best pubs in London. (see more)
Another of Paddington's truly unique qualities is that it is the best place to stay in London for tourists of all types:
Best place for families
Paddington is arguably the best area to stay in London for families. (see reason 3 below)
Best place for first time visitors
Paddington is a great place to stay for first time visitors because its residents, shopkeepers, and pub staff are always friendly and willing to help with any questions you have.
Best place for couples
Paddington’s selection of restaurants and the Paddington Waterside make it a wonderful place to stay for couples. (see reasons 3 and 6 below)
Best place for tourists on a budget
Paddington has loads of budget hotels to choose from, making it one of the best areas in London for tourist on a budget. See the budget hotel I recommend here.
"We're wondering where to stay in London for sightseeing"
It’s almost always the first question I’m asked by first-time visitors to London. It’s also the primary reason why this you’re on this website! I’ve advised all of my London Travel Planner clients to stay in Paddington so I thought, maybe I should make a website about it!
Over the past 20 years I’ve learned all of the ins and outs of visiting London, but most importantly, I’ve learned that where you stay in London is the most important decision you’ll make when planning your visit, especially as a tourist.
If you’re a first time visitor to London, you’re going to be doing a lot of planning on the fly when you get there, and the last thing you need is to be staying somewhere that makes all this more difficult! Take advantage of my many visits to London which have led to my having an extensive knowledge on how to get around London as a tourist.
The Wilkes family of New Jersey agrees!
“There is no better neighborhood to stay in while visiting London than Paddington. You truly feel like you are a part of a neighborhood rather than a tourist center. The best part is that these quaint pubs, eateries, and accommodations are just steps away from a transportation center that can take you anywhere else you’d like to go. We love Paddington!” – Alex Wilkes
Charlie and Alexandra Wilkes, Ramsey NJ, USA
1. Paddington is the only area of London that provides DIRECT access by railway to ALL of London's major tourist attractions
There’s simply no better way of getting to the tourist attractions than the ‘Tube’ as it is called here. Here’s why:
- No wasting valuable vacation time waiting in traffic using road transportation
- It’s the fastest and most economical way to get to the tourist attractions
- Contributes to your overall London experience
Yes, the tube will contribute to your London ‘experience’ more than anything else you do. Just be sure to stand on the right side of station escalators as Londoners going to and from work use the left side to hurry to their trains or to exit the station.
I’ve written a Tube informational article which you can read HERE
2. Paddington provides direct access to Heathrow Airport, and is London's only rail station that provides a direct, non-stop service
The best way to get into London from Heathrow is by railway. There are 3 different railway options that go from Heathrow to London, and those are:
- The Heathrow Express
- Transport for London
- The the all-new Elizabeth Line
Of these three options, only the Elizabeth Line will take you beyond Paddington to other stations in London, but none of those stations are situated in what I would consider to be good areas to stay in London, mainly reason because they don’t offer the efficient and direct transportation to the major tourist attractions that Paddington Station does. Also, Paddington is the only station that connects to Heathrow via the aforementioned Heathrow Express which takes you to and from Heathrow to London in just 15 minutes with no stops.
Read more about these transportation options HERE
3. It's probably more family friendly than any other area in London
Paddington is incredibly family friendly and offers many options for kids of all ages. Some of which include:
- Paddington Waterside canal tours
- Waterside Puppet Barge
- The Paddington Bear Shop
- The Paddington Bear bench on platform one of Paddington Station
- Hyde Park
- The Princess Diana Memorial Playground
Paddington has loads of resources for making your family’s stay here easy, especially if you’re staying in a B & B:
- Grocery stores
- Pharmacies
- Souvenir shops
- Fast food
Read more about things to do for kids at our sister website HERE
4. Paddington's selection of restaurants
Paddington offers an incredible diversity restaurants:
- Indian, Lebanese, Asian, Italian restaurants
- A variety of sidewalk cafes
- A diverse variety of takeaway restaurants
You can read more about them by reading this article I wrote HERE
5. Paddington's selection of hotels
Whether it’s upscale, something in between, or a budget hotel. Paddington has a hotel for everyone!
Check out the hotel I recommend HERE
6. Paddington's Waterside and Little Venice
You certainly won’t have something as unique as this staying in the more iconic areas of London. Like Hyde Park, this canal is less than 10 minutes walk from your hotel.
Read more about it HERE
7. One of the world's most famous parks is less than 10 minutes walk from your hotel
Hyde Park, one of the world’s most scenic parks is a wonderful place to take a walk by yourself, your significant other, or your family. Younger children will love:
- The Princess Diana Memorial Playground
- The Peter Pan statue
- The parakeets near the statue that land on their shoulders or hands!
You can check out an informational article I’ve written on Hyde Park HERE
8. It's a hop, skip, and jump from Paddington to these tourist attractions
These London tourist attractions are all within walking distance or very short Tube or taxi ride from Paddington:
- Speaker’s Corner
- Kensington Palace
- Notting Hill-Portobello Road
- Oxford Street shopping
More specific information about these attractions HERE
9. The Paddington "Experience"
Paddington has a very local vibe that I have never quite experienced in any other places I’ve stayed in London. The locals and shopkeepers are always friendly and helpful but there’s much more to it that. So many of my London Travel Planning have said they can’t wait to return here. I’ve written more about this HERE
10. Paddington is home to some of the best pubs in London.
If pubs are your thing then you’ll be very happy you’ve chosen Paddington as your place to stay. There are many pubs, all special, and even some which are quirky in their own delightful way. 40-year Paddington resident and author Charles Wheeldon provides this article on some of these pubs, all of which are just steps away from your hotel.
Staying In Paddington Makes Every London Visit Special!
