Why Visitors Like To Stay near Paddington

Paddington is one of the important central London areas located within the City of Westminster and bordered by the neighbourhoods of Bayswater, Westbourne Green, Lisson Grove, Maida Vale, Mayfair, St John’s Wood and Marylebone. Being located close to all the major attractions of the city, it is a much-preferred area where most tourists and other visitors to London like to stay. As such, a plethora of hotels can be found here to cater to the accommodation needs of those people who like to stay here. The importance of the area gets heightened because of the presence of its famous railway station that is located close to the various hotels of the area.

Paddington Station is an important terminal both for the Underground and Overground lines as it services multiple underground lines that connect passengers to almost all places in the city. The Overground railway lines provide services to many places especially to Heathrow Airport that can be reached in a mere 20 minutes travelling by the non-stop Heathrow Express. Paddington is the Central London terminus for many inner and outer London suburban services, as well as the gateway to Cardiff, Reading, Oxford, Bristol, Exeter and Penzance.

Besides the station, the area of Paddington is also famous for its sleek shops, independent markets and corner cafes that provide a vibrant and lively touch to the entire environment. It is characterised by Georgian homes and public squares where residents and visitors can easily spend their free time in clean and well-lit places. Paddington’s residential side streets are full of houses that reflect original Victorian architecture and its cobbled alleyways open onto multi-coloured mews housing. Residents of the area or visitors staying in hotels in the area can easily reach the various attractions of the city or the shopping streets without using a public transport or at best using it briefly.

Praed Street, a bustling street full of restaurants and souvenir shops, is the heart of Paddington. All along the street, you can find small cafes that exhibit menu boards and sidewalk tables. Paddington is also home to St Mary’s Hospital and despite the fact that penicillin was invented there, it is still going strong. One of the important areas is Marble Arch that is thriving with all types of cafes, restaurants, shops, cinemas and 24-hour grocery shopping. This area offers both the high life of the city and a quiet retreat in green open spaces.

There are plenty of hotels close to Paddington station that offer all types of accommodation ranging from the most luxurious 5 star hotels to the cheapest hotels such as bed & breakfasts, travel inns, hostel rooms and dormitories so that visitors with different budgets can find a suitable place to stay. There are hundreds of hotels near Paddington station but some of the main ones include Shaftesbury Premier Hotel London Paddington, Hilton London Paddington, Mercure London Paddington Hotel, Tudor Court Hotel, Royal Norfolk Hotel, So Paddington, Hotel Sophie, Hotel Indigo London Paddington, Days Inn London Hyde Park, St David’s Hotel, Stylotel, Cardiff Hotel, The Belvedere, Quality Crown Hyde Park, Falcon Hotel, Dolphin Hotel, Chrysos Hotel, The Kingsway Hotel, The Balmoral House Hotel, Shakespeare Hotel, Abbey Court Hotel, Mercure London Hyde Park Hotel and many others.

One of the best places to stay nearby is Shaftesbury Metropolis London Hyde Park Hotel which offers comfortable accommodation with the best of facilities and personalized services at an affordable cost.

Although there are hundreds of nearby attractions the major one is Hyde Park, which is one of London’s largest open spaces offering a vast green space where visitors can relax and indulge in many leisure activities such as walking, jogging, having a picnic, cycling, horse-riding, swimming, boating, rowing and visiting the various attractions inside the park such as the Speakers’ Corner, Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, Serpentine Lake, Serpentine Solar Shuttle and Serpentine Gallery. Kensington Gardens and Kensington Palace are just adjacent to Hyde Park and offer other attractions as well. The Alexander Fleming Laboratory in St Mary’s Hospital where penicillin was discovered in 1928, is just a four-minute walk from Paddington Station. It is a mini museum which is well worth a visit and has been renovated to look like its original self. The Royal Albert Hall is situated on the other side of the park. The Natural history Museum, where you can see an impressive collection of dinosaur and blue whale skeletons, is just a few minutes ahead.

For people staying in the Paddington area, there are some lovely eateries in and around Paddington Station catering to all tastes and budgets. You can also find delicious French cuisine at Angelus Restaurant and Bel Canto while Cristini offers a good selection of pasta and pizza. You can have some delicious food at the restaurants in the Montcalm Hotel as also some afternoon tea.

At the Paddington Station, the most famous place is the Paddington Bear shop that offers Paddington teddy bears, souvenirs, gifts and other such items. You can even find a lovely bronze statue of Paddington Bear under the clock on Platform 1, which is where the Peruvian bear was first found by the Brown family. You can also find several art galleries within a short walk from Paddington such as Subway Gallery which is situated in the pedestrian subway between Edgware Road and Harrow Road and specialises in contemporary artists. The Serpentine Gallery can be found in the middle of Hyde Park and provides a platform for contemporary artists, both British and international, with frequent changing exhibitions. The other attractions of central London that are located close by include Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, Houses of Parliament, Tower of London, London Eye, Covent Garden, Piccadilly Circus, St John’s Wood, Carnaby Street, Harrods, Wembley Stadium, and O2 Arena.