Paddington Station

Paddington Station is a National Rail and Zone 1 London underground station located in the West London (W2) district of Paddington / Bayswater - and it is one of the world's greatest early train stations. You can catch long distance trains to places such as Bristol, Bath, South Wales, some West London commuter services including to Slough and Reading, and it is also the station where the Heathrow Express leaves from taking you non-stop to Heathrow Airport - there is even an airline check-in desk for passengers using the service.

The Paddington tube station is serviced by the District and Circle lines (between Edgware Road and Bayswater), the Bakerloo line (Edgware Road and Warwick Avenue) and the Hammersmith & City line (between Edgware Road and Royal Oak). The main entrance to the station is on Praed Street and there is another entrance on Bishop's Road which you should use for travelling on the Hammersmith & City line.

The station is very big; there can be lengthy walks between platforms and it is fairly hectic during rush hour, but it is central, well organised, has plenty of train timetable and ticketing information and excellent facilities including shops, cafes and a tasty sushi bar. And the station is also of course the place where the fictional book character Paddington Bear was found by the Brown family - and there is a statue of the little bear from Peru in the station concourse.

Just to the north-east of the station is Edgware Road (renowned for great middle-eastern restaurants and shops), the district of Marylebone, Baker Street, Madame Tussaud´s Wax Museum and Regent's Park which houses London's Open Air Cinema. Just a short walk south of Paddington Station is Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens and to the east is Marble Arch which marks the beginning of Oxford Street. West of the station is the district of Bayswater with its cafes, clothing stores and French patisseries, Queensway which boasts a great collection of Chinese restaurants and Whiteley´s, London's first authentic department store, is also to the west that now houses a shopping mall, restaurants and a multi-screen cinema.

Most of London's underground and train stations have disabled access via lifts, and when you hear the recorded voice on every train platform advising you to ´mind the gap´, this really is advice that should be taken seriously. It is also a universal fact that busy underground train stations and crowded city areas are a haven for pick-pockets, so just be a little street wise with your belongings. And as for underground entertainment, there are now over 300 legal buskers singing their hearts out or playing instruments for travellers and commuters throughout the majority of underground stations. Busking within the passageways and in ticket areas became a legalised and sponsored scheme in 2003 and all entertainers have auditioned for the right to perform. However, they are NOT paid by the sponsor or by the London Underground so if you like what you hear, support the cause. They're certainly far more entertaining then the mice and the pigeons that call the LU home (and use the train service), but just as friendly!