What to do with kids in London: Paddington
The family-friendly district of Paddington offers plenty of adventures for children. With its central location, peaceful canal walks, green spaces, and excellent transport links through the iconic Paddington Station, it’s a perfect base for families exploring London. Whether you’re staying in Paddington, travelling through or just visiting for a few hours, this guide will provide a variety of ideas for what to do with kids in Paddington.
About the area
Perfectly positioned in central West London, Paddington sits in a prime spot between picturesque Little Venice to the north, Marylebone to the east, Hyde Park to the south, and the Bayswater and Notting Hill to the west.
What to do in Paddington with children?
Let’s explore into some of the best things to do in Paddington for families visiting London.
Look out for Paddington Bear
Probably the thing that Paddington is most famous for is a small bear from Peru – Paddington Bear!
As the namesake location where the beloved bear first arrived in London, Paddington Station offers several attractions for children. There is a bronze Paddington Bear statue, located under the clock on Platform 1. Kids will love posing for photos with this iconic sculpture, complete with Paddington’s famous ‘Please Look After This Bear’ tag. You will also find a blue plaque on Platform 1 dedicated to Paddington Bear and a themed bench.
Don’t miss the Paddington Bear shop on the station concourse. Here children can browse a delightful array of Paddington-themed souvenirs, from soft toys to books and much more.
If you are a big Paddington Bear fan, check out our post Things to do in London with kids who love Paddington bear.
Get out onto the water
With Regent’s Canal at its heart, there are a number of options for getting out onto the water at Paddington:
GoBoat
Hiring a boat from GoBoat offers a unique and exciting way to explore Paddington and surrounding areas, like Little Venice, and Camden Lock with kids. GoBoat provides eco-friendly, self-drive boats that allow families to captain their own adventure along the picturesque waterways of Regent’s Canal.
As you navigate the water, you’ll pass scenic green spaces, traverse tunnels and maybe even see glimpses of animals in London Zoo, giving a fresh perspective on the area. The boats are easy to operate and come equipped with a picnic table, making it perfect for a leisurely lunch on the water. This hands-on experience offers a memorable outing that kids will love.
Regent’s Canal Waterbus
Board a canal boat for a 45 minute one-way trip from Little Venice to Camden. London Waterbus offers a family-friendly trip with guided tour commentary as you travel. This is the perfect way to travel between Paddington and Camden at a leisurely pace that allows you to see London from a unique perspective.
Watch the fan bridge open
Located in Paddington Basin is what appears to be a very normal bridge across the canal. But, three times a week, on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays at 12pm, the Paddington Fan Bridge starts to split and its sections rise and open out like a fan above the canal. Why? Who knows? Because it can.
The whole process of lifting and then shutting again takes around 10 minutes. You can watch from either side of the bridge (we recommend grabbing one of the benches in the floating park for a front row seat). To see it in action, see our TikTok on the Paddington Fan Bridge.
See a puppet show on a boat
If you are looking for something unique to do in London, consider seeing a show at the Puppet Theatre Barge. Located in Little Venice between mid-October and mid-June, this unique venue – a barge converted into a floating theatre that seats 50 people – has been putting on puppet shows for over forty years!
Ideally aimed at younger children from the age of three upwards, the Puppet Theatre Barge is a perfect introduction to live theatre shows. Check their website to see what’s on.
Visit nearby Hyde Park
Hyde Park is just a short walk from Paddington Station and is the ideal place to blow off some steam, stretch the legs or just chill out.
Younger children will love The Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Playground, the centrepiece of which is a wooden pirate ship, surrounded by a beach and other play sculptures.
During the summer months you can boat on the Serpentine Lake, cool your feet at the Diana Memorial Fountain or picnic on the grass. In all weathers you can enjoy a stroll through the Park.
Keen equestrians looking for a unique London experience can take lessons through Hyde Park Stables, which offer you the opportunity to ride horses in Hyde Park.
Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum
For young scientists (or perhaps anyone doing GCSE History and Medicine Through Time), the Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum will be of interest. This small free museum located within St Mary’s Hospital (on the corner of Praed Street and Norfolk Place) preserved Alexander Fleming’s laboratory – the exact room where he discovered penicillin! Volunteer-led, this three room museum is small enough to easily fit into your visit to Paddington but full of plenty of details. Perfect for sneaking in some education to your London trip. The museum is open Monday – Thursday 10:00 to 13:00 for walk up visitors.
Find Percy Pig’s pink plaque
Throughout London you might see blue plaques on buildings honouring former famous residents. But did you know that the UK’s most famous pig (Marks and Spencer’s Percy Pig, obviously) also has his own pink plaque?!
Located on the face of Marks and Spencers’ London Headquarters (located just on the edge of Paddington Basin, is a pink pig-themed version of the blue plaques, dedicated to Percy. Make sure to check out our TikTok, which shows the plaque in a bit more context.
Handily, the building houses an M&S food store, so once you have located the plaque you can stock up on Percy Pig sweets from the home of Percy himself!
Man in the clock art work
Outside 50 Eastbourne Terrace (just on the west side of Paddington Station) is a clock. But this clock is no ordinary clock.
Look closely and you will see that inside the clock is the image of a man. Each minute he removes and then paints the hands of the clock to reflect the current time. This functional artwork is Maarten Baas’s Real Time clock.
Walk the canalside path to nearby Little Venice
If you want to get away from the crowds and experience somewhere more peaceful in London, why not walk alongside London’s canals?
From Paddington Basin you can stroll up to picturesque Little Venice and keep going further, if you so desire. Along the way you will see pretty canal boats, ducks and other waterfowl and a whole manner of other sights.
A canalside walk is the ideal way to de-stress when the city gets a bit much for you. You will also discover a new side to London, that you might not have seen otherwise.
Look out for seasonal events at Merchant Square
Located between Paddington Station and Edgware Road Tube Station, and next to Paddington Basin, Merchant Square regularly hosts public events and family-activities. These include open air film screenings, pumpkin carving contests and musical performances.
Make sure to check out their website to see what’s on at Merchant Square during your visit.
How do I find all of these places?
Want easy access on the go to all of these ideas? We’ve created a Google Map with everything marked for you:
Do you have a great tip for something to do with kids in Paddington? Share with other readers in the comments!