From Paddington station to London's Top Tourist Destinations

Paddington station is located on the far north-west corner of the central London area, so you will be taking public transport on to all other popular tourist destinations, when arriving at Paddington by train.

Hence using my insights from being a Londoner, who frequently has to plan trips around the city centre for someone who prefers to avoid using stairs, to come up with this guide to accessing London’s most popular tourist attractions from Paddingon.
The focus is on what’s easiest, so where relevant alternative step-free routes have been included; though comparatively few Underground stations in central London have step-free access by lift (elevator) between the trains and the streets.
The deep-level ‘tube’ lines, the Bakerloo, Central, Jubilee, Northern, Piccadilly and Victoria, are only included when they are absolutely the most logical option.

Also good to know is how the railway links to central London can be accessed, because at Paddington the different options are scattered around the station.

The trains to the other London stations use three separate parts of Paddington station:

1. The Elizabeth line station is right beside the main station building, parallel to platform 1.
   The platforms in the Elizabeth line station can be accessed by lifts (elevators) and escalators.
   

2. The Circle line via Victoria trains, which travel along the north bank of the River Thames, plus the 'tube trains' of The Bakerloo line, which travel across the western side of central London, can both be accessed from the Underground station, which is by the main concourse.
   Though the access to the Bakerloo line is by escalator, there is no lift (elevator) down to the trains.
   The route to the eastbound Circle line via Victoria, which are the trains towards The Thames, is solely by stairs, there is a footbridge within the station; it's painted red as seen in the image below.
   

3. The trains which travel along the northern edge of central London, the Circle via King's Cross and the Hammersmith & City lines, use a separate Underground station which is at the other end of the station, adjacent to platforms 12 and 14.
   In this Underground station a lift (elevator) is available between the ticket hall and the trains, but the route to this station which avoids stairs, is the long way round.

From the concourse on you need to head to the passage way which also leads to the taxi rank.

At the end of this passage way there are escalators, which are pictured below, and lifts (elevators) up to the taxi rank.

Head up to the taxi rank because the pathway which leads to this Underground station, is over to the left of the taxis.

The short-cut route to this Underground station is to use the staircases that are by the rear of the trains which arrive at platforms 1 to 10, each pair of platforms has its own separate staircase.

The notes on how to reach each station below will include which part of the station you'll need to head to in order to take the optimum onward train.

The easiest public transport option for travelling to The British Museum from Paddington is take an eastbound Elizabeth line train to Tottenham Court Road.

The Natural History Museum and The Science Museum and The Victoria and Albert Museum are all located on the aptly named Exhibition Road in South Kensington.
These museums are a five minute walk north of South Kensington underground station, through a subway which leads off from the ticket hall.

Take an eastbound Circle line train from the part of the Underground station that’s directly by the main concourse, which the District line also uses.
Though the access to the trains will involve going up and over a footbridge, so an easier option can be taking bus route 23 from stop E on Eastbourne Terrace, by the Elizabeth line station and leaving the bus at the Exhibition Road stop.
Or if your train to Paddington calls at Ealing Broadway, then transfer there to the District line as it goes direct from there to South Kensington.

Trafalgar Square is the location of The National Gallery and the separate National Portrait Gallery, plus Horse Guard’s Parade and The Churchill War Rooms, which is just off The Mall, are within a few minutes walk..

From Paddington take the southbound Bakerloo line direct to Charing Cross and then when you get to the station, use the exit on to Trafalgar Square.

A clutch of tourist destinations are located on the south bank of the River Thames between Waterloo and Westminster Bridges.
They include The London Eye and The Sea Life London Aquarium and The London Dungeon and The South Bank Centre including The Hayward Gallery.

From Paddington take the southbound Bakerloo line direct to Waterloo.

Waterloo underground station is within a five minute walk of all these attractions, though the station has multiple exits, so take your time and use the maps and signs, so that you use the exit with the easiest access to where you will be heading.

An option is to go direct on an eastbound Circle line train, from the Underground station at Paddington used by the trains which travel from Hammersmith, to Tower Hill station, as it is a few minutes walk from the main entrance into the Tower Of London.
Though it’s a long journey of 11 stops and the Circle line trains tend to depart only every 10 – 15mins.
So the alternative is to take an eastbound Elizabeth line train to Whitechapel and then connect there for any westbound District line train to Tower Hill.
It’s a greater distance to travel, but despite that it will typically be more than 10 minutes faster.

A clutch of tourist destinations are located in the London Bridge area including Borough Market (best experienced on a weekend), The Shard and HMS Belfast the south side access to Tower Bridge, plus the attractions in the adjacent Bermondsey Street area such as the Fashion and Textile Museum and The White Cube Gallery, plus on weekends, The Ropewalk.

The typically quickest route from Paddington to London Bridge is to take the Bakerloo Line to Baker Street, where a short walk through a passage way connects to the eastbound Jubilee Line.

At London Bridge underground station

• for Borough Market use the exits on to Borough High Street,
• for HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge use the exits on to Tooley Street,
• for The Shard and Bermondsey Street head to the Tooley Street ticket hall, but exit through the right into the passage way named Joiner Street - and then head to the right along Joiner Street.

Though if you would rather avoid taking the Underground then an alternative route is to take the Elizabeth line to Farringdon where a lift (elevator) is now available to the southbound Thameslink trains; and there will typically be twelve departures per hour from Farringdon on to London Bridge.
For Borough Market use the exit on to Tooley Street and turn left, for HMS Belfast and Tower Bridge use the same exit and turn right, for The Shard and Bermondsey Street use the exits on to St Thomas Street.

Madame Tussauds is adjacent to Baker Street Underground station, it is on the next block, but taking the bus is the easiest means of reaching The Zoo.
The only bus route which stops right by London Zoo’s entrance is the 274
and at Baker Street it departs from bus stop C, take the bus heading to Angel, Islington.

To head to Baker Street from Paddington go direct on any eastbound Circle line or Hammersmith and City line train from the Underground station at Paddington used by the trains which travel from Hammersmith.

When heading to Westminster Abbey and the area around the Houses of Parliament from Paddington, the eastbound Circle line trains, which share the part of the Underground station at Paddington used by the District line, provide a direct connection to Westminster.
However, the access to these trains is comparatively awkward, because it involves walking up and over a footbridge within the Underground station.
Hence the easier and faster option being a southbound Bakerloo train to Baker Street, where a simple as can be level transfer is available to the southbound Jubilee line on to Westminster.

The Covent Garden area, which is where the London Transport Museum is located, is now most easily accessed from Paddington by taking the eastbound Elizabeth line to Tottenham Court Road.
At that station a new exit on Charing Cross Road east is a 10-15 min walk to the market.
The simplest route is to head towards Shaftesbury Avenue and then turn left into Neal Street.

The entrance for the viewing of The State Rooms at Buckingham Palace is approximately an equal distance from Green Park and Victoria stations.

The eastbound Circle line trains, which share the part of the Underground station at Paddington used by the District line. provide a direct connection to Victoria, but the access to these trains is comparatively awkward as it involves walking up and over a footbridge within the Underground station.
Hence the easier and faster option being a southbound Bakerloo train to Baker Street where a simple as can be level transfer is available to the southbound Jubilee line to Green Park.

Unusually for a central London underground station, step-free access by a series of lifts (elevators) between train and street is available at Green Park, but lifts (elevators) to the Bakerloo line are not available at Paddington.

Greenwich station is is a 5 – 10 minute walk to the historic center of maritime Greenwich

The easiest option for a Paddington to Greenwich journey is to take an eastbound Elizabeth line train to Farringdon and then connect there for a Thameslink train to Greenwich.

Though there are only typically two trains per hour, which are direct to Greenwich from Farringdon; these trains will typically be heading to Rainham.
So if the waiting time for one of these trains is more than 15 minutes, you may as well take the first train heading to London Bridge station, then where you arrive there, head over to platform 1 for a train on to Greenwich.

Take the eastbound Elizabeth line to Stratford and connect there for the Jubilee line to North Greenwich, step-free access is available to the Jubilee line at Stratford and the trains commence their journeys there, so if you don't rush to join the next departure, seats will be available.

Take the southbound Bakerloo line to Marylebone station and transfer there to a Chiltern Trains service to Wembley Stadium station.

The easiest route from Paddington station to the Sky Garden is to take the eastbound Elizabeth line to Farrringdon and connect there for an eastbound Metropolitan or Circle line train to Aldgate station; at Farringdon don't board a Hammersmith & City line train, which will be heading to Barking.
The Sky Garden will then be an 8 - 12 min walk along Fenchurch Street.

The easiest option for the journey from Paddington station to Somerset House is to take the southbound Bakerloo line to Embankment station, from there it’s a 10-15 minute walk along the north bank of the Thames.

Take the southbound Bakerloo line to Oxford Circus and connect there for the southbound Victoria line to Pimlico station as it is an 8 to 15 walk to Tate Britain Tate Britain.
Then on arrival at Pimlico, head to the gallery's side entrance by crossing over Vauxhall Bridge Road on to John Islip Street and turning right into Atterbury Street.

Or if you would rather avoid the Tube, the slower option is taking an eastbound Circle line train from the part of the Underground station that’s directly by the main concourse, that the District line also uses.
Leave this train at Westminster and connect for bus routes 87 or 88 from the Parliament Square bus stop on Whitehall.

The optimum route for a Paddington to Tate Modern transfer is to take the eastbound Elizabeth line to Farringdon and connect there for a Thameslink train to Blackfriars.
Board into the front of any train and use the southside exit at Blackfriars, the main entrance to Tate Modern is then within a 3 minute walk.

On Monday to Saturday there are two optimum rotes from Paddington to St Paul's cathedral;
(1) Take the eastbound Elizabeth line to Farringdon and connect there for any southbound train to City Thameslink station, board into the front of the train for easy access to the exit on Ludgate Hill.
The advantage of the route is that the walk from Ludgate Hill leads up to the front of the cathedral, where its main entrance is located.

Also lifts (elevators) are available to from the trains at all of the stations.
OR

(2) ) take the eastbound Elizabeth line Tottenham Court Road and connect there for an eastbound Central line train to St Paul's station.
This is the only option on a Sunday, because City Thameslink station is only open from Monday to Saturday.

Take the District line train or a Circle line via Victoria train to Bayswater.

The Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew are some distance from Paddington station, but the relatively straightforward transfer is to take a District line train to Earl's Court, where a simple as can be cross-platform transfer will be available into a train heading to Kew Gardens station.
Though take care to board a train which will be heading to Richmond.

All of the ticket gates at central London stations have 'readers' which enable contactless payment.

Regardless of whether you are resident in the UK, or are visiting, there are three methods of using Contactless:

1. A payment app on a mobile device, including your bank's contactless payment app, or the likes of Google Pay, Apple Pay, or Samsung Pay.
2. A debit / credit card as long as it has the contactless symbol
3. An Oyster card (you touch in and out as you do when using Contactless).

Good to know about using Contactless

• The system works by touching in and out.
• When using bank cards, take care to use the same card when touching out at the end of a journey, as you did when touching in at the start.
• You have to pay with Contactless on the regular red buses, you cannot pay with cash.
• When travelling by the Underground or Elizabeth line, you can save 10 - 20p per journey by paying with a banking app / card instead of an Oyster card.
• Making a Contactless payment is cheaper than buying a ticket from a station counter or machine - the price difference is usually at least 50%!

More info is available on the general London by train guide.

National Rail, which has overall responsibility for how the trains are managed in Britain, has teamed up with a swathe of tourist attractions for a promotion which allows two entry tickets for the price of one when travelling to and from them by train.
How it typically works is:

1. You can look for which attractions and guided tours are members of the scheme on the National Rail website.
2. Having chosen an attraction you can then see how to book the special promotional tickets or voucher; when needed you can find promo codes on the dedicated page for each attraction on the National Rail Website.
3. On the online booking page of the attraction you should see an option which corresponds to 'National Rail - Two for One offer'.
4. Book your attraction tickets or voucher.
5. On arrival at the attraction you present your attraction tickets and rail tickets to gain entry.

The offers are available to visitors to the UK as well as residents, so they can be a great way to save money when on a holiday.

Though what's good to know is:

• You need to present either the outward or return part of a national rail ticket to gain entry, along with your attraction tickets; So Oyster Cards and other Contactless payments, or Travelcards can't be used for the rail journey!
• The ticket machines at stations will retain one-way tickets, hence return tickets are a must - and if possible avoid putting your outward tickets through the machine, by asking the staff to open the gates/barriers.
• The two people entering the attraction on the 2-for-1 offer will both need separate rail tickets.
• The type of rail ticket, how much you paid for it and the distance travelled all don't matter, any pair of return rail tickets will suffice.
• If you have one, you can use Railcards to book the rail tickets.
• Rail tickets are available as an alternative to Oyster cards when travelling between any two National Rail stations in the Greater London area; a National Rail station is any station not solely served by the Underground or DLR, so it includes stations solely served by the Overground or Elizabeth Line trains.
  Therefore you can buy return rail tickets to a central London station, or to a station located by an attraction, from another station in the London area.

However before booking the 2-for-1 offers on the attraction websites, carefully check how much you will be saving by only paying one entrance fee, compared to the costs of booking two rail tickets.
If you look up the journey on the National Rail website you'll get a good idea of the train ticket costs.
It's likely you won't be able to claim a refund on the attraction tickets, if you then decide not to go ahead, because the rail tickets + the 2-for-1 offer won't save you money.
Though it's highly likely you will make a substantial overall saving.

But if you have already booked two return rail tickets and then find an attraction(s) that you want to visit, go ahead and book the 2-for-1 offer, as you'll then be certain of saving money!

Where can you go and what can you see

The full list of tourist attractions participating in the scheme can be found on the National Rail website.

Popular attractions in central London include:

• Westminster Abbey
• St Paul's cathedral
• the London Transport Museum
• The London Eye
• The Tower Of London (certain times of year only)

Attractions in the wider London area, with easy access from local rail stations, include:

• Hampton Court Palace
• The Cutty Sark
• Kew Gardens
• the World Rugby Museum

Attractions which are an easy day trip from London include:

• The Bluebell Railway; very easy connection at East Grinstead station.
• Steam - The Museum of the Great Western Railway
• There's a clutch of attractions in Brighton including:
  the charming Toy and Model Museum and The Royal Pavilion and Sea Life Brighton
• Chessington World Of Adventures which is walkable from Chessington South station, which has trains from London Waterloo.
• Thorpe Park which can be accessed by taking a train from London Waterloo to Staines and then connecting into a bus service.
• Legoland Windsor which can be accessed by taking buses from central Windsor that offer straightforward connections with trains from London Paddington and trains from London Waterloo.
  Though carefully check the full details for the amusement park offers as they exclude certain dates and periods of time, which tend to coincide with school holidays.