Eight Paddington Bear locations in London.
The stories of Paddington Bear, the little Peruvian orphan who came to London and seems to have an adventure at every turn, have been a big part of our family life for too long to remember.
Reading the stories myself as a child and now sharing them with my children is a real delight.
Paddington’s arrival in London from darkest Peru and his adventures with the Brown family, Mr Gruber and his grumpy neighbour Mr Curry, see the little bear bringing fun and adventure across the UK’s capital.
We have rounded up eight top London locations for families to visit. All inspired by the wonderful Paddington Bear stories.
Table of Contents
1. Portobello Road – Paddington Bear locations in London
Becoming part of the family in 32 Windsor Gardens, Paddington Bear has many of his earliest adventures around Notting Hill and Portobello Road. Here he becomes friends with antiques shop owner Mr Gruber.
The area is home to reputedly the world’s largest antiques market. Alongside stalls and shops filled with fashion, fruit and furniture.
It’s quieter during the week when fewer of the markets are on, but visit on a Saturday for a full-on Portobello Road experience.
2. Enjoy a night in Theatreland
In the first book “A Bear called Paddington” the Brown family and Paddington head for the West End for a night at the theatre.
Of course he ends up on stage himself taking the play in a whole new direction.
We have loved seeing our children develop a love for live theatre. Our recent trip to see “The Comedy about a Bank Robbery” at the Criterion Theatre has cemented that even further.
3. A trip to see the Christmas Lights on Oxford Street
No trip to London at Christmas is complete without seeing the lights of Oxford Street. As Paddington Bear discovered in the story “Paddington Goes To Town”.
Here he is mistaken for a busker’s assistant and gets into trouble with the police for performing without a licence.
Have a trouble free visit to the area and soak up the festive atmosphere where you might even be able to pick up your own Paddington for Christmas.
Read more: The best things to do in London with kids at Christmas
4. Head to where it all began – Paddington Station – Paddington Bear locations in London
Paddington Bear’s arrival at the iconic London rail station complete with suitcase and a ‘Please look after this bear‘ label kicked off decades of adventures for the little bear and the Brown family.
Why not plan a gateway to the West of England. You can travel via Paddington Station.
This is a great station to spend a little time at wither way if you’re a fan of the bear.
Make sure you check out the Paddington statue and seek out the bench where he was discovered by Mr Brown.
5. Catch some live music in Hyde Park
In ‘Mr. Gruber’s Outing’ in the book Paddington at Large, our hero appears on stage once again, this time at an open air concert in Hyde Park looking for ‘Mr Sherbet’ (after mishearing the name of the composer ‘Schubert’!).
Catching live music in Hyde Park is still something worth checking out. Qith many big names appearing at the numerous concerts and events taking place each year it’s great fun.
Or why not simply head out and explore this former hunting park for Henry VIII. It is now home to the Diana Princess of Wales Memorial Fountain, and boating on the Serpentine an ever popular activity for families.
6. Christmas on the South Bank and the London Eye
Michael Bond continued writing Paddington stories right up into his later years. So newer attractions in the capital made appearances in the stories including a trip on the London Eye in “Paddington’s Christmas Surprise”.
For example when his Uncle Pastuzo pops in to see his nephew.
We love this lively part of London especially at Christmas when the markets are sparkling and seasonal attractions appear.
The London Eye is a real treat for families to explore. And the views across the city in the evening skies are truly spectacular.
7. Kensington Palace – Paddington Bear locations in London
In ‘”Paddington And The Stately Home”, the little bear does what many of us much have secretly always wanted to do – have a nap on one of the beds in a palace.
Paddington Bear is finally found asleep on ‘Queen Elizabeth’s bed’ in the story. But why not head to one of London’s most famous stately homes and royal residence – Kensington Palace.
Here you can explore the former home of Diana, Princess of Wales and most recently that of her sons.
With regular events aimed at families throughout the year there’s lots to explore and enjoy here. And end your trip at the neighbouring play park named in memory of Diana.
Get your skip-the-line tickets here
8. Visiting the site of the London 2012 Olympics – the Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park
In the final book of stories about Paddington Bear to be written by Michael Bond, our hero is mistaken for a member of the Peruvian Olympic team. This is ahead of London 2012 and adventures of course are just around the bend once again.
The site of the 2012 games and more recently the 2017 World Athletics brought tens of thousands of people to this part of London. All to celebrate the best athletics on the planet.
The Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park remains both a memory to the games and the site of fantastic family walks, trails and great places to play.
Enjoyed this post? Find more here:
Our ultimate guide to London with kids
50 of the best things to do in London with kids
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The theatre is a good one for children are the lights in Oxford street at Christmas. I still need to go to Southbank at Christmas that must be magical.
What some lovely looking places to go and see that are all Paddington Bear related, I would love to go and see the Christmas lights one day.
What fab places to visit. I love Paddington bear.
I love a themed tour of cities – this Paddington Bear tour of London looks amazing!
Ahh what a fab list of places to visit! We love Paddington Bear, this looks like a fab tour!
This is such a great way to explore London for children – the fact that they are all Paddington Bear related will definitely keep them interested!
This is such a wonderful idea, definitely something we would love to emulate next time we visit London x
I was never really read any Paddington Bear books growing up, it sounds like I really missed out. I will have to get some and read them to my nanny children. Then I could appreciate all these places a bit more!
What a brilliant idea for exploring London! I loved Paddington Bear when I was younger, I had no idea Michael Bond carried on Paddington’s adventures for so long.
Oh my I LOVE going to see the Christmas lights in oxfords street!! Still meaning to take the kids! This is a fab list I often try to think of places to take the kids and on the spot I can’t think of where to go!
I love live music, so enjoying it in Hyde Park would be perfect for me! xxx
I loved Paddington when I was a child, and have just started to read the stories to my five year old. Now he is asking to go to London! (which is a fair hike, being at the Northern most part of the country, away from the city). It is a lovely idea to visit places inspired by the stories, and there are so many lovely places to visit. I do think that we’ll have to plan a trip sometime in the near furture, regardless of distance.
Love Paddington! My sister still has a Padding bear that’s probably older than I am, he’s the cutest thing!
I loved the paddington stories as a kid and I can’t wait to introduce my daughter to them too.