Paddington Station, Paddington, London

One of the major train stations in London, Paddington serves services from the West of the country. There is an Underground station linked to the railway station, in fact the entrance is inside, so it is very easy to switch between the two (though if you’re going to get the Hammersmith and City line, you need to take that from beyond the last platform rather than the main Underground entrance in the station). The station itself is like any other, with a smattering of shops and cafes, though there is a nice enclosed area with some seating where you can escape the cold in winter.

I only travel to paddington because it is the way into London from where I live. It’s a large unfriendly place and I never quite feel safe. There aren’t anywhere like enough seats for the amount of people comming through and although I understand why they are missing, it is a real pain for there not to be any bins. The large open entrance to the station means it is very windy and cold in the winter.

Paddington station is the main railway terminus into London if you are coming from the West Country. It is a large old windy station. It is the sort of place that you visit because you need to travel through it to get to your destination, not because it is a nice place in itself. There are one or two shops there and a McDonalds takeaway. The toilets there are clean and tidy, although you do have to pay 20p to use them. There don’t seem to be a lot of staff about when you are looking for someone to ask because you need some information.

Trains from Oxford come into Paddington, so I’ve used the station a lot over the years, yet I’ve never quite felt at home there. Arriving is OK, I know my way from the platform to the underground, though there always seem to be delays on the circle line, and the Bakerloo line, despite being further to walk, is a better bet. I’ve never enjoyed the return journey, though. I’m usually going back at rush hour, the place is packed, and trains to Oxford always seem to go from some distant, dark platform! Toilets are down steps and through a 20p turnstile, awkward to negotiate with luggage. Much prefer Marylebone, or the bus!

A very important railway station in London, with important historical significance. The old fashioned style of the roof is particularly striking, and when you spend some time looking up, when you glance back down you expect to see steam trains and people in crazy tweed outfits. The trains are generally prompt, and the quality of the service at customer service desks is very good, especially by London standards. The crowding of the waiting area is quite extreme, and it is not a great place to be be during rush hour. I’m not sure I’d want to use the station on anything more than an occasional basis.

I adore Paddington station and not for getting trains, nope I’ve never even gotten a train from there but I visit there quite a lot because it’s where Paddington bear is YAY, well his statue anyway and of course the official sellers of Paddington products and if you go to the lost and found area they have a huge plush paddington about 8 feet tall you can get your photo done with. Apart from all that Paddington station really is one of our unsung heros of architechtural elegance and beauty. The ceiling is wonderfully ornate and inspiring and the concourse conjurs up memories of times gone by when you’d imagine seeing Victorian ladies and gents hurrying for their trains with their steamer trunks. The building is grade 1 listed and has been is use since 1854, it was designed by a true British legend, none other than Isambard Kingdom Brunel who based it on the design for the original Crystal Palace (alas that burned down). There is a statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel in the entrance to the station where the cabs drop you off, take time to look at the large clock as well which is stunning. Worth a days visit one lazy weekend, it’s free to walk around, take in the sights, plenty of disabled parking nearby and lots of places to eat. Great for students of photography, art and architecture or just lovers of that inimitable Paddington Bear ah.

When the great engineer Isambard K. Brunel designed the London to Bristol railway line in his spare time he co-designed this, the London terminus. (Although there was a station at Paddington before the new railway opened it was largely rebuilt in 1854.) Both the railway line and this station were, at the time, engineering marvels. Arriving in Paddington (albeit at a painfully slow speed) is a good time to imagine what it must have been like when the Great Western opened and the journey from Bristol to London suddenly took a matter of hours.

It is, of course, also famous for giving its name to a bear that has delighted children for decades.

The station itself is reasonably spacious and has a decent collection of eateries, cafes and shops so killing time whilst waiting for a train isn’t too much of a chore.

I think this place has been working on getting better of late and the manager of the station has been present to answer questions a few times in the concourse has been an encouraging sign. There is a WH Smiths, M&S, Monsoon, Boots, TM Lewin and many more including the oft-frequented by me Krispy Kreme shop.

Travel up the starrs not just to the pub or Starbucks but up to Paul’s bakery - hidden a bit because you have to go up 2 flights but well worth the detour.

There are gates for almost every train so be careful to make sure you have a ticket!

Paddington Station is one of those places that needs to be improved, but never will be. Completely bizarrely, considering it is a major station, the entrance is via a long road/ramp, that takes you to the concourse. It’s very dingy and dark and makes you feel as if you’re heading underground. Compare this with say the entrance to King’s Cross, at street level, or Liverpool Street, nice big light escalators and roof. Peculiar.
Getting onto the trains is also a bit annoying because of the ticket barriers. You have to check your train’s platform on the boards in the centre of the concourse before running for the barriers like a mad thing. And if you’re heading to Maidenhead (for a frolic at the fat duck) your pleasure will be undermined by the horrible dark, scary walk to the far flung platform that your train will be next to. I don’t see anyway they can improve this, because there is solid building above the platform, but somehow they have to, before the Olympics, or this station will be the shame of central London.

I am a regular visitor to Paddington Station and am pleased to report that it has increased dramatically in recent years. There are several lovely eateries within the station, a pub hidden away upstairs, a Marks & Spencer’s food hall and a Sainsbury’s. There are also several places where you can buy fast food.

For some of the local suburban trains serving west London and Berkshire there is quite a walk to the appropriate platform, so it’s important to leave plenty of time between setting off for the platform and the departure time of your train.

There is a first class lounge, although whenever I try to go there it’s closed.

I have been using Paddington station on and off since 1982 and find it one of the better London terminals.

It is located off Praed Street and is easily accessible by bus and tube, with services on the Bakerloo, Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines.

The mainline services, which are run by First Great Western, serve many major English destinations to the west of London, including Bristol, Bath, Oxford, Plymouth and Penzance. This is also a major commuter station so it can be particularly crowded at rush hour.

There is a large ticket hall on the station which I have used and found the service to be reasonably quick and efficient.

The station has recently been redeveloped and there are several shops you can browse whilst waiting for your train, including a Sainsburys Central and a Marks & Spencer Simply Food. I recommend using these for food before you board and then you can avoid the overpriced buffets!

The station is also the terminus of the Heathrow Express, a service I really cannot recommend on the basis that it is completely overpriced for the service it provides to the airport.

When I recall how dingy Paddington station used to be when I first started using it I am very impressed at how it has been improved.

I used paddington on a daily basis ten years ago and since I have been back recently, I have to admit that it has certainly changed for the better.
I only wish that I had a BITE CARD back then -it is a free card you can apply for online through the use of which it is possible to gain a 20% discount on food and drink in a number of outlets. For anyone who uses mainline stations, get one and take advantage, it is excellent value for money…

faded glory. try to ignore the masses of angry people, the dirt and poor repair in places. in spirit its still a great Victorian mass transit marvel. i’ve used it for years for horribly delayed main line trains, the eye poppingly expensive Heathrow express (probably the most expensive train journey per passenger mile anywhere in the world), and grabbing the humble tube. the area around has some good little places, but you really do need to know where to look

Paddington is one of the more spacious stations in London with an uncluttered concourse (known as 'The Lawn’). The shops are generally around the periphery of the station but there’s a good range including Sainsburys, M&S Food and Boots. Unfortunately one of the two ticket offices has recently closed and has been replaced by machines. Access to the platforms is good unless your train goes from 13 and 14 at the far end!

One of the most historic London terminals, Paddington retains much of its former charm. Its been well modernised inside, with a glassed off shopping area, including Boots, a coffee shop, a flower stall, donut shop, and a Yo Sushi bar. It also has a connection to the Hilton Paddington hotel, on top of the main concourse food outlets.

This station is rarely overcrowded, having completed so many journeys through this station. There are a lot of self service ticket machines, which save time if you know what ticket you need, as often the queues for the manned ticket desks have a fairly long wait, which may cause you to miss a train. If you arrive early there’s an Aberdeen steak house outside the station which may be better than spending time in the station, although there is a small pub in the concourse.

Overall, I think its one of the more pleasant London terminals to travel to, and I also think its the best station to the nicest places to go for a weekend, as it caters for the West country and Wales, so there’s lots of mini-holiday options within a short travelling time from this station.

What a fantastic and large complex! Great having shops in that space - if you are early for your train, you can browse at your leisure. Toilets are overcrowded and you have to pay to spend a penny too! Don’t get caught short!

Paddington Station is a great station which is about a 10min taxi ride away from central London. The station houses many convenient shops that allow you to do your shopping on the go. These shops include Sainsbury’s, Marks and Spencer’s, Boots and WH Smiths. There is even a pub, coffee shop and a Yo Sushi! The station is also linked to the underground station so you can easily get around London.

The bus links from Paddington are also fantastic, you can get buses that take you all the way to Ikea Brent Park in the North West of London, Mile End in the East and even New Cross in the South.

I dont have much reason to come to this station often, but when i do i am reminded how lovely (for a station!) it is. It’s huge. You could really just come here to do a bit of shopping and grab some food let alone catch a train. Its got all the usual train station shops, WHSMith, tie rack and so on. And different coffee outlets. The only downside to such a large station is that if you need to catch a train and its going from one of the platforms which is quite far away then you have quite a bit of running to do to get to it!

I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve been here! A great old station and I (for one) like most of the shops being grouped together in roughly one area. It makes shopping much faster and easier before going onto the next journey. Sandwiches are available in so many places, even some good vegetarian ones in M&S or Boots. The coffee outlets are very good - there’s a Starbucks upstairs which is my favourite, a small Costa outlet although the only tables are on the edge of a platform so it’s very noisy! - and a large Ritazza downstairs too. WH Smith and The Body Shop are useful, and for extras (like gifts) there are various stalls, like a lovely silver jewellery one, and a Tie Rack. There is a nice greetings card outlet too and a small tobaconist. There are separate reviews written about some of the shops here. The ladies toilet is downstairs and you have to pay 20 pence to get in, though it’s nothing special. The disabled/easily accessible toilet (on the platform beyond Costa) is excellent and the staff in there are very friendly. I always find the post box by the exit to the street so handy for my postcards!

As stations go, this has to be one of my favourite. In terms of architecture, i would pick it anyday over the new stations like canary wharf. In terms of accessibility, it is really easy to find your way around the station and onto the platforms. It can be a little overwhelming due to how packed it always is, but once u get a sight of the boards, things get easier. if you are still lost, there are easy to find information desks scattered around. Great selection of shops inside aswell.

One of FGW’s largest stations, but as said above, this still has the feeling of being old. It’s retained it’s character unlike other London stations, which for a sentimental old fool like me is fab x

As stations go, I suppose Paddington is a pretty good one! It has what all good stations should have; lots of places to buy junk food, inclunding Krispy Kremes, and a Sainsburys, WHSmiths etc, and obviously a Monsoon (In case you forget your clothes?) It is a bit of a nightmare at rush hour, although one of my favourite things is watching a lot of business men in suits, clutching briefcases, watching the boards for the platform thier train will be leaving form, and then as soon as it flashes up, runnig en masse, down the platforms, so they can get a seat! To be honest just for that moment Paddington is worth a visit!

the great western from penzance to paddington is a great juorney most of the time it flashes past the cows and sheep and depending on the the time of year the green ,brown ,white
its like you have been in the tardis
once you get to paddington everything suddenly changes
if you turn left and walk diagnally across the concorse
past the the blonde haired girls and friends sitting cross legged in sloopy joe,s looking up at the times
it wont take you more then 10 seconds to be outside past the 10-20 smokers looking relieved
your then in pread street
fast black cabs slow red buses fast and slow every coluor people
the taxi drivers must be happy that
only the rich and the very beutiful drive in london now
you can walk to the other side of the road in pread street easy not like back in the day
heres a tip if you want to go to ealing from paddington forget the tube go from platform 14 overland

A lovely classic British station, which happens to be home to some of the most expensive rail routes in the world! But I won’t hold that against them. In fact, only this morning, despite being robbed on the Heathrow express, I was filled with a sense of wonder on stepping out of the train and gazing at the lovely ironwork and light seeping through to the diesels below. Yes, the Great Western Railway still doesn’t seem to be electrified - maybe that’s why it’s so pricey?

Paddington Station was first taste of London 8 years ago. As a traveler arriving on the Heathrow Express and being greeted by the open trusses washed from light above it was the aura I had always imagined London stations to have.

Many trips later and now living in London a recent visit took us for a different reason. Reading the story of Paddington Bear to our young children on many occasions it was now time to introduce them to the station that inspired such a wonderful story. Of course while there we had to buy something from the Paddington Bear kiosk.

We walked along platform one past the statue of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (http://www.travelnwork.info/2008/02/paddington-station-is…). About halfway down the platform you can ascend a set of stairs to a pedestrian bridge that crosses over the platforms. From this bridge it is possible to get a fantastic view of the interior of the station. You are near the roof structure with the skylights washing light on the trains lined up at the platforms below.

This is a fantastic place to arrive in from the airport or when ascending the escalators from the Underground below.

I can’t believe I’ve not reviewed Paddington Station yet!

My incredulity comes from the fact that it is my ‘home’ station, as it were. It’s the gateway to South Wales and as such I’ve been a patron of it for yeeeears.

It is lovely. When coming into London, our country’s capital and biggest city, from the provincial seaside town of Swansea, Paddington provides that sense of grandeur and greatness, of cosmopolitaness and innovation. It’s a cracker.

It also has a Yo! Sushi, which I adore. And many, many other shops.

I once watched a 6 nations match in the pub in the station, and it wasn’t as awful an atmosphere as you’d think.

Heathrow Express is pretty good too.