Not every family day needs to be an expedition. Some days call for a bear on a platform, a few brightly painted narrowboats, and everyone home in time for lunch. This is our shortest, gentlest loop — the one we send people on when the kids are small, the morning is short, or everyone’s patience needs saving for later.

Before you roll

• Distance: roughly 6–7km round trip from Mayfair, flat throughout — our easiest loop.
• Timing: mid-morning is best. Paddington Station gets genuinely packed at commuter rush hour, and the statue is easiest to enjoy in a quiet moment.
• Canal boats: the London Waterbus Company’s Regent’s Canal trips run seasonally and on a timetable — check sailing times on the day rather than assuming a boat will be waiting.
• Puppet Theatre Barge: only moored in Little Venice from October to mid-July (it relocates to Richmond-upon-Thames for the summer) and runs shows on weekends and school holidays — check its schedule before building a trip around it.

Paddington Station: finding the bear on Platform 1

~10 minutes from Mayfair

Lock the bikes and head onto the concourse — the Paddington Bear statue stands on Platform 1, near the station clock, close to the spot where Mr and Mrs Brown first found him in the books, fresh off a ship from Peru with a label round his neck reading “Please look after this bear.” The bronze statue, sculpted by Marcus Cornish, was unveiled by Paddington’s creator Michael Bond in 2000. It’s moved around the station a couple of times since — including a spell nearer the Praed Street entrance — but it’s back on Platform 1, where it belongs, so head straight there rather than wandering.

It’s a five-minute stop, not a destination in itself, but it’s the kind of five minutes a small Paddington fan will talk about for weeks.

Little Venice: a working canal junction with a very good name

~10 minutes from Paddington

From the station, it’s a short, flat ride along the canal to Little Venice — the triangular basin where the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal meets the Regent’s Canal. Officially this junction is called Browning’s Pool, after the poet Robert Browning, who lived nearby on Warwick Crescent in the 1860s (though the story is disputed — some credit Lord Byron with the name instead, which is exactly the sort of detail that makes London’s canals fun to poke around in).

Whatever you call it, it’s genuinely pretty: houseboats moored three deep, floating cafés, willow trees leaning over the water, and narrowboats in every colour queuing to turn. It’s calm, it’s flat, and there’s plenty of towpath for little legs to run along while the adults have a coffee.

Board a narrowboat: the waterbus to Camden

If the day allows for more, the London Waterbus Company runs canal boat trips from Little Venice through Regent’s Park — past the edge of London Zoo, where you can sometimes spot the animals from the water — through the Maida Hill tunnel, and on to Camden Lock. The trip takes around 45 minutes each way, kids under 4 travel free, and you can choose a classic narrowboat with live commentary or a quieter comfort cruiser. Buy tickets online or at the canal on the day.

It’s an easy way to turn a short morning into a fuller day out, without the kids ever needing to walk the whole distance.

The Puppet Theatre Barge

Moored at Little Venice for most of the year, the Puppet Theatre Barge is a genuine fifty-seat marionette theatre built into a converted barge — a proper theatre, tiny and wonderful, that’s been putting on puppet shows for children (and plenty of adults) since the early 1980s. It only runs shows on weekends and school holidays, and only while it’s moored here — from October through to the middle of July, after which it sails off to Richmond-upon-Thames for the summer. If a puppet show is the plan, check what’s on and book ahead rather than turning up hopeful.

The loop at a glance

Stop	Highlight	Notes
Paddington Station	Paddington Bear statue, Platform 1	Best mid-morning, away from rush hour
Little Venice / Browning’s Pool	Canal junction, houseboats, cafés	Free, flat towpath
London Waterbus Company	45-minute boat trip to Camden Lock	Seasonal timetable — check sailing times
Puppet Theatre Barge	Marionette shows on a converted barge	October–mid-July only, weekends and school holidays

Total distance: 6–7km round trip. Flat throughout. Our easiest, shortest loop — built for younger kids.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the Paddington Bear statue in London?

On Platform 1 of Paddington Station, near the station clock — the spot in Michael Bond’s books where Mr and Mrs Brown first found Paddington. The bronze statue was sculpted by Marcus Cornish and unveiled in 2000.

Is Little Venice good for young children?

Yes. It’s flat, calm, and mostly car-free along the towpath, with plenty of space to run around, houseboats and narrowboats to look at, and cafés for a break. It’s one of the easiest, lowest-effort family stops in central London.

Can you take a canal boat from Little Venice to Camden?

Yes — the London Waterbus Company runs a 45-minute canal boat trip between Little Venice and Camden Lock, passing Regent’s Park and the edge of London Zoo along the way. Children under 4 travel free, and tickets are available online or on the day, subject to a seasonal timetable.

Is the Puppet Theatre Barge open all year?

No. It’s moored in Little Venice from October to mid-July, with shows on weekends and school holidays, then relocates to Richmond-upon-Thames for the summer months. Check its schedule before planning a visit around it.

Photo: Little Venice, London by Julian Nyča — CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons.

Fancy trying it yourself?

We hire electric family cargo bikes from Mayfair — this is the loop we recommend first, especially with toddlers or a first-time rider in the box. Book your ride on gozoom.uk and we’ll get you rolling.

If a puppet show or a boat trip is involved, tell us how it went — we’re always glad of an excuse to go back ourselves.