Best areas to live for commuting to Paddington

Paddington is a major rail terminus on the western edge of central London, and the area around it has been transformed by office and residential development around Paddington Basin and Merchant Square on the Grand Union Canal. St Mary's Hospital and Imperial College's medical school are a significant presence, and Paddington is the London terminus for trains to Reading, Oxford, Bristol, Cardiff and the West Country.

The Elizabeth line has made Paddington much more accessible from the east and west. Trains run through the centre to Bond Street, Tottenham Court Road, Liverpool Street, Whitechapel, Canary Wharf, Stratford and Abbey Wood, and west to Ealing, Acton, Southall, Hayes, Heathrow and Reading. The Heathrow Express runs non-stop to the airport. On the Underground, the Bakerloo line and the Circle, District and Hammersmith & City lines serve two separate stations at Paddington.

This makes west London an obvious commuting base. Ealing, Acton and Southall are a short, direct Elizabeth line ride away; the Bakerloo line connects Maida Vale, Kilburn Park and Queen's Park; and the Hammersmith & City line serves Shepherd's Bush, Ladbroke Grove and Hammersmith. East London renters on the Elizabeth line, in places like Stratford and Whitechapel, now have direct journeys that once required several changes. Walking from Bayswater, Little Venice and Maida Vale is common, and the canal towpath provides a quieter cycling route from Kensal Green and Camden. For anyone who travels for work, Paddington is also the easiest station in London for Heathrow, with the Elizabeth line offering a cheaper, slightly slower alternative to the Heathrow Express.