The Paddington Bear Experience
BEST FOR
Ages 0-15
ENTRY
from £24
SETTING
Indoors
WHERE
London
What it’s like
A 70-minute walk-through where kids meet Paddington, help Mrs Bird tidy her kitchen and dance to a Calypso band in Windsor Gardens.
You start at a mock-up of Paddington Station and end up in Windsor Gardens for the Marmalade Day Festival, with a Peruvian jungle bit in between. Along the way kids solve puzzles, poke around Mr Gruber's Antiques Store, help Mrs Bird put her kitchen back together and get a photo with Paddington himself. There's a Calypso band to dance to and a marmalade sandwich to try, which feels like the bit most kids will still be talking about on the way home.
It's all timed to about 70 minutes from your slot, and they mean it. Turn up late and they can't fit you in, they'll just try to move you to another time if there's space. Once you're through, you can hang about in Windsor Gardens afterwards for the café and the festival games, so it's worth not rushing off the second the main bit ends.
£34 for an adult and £24 for a child stings a bit for just over an hour, and under-2s need a free ticket too or you won't get through the door as a group. Every child needs an adult with them in the same slot, and one adult can only cover five kids under 17, so a big group with one grown-up will need to split. Buggies aren't allowed inside, there's a free buggy park but nobody's watching it, so anything valuable goes in the paid cloakroom instead.
It's an indoor, walk-round experience with not much seating, so a toddler who tires of standing might get grumpy towards the end. The café at Windsor Gardens does sandwiches and drinks if you want to make a stop of it, and it's a short walk from Waterloo if you're coming by train rather than trying to park nearby.
Facilities
Need to know
- Best for
- Roughly 2 to 10, though tickets go up to 15
- Booking
- Book online and save up to 35%
- Parking
- Limited parking in the area. Nearest car park is Waterloo Station
- How long to allow
- Approximately 70 minutes
- Food
- On-site café at Windsor Gardens with sweet and savoury treats, beverages, and Marmalade Sandwiches
- Pushchairs
- Buggies not permitted inside. Free buggy park on-site but unsupervised
- Wheelchairs
- Wheelchair accessible with lifts
- Dogs
- Service animals (Guide Dogs, Hearing Dogs, Medical Alert Animals) only
- Getting there by bus or train
- Waterloo train station approximately 10 minutes walk
- Parties
- Birthday parties from £59 per person, minimum 10 children and 2 adults
- Arrive 5 minutes early to check in at the box office and sort buggy park, cloakroom or toilets before your slot starts
- One adult can only bring up to five under-17s into the experience
- The main external entrance isn't wheelchair accessible, so ask about the accessible route on arrival
- Wheelchair users are limited to one per hour on quarter-past slots, with a 75cm width limit and no chairs for hire
Plan your visit
How much are tickets?
£34 for an adult, £24 for a child aged 2 to 15. Under-2s need a free ticket too, everyone in the group has to have one to get in.
Do we need to book in advance?
Yes, it's timed entry and you book online, which also saves up to 35% off the walk-up price. On-the-day availability is limited.
How long does it take?
About 70 minutes from your ticket time, though you can stay on afterwards in Windsor Gardens for the café and festival games.
What happens if we're late?
They can't fit latecomers into the experience. They'll try to move you to a later slot if one's free, but there's no guarantee.
Can we bring a buggy?
Not inside. There's a free buggy park on-site, but it isn't supervised, so keep valuables on you or in the paid cloakroom.
Is it suitable for a toddler?
It's aimed at all ages, but there's a lot of walking and not much seating, so a very young or tired toddler might struggle towards the end.
Does every child need an adult with them?
Anyone 17 or under needs an adult in the same time slot, and one adult can bring a maximum of five under-17s.
Is it wheelchair accessible?
There are lifts to all areas and one complimentary carer ticket per wheelchair ticket, but only one wheelchair user is admitted per hour and a few gameplay moments aren't accessible.
Is there parking?
Not really nearby. They recommend public transport, with Waterloo about a 10 minute walk and Charing Cross about 15.
What food is there?
A café at Windsor Gardens does sweet and savoury food and drinks, plus the marmalade sandwiches that come up during the experience.
Can we do a birthday party there?
From £59 a head with a minimum of 10 children and 2 adults, including a picnic in Windsor Gardens with a marmalade sandwich, a drink and a paw biscuit.
Are dogs allowed?
Only assistance dogs such as guide dogs, hearing dogs or medical alert animals.
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