Your Guide to London Little Venice
Where is Little Venice?
If you are looking for an oasis of leafy calm that’s minutes from Paddington Station and amazing tourist attractions like Hyde Park and Regents Park, you should book a hotel in Little Venice. This beautiful district within Maida Vale, just west of Central London, surrounds the junction where the Grand Union Canal meets the Regents Canal and is so tranquil that you will be able to forget that you are in the heart of the capital. You’ll be surrounded by amazing districts like Paddington, St John’s Wood and Westbourne Green when you stay here. You’ll find Warwick Avenue, Royal Oak and Paddington Tube Station close by, all situated in Tube Zone 1 or 2 and offering you easy access to the rest of London. As Paddington Train Station is within such easy each you can even catch the Heathrow Express train with ease!
History of Little Venice
Relatively undiscovered and with exclusive residency, Little Venice has always been something of a hidden secret in London. The Grand Union Canal was opened in 1820 and the area was home to artists and writers, using the picturesque area as inspiration. The prettiest and most romantic place in London, Little Venice boasts the finest early Victorian domestic architecture around. The canal in Little Venice is lined with weeping willows and flanked by Regency mansions, many of which were designed by celebrated architect John Nash. The Regent's Canal was originally built to link Paddington with the Thames and was named after the Prince Regent, later George IV.
There is a real feel of nostalgia here – as before railways, canals were the essential way of transporting cargo around the country. Little Venice might be little, but it has played a significant part in the capital's development, both economically and culturally. Heading into the 20th century, there have been changes, but not many. There are some unique restaurants, a theatre on a barge, as well the odd public house. But everything about this place has largely been left untouched by modern times, certainly in terms of traffic, congestion and high street shops. So book into a hotel in Little Venice and come and see this beautiful part of London for yourself!
The Positives of Little Venice
The best thing about Little Venice is its natural beauty - the area has been left largely untouched, with there being very little changed from the day the area started to today. There is nothing as relaxing as taking one of the canal trips from the area, with tours that take in Regents Park and head to Camden Market and even London Zoo. If you didn't know it, you would not think you were in London, yet, Little Venice is just a stone's thrown from the centre of the capital; you can walk to amazing places like Hyde Park, Regents Park and Madame Tussauds with ease from here! As there are three tube stations within the immediate vicinity and Paddington Train Station is just a few minutes’ walk away, you certainly can’t grumble about the amazing transport links either!
Need to Know Little Venice
There are not many negatives about a place as beautiful and tranquil as this, but it’s extremely popular and can get quite crowded in the summer. Because of tourists, places to eat can be a little pricey but if you stay here you’ll be so close to other, more reasonably priced places in the Capital, that it hardly seems to matter.
