Little Venice is the triangular pool in west London where the Paddington Arm of the Grand Union Canal meets the Regent's Canal. From there a towpath runs east to Camden, King's Cross and eventually Limehouse, and two long-established boat companies carry passengers along the first stretch for between £17 and £19 one way. Walking it costs nothing.
The canal forms the northern edge of Regent's Park, and our guide to Regent's Park and Primrose Hill covers that section as part of the park. This page picks up the water itself: where to start, which boat does what, how long the walk takes, and where the towpath stops being pleasant.
Little Venice at a glance
- Address
- Blomfield Road, London W9 2PF
- Cost
- Nothing to walk. Boat trips from £17 adult one way
- Nearest stations
- Warwick Avenue (Bakerloo line), Paddington (Tube, Elizabeth line, National Rail)
- Towpath to Camden
- About 3 km, roughly 45 minutes at an easy pace
- Toilets
- Public toilets at Rembrandt Gardens
- Parking
- None for visitors
What you are actually looking at
The Regent's Canal opened in 1820 to link the Grand Union Canal to the Thames at Limehouse, so that cargo arriving from the Midlands could reach the docks without going round by river. It carried coal, timber and ice for a century, lost its trade to the railways, and spent decades as a back alley. Only in the last forty years has it become a route people choose to walk.
The pool at Little Venice is the junction. The name is usually credited to the poet Robert Browning, who lived nearby, and the Canal & River Trust repeats that attribution while noting it is disputed. The small tree-covered island in the middle is Browning's Island, and the water around it is Browning's Pool. Moored along the banks are residential narrowboats, a floating café, a puppet theatre barge and the boats that run the passenger trips.
The important thing to understand before you arrive is scale. This is a pool about the size of a large roundabout, surrounded by white stucco houses. It takes ten minutes to see. The reason to come is what leads away from it.
Photo: CEphoto, Uwe Aranas or alternatively · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons · resized
The two boat companies, and what separates them
Two long-established operators run the Little Venice to Camden route. They are not interchangeable, and the differences are practical rather than a matter of taste.
| London Waterbus Company | Jason's Trip | |
|---|---|---|
| Adult one way | £17.00 | £19.00 |
| Return | Book two singles; a discount applies in the same transaction | £25.00 |
| Concession | £14.00 (child 4–16, student 17+, senior 60+) | £15.00 single, £20.00 return (under-14s and over-65s) |
| Infants | Free, ages 0–3 | Free, under 4 |
| Booking | Recommended; free cancellation up to 24 hours before | Not necessary; seats kept for walk-ons, pay on the boat |
| Commentary | Live English commentary on the classic narrowboat; music and a bar on the wide cruiser | Live commentary on the Little Venice to Camden leg only |
| Journey | About 45 minutes | About 45 minutes |
All prices are as published in September 2026; check the operators' own sites before travelling. Jason's departs Little Venice at 10:30, 12:30 and 14:30, and Camden Lock at 11:15, 13:15 and 15:15, seven days a week, with extra weekend sailings from June to August. The London Waterbus runs a fuller timetable in both directions and sells out at weekends, which is the main argument for booking it ahead.
The canal boats no longer set down at London Zoo. The London Waterbus says plainly that it does not stop there, and that Camden Market is a 15-minute walk from the zoo entrance. Older guidebooks and blog posts still promise a zoo landing stage. If your plan is a boat trip followed by ZSL London Zoo, you will be walking the last part.
What you pass on the way to Camden
The boat leaves the pool and enters the Maida Hill Tunnel almost immediately: 248 metres of brick with no towpath inside. Before engines, boats were "legged" through by men lying on their backs and walking along the walls while the horse was led over the top. It is the one bit of the trip where a guided commentary earns its money.
Beyond the tunnel come the Lisson Grove moorings, then the long garden backs of the villas along the park's northern edge, and then the zoo. You pass the Snowdon Aviary, now part of a walk-through monkey exhibit, and the canal-side enclosure where African hunting dogs and warthogs are often visible from the water. Macclesfield Bridge follows, known as "blow-up bridge" after a barge carrying gunpowder exploded beneath it in 1874.
The last stretch runs into Camden, past Hawley Wharf and into the lock basin. Our guides to Camden Town and Camden Market take over from there.
Walking it instead, for nothing
The towpath from Little Venice to Camden is roughly three kilometres and takes about 45 minutes at a flat, unhurried pace. It is level the whole way, which makes it one of the easiest long walks in central London.
There is one complication and you should plan for it. The towpath does not go through the Maida Hill Tunnel. Walkers leave the water at Blomfield Road, go up onto Aberdeen Place, follow the streets east past the church, and rejoin the canal at Lisson Grove. It is signposted, it adds about ten minutes, and people who are not expecting it often give up at that point and get the bus.
After Lisson Grove the path runs unbroken past the zoo to Camden. Beyond Camden it continues to King's Cross and on towards Victoria Park in the east, with a second break at the Islington Tunnel where walkers again go over the top through Islington. Our page on walking in London explains when routes like this genuinely beat the Tube.
The towpath is shared, and it is narrower than it looks. Cyclists use it heavily at commuting times, the surface runs right up to the water with no railing in most places, and two buggies cannot pass easily. The Canal & River Trust asks everyone to slow down and give way; if you are riding, our guide to cycling in London covers the etiquette. With small children, keep them on the wall side.
Eating, sitting and the bits around the pool
Rembrandt Gardens sits on the north bank and is the place to eat something you brought with you; it also has the only public toilets at this end. Floating cafés come and go along Blomfield Road, and there are pubs and restaurants on the streets above. The Canal & River Trust's own page lists the trip boats, the floating cafés and the moorings, and is the most reliable summary of what is currently there.
Paddington Basin, a ten-minute walk south-east, is the modern counterpoint: office squares, a floating pocket park, restaurant barges, and two moving footbridges that open on a schedule. Our guide to Paddington and Bayswater covers that side.
Getting there, and when to go
Warwick Avenue on the Bakerloo line is the closest station and brings you out two minutes from the water. Paddington is a slightly longer walk but connects to the Elizabeth line, the Circle, District, Bakerloo and Hammersmith & City lines and the main line, which makes it the easier arrival from most of London. Edgware Road is also walkable. There is no visitor parking, so do not drive.
Weekday mornings are the quietest. Weekends bring cyclists, joggers and full boats, and the last sailing of the day in either direction is the one most likely to sell out. In winter the towpath is dark by mid-afternoon and much of it is unlit, so treat a late walk as a daytime activity only.
The first weekend of May usually brings the Canalway Cavalcade to Little Venice, a gathering of decorated boats that fills the pool. Dates are announced by the organisers each year.
How this compares with a trip on the Thames
People often decide between a canal trip and a river trip. They are different products. The canal is slow, enclosed, green and residential; you look into gardens and at the backs of buildings. The Thames is wide, fast and monumental, and you look at landmarks.
For a first visit to London, a river trip shows you more. Our guides to Thames river cruises and the Uber Boat river bus cover the options, including which ones are transport rather than sightseeing. Come to the canal on a second or third visit, or on a day when you want London to be quiet. If what you want is to steer something yourself, see our page on boat hire in London.
One last practical note: the canal boats do not take Oyster or contactless, and the London Waterbus does not accept the London Pass, though Jason's does accept a Go City London Pass at the boat. Neither is part of the Transport for London network, so no fare cap applies. For more no-cost days out, see our list of free things to do in London, and for the crossings further downstream, the bridges of London.
Frequently asked questions
How much is a boat from Little Venice to Camden?
The London Waterbus Company charges £17 for an adult one way and £14 for children aged 4 to 16, students and over-60s. Jason's Trip charges £19 single or £25 return for an adult, with concessions at £15 and £20 for under-14s and over-65s. Both journeys take about 45 minutes. Prices checked September 2026.
Do the canal boats stop at London Zoo?
No. The London Waterbus states that it does not stop at the zoo and that Camden Market is a 15-minute walk away. The boats pass through the zoo grounds and you can see some of the animal enclosures from the water, but there is no landing stage.
Can you walk from Little Venice to Camden along the canal?
Yes, and it takes about 45 minutes. The only interruption is the Maida Hill Tunnel, which has no towpath: walkers are diverted up onto the streets at Blomfield Road and rejoin the canal at Lisson Grove, which adds roughly ten minutes.
Is the towpath suitable for a pushchair or a wheelchair?
The towpath itself is flat and mostly surfaced, but it is narrow, shared with cyclists, and unprotected at the water's edge. The street diversion around the tunnel involves kerbs. The trip boats are not wheelchair accessible: both operators use narrowboats with steep steps and narrow aisles, and powered wheelchairs and large prams cannot be carried.
Do you need to book a canal boat trip in advance?
Jason's Trip keeps seats for walk-on passengers and takes payment on the boat, so booking is not required. The London Waterbus recommends booking, says departures often sell out at weekends, and allows free cancellation up to 24 hours before. If you are travelling on a Saturday or Sunday, book.
Sources
- Canal & River Trust - Little Venice (checked September 2026)
- London Waterbus Company - Regent's Canal Waterbus (checked September 2026)
- Jason's Trip - prices and sailing times (checked September 2026)
- Canal & River Trust - Regent's Canal (checked September 2026)