Regent's Canal Walk London: Self-Guided Route + Map

Regent’s Canal is one of London’s best-kept secrets. Built in the early 19th century to carry coal and goods across the city, today its towpath offers one of the most peaceful and varied walks in London.

Few walks in the city offer this kind of contrast.

In 4.5 miles, this Regents Canal Walk passes the glass and steel of newly regenerated Paddington, drifts past the mansions and narrowboats of Little Venice, and follows a leafy towpath through the back of Regent’s Park.

The walk then emerges in Camden Market before a final stretch takes you through the most impressive urban regeneration project in London, ending at King’s Cross / St Pancras, two of the great Victorian railway stations.

A towpath runs along most of the route, allowing for a relaxing, traffic-free walk.

Paul and I live right next to the canal in Paddington, and this is the walk we do when friends visit, showing them a side of London most tourists never see.

The walk takes about three hours at a steady pace, but allow at least half a day if you want to detour up Primrose Hill, explore the market properly, and stop for lunch along the way.

This post includes a detailed map, route instructions, and suggestions for where to eat. For more walking route options, check out our Best Walks in London Series.

Brief History of Regent’s Canal

Regent’s Canal was built between 1812 and 1820 to connect the Grand Union Canal at Paddington with the Thames at Limehouse, creating a continuous waterway route from the Midlands into the heart of London.

At the time, canals were the motorways of the industrial age and the Regent’s Canal was central to supplying a rapidly growing city.

The canal was named after the Prince Regent, later King George IV, who gave his support to the project. At its peak, hundreds of narrowboats worked the canal daily, but the arrival of the railways in the 1840s began a long, slow decline.

By the 20th century, the canal had largely fallen quiet. Today it carries a very different kind of traffic — narrowboat residents, joggers, cyclists, and walkers — and the towpath has become one of the most pleasant traffic-free routes in the city.

Regent’s Canal Walk Overview

• Start – Edgware Road Tube Station.
• End – King’s Cross / St Pancras Tube Station.
• Distance – 4.5 miles (7.3 kilometres).
• Walking Time – 3 hours (half-day with stops)
• Best for: Scenic canal stroll

Regent’s Canal connects the Grand Union Canal in the west with Limehouse Basin in the east. Sometimes a towpath runs alongside it, at other times it dives into tunnels beneath the city.

We have picked the prettiest section of the Regent’s Canal towpath and constructed a walk along it. The route passes Paddington Basin, Little Venice, the canal through Regent’s Park, and Coal Drops Yard.

The walk also stops at Camden Market, giving you the chance to explore it. But if you are more interested in delving into the market than walking alongside the canal, consider following our Regent’s Park and Camden Town Walk.

Although this walk is straightforward, it is not wheelchair accessible as there are regular steps to and from the towpath.

Map: Regent’s Canal Walk

Below is a map of the walk. The main attractions are marked so you don’t miss any of the sights. If you have the map open on your phone as you walk around you can follow your progress.

When to Do the Walk

The walk can be done any time of year, but our favourite time is Spring. The towpath banks come alive with flowers between March and May, and the willow trees along the Regent’s Park section are at their most beautiful. ,

Set off mid to late morning, and you should reach Camden Market at lunchtime. Weekday mornings are the quietest time, and note that Camden Market gets very busy on weekend afternoons.

In winter, Coal Drops Yard and Granary Square at King’s Cross are particularly atmospheric after dark, with good lighting and a lively restaurant and bar scene. It’s a very festive part of the city, and we cover this in our favourite things do in London at Christmas.

Where to Eat and Drink

The Regent’s Canal walk passes some excellent food and drink stops, spread conveniently along the route. Here are the places we often stop, in the order you’ll reach them on the route.

Darcie Green at Paddington Basin is one of the most charming breakfast and brunch spots on the walk — a cafe on a narrowboat serving good coffee and a short seasonal menu. Their sister restaurant Bondi Green sits on the bank alongside it, a larger and brighter space serving Australian-inspired food.

The Waterside Café at Little Venice is a laid-back spot to stop for a coffee while browsing the second-hand books outside.

Camden Market is the main food destination on the route and deserves time set aside specifically for it. The food stalls in Camden Lock Market are the best concentration of street food in north London. For coffee, Monmouth Coffee has a Camden outpost.

Granary Square and Coal Drops Yards, at the end of the walk, have endless drinks and dining options, including Dishoom, Barrafina and Caravan.

Self-Guided Regent’s Canal Walking Route

Merchant Square

Start by getting the tube to Edgware Road tube station. Make your way onto Praed Street (following the map above) and then turn right through a gap in the buildings to reach the canal.

This section of the canal is called Merchant Square. Recently regenerated, it is home to shiny office buildings and canal-side dining.

Keep right and follow the north edge of the canal as it passes bars and restaurants, food vans and coffee shops, all set below the glass and steel architecture.

Pass under a bridge, bend right around the corner, and then cross the canal on the second bridge – signposted to Paddington Station.

Paddington Basin

Once over the bridge turn right and follow the left bank of the canal. You are now in Paddington Basin where colourful narrowboats have set up restaurants on deck.

Darcie Green serves a good brunch or lunch on a boat, while their sister restaurant Bondi Green is a large bright restaurant serving Australian classics.

Passing under a couple of bridges, keep an eye out for the sculpture ‘Two Figures’ also called ‘Walking Man and Standing Man’ portraying two people about to meet.

Little Venice

The walk bends left and widens into a triangular pool known as Little Venice. Thought to be named by Robert Browning (but no one is quite sure), it is where the Grand Union Canal and Regent’s Canal meet.

Narrowboats and day trippers drift past the facades of grand mansions. Swans and ducks plough the waters to Browning Island in the centre of the pool. Stop and peruse the second-hand books at the Waterside Café.

After the café turn right over the bridge and right again to follow the Regent’s Canal towpath, now heading northeast (see map above). After passing under another bridge keep left, leaving the towpath and join Blomfield Road.

At the end of the road, the canal disappears into a tunnel and goes underground. Cross over Edgware Road and continue along Aberdeen Place. As the road bends left, keep straight ahead, and go through a gap in the buildings.

Take the stairs down to the towpath, and staying on the left side of the canal, follow the Regent’s Canal towpath into Regent’s Park.

Primrose Hill

The canal sweeps gracefully between two leafy banks. Grand houses with landscaped gardens peer over the waters as willow trees drift in the breeze.

To get a view over London, take the detour to Primrose Hill (marked in orange on the map above). It’s a gentle climb of around 10 minutes from the canal to the summit. The reward is one of the best viewpoints in London, and unlike many, it’s completely free.

At 63 metres, Primrose Hill is not especially high, but from the summit, you can pick out the Shard, the BT Tower, the dome of St Paul’s, Canary Wharf, and the London Eye.

At the foot of the hill on the south side is the small but excellent Primrose Hill village. The streets around Fitzroy Road and Chalcot Road are lined with beautifully painted Victorian terraces, independent cafes, and boutique shops.

Head back to the towpath, which now passes London Zoo. Keep an eye to your left, and you can often spot the inhabitants of the Monkey Valley enclosure, and occasionally the African Wild Dogs on the far bank.

Camden Market

At the striking red Feng Shang Princess restaurant, the path bends left under a bridge and leaves the grassy banks of Regent’s Park for the urban interior of Camden.

Brick walls and the underside of bridges are packed with a mix of graffiti and street art. Local houses (with their own narrowboats) back onto the canal.

The Regent’s Canal towpath soon reaches the black and white bridge at Camden Lock. From here Camden Market stretches either side of the canal. The largest (and in our opinion) most interesting market in London is well worth exploring.

A melting pot of music, fashion, experiences and food, the market is split into 4 quarters:

• Camden Stables Market
• Camden Lock Market
• Camden Hawley Wharf Market
• Camden Buck Street Market

Wind through the stalls and passages of Camden’s Stables Market (see map) and grab lunch in Camden Lock Market.

When you’ve finished exploring, cross over Camden High Street and head through Camden Hawley Wharf market to re-join the Regent’s Canal towpath signed towards King’s Cross.

Coal Drops Yard & Granary Square

After leaving Camden the crowds disappear as the walk winds between a mix of old and new architecture.

Graffiti lines many walls and hoardings until you reach the regenerated area of King’s Cross. Over the last 20 years, an underused industrial site famed for prostitutes and drugs has been rejuvenated with new streets, squares, and parks.

First up Gasholder’s Park has transformed two enormous gas cylinders into stylish accommodation.

Next, Coal Drops Yard is packed with cool shops, good restaurants, and a mix of coffee shops and bars. Out the back of the yard is Lewis Cubitt Square. It has an outdoor photo collection and Lightroom Gallery which houses an intriguing mix of artist-led exhibitions.

Finally, Granary Square is home to the popular Caravan restaurant and an array of dancing fountains. The steps down to the canal is a popular spot to sit on a sunny day.

King’s Cross & St. Pancras Stations

Cross over the bridge (opposite Granary Square) and follow the pedestrianised footpath past brand new offices and a host of restaurants. It ends at two of the greatest Victorian railway stations in the country.

King’s Cross Station has a long, elegant yellow brick facade with two great arched windows marking the two original train sheds behind.

For Harry Potter fans, the Platform 9¾ installation is in the station’s eastern concourse. There’s usually a queue for photos with the half-submerged trolley, but it moves quickly. The adjacent Harry Potter shop is well stocked if you’re travelling with children — or if you’re not.

St Pancras Station next door is the more flamboyant of the two stations, and one of the finest Victorian Gothic buildings in the country.

Step inside to see the magnificent Barlow train shed. Home to the Eurostar Terminal, it has an extraordinary single-span wrought-iron roof that was the largest in the world when it was built.

King’s Cross St Pancras station marks the end of this walk. It has excellent Underground connections — the Circle, Hammersmith & City, Metropolitan, Northern, Piccadilly, and Victoria lines all stop here, making it an easy point from which to head home.

For more great walks in London, read our Best Walks in London Series. If you want to take a day trip outside the city, then try one of our Best Country Walks near London.

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