“I don’t think I want to go to Paddington,” my son whispered loudly on the packed train into London Bridge, and I winced. Any parent will tell you that a trip to a West End show is one of the biggest financial outlays you can get yourself into, so the pressure for it to be unforgettable, magical and bonding is high.
I took our two children, aged six and nine, to Paddington The Musical, which opens this week at the Savoy Theatre. It’s destined to be the West End’s next blockbuster show, up there with Matilda, Frozen and The Lion King, but how much does it cost to watch the world’s favourite bear on stage?
The tickets
Our seats for the press preview, in Row F of the stalls, were unbeatable, and would have cost a truly insane £250 each. If you book ahead (availability is low for the next two or three months), there are seats in the same area for £180 each, which is still £720 for a family of four, gone in two hours 40 minutes (plus a £3.95 transaction fee). If you waited till the summer, you can sit in these prime position seats for £125 – £160 per person.
The show itself was absolutely sensational, and when you sit in the stalls you get some very cool experiences, such as being squirted with water when Paddington floods the bathroom, and scattered with the “Missing Paddington” posters that fall from the ceiling. The music is irresistible, and so loud our hearts thumped. If I were to rate the show in terms of the number of times I saw my children leap out of their seats, or say “wow”, or laugh with glee, it felt very much worth it. They came out absolutely buzzing, my son full of questions about how on Earth they brought a real taxi on to the stage, and how Paddington’s face moved like that (the bear is a truly remarkable feat of puppetry and live performance).
Further back in the stalls, or in the dress circle, seats cost £45 to £180 (the Savoy’s raked seating is very effective – you’ll get a good view wherever you sit). Again, the prices drop if you don’t mind waiting till the spring or summer – and in the grand circle, things get much more reasonable, with seats for £25 if you don’t mind sitting at the very back.
However, if you’re on a budget, my recommendation is to try the ticket lottery, in which a small number of great seats are offered at £35 in a monthly draw. To be in with a chance, you just enter your email and the dates you can do, and keep an eye on your emails for when winners are announced each month. I won tickets to Matilda with the lottery this year, and got two seats close to the front for £25 each. The first draw for Paddington takes place on 3 December, for January performances, and you can sign up at paddingtonthemusical.com/lottery
Food and drinks
We made a packed lunch to eat on the way there, to avoid hungry tummies just as we walked past the snack bars.
But we did treat ourselves to an interval drink – a mini bottle of prosecco costs £13.65, a mini bottle of Moet champagne is £27.50, a beer starts at £8.60, and a cocktail in a can costs £8 (the Savoy is also serving a special Paddington themed orange gin cocktail).
We also wanted to try the special marmalade sandwich, which my kids insist they like, though I’m sure it’s the idea of it they prefer. You can order one at the Mezzanine bar or pre-order it to be delivered to your seat. At £3.50 each, it came in a special black Savoy box, but the contents inside were underwhelming and I found the marmalade too thick.
The children were pulling faces after one bite, though they did enjoy the instructions to ‘keep it under your hat’. My husband was happy to devour both the sandwiches, and the kids were much happier with a Jude’s ice cream, which was a standard £5.50 for a small pot. The other snacks and drinks are the high prices you’d expect to pay in a West End theatre – £3.50 for a small bottle of sparkling water, £4 for a sharing pack of Maltesers, or Skittles.
If you’re wanting to splurge, there are various VIP packages, from £45 and up on top of your ticket price, that offer access to a special lounge, and a choice of drinks and snacks included.
Transport
Living in zone 3 of London, it cost us £12 each for our return travel by train to the Savoy Theatre. If you’re travelling to see Paddington the Musical from outside London, it’s a short walk from Charing Cross station (or a pleasant 10-minute walk from Waterloo station) – or you can catch a bus, or a tube, to Covent Garden, Charing Cross or Embankment.
The merch
Fancy a tiny Paddington keyring for £10.99? Or a kids T-shirt for £32.99? There’s no shortage of Padders mementoes to spend your money on, and the pester power was strong when we popped into the gift shop. The programme, which is a glossy brochure with a foreword by Karen Jankel, daughter of Michael Bond, and some nice history of Paddington, costs £10.
I’d argue that the best investment for children, in terms of enjoyment and memories, is a Paddington book or a bear – £16.99 for a little one in a gift bag, or £24.99 for a slightly bigger model.
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However, our two children were in such a cheerful mood after the show – which is packed with thrills, explosions, laughs and songs – it wasn’t hard to persuade them to be happy walking away with the experience to treasure. Theatre moves children in a way a movie cannot, and the message about kindness, tolerance and celebrating diversity felt vital for today’s generation. They’ve been talking about it ever since.
The total cost
For a family of four to go to a peak-time performance of Paddington (around £600), and buy themselves a programme (£10), four drinks (£30), two marmalade sandwiches and two ice creams (£18), a toy Paddington bear and a T-shirt (£58), it would add up to £716 – not including transport. This show really is a must-see, but it will run and run, so I’d resist the pressure and hold out for cheaper seats in the spring and summer.
Booking to 25 October 2026, Savoy Theatre, London (paddingtonthemusical.com)
