National Gallery
National Gallery
4.5
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 9:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
About
The National Gallery houses the national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition from the 13th to the 19th centuries. It is on show 361 days a year, free of charge.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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from £19.00
All you need to step foot in the door.
Full view
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Top ways to experience National Gallery
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Trafalgar Square / Embankment
With its iconic Nelson’s Column, majestic oversized lions and brightly-lit fountains, Trafalgar Square is not just considered the heart of this bustling London hub, but the very core of the city itself. Beyond this esteemed gathering place are more famous icons, as well as a disproportionate numbers of the city’s most popular cultural attractions including the National Gallery and many West End theaters. Along the way to these major sites are quiet lanes and antiquated pubs to discover, as well as riverside vistas to enjoy on the embankment. With a calendar full of celebratory events, any time of year is a fine time to visit.
How to get there
- Charing Cross • 2 min walk
- Leicester Square • 4 min walk
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See what travellers are saying
- Michael RStarkville, Mississippi34 contributionsOne of London's Must-Do ActivitiesWhat can you say, really? It's one of the most famous and robust art collections in the world...and it's free to view! I've been here several times over the past two decades and am amazed at what I see every time I set foot in the place. There's always something new to learn, and always more time you can spend here enriching yourself. One of the best things to do in London!Visited March 2023Written 19 March 2023
- TWMIMHorsham, United Kingdom171 contributionsA truly magnificent art gallery.This may not be one of the world’s largest art galleries but it is definitely ‘up there’ with the best. It is superbly located on a raised level on the north side of Trafalgar Square. All the greats of European painting are featured here; outstanding works can be found in every room. In recent years it has expanded its usual remit of paintings of the European tradition up to around the year 1900 - I’ve been fortunate enough to visit 3 times in recent months and have viewed 3 superb temporary exhibitions; 20-and 21st Century British artist Lucian Freud, 19-and 20th Century American realist Winslow Homer, and 2 masterpieces of JMW Turner on loan from New York City’s Frick Collection. As with other national institutions entry to the permanent collection and certain temporary exhibitions is free, although a charge is made for the major temporary exhibitions.Visited January 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 20 March 2023
- Camper6201056690212 contributionsArt at its bestThe staff were friendly and in the past made sure we always got in without any issues ( COVID times so had to book with a ticket we didn't have a ticket but still found space for us to visit) Art is incredible just so much history! it's free go donate if you wanna! Check out the best of londonVisited March 2023Written 21 March 2023
- Desi30 contributionsThe National GalleryThe National Gallery is an exceptional art museum that showcases an outstanding collection of paintings from various periods and styles. The museum is well-organized, and the staff is knowledgeable and friendly. The admission is free, which makes it accessible to everyone. The building is beautiful and well-maintained. The only downside is that it can get quite crowded, which may make it difficult to fully appreciate the artworks. Overall, I would highly recommend visiting the National Gallery.Visited November 2022Written 29 March 2023
- ChiChi9 contributionsPriceless paintings to appreciateThe museum can seem a little overwhelming at first but gets easier to navigate once you follow the room order. The paintings on display are awesome, amazing, and once in a lifetime experience ie: Monet, Picasso, Cezzane, etc. Allow yourself at least 2.5 hours to walk around and review the paintings.Visited March 2023Written 29 March 2023
- CazzaWestMidsThe Royal Town of Sutton Coldfield, United Kingdom441 contributionsAmazing art collectionsAmazing first visit to this delightful art gallery. Fascinating artwork and could easily spend hours in there. So many collections and rooms to see. It is free to visit and if you pre-book on their website you can get in a bit quicker.Visited April 2023Travelled with familyWritten 3 April 2023
- Casey DAlpharetta, Georgia72 contributionsAmazing art collectionThis was a wonderful (and free!) stop in London that could take up a couple of hours to see highlights or could take days to see everything. The extensive collection is very well displayed and the staff is super friendly and helpful in finding specific pieces. Highly recommended stop!Visited April 2023Written 7 April 2023
- Ahmad WestwickNewchapel, United Kingdom12 contributionsA must-visit for anyone interested in artThe knowledgeable staff are friendly and helpful and the free admission is a great bonus. The stunning architecture of the building is a sight to behold and the convenient location is easy to find. It's a great place to spend an afternoon exploring the vast collection of artwork. Highly recommended!Visited April 2023Written 17 April 2023
- Michelle NBristol, United Kingdom63 contributionsA wonderful place to visitWe were pleasantly surprised at how many wonderful artists works can be seen here: Degas, Monet, Manet, Van Gogh, Rembrandt, Constable, Turner… the list goes on. We spent a few very enjoyable hours wandering round and appreciating this fabulous place. If you’re visiting London it should definitely be on your to do list.Visited April 2023Travelled with friendsWritten 26 April 2023
- mirunavrnBucharest, Romania394 contributionsMust in LondonLocated in the Trafalgar Square, the National Gallery is an excellent art gallery, hosting lots of iconic artworks. In my opinion, it's a must see. The entrance is free, which surprised me when I planned my trip to London.Visited September 2022Written 1 May 2023
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
40,654 reviews
Excellent
30,065
Very good
8,693
Average
1,514
Poor
249
Terrible
135
Susan S
Durham, UK38 contributions
Mar 2024 • Friends
Love the National Gallery, spent time in the main restaurant then looked at all the key exhibits. Mainly the rennaisance artists. Always a great visit and well worth a visit. Staff are very friendly and helpful too.
Written 17 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
SonoranTex
Houston, TX8 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
Amazing guide who is as passionate as he is knowledgeable. His enthusiasm for the museum and art history is as exciting to observe as the paintings themselves. I really enjoyed the tour even though I am not a regular patron of museums. Hoping to return in the future! I def recommend!
Written 16 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DanKimSouthampton
Totton, UK402 contributions
Mar 2024 • Family
Having a few hours to kill before catching a train, we visited the National Gallery, and how seriously impressed we were.
The scale of the collection is vast, requiring many more hours than we had available. We saw enough to be wowed by some of the all-time great artists and their work. The artists who's work is on show reads like a collection of the most prominent people from history. I never appreciated the brilliance of artists like Rembrandt or da Vinci until stood a few feet away from their pure genius.
A massively impressive, eye opening visit for someone with very little art knowledge.
The scale of the collection is vast, requiring many more hours than we had available. We saw enough to be wowed by some of the all-time great artists and their work. The artists who's work is on show reads like a collection of the most prominent people from history. I never appreciated the brilliance of artists like Rembrandt or da Vinci until stood a few feet away from their pure genius.
A massively impressive, eye opening visit for someone with very little art knowledge.
Written 15 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AJ
Austin, TX1,088 contributions
Feb 2024 • Solo
Plan your visit in advance - otherwise you risk getting lost, which is not necessarily a bad thing, unless you've got somewhere to be. I knew which rooms I was looking for and even so had a difficult time finding what I was looking for. Note that the National Gallery is free to enter, which is excellent.
Written 5 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
dawn m
London, UK100 contributions
Mar 2024 • Solo
I Had prebooked my ticket a few days in advance but didn't seem much of a que away, I Walked around there is so much to see and I was pleasantly surprised how much I recognised as I've only just started getting into art, i only had 90 minutes freetime until I needed to return to work but i will return again and get the tour
Written 1 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sarny
Bexleyheath, UK493 contributions
Feb 2024 • Friends
My adult son and I popped in because we were in the area - free to enter and no tickets or pre-booking needed. Neither of us are particularly into art but we both really enjoyed the visit. There is a lot to see and you can just wander about. The cafe looked reasonably priced - we checked for a future visit and the shop was also interesting. We ran out of time but will be returning.
Written 22 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
JerseyBean
Jersey, UK87 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
Always a joy to visit this free entry gallery. Unlike Tate this gallery remains truly free with all artwork available to all ie no ticketed displays. Gallery representative Alan was outstanding providing great insight and enthusiasm around the artworks. Muriel’s Cafe in the National Gallery also highly recommended with delicious soups, salads, savoury pies, quiches and delicious cakes etc. Polite and efficient staff.
Written 17 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lenny H
Auckland, New Zealand795 contributions
Feb 2024 • Family
So many incredible paintings on display. As there’s no entrance fee you can spend as little or long as you like. Definitely a must.
Written 9 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I visited this place🇫🇷🇬🇷🇨🇭🇬🇧🇳🇱
Israel15,038 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
PROS
* Outstanding world-class and among the finest in the world art gallery
* Regular and special unique exhibitions
* Impressive architectural structure of the building
* Centrally located on Trafalgar Square
* It is free admission!
CONS
It is always crowded, and large elementary school groups are allowed to have exaggerated lessons and boisterous interactions in the middle of the hallowed gallery rooms
"I VISITED THIS PLACE"...
... because no visit of mine to London is complete without going to this stunning and incredible museum, and no visit anywhere is complete for me without seeing the Monet paintings on display in the particular city- in this case, gallery rooms 41 and 43. I marveled at the realistic paintings of Venice form the 1600s- it looks exactly identical to the views when I visited there! And the paintings by Caravaggio were also so realistically life-like.
The building and the rooms are art in-and-of itself. I noticed even the bright bordeaux colors of the walls so complemented the hanging displayed artwork.
At the time of my visit, there was a special exhibit related to St. Francis of Assisi and I enjoyed scanning and surveying all of the works in that exhibit. There was a group of Franciscan monks from his order- I followed and photographed them and posted them here.
My visit was marred by two large elementary school groups which had license to sprawl 30+ eight year olds on the museum gallery room floor to receive instruction from overexcited and overenthusiastic instructors while the children raucously interacted with each other. Fortunately, they did not invade and desecrate the holy of holies of rooms 41 and 43, where the Monet and other impressionist paintings are.
In summary, the museum is fantastic and I regretted how I rushed through it
WAS IT WORTH THE COST?
Of course- it is free
WOULD "I VISIT THIS PLACE" AGAIN?
This is a place that I would return to visit on each of my future London visits.
ADVICE
* This place belongs on every tourist's main itinerary
* Be sure to visit galleries 41 and 43
* Be prepared and beware and watch out for and avoid the elementary school groups
FULL DISCLOSURE
"I visited this place" with the plan to write a "helpful" review and to attach my many many "helpful" photos here on tripadvisor, so if these did "help" you, please indicate that by tikking the "thumbs up" 👍 symbol. Thanks.
* Outstanding world-class and among the finest in the world art gallery
* Regular and special unique exhibitions
* Impressive architectural structure of the building
* Centrally located on Trafalgar Square
* It is free admission!
CONS
It is always crowded, and large elementary school groups are allowed to have exaggerated lessons and boisterous interactions in the middle of the hallowed gallery rooms
"I VISITED THIS PLACE"...
... because no visit of mine to London is complete without going to this stunning and incredible museum, and no visit anywhere is complete for me without seeing the Monet paintings on display in the particular city- in this case, gallery rooms 41 and 43. I marveled at the realistic paintings of Venice form the 1600s- it looks exactly identical to the views when I visited there! And the paintings by Caravaggio were also so realistically life-like.
The building and the rooms are art in-and-of itself. I noticed even the bright bordeaux colors of the walls so complemented the hanging displayed artwork.
At the time of my visit, there was a special exhibit related to St. Francis of Assisi and I enjoyed scanning and surveying all of the works in that exhibit. There was a group of Franciscan monks from his order- I followed and photographed them and posted them here.
My visit was marred by two large elementary school groups which had license to sprawl 30+ eight year olds on the museum gallery room floor to receive instruction from overexcited and overenthusiastic instructors while the children raucously interacted with each other. Fortunately, they did not invade and desecrate the holy of holies of rooms 41 and 43, where the Monet and other impressionist paintings are.
In summary, the museum is fantastic and I regretted how I rushed through it
WAS IT WORTH THE COST?
Of course- it is free
WOULD "I VISIT THIS PLACE" AGAIN?
This is a place that I would return to visit on each of my future London visits.
ADVICE
* This place belongs on every tourist's main itinerary
* Be sure to visit galleries 41 and 43
* Be prepared and beware and watch out for and avoid the elementary school groups
FULL DISCLOSURE
"I visited this place" with the plan to write a "helpful" review and to attach my many many "helpful" photos here on tripadvisor, so if these did "help" you, please indicate that by tikking the "thumbs up" 👍 symbol. Thanks.
Written 7 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CORRESONDENT 007
New York City, NY8 contributions
Jan 2024 • Friends
Pesellino is the free exhibition now, it is amazing!
But you must get free tickets online.
He is a master, and the exhibition is small, and bless the museum for gathering his paintings and letting us see this unknown master!
But you must get free tickets online.
He is a master, and the exhibition is small, and bless the museum for gathering his paintings and letting us see this unknown master!
Written 5 February 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Alison S
2 contributions
How long would you advise us to set aside for the Fantastic Frans Hals exhibition
The Collector
Montreal, Canada38 contributions
2hours works
ozinlondon08
London124 contributions
Do you need to pre- book tickets for the general gallery (non exhibition) haven't been since pre pandemic when pre-booking wasnt a big thing
Hannelore H
United Kingdom271 contributions
No, you don't need to pre-book anymore now that all the pandemic measures are over.
Alexandra W
Bristol, UK6 contributions
Hi, if I have a timed entry ticket to an exhibition which includes free Gallery entry may I visit the Gallery BEFORE I enter the exhibition? Thank you.
janiceandbryn
Willerby, UK209 contributions
It it complicated. Two separate entries and queues. The staff were really helpful so it may be best to ring.
È possibile prenotare per poter evitare la fila per entrare?
Nicola F.
Province of Udine, Italy322 contributions
Mi scusi per il ritardo, noi eravamo in un gruppo di 11 persone e non abbiamo fatto un minuto di coda! E' gratuito l'ingresso....perciò è molto scorrevole, non è come nei musei in Italia. Vada tranquillo senza prenotare. Buona visita!!
Stefania
Legnano, Italy212 contributions
Ho letto che i girasoli di Van Gogh sono fuori , quando fanno rientro ?
FedeMala-17
Milan, Italy16 contributions
Ciao dovrebbero essere disponibili di nuovo. Ho visitato il museo nei primi di agosto ed erano stati rimossi per una mostra.
Paola
87 contributions
Ciao a tutti! Visiterò Londra per la prima volta a fine settembre. Vorrei sapere, se possibile, il costo e gli orari di ingresso al National Gallery e se vi sono visite guidate in italiano. Inoltre, ci si arriva facilmente a piedi o occorre prendere i mezzi? Grazie a tutti!
Grazia G
Turin, Italy32 contributions
A Londra i musei sono gratuiti, non è necessario prenotare, ci sono le audio guida a pagamento, metro comoda ma vale la pena girare a piedi.
Annie
Myrtle Beach, SC336 contributions
Where can I find out what special exhibits will be in the National Gallery in October?
GetEchoes
London, UK18 contributions
Best bet would be their website (due to TripAdvisor rules I cant post), but if you google that it has the most up to date information
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Frequently Asked Questions about National Gallery
- According to Tripadvisor travellers, these are the best ways to experience National Gallery:
- The National Gallery of London Guided Museum Tour - Semi-Private 8ppl Max (From £91.34)
- Art Secrets of Impressionists : Monet and Turner with an Artist (From £268.93)
- Private Tour, Highlights of The National Gallery, popular with families (From £179.28)
- British Museum & National Gallery of London Guided Tour - Semi-Private 8ppl Max (From £174.36)
- London by Night Tootbus Sightseeing Bus Tour (From £24.24)
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