The National Gallery houses one of the most important and diverse collections of paintings in the world, with over 2,300 works from some of the greatest artists to have lived.
National Gallery Tickets and Tours
National Gallery: Highlights Guided Tour
Discover masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Picasso, and more at the National Gallery. With fast-track entry, a live guide, and an audio headset. Wheelchair accessible, this small-group tour is the perfect way to see one of the world’s greatest art collections.
National Gallery Guided Tour with Art Expert Guide
Discover over 700 years of art at The National Gallery. With fast-track entry, a live English-speaking guide, and an audio headset, explore world-famous masterpieces in just one hour. Admission to the main collection is included, with groups limited to 25 for a more personal experience.
The National Gallery: Guided Tour + 2-Course Lunch & Drink
See Italian Renaissance masterpieces by da Vinci, Botticelli, and Titian on a guided walk through the National Gallery. Afterward, sit down for a two-course lunch and a glass of Prosecco at Locatelli, the Gallery’s in-house restaurant. The whole experience runs two and a half hours, with groups capped at 25.
The National Gallery: Official Highlights Tour + Afternoon Tea
Discover The National Gallery on a guided highlights tour with a guide and headset. Explore masterpieces before enjoying a delicious afternoon tea. Wheelchair accessible, this ticket includes gallery admission (excluding temporary exhibitions), with optional Champagne.
The National Gallery: Fast Track Ticket + Guided Tour for Children
This National Gallery’s tour for Children offers a fun, interactive way to explore art. This one-hour tour with an English-speaking guide makes masterpieces easy to enjoy. With fast-track entry, small groups of up to 20, and wheelchair access, it’s a family-friendly experience for all.
Elena Photo/canvasHighlights
- ‘The Virgin on the Rocks’ by Leonardo da Vinci, is one of the artist’s most famed works.
- Admire the beautiful depiction of the gods in ‘Mars and Venus’ by Botticelli.
- Be transported back to Tudor times when viewing Hans Holbein’s masterpiece ‘The Ambassadors’.
Tickets & Prices
Discover the rich tapestry of Western European art from the 13th to the 19th centuries at the National Gallery, where timeless works by Da Vinci, Monet, and Van Gogh await to tell their stories.
- Official Highlights Tour – Embark on a journey through art history with a live, gallery-approved Blue Badge guide, enhanced by an audio headset for a deeper understanding of the masterpieces.
- Highlights Tour + Afternoon Tea – Combine the enlightening Official Highlights Tour with the quintessentially British experience of afternoon tea at the Gallery’s elegant Ochre restaurant.
Things to Keep in Mind
- While the tours include admission and guidance through the gallery’s permanent collection, entry to temporary exhibitions may require separate tickets.
- Food and beverage, including the option to purchase champagne, are not included in the tour price but can be enjoyed during the Afternoon Tea experience.
- Comfortable footwear is recommended as tours involve significant walking and standing to fully appreciate the artworks and insights shared by your guide.
- Be sure to arrive on time for your tour to make the most of the experience, and consider extending your visit before or after the guided tour to explore more of the gallery at your leisure.
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Plan Your Visit
The National Gallery is open every day except 24–26 December and 1 January. Fridays have extended hours, staying open until 21:00.
| Days | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday – Thursday & Sunday | 10:00 – 18:00 |
| Friday | 10:00 – 21:00 |
| 24–26 December & 1 January | Closed |
General admission is free. Ticketed exhibitions have separate entry and their own hours.
The Gallery is carrying out building work as part of its Research Centre project, due to open in 2028. Some rooms are temporarily closed and a small number of paintings have been relocated during construction.
Tip: Friday evenings are the quietest time to visit. The Gallery stays open until 21:00 and the crowds thin noticeably after 18:00.
The National Gallery sits on the north side of Trafalgar Square, one of the best-connected spots in central London.
- Underground: Charing Cross station (Bakerloo and Northern lines) is the closest stop, a 2-minute walk away. Leicester Square (Northern and Piccadilly lines) and Embankment (Circle, District, Bakerloo, and Northern lines) are both under 10 minutes on foot.
- Train: Charing Cross National Rail station is about 200 metres from the Gallery entrance.
- Bus: Stops on St Martin’s Place (Stop K), Trafalgar Square at Charing Cross station (Stops C, D, and G), and Leicester Square station (Stop L) all serve the area. Use the TfL Journey Planner for routes from your starting point.
- Cycling: Santander Cycles docking stations are on St Martin’s Street, Craven Street, Pall Mall East, William IV Street, Charles II Street, and Oxendon Street. Bike stands are on Orange Street, St Martin’s Place, and Duncannon Street.
- Car: Driving is not recommended. The nearest public car parks are Q-Park Leicester Square and Q-Park Trafalgar Square. One designated Blue Badge space is available on Orange Street at the back of the Gallery; book at least 48 hours in advance by calling +44 (0)20 7747 2885.
The main entrance is the Sainsbury Wing, at the corner of Pall Mall and Whitcomb Street, facing onto Trafalgar Square.
The Sainsbury Wing is the main step-free entrance. All other entrances are also accessible, and lifts are available throughout the building, marked on the Gallery floorplan.
Transport and wheelchairs: Manual wheelchairs and a rollator are available to borrow. Book in advance or ask at the Sainsbury Wing or Getty Entrance desk on arrival, subject to availability.
Step-free travel: The nearest step-free underground stations are Tottenham Court Road (Central, Northern, and Elizabeth lines) and Westminster (Jubilee, District, and Circle lines). The nearest step-free overground station is Charing Cross, around 200 metres from the Gallery.
Toilets: Accessible toilets are on multiple floors of the Sainsbury Wing, in Annenberg Court, and at the Roden Centre for Creative Learning. Changing Places facilities are on the ground floor of the Sainsbury Wing and the Roden Centre. A radar key is required; staff can provide one.
Hearing: Hearing loops are active at all information desks. BSL-interpreted talks and events run regularly throughout the year. Some talks are also supported by live speech-to-text transcription via STAGETEXT.
Vision: Large print label guides are available in every room. Free audio descriptions and BSL descriptions are available on the Smartify app and the Gallery’s website. Folding stools can be borrowed from staff across the Gallery, or you can bring your own.
The National Gallery is a public museum with security screening at every entrance.
- Bags: Keep bags small. All bags and rucksacks go through a security inspection at the entrance. The cloakroom accepts bags up to 56 x 25 x 45 cm and charges £3 per item (free for Members). Suitcases and wheeled cabin bags are not permitted inside or in the cloakroom. Baby buggies can be brought in.
- Photography: Personal, non-commercial photography is welcome throughout the Gallery unless a sign in a specific room or exhibition says otherwise.
- Food: You can bring food into the Gallery, but it cannot be eaten in the café and restaurant spaces due to allergy risks. Water stations are available in Annenberg Court and the Sainsbury Wing.
- Sketching: Allowed with approved materials. Check the full list on the Gallery’s website before you go. You may be asked to move if the Gallery is busy.
- WiFi: Free WiFi is available. Connect to “National Gallery.”
What to See and Do
The Galleries
The galleries are arranged by date and are colour coded on floor plans to make locating periods easier for visitors. The permanent galleries are located on level 2 and contain some of the most important artwork available to the public in the world. Here you are treated to works by such famous artists as Claude Monet, Johannes Vermeer, Titian, Thomas Gainsborough, Anthony Van Dyck, Leonardo da Vinci, and many more.
The Sainsbury Wing
The Sainsbury Wing was built in 1991 as an extension of the National Gallery and houses the collection of early Renaissance art. This post-modern extension has a more intimate feeling compared to other areas of the gallery, fitting in with the smaller scale of many of the paintings on display here. In this wing of the gallery, you will find the earliest paintings in the gallery’s collection, with artworks dating between 1200 to 1500.
Wohl Room
The Wohl Room is a spectacular room with green damask walls and a glass roof. It houses the National Gallery’s collection of gold-framed Venetian paintings and bridges the main building to the Sainsbury Wing. This is the largest event space within the gallery and can hold receptions of up to 450 guests beneath the artwork of the Venetian masters.
Exhibitions and Events
As well as all the galleries full of incredible artworks, the National Gallery also stages numerous exhibitions and events throughout the course of the year. These allow visitors the chance to explore artists and paintings further and can be immersive too. A previous exhibition entitled Leonardo, Experience a Masterpiece, was set up over four rooms and took you through a studio, a chapel, and a light and shadow experiment to further your understanding of his work.
Family Fun
The National Gallery encourages families with children of all ages to visit. There is a learning and education centre with family activities, plus creative sessions to help get the artistic juices flowing. These include drawing and studio workshops, plus storytelling for the younger ones. With family-oriented tours and trails to follow, the family can enjoy a fun day out at the National Gallery.
stockcam /Getty Images SignatureDid You Know: (5 interesting facts!)
- Now home to hundreds of paintings, the National Gallery began its existence with just 38. The British government needed somewhere to house them having bought this first collection from the estate of London businessman John Julius Angerstein at a cost of £57,000.
- The National Gallery used to be the home to the Royal Society of Arts before it moved to Burlington House. The gallery has always had the promotion and learning of art at its core, which continues today.
- As war loomed in 1938 the gallery sent paintings to Wales for protection, but they were returned when the ultimately ill-fated Munich accord was signed. The paintings were sent away again just before the war was declared in 1939.
- In March 1914 suffragette Mary Richardson managed to smuggle a meat cleaver into the National Gallery. She slashed the Velasquez masterpiece ‘Rokeby Venus’ seven times and was jailed for a maximum of 6 months for the incident.
- The National Gallery is also home to several superb sculptures, one of these being of George Washington, the first American President. The statue can be found outside the gallery and was a gift in 1921 from the Commonwealth of Virginia.
History
- April 1824 British Government buys 38 paintings from Angerstein’s estate and displays them at his home in Pall Mall.
- 1838 New National Gallery building in Trafalgar Square opened to the public.
- 1855 Reform of gallery administration following public criticism, with a new post of Director created.
- 1871 77 paintings, largely Dutch and Flemish works, were bought from the late Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel’s collection.
- 1876 Completion of new wing including the impressive dome, providing 7 more rooms.
- March 1914 The Velasquez painting ‘Rokeby Venus’ was damaged by suffragette Mary Richardson.
- 1939-46 Concerts held at the National Gallery to boost public morale, an idea instigated by pianist Myra Hess.
- 1991 Sainsbury Wing opened having been constructed on a site next to the gallery vacant since the Second World War.
Pexels License Baptiste /PexelsFacilities and Accessibility
The National Gallery has several level access entrances, the main one being via the Sainsbury Wing. All these entrances are located near to the lifts. Metal detectors and bag inspections are in operation for security reasons.
There are a range of audio guides and free tours to enhance your visit as well as an app so you can receive information about paintings on your smartphone. Audio tours are also available, as are British Sign Language multimedia tours and talks. Audio guides are produced for exhibitions, plus hearing loops for events such as talks or films.
There are a range of options for refreshments at the National Gallery. The National Dining Rooms provide great views over Trafalgar Square, while the National Café offers all-day dining. For a coffee and a slice of cake, the National Espresso bar fits the bill. There are also three shops to visit around the gallery. The Sainsbury Wing shop is the largest with a selection of gifts and specialist art books. More souvenirs and National Gallery gifts can be found at the Portico shop, while the Getty shop offers more of the gallery’s best sellers.