National Gallery London

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You will definitely want to visit the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery during your vacation in London

Entrance to the National Gallery at dusk cc licensed photo by ** Maurice **

Founded in 1824, the National Gallery in London features a great collection of over 2300 Western European paintings which date as far back as the middle of the 13th century.

The National Gallery began with a collection of paintings purchased by the British government from the estate of art patron John Julius Angerstein. At that time the collection was located in his former townhouse on Pall Mall. The collection outgrew this location and was moved to the current location at Trafalgar Square in 1838. Over the years several wings have been added to the gallery to keep up with the growing collection.

Adjoining the National Gallery is the National Portrait Gallery where visitors can view portraits of famous and historically significant people of Great Britain. This gallery opened in 1856 and was relocated to it's present location at Trafalgar Square in 1896. Over the years the gallery has had two expansions. The Portrait Gallery also features the Portrait Restaurant offering Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner with views of the surrounding area.

The permanent collections of art in both Galleries belong to the people of the United Kingdom and therefore admission is free with the exception of any special rotating exhibits.

The National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery are open daily from 10 am to 6 pm and until 9 pm on Friday (Thursday and Friday for the Portrait Gallery) except on December 24-26th.

For more information about the National Gallery and National Portrait Gallery as well as exhibitions and hours visit their official website links below.

Facts For Your Visit

Fee: No

Closed Now

Regular Hours:
Hours may be subject to change. Please verify on the official website, especially where Covid restrictions are in effect.

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

Category: Art Museums

Address: Trafalgar Square
London WC2N 5DN
United Kingdom

Phone: +44 20077472885

Reviews

Yelp Rating:
4.5 out of 5 4.5 Star Rating
Based on 473 Reviews.

See all reviews on Yelp

Awesome, 5$ to enter, a nice little gallery with an available bathroom! Cafe with soda and water Read More

Travis G. May-18-2022

Free and so much to see! You can quite literally spend hours here. Multiple different wings that show art works from the 1400s. I don't know much about art... Read More

Reena S. May-11-2022

Free to enter, so I came here for the free toilets, free Wi-Fi and to rest my legs on the bench and warm up from the cold and rain. Oh yea they have a lot... Read More