The National Gallery
The National Gallery holds the UK's collection of Western European painting from the 13th to the 19th century, spanning Leonardo da Vinci to Van Gogh, and sits free to enter right on Trafalgar Square. It runs extended Friday hours until 9pm alongside its standard daily schedule, and pairs the permanent collection with rotating ticketed exhibitions like its current Zurbaran show. Reviewers describe a building that rewards slow visits: grand, well-lit rooms organized by era, with quieter side galleries away from the marquee paintings.
What people praise
- Free permanent collection, donations only
- Guided tours praised for depth, including specialist talks like the International Women's Day tour
- Quieter rooms exist if you move past the headline paintings
- Extended Friday hours to 9pm
Worth knowing
- Gets crowded and loud around the most famous works, especially weekends
- Café and shop areas can back up at peak times
Our take: The obvious first stop for anyone new to London's gallery scene, and its review volume, over 62,000, backs that up. Go on a weekday morning if you want the quieter rooms reviewers rave about.
