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The National Gallery, London

Trafalgar Square, Greater London, England

Description

The National Gallery houses over 2,300 paintings dating from the 13th to the 19th century. Its collection belongs to the government on behalf of the British public and has been accumulated through purchases and private donations. The present building was designed by William Wilkins but has been expanded several times, most notably with the Sainsbury Wing in 1991.

Access & Transport

Very central and easy to get to by bus or underground: Charing Cross station is located right next to it (Bakerloo, Northern and South-eastern rail) with Leicester Square and Picadilly Circus underground stations a 5' walk away to the north.

Instructions & Recommendations

Entrance to the permanent collections is free but some special exhibitions have an entrance fee. Make sure you book a ticket ahead of time as the volume of visitors is controlled. We would recommend spending some time around Trafalgar Square and combining your visit with a discovery of surrounding neighbourhoods such as Covent Garden, Soho and Westminster with its various tourist highlights.

Meta review

The museum is very popular, in fact it is one of the most visited arts museums in the world, so it gets a lot of cover in various blogs and magazines. In terms of visitor reviews, those are overwhelmingly positive - mostly on the quality of so much art from famous artists on display and no entrance fee being charged (for the permanent collections). There are some recurring negative reviews that mostly have to do with practical issues: fixed visiting slots and the odd comment about staff being rude.

Environmental & Social

Reasonable environment impact to run the museum. There is some dated information about policies to minimize carbon footprint and improve efficiency (e.g. lighting) Positive from a social perspective by helping spread culture and the arts.

Conclusion

The National Gallery is so centrally located with free entrance that, unless you do not like classic paintings or only have a couple of days and have already earmarked another major museum, this should be in your itinerary. In our opinion, the masterpieces and the building's architecture make for a very enjoyable experience.

Key positive

Wide ranging classical paintings so something for everyone

Central location, near other tourist attractions

No entrance fee to the permanent collection

Key negative

Focus is squarely on paintings. Other arts sections could be expanded

Suitability

Suitable for all ages but children less than 12 years old will likely get bored. The main entrance (Portico) has steps but there are 4 other entrances with level access with the rest of the museum being accessible through lifts or ramps

About this Rating

TYPE

Onsite

RESEARCHED IN

May 2024

PROVIDER

Koreval

Included Items
None
Timing
Duration of visit
Closed 24-26 Dec. and 01 Jan

av. transport time:0h 20m

est. visit time:3h

Regulated hours

Monday10:00 - 18:00

Tuesday10:00 - 18:00

Wednesday10:00 - 18:00

Thursday10:00 - 18:00

Friday10:00 - 21:00

Saturday10:00 - 18:00

Sunday10:00 - 18:00

Pricing
Free

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