Museums & Arts · Our pick in London
The National Gallery
European masterpieces
Photo Credit
Image courtesy of © Jim Osley · CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia CommonsAbout The National Gallery
The National Gallery, on the north side of Trafalgar Square, holds more than 2,000 paintings, from medieval altarpieces to Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, with masterpieces by Leonardo, Titian, Rembrandt, Velázquez, Turner and Monet. The permanent collection is open daily, and major exhibitions are ticketed. Pick a few rooms rather than trying to see everything. Charing Cross and Leicester Square stations are a few minutes’ walk away. Booking a timed slot is recommended at busy times.
Why it's on our list
- Van Gogh’s Sunflowers
- Old Masters
- On Trafalgar Square
Opening hours, prices and seasonal openings change, so please check with The National Gallery before you go.
Hotels nearby
The closest hotels in our guide to The National Gallery, as the crow flies.
- The Londoner0.1 mi3 min walk
- Corinthia London0.3 mi5 min walk
- Raffles London at The OWO0.3 mi6 min walk
- Ham Yard Hotel0.3 mi6 min walk
- The Savoy0.4 mi7 min walk
What’s nearby
Distances from The National Gallery are approximate, measured in a straight line (as the crow flies). Times are approximate too: walking at about 80 metres a minute, cycling at about 15 km/h and driving at typical city-traffic speeds. Traffic and routes vary.
Nearest stations
- Charing CrossBakerlooNorthernNational Rail0.1 mi2 min walk
- Leicester SquarePiccadillyNorthern0.2 mi4 min walk
- Piccadilly CircusPiccadillyBakerloo0.3 mi6 min walk
Nearest taxi ranks
- Taxi rank, Hungerford Lane0.1 mi3 min walk
- Taxi rank, Whitcomb Street0.1 mi3 min walk
Black cabs can also be hailed in the street: a lit yellow TAXI sign means the cab is available.
Key sights
- Trafalgar Square0.1 miWalk 1 minCycle 1 minCar or taxi 3 min
- Leicester Square0.1 miWalk 3 minCycle 1 minCar or taxi 4 min
- Covent Garden0.3 miWalk 6 minCycle 2 minCar or taxi 5 min
- London Eye0.5 miWalk 11 minCycle 3 minCar or taxi 7 min
- Westminster Abbey0.7 miWalk 13 minCycle 4 minCar or taxi 8 min
- The British Museum0.7 miWalk 15 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 8 min
- Buckingham Palace0.8 miWalk 17 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 9 min
- Harrods1.6 miWalk 33 minCycle 11 minCar or taxi 15 min
- The Shard1.8 miWalk 37 minCycle 12 minCar or taxi 17 min
- Tower of London2.3 miWalk 45 minCycle 14 minCar or taxi 20 min
Main rail terminals
- Charing Cross0.1 miWalk 2 minCycle 1 minCar or taxi 4 min
- Waterloo0.7 miWalk 15 minCycle 5 minCar or taxi 8 min
- Victoria1.1 miWalk 22 minCycle 7 minCar or taxi 11 min
- Euston1.4 miWalk 27 minCycle 9 minCar or taxi 13 min
- King’s Cross St Pancras1.5 miWalk 30 minCycle 10 minCar or taxi 14 min
- St Pancras International (Eurostar)1.6 miWalk 32 minCycle 10 minCar or taxi 15 min
- London Bridge1.9 miWalk 38 minCycle 12 minCar or taxi 17 min
- Liverpool Street2.1 miWalk 41 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 18 min
- Paddington2.1 miWalk 42 minCycle 13 minCar or taxi 18 min