The National Gallery

Choose a thread through the collection

The National Gallery is London’s broadest starting point for European painting. Its collection stretches from the thirteenth century into the early twentieth, taking in devotional panels, portraits, landscapes and the changing ambitions of painters across hundreds of years.

It is worth choosing a question before choosing a route. How does a painted face become convincing?

What makes a landscape feel inhabited? Looking for an answer gives the galleries some shape without requiring a full lesson in art history.

Let a few paintings set the pace

A focused first visit works well with one earlier group of rooms and one later group. Spend time with a small number of pictures rather than treating the collection as a race between famous names.

The museum’s collection pages are useful for checking where a particular work is displayed.

An official private daytime tour is available for visitors who want a guide to build that route. It is a paid guiding service, while ordinary collection admission remains £0.

The quoted private-tour price covers up to eleven guests, rather than being a per-person museum entrance fee.

Step back into the city

The contrast between quiet painting rooms and Trafalgar Square is part of this visit. Arrive at the Sainsbury Wing, keep the square for a short pause afterwards, then follow the Strand if you are continuing to the Courtauld.

Friday’s later opening can be useful when you want to give the collection more breathing room.