Some of the best art in London is in rooms most people walk past because they look like shops. The commercial galleries are free, open to the public, and you do not need to know anything or buy anything to walk in. Nobody tells you that, so almost nobody goes.
This page is the distinction nobody makes: the public galleries, the commercial ones, and which is which.
The commercial galleries are free and you can just walk in
White Cube, Gagosian and their peers are dealers. They sell art. They also mount full scale exhibitions of major artists in purpose built spaces, free, with no ticket and no booking, because the shows are how the business advertises itself.
You are not expected to buy anything and nobody will ask you to. The staff at the desk are there to receive dealers and collectors; a visitor looking at the work is normal and expected. This is the single most underused free thing in London.
White Cube, two London galleries
White Cube Bermondsey is at 144 to 152 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3TQ, and it is the big one: a converted warehouse with room for exhibitions on a museum scale. White Cube Mason’s Yard is at 25 to 26 Mason’s Yard, SW1Y 6BU, tucked behind Jermyn Street in St James’s, and is the smaller, smarter room.
The gallery also operates in New York, Hong Kong, Paris and Seoul, which tells you the level of artist it shows.
Gagosian, Grosvenor Hill
Gagosian’s London space is on Grosvenor Hill in Mayfair. At the time of checking it was showing This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte, from 24 September to 12 December 2026.
A Magritte exhibition, free, in Mayfair, running nearly three months. The equivalent show in a ticketed institution would be twenty pounds and sold out at weekends.
Saatchi Gallery, and the closures to check
The Saatchi Gallery sits between the two worlds: a public gallery with a commercial history, in the Duke of York’s HQ on the King’s Road, SW3 4RY. It is open Monday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm, and is a three to four minute walk from Sloane Square.
One thing to check before travelling, because it is unusual. The Saatchi closes the entire gallery to the public for several days at a time while exhibitions are installed, and publishes those dates in advance. The dates published when we checked ran in three and four day blocks, with more than one in the same month. Look at the closure list on their visit page rather than assuming daily opening.
Access is good: ramp access at the main entrance, lifts to all floors, level access between galleries on each floor, wheelchairs on request, and two blue badge bays to the rear off Turk’s Row, which must be booked well in advance.
The public collections, which are a different thing
The National Gallery, Tate Modern, Tate Britain and the National Portrait Gallery are free to walk into and always have been, and their temporary exhibitions are ticketed. That split is explained in full on the free museums page.
If you want to know what is actually hanging right now rather than which building to go to, our exhibitions guide dates every show and tells you when each one closes, which no other list does.
How to plan an afternoon of it
Mayfair and St James’s in one walk: Gagosian on Grosvenor Hill and White Cube Mason’s Yard are about ten minutes apart, with the Royal Academy between them. All three in an afternoon, two of them free.
Bermondsey on its own: White Cube Bermondsey is the destination rather than part of a crawl, and Borough Market is the natural lunch at one end of Bermondsey Street.
Chelsea: the Saatchi, then the King’s Road. Our Chelsea guide covers the rest of that walk.
White Cube Bermondsey
- Address
- 144 to 152 Bermondsey Street, London SE1 3TQ
- Nearest
- London Bridge or Borough
- Booking
- None needed
- Price
- Free
- Standing
- The largest of White Cube’s London spaces, a converted warehouse
How to get in
A commercial gallery, which means free entry and no expectation that you buy anything.
White Cube Mason's Yard
- Address
- 25 to 26 Mason’s Yard, London SW1Y 6BU
- Nearest
- Green Park or Piccadilly Circus
- Booking
- None needed
- Price
- Free
- Standing
- The smaller London room, behind Jermyn Street
How to get in
Ten minutes from Gagosian on Grosvenor Hill, with the Royal Academy between them.
Gagosian Grosvenor Hill
- Address
- Grosvenor Hill, London
- Nearest
- Bond Street or Green Park
- Booking
- None needed
- Price
- Free
- Standing
- The London space of an international gallery
How to get in
Showing This Is Still Not a Pipe: The Afterlife of Magritte, 24 September to 12 December 2026.
Saatchi Gallery
- Address
- Duke of York’s HQ, King’s Road, London SW3 4RY
- Nearest
- Sloane Square, three to four minutes
- Hours
- Monday to Sunday 10am to 6pm, with whole gallery closures on published dates for exhibition installation
- Booking
- Check the closure dates before travelling
- Price
- Varies by exhibition
- Standing
- In the Duke of York’s Square complex, 300 yards along the King’s Road from Sloane Square
How to get in
Ramp access at the main entrance, lifts to all floors, wheelchairs on request, and two blue badge bays off Turk’s Row that must be booked well ahead.
Where to go next
Bermondsey Street covers the walk around White Cube Bermondsey, including which day the rest of the street is open.
The exhibitions guide dates every show in the city and says when each one closes, and the free museums cover the national collections.
Chelsea covers the walk around the Saatchi, and Moco Museum is the paid alternative at Marble Arch.
Questions we get asked
Are art galleries in London free?
The commercial galleries are, and that is the part most people miss. White Cube and Gagosian mount full scale exhibitions of major artists with no ticket and no booking, because the shows advertise the business. The national collections, including the National Gallery and the Tate galleries, are also free to walk into, though their temporary exhibitions are ticketed.
Can anyone go into a commercial art gallery in London?
Yes. You do not need an appointment, you do not need to know anything, and nobody will ask you to buy. A visitor looking at the work is normal and expected.
Where is White Cube in London?
There are two. White Cube Bermondsey is at 144 to 152 Bermondsey Street, SE1 3TQ, a converted warehouse with museum scale space. White Cube Mason's Yard is at 25 to 26 Mason's Yard, SW1Y 6BU, in St James's.
What are the Saatchi Gallery opening hours?
Monday to Sunday, 10am to 6pm, at the Duke of York's HQ on the King's Road, SW3 4RY. The gallery also closes entirely for several days at a time while exhibitions are installed, and publishes those dates in advance, so check before you travel.
Which London galleries can you see in one afternoon?
Gagosian on Grosvenor Hill and White Cube Mason's Yard are about ten minutes apart in Mayfair and St James's, with the Royal Academy between them. Two of the three are free.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 199 in the guide.
Last checked 3 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
