A National Art Pass gets you into the Courtauld free all year. Except for the exhibition you came to see.
“National Art Pass / Art Fund members can enjoy unlimited free entry to the Courtauld Gallery’s permanent collection, Drawings Gallery exhibitions and changing temporary displays.”
Then, directly beneath it:
Salman Toor: Someone Like You. “There is no discount for this exhibition with the National Art Pass.”
Not a reduced rate. No discount at all. The pass covers the Manet and the Van Gogh and everything in the permanent rooms, and stops at the door of the temporary show.
That is worth knowing before you travel on the strength of a card, and it is the same pattern across the Courtauld’s free schemes.
Free passes are blacked out at both ends of every exhibition
The rule that catches people who plan around an opening or a closing weekend.
ICOM card: “May be used at any time for the gallery’s permanent collection. It may not be used during the first two weeks or the final two weeks of any special exhibition.”
Reciprocal tickets: “not available during the first two weeks or final two weeks of the exhibition.”
So the busiest four weeks of any run are exactly the weeks the free routes close. If you hold an ICOM card or a reciprocal arrangement from another museum, aim for the middle of a show.
Reciprocal tickets need a promo code from your own gallery, entered in the promo code box at the top right before you choose a date and time. You then select an Adult ticket and it converts to a complimentary one in the basket. Doing it in the wrong order does not work.
What it costs
Permanent collection: £16 adult, £14 concession. Free for Courtauld Members and Patrons, free for 18 and under, and free for students, people on Universal Credit or Pension Credit, and disabled companions.
Permanent collection plus exhibition: £18 adult. £16 for students and those on Universal or Pension Credit. £7 teacher. £8.50 Museums Association. £8 for some concessions. Free for Members and Patrons, disabled companions, 18 and under, and ICOM.
The headline there is the £2 step. Adding the temporary exhibition to a permanent collection ticket costs £2, which is among the cheapest exhibition upgrades in London.
Universal Credit gets you a concession, with proof
“Concession tickets are available for anyone in receipt of Universal Credit or Pension Credit.”
Bookable online or at the gallery on the day, subject to availability. You must bring proof:
Universal Credit: your statement, on the mobile app or printed.
Pension Credit: a DWP letter of confirmation, which can be requested through the government’s proof of benefit letter service.
That puts the Courtauld alongside HMS Belfast at £3 and the London Transport Museum at £5 as London attractions with a real benefits rate rather than a token one.
Last entry is 17:15
Open Monday to Sunday, 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:15.
Three quarters of an hour of difference, which is the same gap the Transport Museum runs and wider than most.
During the Salman Toor exhibition there are two sets of special hours:
Extended Hours evenings, 10:00 to 20:00 with last entry 19:15, on Friday 6 November, Friday 4 December and Friday 8 January 2027.
Relaxed Hours, 10:00 to 11:00, on Wednesday 28 October and Tuesday 15 December.
Three late nights across a three month run is not many, so they book up.
It is cashless, everywhere
“The Courtauld Gallery, Shop, and Courtauld Café are cashless.”
Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay and similar are accepted. Amex being named is worth noting, since Alexandra Palace refuses it on parking.
What is in it
One of the world’s great collections, in the magnificent historical setting of Somerset House, covering the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
The two paintings most people come for:
Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère.
Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear.
Alongside them, one of the most renowned Impressionist holdings in the UK, the Blavatnik Fine Rooms, the LVMH Great Room, and a Drawings Gallery that rotates.
A standing point of confusion the gallery addresses itself: entry includes the permanent collection and the smaller exhibitions and displays, with additional charges only for the temporary exhibitions. To see Modern Painting from the Courtauld and Ruben Collections you need either a Permanent Collection ticket or the combined one.
There is a virtual tour and a Bloomberg Connects audio guide.
How to plan it
National Art Pass: free for the collection, full price for the big exhibition.
ICOM or reciprocal: go mid-run. The first and last fortnight of any exhibition are blacked out.
Adding the exhibition costs £2 on top of a £16 permanent collection ticket.
On Universal or Pension Credit: concession rate, with proof.
Student, under 19, or a disabled companion: free to the permanent collection.
Last entry 17:15, not 18:00.
Bring a card. The whole site is cashless.
The Courtauld Gallery
- Address
- Somerset House, Strand, London WC2R
- Nearest
- Temple, Covent Garden, Charing Cross and Embankment
- Hours
- Monday to Sunday 10:00 to 18:00, last entry 17:15. Extended Hours to 20:00 on Friday 6 November, Friday 4 December and Friday 8 January 2027, last entry 19:15. Relaxed Hours 10:00 to 11:00 on Wednesday 28 October and Tuesday 15 December
- Booking
- Online, with permanent collection tickets also available at the ticket desk daily. Reciprocal tickets need a promo code entered before choosing a date. Cashless throughout
- Price
- Permanent collection 16 pounds adult and 14 concession, free for Courtauld members, under 19s, students, Universal or Pension Credit holders and disabled companions. Permanent collection plus exhibition 18 pounds adult, 16 student or credit holder, 8.50 Museums Association, 7 teacher, free for ICOM
- Standing
- One of the world’s great art collections at Somerset House, holding Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergere and Van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear, plus the Blavatnik Fine Rooms and the LVMH Great Room
How to get in
A National Art Pass gives unlimited free entry to the permanent collection, Drawings Gallery and changing displays, but carries no discount at all on the headline temporary exhibition. ICOM cards and reciprocal tickets cannot be used during the first two weeks or final two weeks of any special exhibition. Adding the temporary exhibition to a permanent collection ticket costs only 2 pounds. Concession tickets are available on Universal Credit or Pension Credit with proof. Last entry is 17:15 against an 18:00 close, and the gallery, shop and cafe are all cashless.
Where to go next
Somerset House is the building it sits in, and the National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery are ten minutes away and free.
London’s art galleries compares them all, and the Wallace Collection is the other great house collection.
Questions we get asked
Is the Courtauld Gallery free with a National Art Pass?
For the permanent collection, the Drawings Gallery exhibitions and changing displays, yes, with unlimited free entry. But the Courtauld states there is no discount for its headline temporary exhibition with the National Art Pass, so the pass does not cover the show most visitors come for.
How much is the Courtauld Gallery?
£16 for an adult to the permanent collection and £18 for the permanent collection plus exhibition, so adding the exhibition costs just £2. Concessions are £14 and £16, with £8.50 for Museums Association members and £7 for teachers. Entry is free for Courtauld Members and Patrons, under-19s, students, people on Universal or Pension Credit, disabled companions and, for the combined ticket, ICOM card holders.
Can you use an ICOM card at the Courtauld?
For the permanent collection at any time, yes. But an ICOM card may not be used during the first two weeks or the final two weeks of any special exhibition, and the same blackout applies to reciprocal tickets from other museums. Aim for the middle of an exhibition's run.
Does the Courtauld have a Universal Credit discount?
Yes, concession tickets are available to anyone receiving Universal Credit or Pension Credit, bookable online or at the gallery on the day subject to availability. You must bring proof: a Universal Credit statement on the app or printed, or a DWP confirmation letter for Pension Credit.
What time does the Courtauld Gallery close?
18:00 daily, with last entry at 17:15, a 45 minute gap. During the Salman Toor exhibition there are three Extended Hours evenings running to 20:00 with last entry 19:15, on Friday 6 November, Friday 4 December and Friday 8 January 2027, plus Relaxed Hours sessions from 10:00 to 11:00 on 28 October and 15 December.
What are the famous paintings at the Courtauld?
Manet's A Bar at the Folies-Bergère and Van Gogh's Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear are the two best known, within one of the UK's most renowned Impressionist collections. The gallery covers the Middle Ages to the 20th century and sits in Somerset House, with the Blavatnik Fine Rooms and the LVMH Great Room.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 352 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
