If you are coming to the National Gallery to see one particular painting, check the floorplan before you leave the house. It may not be there.
The Gallery is carrying out building work. Some rooms are closed and some paintings have been moved to a safer place to protect them. Their own advice is to check the website for the current location of a specific artist or painting, and the floorplan for up-to-date room closures.
This is not a short closure. The work runs through to a new Research Centre opening in 2028, which will bring a public library and lecture spaces. Until then, the hang moves.
Free, and open until 9pm on Friday
General admission is free. Donations welcome. Open daily 10am to 6pm, Friday until 9pm. Closed 24 to 26 December and 1 January.
That Friday evening is worth planning around, because Tate Modern also runs to 21.00 on a Friday. Friday night is the free-art night in London, with two world-class collections open three hours after everything else has shut.
On a Saturday evening, though, this one is closed by six. For Saturday you want the National Portrait Gallery or Tate Modern.
The free ticket is worth booking anyway
Book a free general admission ticket for fast-track entry. Walk-up entry is also available.
So booking costs nothing and skips the queue. There is no reason not to, and the booking also gets you information and updates before the visit, which matters more than usual while rooms are shut.
Exhibition tickets include free general admission, so if you are paying for a show you do not need a separate admission ticket.
Self-guided groups of more than seven must book, and that booking is free.
The cloakroom is a Member benefit
Worth knowing before you arrive with a coat and a bag.
Members get priority entry, a complimentary cloakroom, and discounts in the cafés, restaurants and shops.
The cloakroom being listed as a Member benefit is the detail. Across the square, the National Portrait Gallery lists its cloakroom as a general facility with its own opening hours.
Members also get unlimited free access to all exhibitions.
Enter by the Sainsbury Wing
Entrance is via the Sainsbury Wing. Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN.
That is the modern extension on the west side, not the great portico above the square that everybody photographs. Charing Cross, Leicester Square and Embankment are all a short walk.
What is in it
Over 1,000 paintings on display, from Uccello and Gentileschi to Turner and Van Gogh.
It is a painting collection and nothing else, which is the real difference from the other national museums: no objects, no sculpture halls, just rooms of pictures.
Audio guides offer curated routes or a personalised tour you build yourself. There are private daytime guided tours, and a dedicated family space at weekends and in the holidays.
What is on
Renoir and Love, until 31 January 2027.
Free for Members, ticketed for everyone else, and the ticket includes general admission.
How to plan it
Free, always, with no booking needed. But book the free ticket anyway for fast-track entry.
Looking for one specific painting: check the floorplan first, because rooms are closed and works have moved.
Friday evening: open to 9pm, and so is Tate Modern.
Saturday evening: closed at 6pm. Go to the Portrait Gallery instead, which runs to 9pm.
Arriving: the Sainsbury Wing, not the main portico.
A group of more than seven: book as a free self-guided group.
Bringing a coat: the cloakroom is a Member benefit here.
The National Gallery
- Address
- Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. Entrance via the Sainsbury Wing
- Nearest
- Charing Cross, Leicester Square and Embankment, all a short walk
- Hours
- Open daily 10am to 6pm, Friday until 9pm. Closed 24 to 26 December and 1 January
- Booking
- Not required. A free ticket gives fast-track entry, and walk-up is available. Self-guided groups of more than seven must book, free of charge
- Price
- General admission free, donations welcome. Some exhibitions are ticketed, and an exhibition ticket includes free general admission. Members get unlimited exhibition access, priority entry and a complimentary cloakroom
- Standing
- Over 1,000 paintings from Uccello and Gentileschi to Turner and Van Gogh, in Trafalgar Square
How to get in
Building work means some rooms are closed and paintings have been moved, with the gallery advising you check the floorplan before visiting for a specific work. The work runs until a new Research Centre opens in 2028. Open until 9pm on Fridays but closed at 6pm on Saturdays, when the National Portrait Gallery across the square runs to 9pm. The cloakroom is listed as a Member benefit.
Where to go next
The National Portrait Gallery is two minutes away, also free, and open until 9pm on Saturdays as well as Fridays.
Tate Modern is the other free collection open late, and the free museums page covers the rest.
Questions we get asked
Is the National Gallery free?
Yes, general admission is free with donations welcome, and no booking is required. Some temporary exhibitions are ticketed, and an exhibition ticket includes free general admission.
What are the National Gallery's opening times?
Open daily 10am to 6pm, with late opening until 9pm on Friday. It is closed on 24, 25 and 26 December and on 1 January. On Saturdays it closes at 6pm, unlike the National Portrait Gallery which runs to 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays.
Are rooms closed at the National Gallery?
Yes. Building work means some rooms are closed and some paintings have been moved for their protection. The gallery advises checking its website for the current location of a specific painting and the floorplan for room closures. The work continues until a new Research Centre opens in 2028.
Do you need to book the National Gallery?
No, walk-up entry is available. But booking a free general admission ticket gives fast-track entry and sends you updates before your visit, so there is no reason not to. Self-guided groups of more than seven do have to book, free of charge.
Which entrance do you use at the National Gallery?
The Sainsbury Wing, the modern extension on the west side of the building, rather than the main portico facing Trafalgar Square.
Is there a cloakroom at the National Gallery?
A complimentary cloakroom is listed as a Member benefit, along with priority entry and discounts in the cafés, restaurants and shops. The National Portrait Gallery nearby lists its cloakroom as a general facility with published opening hours.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 291 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
