3+3+London: National Portrait Gallery
Operating Hours:Saturday - Thursday: 10:30 - 18:00. Friday: 10:30 - 21:00
The Vibe:500 years of British faces on one wall.
Britain's picture archive of itself sits behind the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square. Tudor monarchs, Romantic poets, suffragettes and contemporary footballers hang on the same walls — sitters chosen for their national significance, not their artistic depiction.
Henry VIII stares down from the Tudor rooms; Shakespeare's Chandos portrait hangs a few doors away. Footsteps hush on wood floors; school groups gather around the Brontë sisters. Daylight falls through the 2023 extension's glass.
- • The first portrait gallery of its kind in the world, founded in 1856
- • Free admission to the permanent collection
- • Reopened in June 2023 after a three-year, £41 million refurbishment
- • Houses the only known portrait of Shakespeare painted during his lifetime
Persona Fit
- 👨👩👧 Families: Recognisable faces (Queen, Harry Styles, footballers) engage older children
- 💕 Couples: Refurbished galleries and Friday late openings with live music
- 👵 Seniors: Full step-free access; manageable in under two hours
- 📸 Photographers: The new Ross Place entrance with its Tracey Emin doors
Highlights
- Tudor Gallery — Henry VIII, Elizabeth I, and the Chandos Shakespeare portrait
- Victorian Gallery — Dickens, the Brontës, suffragettes and explorers
- Contemporary Gallery — Beyoncé, David Beckham, Ed Sheeran in rotation
- The Queen's portraits — multiple studies of Elizabeth II through her reign
- BP Portrait Award winners — annual contemporary-portrait competition displays
- Tracey Emin Doors — bronze entrance doors unveiled in 2023 — Hidden Gem
Sarah Riches
Our London Local Expert
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