One of my more futile pleasures is lurking in Facebook London Travel groups and watching tourists agonise over whether to visit the latest exhibition at the Tate or National Gallery.
There is something faintly absurd about paying £25 to shuffle through a packed gallery, peering over other people’s shoulders, or under their armpits, to glimpse a painting that has been flown halfway around the world, when upstairs there are acres of magnificent free, airy, uncrowded galleries.
Unlike the rest of Europe, London has some of the world’s finest art that costs nothing to see.
We have sunshine-yellow Van Goghs, misty Turners, blocky Picassos and stripy Rothkos.
And when you’ve finished admiring the art, many of these galleries are housed in spectacular buildings with excellent cafés, gift shops and enough architectural grandeur to keep you occupied for another hour.
So if you’re looking for the best free art galleries in London, here are my favourites.
The Ten Best Free Art Galleries in London
1. National Gallery
Under the watchful eye of Lord Nelson on Trafalgar Square is the National Gallery. It is brim full of paintings that even a complete philistine would recognise.
Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire, Holbein’s The Ambassadors and masterpieces by Leonardo da Vinci, Velázquez and Constable are all here.
And then there’s the building with its grand staircases, mosaic floors and Farrow and Ball paint chart walls – it’s delightfully old-fashioned and civilised.
Unless you are visiting in the first hour of opening, during a tube strike or in the dead of winter, forget the cafes – they are more crowded than the art galleries.
If you need reviving, go to the Café in the Crypt beneath St Martin-in-the-Fields (fab food, self-service and terrible acoustics) or wander into nearby Soho, Chinatown or St Martin’s Lane. My own favourite nearby restaurant is Fumo (Italian and stylish – their pizza deserves a special mention).
Address: Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN
Nearest Tube: Charing Cross or Leicester Square
Website: nationalgallery.org.uk
If you visit the National Gallery, you will be very near the theatre district, so why not combine this trip with a cheap theatre ticket?
2. Tate Britain
I have a slightly complicated relationship with Tate Britain. The collection is magnificent. The location, however, is what I can only describe as the arse end of nowhere. It’s a solid ten-minute walk from Pimlico station, which somehow feels longer than it ought to.
This is the home of British art, from Tudor portraits to the Pre-Raphaelites, with an extraordinary collection of Turner paintings. You could easily spend half a day here and still feel you’ve only scratched the surface.
It’s one of our most underrated free art galleries in London and is rarely as crowded as the National Gallery.
Address: Millbank, London SW1P 4RG
Nearest Tube: Pimlico
Website: tate.org.uk
3. Tate Modern
The Tate Modern is housed in a former power station that sits dramatically on the South Bank. As a vast expanse of concrete, it feels gloriously cool and spacious. Once you’ve mastered the eccentric elevator system that appears to skip floors whenever it feels like it (I think there is a bizarre system of half floors), you can spend hours wandering between galleries.
My favourite route is to cross the Millennium Bridge from St Paul’s Cathedral, listen to the buskers along the river, explore the galleries, grab a coffee with a view and then finish with lunch at The Swan next door.
That’s about as perfect a London day as it gets.
Address: Bankside, London SE1 9TG
Nearest Tube: Southwark or Blackfriars
Website: tate.org.uk
4. National Portrait Gallery
The National Portrait Gallery has undergone one of the most impressive transformations in London.
In my youth, it was dusty, worthy and frequently empty with huge galleries showcasing parliamentarians and lesser-known members of the Royal Family. In the early 1970s Sir Roy Strong revitalised it during his tenure as director, giving it a fresh, vibrant and modern vibe.
The collection brings together everyone from Henry VIII to David Bowie, and there is something oddly fascinating about coming face-to-face with the people you’ve spent years reading about.
Keep an eye on their temporary exhibitions too. Many offer “pay what you can”
As it’s right next door to the National Gallery, the two make an excellent cultural double act.
Address: St Martin’s Place, London WC2H 0HE
Nearest Tube: Leicester Square
Website: npg.org.uk
5. Wallace Collection
I was embarrassingly old before I discovered the Wallace Collection.
Housed in a magnificent mansion just off Oxford Street, it feels less like a museum and more like you’ve accidentally wandered into the home of a fabulously wealthy aristocrat (which it was).
There are Old Masters in gilded frames, suits of armour, porcelain, furniture and enough decorative arts to keep you buzzing with interior design ideas for weeks.
The museum shop is unusually dangerous because it actually sells things you might want to buy. Who doesn’t need an apron with a naked man (Michelangelo’s David)?
The glass-roofed courtyard cafe serves one of the loveliest afternoon teas in London.
Address: Hertford House, Manchester Square, London W1U 3BN
Nearest Tube: Bond Street
Website: wallacecollection.org
Marylebone is a delightful village not far from Bond Street. We show you how to enjoy Marylebone on a budget.
6. Guildhall Art Gallery
Hidden away in the City, Guildhall Art Gallery is one of London’s best-kept secrets.
The collection focuses largely on London’s history and includes everything from Victorian paintings to dramatic scenes from the capital’s past.
Most visitors come for the art and end up fascinated by the remains of London’s Roman amphitheatre hidden beneath the gallery.
If you enjoy discovering places that feel slightly off the tourist trail, you’ll love this.
Address: Guildhall Yard, London EC2V 5AE
Nearest Tube: Bank
Website: cityoflondon.gov.uk
7. Saatchi Gallery
The Saatchi Gallery specialises in contemporary art. It was founded by the Saatchi brothers, who are huge collectors of modern art. This is the place where you can discover tomorrow’s big names.
Some exhibitions will leave you inspired. Others will leave you wondering whether you’ve accidentally wandered onto a building site.
Not all of its exhibitions are free, so check the website before arriving.
The gallery is housed in a beautiful building just off Sloane Square and is perfectly positioned for a stroll around Duke of York Square with its weekend artisan food market, or a browse in John Sandoe Books (with its cluttered, quirky vintage vibe), or get an emergency doughnut from Bread Ahead in Pavilion Road.
Address: King’s Road, London SW3 4RY
Nearest Tube: Sloane Square
Website: saatchigallery.com
8. Barbican Centre
The Barbican is London’s Marmite building. Personally, I think it resembles an ambitious multi-storey car park.
The labyrinth of walkways, lakes, tropical conservatory and brutalist architecture creates an environment unlike anywhere else in London.
The exhibitions are often paid, but exploring the complex itself is free and feels like stepping into the 1970s.
Address: Silk Street, London EC2Y 8DS
Nearest Tube: Farringdon, Barbican or Moorgate
Website: barbican.org.uk
9. Royal Academy
Most people associate the Royal Academy with blockbuster exhibitions and the Summer Exhibition.
What many don’t realise is that parts of the Academy can be enjoyed free of charge. There is a permanent collection of plaster casts that Victorian students used to master drawing nudes.
Located in Burlington House on Piccadilly, this is one of the most elegant corners of London.
A visit here can be combined with browsing around Hatchards (the Queen’s book seller), Waterstones Piccadilly (the biggest bookshop in London), Fortnum & Mason (pop down to the deli for takeaway sandwiches or ice cream from the soda fountain and not to mention the best loos in London) and the arcades of St James’s.
If you are trying to create the perfect cultured London afternoon, this would be a very good place to start.
Address: Burlington House, Piccadilly, London W1J 0BD
Nearest Tube: Green Park
Website: royalacademy.org.uk
10. Sotheby’s and Christie’s
Some of London’s most extraordinary free art exhibitions aren’t held in galleries at all. Sotheby’s and Christie’s have permanent exhibitions and auction viewings that are open to the public free of charge.
And unlike most museums, you can rub shoulders with London’s elite.
Sotheby’s: 34-35 New Bond Street, London W1A 2AA
Christie’s: 8 King Street, St James’s, London SW1Y 6QT
Final Thoughts on Free Art Galleries in London
One of the greatest luxuries in London is that so much culture remains free.
Whether you’re admiring Van Gogh at the National Gallery, discovering contemporary artists at the Saatchi Gallery or peering at masterpieces destined for auction at Sotheby’s, the city’s free art galleries offer an astonishing amount for precisely nothing.
Before you splash out on paid exhibitions, consider browsing the free art galleries in London and saving your money for an overpriced cocktail.
