Nearby
National Gallery London: The Must-See Paintings Explained
Buy for a Group
Reviews
About the Tour
About the Tour
The National Gallery contains some of the world’s greatest paintings, and this self-guided indoor audio tour introduces you to twelve of its most famous and important masterpieces.
Guided by art historian Janet Clark, creator of Painting Stories, you’ll discover the fascinating stories behind the paintings: why they were created, what they meant to the people who first saw them, and why they continue to move audiences today.
Beginning at the Sainsbury Wing entrance in Trafalgar Square, the tour travels through the National Gallery’s permanent collection from the late Middle Ages to Impressionism, ending with Monet’s luminous Water-Lily Pond. Along the way, you’ll explore how art reflects love, religion, politics, beauty, power, war, and the shared human search for meaning.
The tour is carefully curated to introduce the most important artists, movements, and ideas in European painting. You’ll spend enough time with each artwork to uncover hidden details, symbolism, techniques, and historical context, while also learning simple ways to look at and enjoy art.
The narration lasts around 90 minutes, although most visitors spend between 2 and 2.5 hours completing the tour at a relaxed pace, including time to walk between paintings, pause, and explore the Gallery further.
On this tour, you’ll have a chance to:
• Decode the hidden symbolism inside Van Eyck’s Arnolfini Portrait, including its mysterious mirror and single burning candle
• Discover why Holbein’s The Ambassadors contains one of the most famous optical illusions in Western art
• Learn how Botticelli’s Venus and Mars reveals Renaissance ideas about marriage, beauty, and love
• Explore how Leonardo da Vinci transformed Renaissance painting through observation, light, and emotion
• Hear the dramatic story behind Velázquez’s The Toilet of (or The Rokeby) Venus and why a suffragette attacked it in 1914
• Explore how Turner’s The Fighting Temeraire became a meditation on progress, loss, and Britain’s changing identity
• See how Constable’s The Hay Wain changed European landscape painting forever
• Understand why Van Gogh’s Sunflowers transformed modern painting through colour alone
Whether you’re completely new to art or already love visiting museums and galleries, this tour will help you look at paintings with fresh eyes.
Please note: paintings are occasionally removed for conservation or loan exhibitions, although they are usually returned within a few months.
Tour Producer
Tour Producer
Janet Clark
Janet Clark is an art historian trained at the Courtauld Institute of Art in London and the creator of Painting Stories, a series of audio tours and podcasts that bring art, architecture, and history to life through storytelling.
Janet has worked in museums and heritage, specialising in interpretation and education for visitors of all ages. Her tours are designed to help both first-time visitors and experienced museum-goers look at art, architecture, and historic places with greater confidence and enjoyment.
Through carefully curated tours of museums, galleries, and historic sites, Janet explores the fascinating human stories behind famous paintings, buildings, and historical events — from Renaissance masterpieces and Gothic cathedrals to Impressionism and modern art.
Her approach combines art history, cultural history, and accessible storytelling, making complex ideas engaging and approachable for a wide audience.
Painting Stories began as a podcast and has grown into a wider project dedicated to making art and history feel meaningful, personal, and memorable. More tours, articles, and resources can be found at wearepaintingstories.com.
Save with Passes
How do passes work?
Preview Location
Preview Location
Location 4
Room 52, The Arnolfini Portrait, Jan van Eyck, 1434
Almost everything we know about the couple in this painting can be discovered by looking closely. Before we look at the details, take in the colours that dominate the painting- jewel-like... Read More
View locations and route
How VoiceMap Works
Major Landmarks
Major Landmarks
-
The National Gallery
-
Trafalgar Square
-
Sainsbury Wing
-
Covent Garden
-
Leicester Square
Getting There
Getting There
Route Overview
-
Start locationTrafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN, UK
-
Total distance0m
-
Final locationTrafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN, UK
-
Distance back to start location0m
Directions to Starting Point
The tour begins outside the Sainsbury Wing entrance to the National Gallery on Trafalgar Square. Facing the Gallery from the square, the Sainsbury Wing is the newer section of the building on the left-hand side.
The nearest Underground stations are Charing Cross Station and Leicester Square Station, both around a five-minute walk away. Charing Cross is also connected to the mainline rail network, and Embankment Station is nearby. Numerous London bus routes stop around Trafalgar Square.
Show Directions
Tips
Tips
Places to stop along the way
There are several restaurants and cafés inside the National Gallery where you can pause for a drink or something to eat during the tour. Coffee and light bites are available at the Espresso Bar and Bar Giorgio. Seating areas are also available throughout the Gallery.
As the tour takes place in Trafalgar Square, you are also close to many restaurants, cafés, and historic pubs in Covent Garden, Charing Cross, and Soho. If you would like to continue exploring after the tour, nearby cultural attractions include St Martin-in-the-Fields, The National Portrait Gallery, and Somerset House.
Best time of day
The National Gallery in London is open daily from 10am to 6pm, and until 9pm on Fridays. The Gallery is closed on 24–26 December and 1 January. Admission is free, and you can book a free ticket in advance for fast-track entry on the website: www.nationalgallery.org.uk.
I recommend checking the Gallery’s website before your visit: The National Gallery
Weekday mornings and late afternoons are usually the quietest times to visit, particularly outside school holidays. The Gallery can become very busy on weekends, public holidays, and during major exhibitions, especially around the most famous paintings included in this tour.
For the most relaxed experience, I recommend allowing between 2 and 2.5 hours to complete the tour at a comfortable pace, including time to walk between paintings, pause, and explore the Gallery further. There are cafés, seating areas, toilets, and cloakrooms available inside the Gallery.
As this is a central London location, Trafalgar Square and the surrounding streets are generally busy and well lit throughout the day and evening.
Precautions
Comfortable shoes are recommended, as you will be standing and walking for extended periods.
The Gallery is very safe. Free Wi-Fi, toilets, cafés, seating areas, and cloakrooms are available inside the Gallery.
Get The App
Get The App
Last Updated
Questions and Reviews
