5 of the Best Art Galleries in Central London

National Gallery

The National Gallery houses one of the greatest collections of paintings in the world. Enjoy free entrance 361 days a year. Found in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, the NG was founded in 1824 and houses a collection of over 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The Gallery aims to study and care for the collection, while encouraging the widest possible access to the pictures. Once you have had your fill of art, you can head to the National Dining Room, National Café or their Espresso Bar.

Tate Gallery

Tate is an institution that houses the United Kingdom's national collection of British art, and international modern and contemporary art. Tate is an executive non-departmental public body and an exempt charity. Tate a family of four art galleries in London, Liverpool and Cornwall known as Tate Modern, Tate Britain, Tate Liverpool and Tate St Ives. As a Member you can experience Tate in the best possible way, with unlimited free access to every exhibition at all four galleries – plus extended opening hours for major exhibitions.

National Portrait Gallery

The National Portrait Gallery is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people. It was the first portrait gallery in the world when it opened in 1856. At the NPG you can find the thinnest portrait, tallest, smallest and biggest, with the earliest a piece from 1505 of King Henry VII by an unknown Netherlandish artist.

Hayward Gallery

The Hayward Gallery is an art gallery within the Southbank Centre, part of an area of major arts venues on the South Bank of the River Thames. Hayward Gallery is a world-renowned contemporary art gallery and a landmark of Brutalist architecture. The exhibition programme focuses on presenting a wide range of adventurous and influential artists from across the world. Currently undergoing refurbishment, it reopens in January 2018, and marks its 50th anniversary with the first major UK retrospective of the work of acclaimed German photographer Andreas Gursky.

Tate Modern

Tate Modern is a modern art gallery located in London. It is Britain's national gallery of international modern art and forms part of the Tate group. The Tate Modern was opened by the Queen on 11 May 2000. Focusing on international and contemporary art and more recently, the finalist for Art Found Museum of the Year 2017. Admission to Tate Modern is free, except for special exhibitions. Become a Tate Member or a Patron and get free entry to all special exhibitions.