National Gallery

The National Gallery is London's national collection of paintings in the Western European tradition. Its collection of more than 2,600 works brings together late medieval religious pictures, Renaissance portraits, Dutch scenes of everyday life and French Impressionist painting. This is a useful choice for a first London art visit if you want to compare different periods within one collection.

The breadth is the attraction: van Eyck, Velázquez, Turner and Van Gogh belong to the same institution, alongside artists whose names may be less familiar. Look for changes in what painters chose to represent, from altarpieces and mythological stories to landscapes and ordinary domestic subjects. You do not need to follow every century to make a worthwhile visit; choose the traditions that interest you and spend time looking at individual pictures.

Use the National Gallery's current Level 2 floorplan to choose a group of rooms before setting off. The displays are organised around artists, periods and subjects: Renaissance Italy, Dutch and Flemish painting, British landscape, Impressionism and later developments all have their own room headings. This makes it possible to plan a visit around an interest rather than walk every corridor.

For portraits, look for the sections on European portraiture, Van Dyck and Rembrandt. For landscape, compare the Claude and Turner display with the room devoted to Turner, Constable and Corot. The later rooms include Impressionism, Post-Impressionism and Monet. Check the live plan for closures and empty rooms; the room sequence is a planning aid, not a promise that every space or picture will be available.

Allow about two hours for a selective first visit to the National Gallery; this is our planning allowance, not a duration set by the Gallery. Spend that time on a small selection of pictures rather than trying to finish the collection. Add a separate block of time if a temporary exhibition is a main reason for your visit.

The Gallery's audio guides offer curated routes, including highlights and less familiar works, which can help narrow the choice. The Smartify guide also provides free information about displayed paintings and lets you save favourites to revisit later. Choose whether you want sustained looking, audio commentary or a broader walk through the rooms before deciding how much of the day to reserve.

The National Gallery normally opens from 10:00 to 18:00 daily, with Friday opening extended to 21:00. It closes on 24, 25 and 26 December and on 1 January. Friday is therefore the practical option for an evening collection visit after daytime sightseeing; the later closing time does not establish that it will be quieter.

Check the Gallery's visit page shortly before travelling. Building work is affecting some rooms and moving some paintings, and the operator publishes dated changes to access there. If seeing one particular work matters more than browsing, confirm its current display status before choosing your day.

Book a general admission ticket for the collection and free exhibitions; advance booking is recommended, while walk-up places are also available. A walk-up visit can involve a queue during busy periods, so booking is useful when the Gallery needs to fit between other commitments.

Treat a paid exhibition as a separate booking decision. Check the exhibition's own page for the price and ticket options that apply to your visit. The Gallery's ticket FAQs distinguish changing a general admission booking from changing an exhibition booking; exhibition tickets are normally non-refundable and cannot be exchanged. Disabled visitors can book a concession exhibition ticket with a free companion ticket.

Head for the Sainsbury Wing, the National Gallery's main entrance, which has step-free access. If standing in a queue is difficult because of an access requirement, the Gallery asks visitors to speak to a member of staff.

For a step-free public transport journey, the operator identifies Tottenham Court Road and Westminster as the nearest suitable Underground stations. It also identifies Charing Cross railway station, about 200 metres away, as a step-free rail option. Do not treat the railway and Underground stations as interchangeable access advice. Check live transport information before travelling. Inside the Gallery, lifts are marked on the floorplan, and accessible toilets are provided near the entrances.

Do not arrive at the National Gallery with a suitcase or wheeled cabin bag: these are not allowed inside. Ordinary bags must fit within 56 x 25 x 45 cm. The policy makes exceptions for baby buggies and oversized bags carrying necessary medical or baby-care equipment, subject to inspection.

Allow time for the entrance checks, which include metal detectors and bag inspections. Backpacks and large bags must go into a cloakroom before entering paid exhibitions. The Sainsbury Wing cloakroom is on Level -1 and normally closes at 17:45, or 20:45 on Fridays, so collect belongings before those times. Large umbrellas must also stay out of the picture galleries.

Personal, non-commercial photography is allowed at the National Gallery, including in exhibitions unless an individual artwork's label says otherwise. Check notices beside loan paintings as well as the exhibition entrance: permission to take photographs elsewhere in the building does not override a restriction on one work.

Leave flash, additional lighting, tripods and selfie sticks unused; all are prohibited. Keep other visitors' views of paintings clear and ask permission before photographing people. Photographs of children and young people require consent from the accompanying adult. These rules are especially relevant around school groups and family activities, where a picture of the room can unintentionally include other people's children.