Our National Gallery private tour starts in the Sainsbury Wing, which is the newest addition to the gallery. Here, you’ll learn about the oldest paintings in the gallery by some of the most famous early European artists. One of the oldest paintings dates back to the 13th Century. Your Blue Badge Guide will help you compare it with a piece by da Vinci or Botticelli to learn how art evolved during that period.
Once we are finished in the Sainsbury Wing, we move to the main building. The gallery is more or less organised in chronological order, so we pick up where we left off.
Paintings by Raphael, Titian, or Holbein are waiting for us before we move on to see the Dutch master Rembrandt. Two of his self-portraits are on display, whilst they are close in location, they depict the change in his appearance over 3 decades.
Now heading towards more recent paintings, we will explore several rooms where you are surrounded by masterpieces by Monet, Van Gogh, and more. Yes, we do have a version of the Sunflowers by Van Gogh, but that’s not the only painting by this amazing artist. Admire his talent whilst listen to his fascinating life stories and asking questions of your guide during your private National Gallery highlights tour.
Your children will appreciate one particular painting called “Surprised!” What kind of animal can you see creeping through the painting?
We finish the tour at the main corridor of the gallery, where you have the chance to browse the gift shop or unwind with a cup of tea.
*Please keep in mind that the gallery changes the order of the paintings and also loans paintings for exhibitions, as well as restores them. The tour will be adapted to make the most of the pieces on offer on that particular day. Paintings are also sometimes removed from display, so your guide may adapt the tour to make the most of the current display.
You might also like our British Museum Highlights Tour to learn more about the plentiful array of artefacts and treasures housed in the museum. Having trouble deciding which tour is best for you? Feel free to get in touch and we’ll be happy to help!
Price for your group tour is £391
National Gallery, Sainsbury Wing Entrance, Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. By prior arrangement, your guide can meet you at your central London hotel.
Daily 10:00am, 2:00pm
Your Guide will meet you at the Sainsbury Wing Entrance opposite the Canadian High Commission. Your Guide will be holding a sign showing the lead customer name.
Thinking about booking our National Gallery Highlights Tour? Here are answers to the questions we hear most often from guests planning their visit.
Our National Gallery tours are led exclusively by Blue Badge Guides who complete a rigorous two-year training programme—the highest guiding qualification in Britain. With over 2,300 paintings on display, our guides efficiently navigate you to the masterpieces whilst revealing stories and context you’d never discover alone.
They bring art to life through expert knowledge of technique, historical significance, and fascinating artist biographies. Unlike large group tours, our private tours adapt to your interests in real-time, spending more time on periods that captivate you. Previous guests report discovering layers of meaning they’d have completely missed on their own.
The National Gallery offers free general admission, so entrance tickets are not required or included in the tour price. Your tour fee of £408 covers your expert Blue Badge guide for 2.5 hours.
This represents exceptional value as you’re essentially getting a personal art historian who ensures you don’t waste precious time wandering past hundreds of paintings to find the masterpieces. Our guides also know the most efficient routes through the gallery and the best times to view popular works with minimal crowds.
Absolutely. All our National Gallery tours are private, meaning only your group and your Blue Badge guide. If you’re passionate about the Impressionists, we’ll dedicate more time to Monet, Van Gogh and Seurat. Fascinated by the Renaissance? We’ll explore Da Vinci, Botticelli and Titian in depth. Interested in British artists? Turner and Constable await.
Before your tour, let us know your preferences and we’ll match you with a guide whose expertise aligns with your interests. During the tour itself, guides continually adjust pacing and focus based on your reactions and questions.
Yes, our National Gallery tours work brilliantly for families. Our Blue Badge guides excel at engaging children through storytelling rather than dry art history lectures. They encourage kids to spot details in paintings like hidden symbols in the Arnolfini Portrait or the dramatic action in Bacchus and Ariadne.
We mention interactive elements in the tour description, including age-appropriate challenges. Previous families with children aged 6–16 report that our guides kept everyone engaged for the full 2.5 hours—a remarkable achievement given the typical museum attention span. The private nature means we can take breaks when needed and adjust the pace for younger visitors.
Read more about family-friendly highlights at the National Gallery.
The National Gallery tour involves approximately 1–1.5 miles of gentle walking over 2.5 hours, entirely indoors on level floors. The gallery’s main collection occupies a single floor (Level 2), eliminating the need for excessive stair climbing. We make frequent stops to view and discuss paintings, allowing regular rest opportunities.
Benches are positioned throughout the galleries for seated viewing. The gallery provides step-free access via lifts, and wheelchairs are available to reserve in advance. Our guides readily adapt the route and pacing for guests with mobility considerations—we’ve successfully guided visitors using wheelchairs, walkers, and those who simply prefer a slower pace.
Our guides monitor the gallery’s current displays before each tour and check for any paintings temporarily removed for conservation, loans, or exhibition rotation. With 2,300+ paintings on permanent display, there are always spectacular alternatives if a specific work is unavailable.
If you have your heart set on seeing particular paintings, mention this when booking and we’ll confirm their availability before your tour date. The gallery rarely removes its most famous works (Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, the Arnolfini Portrait, Turner’s Fighting Temeraire), but our guides know exactly what’s currently on view and will ensure you see the finest examples from each period.
Yes, custom combination tours are one of our specialities. The National Gallery’s Trafalgar Square location places you within walking distance of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, and the British Museum. Popular combinations include a morning at the National Gallery followed by afternoon exploration of Westminster Abbey or the British Museum.
We offer both half-day (4 hours) and full-day (8 hours) options. For bespoke itineraries combining multiple attractions with your National Gallery tour, contact us directly. Our Blue Badge guides can efficiently plan routes that maximise your time whilst reducing queuing and travel between sites.
Wear comfortable walking shoes as you’ll be on your feet for approximately 2.5 hours with regular standing stops. Photography is permitted (no flash), so bring your camera or smartphone. Water bottles are allowed and recommended—bring a resealable bottle.
The gallery requests that large bags (over 56 × 25 × 45 cm) be checked in the cloakroom (£3 charge, or free for members). Backpacks should be worn on the front in the galleries. The meeting point is the Sainsbury Wing entrance on Trafalgar Square, where your guide will be holding a sign with your name. Consider arriving 10 minutes early to use the facilities and check any large bags before the tour begins.
Book your private National Gallery Highlights Tour and discover masterpieces through the eyes of our passionate Blue Badge Guides.
