The National Gallery of London, London — Visitor Guide & Things to Do Nearby

The National Gallery sits on the north side of Trafalgar Square and holds one of the greatest collections of Western European paintings in the world. Entry is free, and it has been that way since the gallery first opened in 1824.

The gallery was founded when the British government purchased 38 paintings from the estate of John Julius Angerstein, a Russian-born banker and art collector. Those 38 works formed the foundation of a collection that now numbers more than 2,300 paintings, spanning from the mid-13th century to 1900.

The collection includes works by Leonardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Turner, Van Gogh, and Vermeer. Leonardo's "The Virgin of the Rocks," Van Eyck's "Arnolfini Portrait," and Velazquez's "Rokeby Venus" are among the most visited. The gallery also holds Constable's "The Hay Wain" and Monet's "Water-Lilies," which draw steady crowds year-round.

The building itself, designed by William Wilkins and opened in 1838, has been expanded several times. The Sainsbury Wing, completed in 1991, houses the earliest paintings in the collection and was famously described by Prince Charles as a "monstrous carbuncle" in an earlier, rejected design.

If you're on a Questo quest through central London, the National Gallery is a stop where 700 years of art history is free for anyone who walks through the door.