National Portrait Gallery Tour
- 3 hours
- 17 languages
- Instant confirmation
- Private tour
Highlights
The gallery will be closed from mid-2020 to (planned) spring 2023 for a major refurbishment. During this time, parts of the collection will be displayed around the UK in a series of exhibitions and collaborations, with other international loan exhibitions. This is a three-hour tour with an expert tour guide. Virtually hidden away behind the National Gallery, The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is an art gallery in London housing a collection of portraits of historically important and famous British people for over four hundred years opening in 1856 where its first acquisition was possibly the oldest portrait of William Shakespeare. Find out more about the people who shaped Britain: meet Henry VIII and discover the fate of each of his six wives and Cardinal Wolsey and Thomas Cromwell, who won and lost power under him. We then visit the court of Queen Elizabeth I, and her favourite men Raleigh and Drake who plundered the Spanish and created England's first colonies.
Inclusions
What's included
- - Hand sanitizers and masks will be available in our vehicles for the best hygiene practice.
Itinerary
Important Announcement: The gallery will be closed from mid-2020 to (planned) spring 2023 for a major refurbishment. During this time, parts of the collection will be displayed around the UK in a series of exhibitions and collaborations, with other international loan exhibitions. The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) is a London Art Gallery with a collection of portraits of current and historically significant British people. It became the world's first portrait gallery in 1856. National Portrait Gallery has some significant paintings such as The Chandos portrait of William Shakespeare, the first painting to enter the NPG's collection for instance. Not all of the portraits are exceptional artistically, although there are self-portraits by William Hogarth, Sir Joshua Reynolds and other British artists of note. Some, such as the group portrait of the participants in the Somerset House Conference of 1604, are important historical documents in their own right. Often, the curiosity value is greater than the artistic worth of work, as in the case of the anamorphic portrait of Henry VIII’s only son Edward VI by William Scrots, Patrick Branwell Brontë's painting of his sisters Charlotte, Emily and Anne, or a sculpture of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert in medieval costume. Portraits of living figures were allowed from 1969. In addition to its permanent galleries of historical portraits, the National Portrait Gallery exhibits a rapidly changing selection of contemporary work, stages exhibitions of portrait art by individual artists and hosts the annual BP Portrait Prize competition.
Cancellation
All sales are final. No refund is available for cancellations.
Know before you go
- Meeting point
- The museum is very well located in the centre of London, near Trafalgar Square. The closest tube stations are Charing Cross by Northern Line (Black) 3 minutes walk and Leicester Square by Northern (Black) and Piccadilly (Dark blue) Lines 3 minutes walk. Many bus routes pass through Trafalgar Square.
- Pickup
- Pickup is offered, or you can meet at the starting point.
- Ticket type
- Mobile or paper ticket accepted
- Operated by
- Tourope UK
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- All areas and surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
How it compares in London
- Its from-price is 81% above the median of the 809 city tours we list in London.
- Its length is typical for the group.
About London
London mixes royal ceremony, world-class museums and riverside landmarks with distinct neighbourhoods, markets and parks to explore on foot.
The Thames threads the city together. On its banks stand the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, the Tower of London with the Crown Jewels, Tower Bridge and the long South Bank walk past the London Eye, Shakespeare's Globe and Tate Modern. St Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey anchor the older skyline, while glass towers crowd the financial district.
Top-ranked sights in London: St. Paul's Cathedral, Stonehenge, Tower of London.
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