National Gallery

I went to the National Gallery twice during my ten days in London. The first visit was to see an exhibit on Renoir's "Landscapes" and the second was to see the main collection, specifically the three VerMeer paintings that are on permanent display.

As many reviewers have pointed out, admission to the main collection is free and an audio guide is available for a small fee. If the Renoir exhibit is any example, this museum does a fantastic job of putting these on with a very helpful staff.

This is one of the world's premier art museums and should be on any "three day" itinerary of London regardless of your interests.

There are many beautiful works on display at London's National Gallery... if only I had spent as much time examining them as I did the floor map. The gallery urges visitors to explore the artwork chronologically (ie: view the paintings in the order of which they were painted), but the rooms themselves are not in a clear sequential order. I spent far too much time navigating the museum and only really enjoyed it once I gave up on the method and just explored the collection at my leisure. I also visited the National Gallery the day after I visited the Tate Modern and I must say that I preferred the collection at the Tate much better (but it's all a matter of personal taste). Tate was also much easier to navigate. Additionally, the National Gallery has free admission and is located at London's Trafalgar Square, which means that it's easily accessible by foot or tube and is close by many other worthwhile attractions.