LONDON FOR FREE

National Gallery
Hundreds of the most famous and beautiful paintings in the world can be seen for free at the National Gallery.
At Trafalgar Square, the heart of London, this stunning collection includes inspiring art by Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, Titian, Holbein, Velzquez, Rembrandt, Turner, Constable, Monet, Van Gogh and Picasso. Every day you can get closer to the paintings by joining a free guided tour or talk, or explore with ArtStart, the award-winning touchscreen guide to the collection. www.nationalgallery.org.uk

V&A
The Victoria and Albert Museum is the worlds greatest museum of art and design, with collections unrivalled in their scope and diversity.
Discover 3000 years worth of amazing artefacts from many of the worlds richest cultures. See sparkling jewellery, beautiful paintings, breathtaking fashion and contemporary ceramics. Dont miss the awe-inspiring Medieval and Renaissance galleries featuring works by the leading masters of the Italian Renaissance such as Donatello, Michelangelo and Giambologna.
Above: Blue Form by Wouter Dam; Netherlands, 2003 V&A Below: The Great Bed of Ware; England, circa 1590 V&A

Above: The British School, The Cholmondeley Ladies circa 1600-10 Below: John Singer Sargent, Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose, 1885-6

Tate Britain
Tate Britain is the original Tate and holds the largest collection of British art in the world.
The gallery shows work from the last five centuries, including contemporary British art, in a series of free changing displays. Tates collection includes masterpieces by British artists such as Hogarth, Constable Gainsborough, Millais, Burne-Jones, Whistler, Sargent, Sickert, Hepworth and Bacon. The extraordinary work of JMW Turner can be seen in the Clore Gallery. www.tate.org.uk

Above: Vincent van Gogh, Sunowers, 1888 The National Gallery, London Below: Diego Velzquez, The Toilet of Venus (The Rokeby Venus), 164751 The National Gallery, London

Seven miles of gallery space is yours to explore for free at the V&A. www.vam.ac.uk

British Museum
Discover two million years of human history and culture.
The British Museums African, American, Asian, European and Ancient World collections include real-life legends like the Rosetta Stone and Easter Island statue, masterpieces like the Lewis Chessmen and Michelangelo cartoon, and iconic objects, from the oldest man-made tools on earth to the first known image of Christ. And thats all before you get to the mummies. www.britishmuseum.org

National Portrait Gallery

Nothing is more fascinating than people and there is nowhere better to meet them than at the National Portrait Gallery.
Visitors come face to face with the people who have shaped British history and culture from kings and queens to musicians and film stars. Artists featured range from Holbein to Hockney and the Collection includes work across all media, from painting and sculpture to photography and video. www.npg.org.uk

Above: Queen from the Lewis Chessmen. Probably made in Norway, about AD 1150-1200. Found on the Isle of Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland. The Trustees of the British Museum Below: Turquoise mosaic of a double-headed serpent. Aztec/Mixtec, 15th-16th century AD. From Mexico. The Trustees of the British Museum

Tate Modern
A visit to London isnt complete without a trip to Tate Modern.
Britains national museum of modern and contemporary art from around the world is housed in the former Bankside Power Station on the banks of the Thames. The awe-inspiring Turbine Hall runs the length of the entire building and you can see amazing work for free by artists such as Czanne, Bonnard, Matisse, Picasso, Giacometti, Rothko, Dal, Pollock, Warhol and Koons. www.tate.org.uk

Above: Pablo Picasso, Nude Woman with Necklace, 1968. Tate Collection Succession Picasso/DACS, London 2010 Below: Umberto Boccioni Unique Forms of Continuity in Space, 1913, cast 1972

Above: Damon Albarn by Julian Opie Julian Opie Below: Queen Elizabeth I by unknown artist, c. 1600 National Portrait Gallery, London

V&A Cromwell Road, London SW7 2RL Open daily 10.0017.45, Friday until 22.00 Tel 020 7942 2000 South Kensington, Knightsbridge

Tate Britain Millbank, London SW1P 4RG Open daily 10.00 18.00, first Friday of every month until 22.00 Tel 020 7887 8888 Pimlico, Vauxhall, Westminster Millbank Pier

British Museum Great Russell Street, London WC1B 3DG Open daily 10.00 17.30, Thursday and Friday selected galleries until 20.30 Tel 020 7323 8000

Left: The John Madejski Garden at the V&A V&A

Tottenham Court Road, Holborn, Russell Square

National Gallery Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN Open daily 10.0018.00, Friday until 21.00 Tel 020 7747 2885 Charing Cross, Leicester Square Charing Cross

Tate Modern Bankside, London SE1 9TG Open daily 10.00 18.00, Friday and Saturday until 22.00 Tel 020 7887 8888 S outhwark, Mansion House, St Pauls B ankside Pier

National Portrait Gallery St Martins Place, London WC2H 0HE Open daily 10.0018.00, Thursday and Friday until 21.00 Tel 020 7306 0055 Charing Cross, Leicester Square Charing Cross

LONDON FOR FREE

To plan your journey by the quickest route visit

www.tfl.gov.uk/journeyplanner or text TFL to 60835 Some major exhibitions may incur an entry charge

See some of the worlds greatest collections of art, culture and history for free. Only in London visitlondon.com/londonforfree

Six of the worlds greatest museums FOR FREE

Some of the best art and culture you will ever see