10 Best Galleries in London

The National Gallery in London offers one of the most spectacular painting collections in the world, with iconic pieces by such masters as Rembrandt, Titian and Van Gogh. The public collection here also showcases names such as Renoir, da Vinci, Botticelli and Turner. You'll see hundreds of masterworks by dozens of famed historic painters here, and you can explore regular rotating exhibitions that showcase themed art collections, sometimes from the museum's pieces and other times from traveling exhibits.

Here you can learn how the classic masters shaped the Renaissance, and learn about the development and evolution of the Impressionist movement. They also host regular events like the Winter Survival festival. It's in Trafalgar Square in the city centre.

Tate Modern offers the chance to visit a national museum of contemporary and modern art with unique architecture and hundreds of amazing pieces in every medium. The museum is free to enter and contains works by such incredible names as Picasso, Dali, Rothko, Matisse, Cézanne, Bonnard, Warhol, Pollock and many other names. The building itself has unusual architecture for a gallery as it is housed inside a former power station. Today, it's lined by bright LEDs and spotlights that brilliantly illuminate the structure at night, turning the very building into an art piece.

Inside the Turbine Hall, the gallery always features a rotating highlight exhibit that changes regularly. It's in Bankside, 18 minutes east of Central London along the Thames.

The National Portrait Gallery displays portraits of every kind, from medieval paintings of famous rulers to modern photos of footballers and political cartoon caricatures. Here you'll see famed musicians, artists, scientists, politicians, movie and television stars, philanthropists and others, all arranged in chronological order starting from the top floor down. At the top, you'll see Tudor and Stuart nobles and Georgian artists and writers. Moving down, you'll see Regency greats, military heroes, Victorian writers and philosophers and great people of the 20th century.

If you've ever wondered when your favorite modern or historical figure was born, this is the place to find out while exploring masterful images. It's in the heart of the London city centre.

The Saatchi Gallery in Chelsea houses a vast contemporary art collection showcasing the hottest and most important young artists from the UK and the world over. Many of the artists you'll see in the rotating exhibitions here are rarely exhibited in Great Britain. The museum is named after Charles Saatchi, who donated the collection, and it will be re-named the Museum of Contemporary Art, London upon Saatchi's retirement. It offers a vast space of over 21,000 square meters and has a mission to inspire passion for contemporary art.

This innovative collection is free to view, and there is also a café and book store. The Gallery is located in Duke of York Square, 15 minutes south-west of the city centre.

The Queen's Gallery is the main public art gallery in the heart of London's Buckingham Palace, exhibiting works from the Royal Collection held in the public trust. The museum has its own access point and normally displays around 450 works including painting, furniture, decorative art and drawings. Exhibits change occasionally and are representative of one of the largest and most important art collections across the world.

Highlights of the collection include a prototype of the Victoria Cross, a portrait of Henry Fitzroy, the lever watch and pedestal of Queen Charlotte, an image of the Devil's Bridge from Catalonia and other unique entries. Children under 5 get free admission.

The Whitechapel Gallery is a free art gallery founded in the early 20th century and dedicated to contemporary art in all its forms, offering internationally acclaimed exhibitions. Just a few of the historic master artists who have been showcased here include Jackson Pollock, Frida Kahlo, Mark Rothko and Pablo Picasso. Modern masters have been showcased here as well, including Mark Wallinger, Lucian Freud, Sophie Calle and Gilbert & George.

This gallery is a central part of the heart and soul of London's cultural landscape, offering exhibitions, displays, art courses and even a dining room and book store. The gallery is open year-round so there is always something new to see.

The Serpentine Galleries is a small, elegant gallery in the heart of Hyde Park offering free exhibitions by world-famous contemporary art icons from around the world. A few of the masters you'll find on exhibit here are Andy Warhol, Chris Ofili and others. The gallery exhibits seasonal showcases of eight shows every year, so there's a good chance of seeing something new every time you visit. In addition, it's famed for its annual Serpentine Pavilion every summer, which showcases an outdoor sculpture series, digital commissions, special art commissions and educational programs.

The dual exhibit spaces of the Serpentine sit on either side of the Serpentine Lake in Kensington Gardens. It's about 20 minutes to the west of the city centre.

The Courtauld Gallery in the Strand houses a major art collection owned by the University of London, consisting of tens of thousands of works in various media. Many featured works are of the Impressionist and Post-Impressionist eras, but the full collection also includes sculptures, decorative art and other pieces dating between medieval and modern times. The museum and the Institute of Art that curates it are focused on the history of art throughout the ages.

The Institute itself is a historic institution, founded in 1932, and the collection's initial pieces included works by Manet, Renoir, Monet and Pissaro, among others, many still on display today. Those 18 and under enter free and it's in the heart of the city centre.

The Dulwich Picture Gallery in South London offers amazing works by masters such as Gainsborough, Rubens, Canaletto, Rembrandt and other Baroque masterpieces and showcases regular themed exhibitions. The gallery was the first purpose-built public art gallery in the world and is housed in a grand building that is a work of art unto itself, built by Sir John Soane. The gallery houses over 600 works, including a stunning and renowned collection of works by the Old Masters.

This gallery is something of a hidden gem of the city, overlooked by many visitors despite its revered status in the art community. It's a 35-minute drive south of the city centre.

The Sotheby's national gallery in Trafalgar Square offers one of the world's great national collections, with over 2,300 works in various media ranging from the 13th to 20th centuries. The Sotheby's gallery was founded in 1824 by the House of Commons and to this day has a mission to raise awareness of the way art elevates all classes of society. The museum is a focus of national pride and has inherited many works from other important collections across England. Here you can see pieces by Stubbs, Van Gogh, Turner and Sorolla, among others.

The museum hosts permanent and rotating exhibits that are themed around specific artists and movements. It's located in the heart of the city centre.