Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Cost and Hours:
Free, but suggested donation of
£
4, special exhibits extra, daily
10:00-18:00, Fri until 21:00, last entry to special exhibits 45 minutes before closing; free
guided tours available, worthwhile audioguide-
£
3.50, floor plan-
£
1; on Trafalgar Square,
Tube: Charing Cross or Leicester Square, recorded info tel. 020/7747-2885, switchboard
tel. 020/7839-3321,
www.nationalgallery.org.uk
. The excellent-but-pricey museum res-
taurant called the National Dining Rooms is a good spot to split afternoon tea (see
here
);
the museum has cheaper eateries as well.
See the National Gallery Tour chapter.
Cut off by halls of 19th-century characters who meant nothing to me, I used to call this “as
interesting as someone else's yearbook.” But a selective walk through this 500-year-long
Who's Who
of British history is quick and free, and puts faces on the story of England.
Some highlights: Henry VIII and wives; portraits of the “Virgin Queen” Elizabeth
I, Sir Francis Drake, and Sir Walter Raleigh; the only real-life portrait of William
