• Private Tour
• Carbon Neutral

Enjoy a two hour private tour with an Art Historian around the National Gallery and enjoy the well-known and much loved paintings in this wonderful space together with your very own local guide by your side.

Destination

London, England

Category

City Highlight Tours

Duration

2.5 hours

Transport mode

Walking tour

Available languages

English, Italiano

Included

• Private guide

What you can expect

This is the plan

Check out the plan below to see what you'll get up to with your local host. Feel free to personalize this offer with Rosa.

1. Meeting point

   Meet at Trafalgar Square - London to start your journey

   View on Maps

2. Itinerary

   This is what our experience could look like, but it’s not set in stone! Once you book, you can chat directly with your host to make small tweaks to suit your preferences.

3. Start

   Meet in Trafalgar Square outside the main entrance to The National Gallery

4. Stop 1

   Start our visit in the Sainsbury's Wing to see the earliest paintings of the collection like Van Eyck and Piero della Francesca.

5. Stop 2

   We will then view works by Raphael, Leonardo da Vinci, Titian.

6. Stop 3

   Progress chronologically through the galleries seeing Veermers, Rembrandts, Canalettos.

7. Stop 4

   To finish we will enjoy some of the most celebrated Impressionist paintings by Monet, Degas, Cezanne.

8. End

   After seeing some Van Goghs stay for a chat and some fantastic tips on restaurants, other museums and theatres.

9. Make it yours

   Want to tweak the itinerary? Book directly & chat afterwards with your host to adjust highlights, skip stops, or make small changes to fit your preferences.

   Book risk-free: Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund.

   Need something special? Personalize your experience for more time, alternative locations or a completely tailored plan.

I can personalize this tour for you

• Tell me your preferred date and group size
• Tell me your preferences and wishes so I can customize the tour for you
• Wait for my personal offer in your inbox!

Contact me

Flexible cancellation policy

• Feel confident booking

  Cancel within 24 hours for a full refund. Even up to 7 days before your experience, you’ll receive a refund, minus the service fee.

• Change of plans?

  Reschedule your experience to a date and time that works best for you.

• Loved by travelers worldwide

  Simple and flexible – your plans, your way.

Reviews from guests

Maurits🇱🇺 Luxembourg

10 November 2024

We had a wonderful time with Rosa exploring the National Gallery. She took us on a very interesting tour with al lot of interaction. She gave us new insights on paintings we taught we knew and let us discover a few gems that had previously escaped our attention. We are looking forward to meet her again on our next trip to London. a highly recommended discovery

James🇺🇸 United States

20 October 2024

We had a wonderful experience at the National Gallery with Rosa. Her knowledge of, and love for, the Gallery was obvious. Due to us having another commitment we were a bit rushed, but Rosa showed us the highlights of the Gallery and taught us so much about the paintings we saw. We would highly recommend Rosa and will reach out to her again the next time we visit the GallerySuperb guide

Unknown

11 September 2024

Wow, Rosa was so knowledgeable and friendly. She not only answered all of our questions, but made both of us enjoy our time with her and in the National Gallery. Thru our visit people would stop to listen to her. It is easy to see she loved her work. Rosa was awesome

mel

14 August 2024

Thank you Rosa for a brilliant tour of the masterpieces at the national gallery. You aimed the explanations at the right level for teenagers, with lots of fun anecdotes added in to keep them entertained. We really appreciated your expertise and good humour. Rosa -national gallery

Rachael🇬🇧 United Kingdom

9 June 2024

My Mum and I were so happy with the tour we took with the lovely Rosa. I contacted Rosa to ask about particular things we wanted to see and we were delighted to be able to see everything we wanted and more. Rosa was so very generous with her knowledge and with her time, spending longer than expected because of her enthusiasm to share things with us. Her knowledge was vast and she explained the hidden messages and histories of so many exhibits. I have no hesitation in recommending her to anyone wanting a tour which is fun and informative. A Wonderful Tour of the National Gallery

Ingrid🇸🇪 Sweden

3 June 2024

Rosa made our first time in the National Gallery a wonderful, fun and superinteresting experience. She is very knowledgeable and entertaining. We really loved her, and will definately book her again. To be recommended!!! Thank you Rosa!Amazing Rosa

Larry🇺🇸 United States

1 June 2024

We visited the National Gallery with our two grandsons, ages 10 and 13. Rosa was really great with them. She kept them involved and interested. She has extensive knowledge, but her best asset is her ability to read the group and direct her comments appropriately. I highly recommend her. Great With Children

Alison🇺🇸 United States

20 April 2024

Best tour I’ve ever had! Rosa is smart, quick-witted, schooled in art history, and very, very knowledgeable about the amazing NG collection. Truly memorable and very worth it! Exceptional!

Andrew🇨🇦 Canada

19 April 2024

We were both surprised at just how excellent Rosa was. We expected “good” but this experience was way in excess of that. One of us is an artist and she was delighted with the tour. The other is a completely unartistic person with no prior knowledge of art and he was also delighted with the tour. Not easy to accomplish the “delight” of 2 completely different approaches and interests! She has knowledge, approachability, humour and passion. No better tour, ever.Absolutely excellent!

Benjamin🇺🇸 United States

7 April 2024

Our family of four (kids aged 12 and 15) really enjoyed our tours with Rosa of the British Museum and the National Gallery. Her knowledge was broad and deep — we asked about all sorts of items from the collections as we went by, and she had lots to offer about everything. She was energetic and personable, and really kept our kids interested throughout. She also was great about pacing to suit the mood — taking a break when needed, lengthening or shortening the discussion, and calibrating her information to adults and kids alike. Knowledgeable, personable, and flexible

Melissa🇺🇸 United States

3 April 2024

Rosa not only provided us with a very informative and extremely interesting afternoon at the National Gallery, but she tailored her presentation to 2 adults with little knowledge of art history and our moody 13 year old. Better yet, she did so without ever making us feel belittled for our inexperience. I came away from the tour with a new found love for the art we saw and the stories behind the art. Her passion for art is contagious. More than wonderful experience!

gerry

30 March 2024

Three friends and I had a private tour with Rosa and it was quite the best start to a weekend that we could have hoped for. Rosa is fabulously knowledgable about art history but wears her knowledge lightly. She is lovely and has a thoroughly engaging personality - a great combo for a tour guide. In advance of the tour she asked what we were particularly interested in seeing and then arranged the tour to squeeze it all in - making great linking connections between the different eras. She had also done additional research tailored to our particular interests which helped make her tour quite fascinating. Using her knowledge of the art, during the tour she helped us see and understand more about each painting. We all learnt a lot in a short time - I will be using my new understanding about perspective when looking at art in the future. Her explanation of the Leonardo da Vinci cartoon was particularly brilliant and in fact was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone else who happened to be in the tiny viewing room at the same time. I also loved the fact that she encouraged discussion about each piece, as it really helped widen our understanding and made us think about what we were seeing. We all came away completely enthused about the time we had spent in her company. I would definitely recommend Rosa and so would all my friends. Review by ClaireSuch a treat!

Manuella🇧🇭 Bahrain

9 March 2024

Rosa was simply wonderful! Knowledgeable, passionate and engaging - she gently unwrapped each work of art and gifted it to us. I would highly recommend this tour to anyone who has an interest in art.

Rochelle🇬🇧 United Kingdom

27 February 2024

Rosa was everything we hoped for and more! We spent 2½ hours with her in the gallery and learnt an incredible amount. This was a treat for my mother's 80th birthday and she enjoyed every minute of it. There is too much to see in this amount of time, and though Rosa offered a longer tour, for us it was enough, (plus we had a reservation at a local restaurant.) Really you would need a whole day to look at each painting in detail. Rosa showed us pieces from every collection and with each piece gave us a flavour of the context, the style, the form and an interpretation of the painting, which was so interesting and enabled us to capture so much more than we would have simply walking around reading the captions. Rosa was warm, endearing, passionate, fun and captivated our attention and interest throughout the whole tour. I would highly recommend her! Fabulously Informative Tour!

Julie🇺🇸 United States

27 February 2024

If you’re in London for even a few hours, do everything you can to spend them with Rosa at The National Gallery! You will only be disappointed that you don’t have more time…Rosa is everything you could hope for and more! Smart, funny, knowledgeable, and an NG insider with great stories about the incredible art and how it got there! And as a remarkable bonus, she also knows her way around every other museum in London. Absolutely cannot recommend more!A Perfect 10!

Eva🇬🇧 United Kingdom

18 December 2023

Rosa gave us a superbly well-prepared tour of the National Gallery, covering a wide variety of artists and periods with a friendly, competent and highly professional style. She has incredible knowledge of many aspects of fine art, ranging from materials used, to techniques and interpretation. It is fair to say that we will never see the painting Rosa guided us through the same way again. We cannot recommend Rosa enough! :)Highly recommend national gallery tour

Dave🇺🇸 United States

26 November 2023

We had been to the National Gallery a few times without a guide and love it. However, our tour with Rosa took our experience to another level. Simply put, it was incredible! Rosa met us outside the gallery and after a quick settling in, whisked us through 600 years of art. She had so much energy, and her personality and humor was infectious. Not related to art, but her discussion of a certain queen consort was hilarious :) You can tell Rosa loves art, and by the end of the tour I’m sure you’ll love and appreciate it too. I can’t recommend this enough. Absolutely Perfect!

Jurgita🇬🇧 United Kingdom

4 November 2023

Rosa is a beautiful human being and an expert in what she does. Visiting the NG with Rosa was a true highlight of this year for myself and my 2 children. Rosa has an extensive knowledge in the NG. She is not only an expert in arts but also has an incredible gift to engage the children. I truly do not know how she managed to keep my 6 year old boy attention for 2 hours without any break. She was also very accommodating of our needs. She helped us to navigate on London transport as our plans had to change the last minute due to the protests happening in London (which she didnt have to do). Thank you Rosa so much for the magical time spent at the NG. We hope to see you soon! Lots of love.Visit to the NG with Rosa

Robin🇬🇧 United Kingdom

31 October 2023

What a marvellous time we spent with Rosa at the National Gallery. She went through the major painters chronologically and both my wife and I learned a great deal particularly about how painters incorporate subtle stories within their paintings as well as leaving intellectual traps for the viewer. Rosa covered a lot of ground and a lot of artists. Her knowledge was clearly substantial and deep but she did very well in making it accessible to amateurs like us . Well worth the time and cost of the tour. Rosa and the History of Art

Nick🇺🇸 United States

28 October 2023

Rosa is an excellent guide. This wasn’t our first trip to the National Gallery, but was by far the best and most enjoyable. Rosa made the gallery much more understandable and manageable, showing us not only some exceptional works we wouldn’t have found on our own, but putting those works in context. She has worked at the gallery in the past, and her expertise came across on each piece. We went on a busy day, but she was able to navigate easily through the rooms. She routinely showed us details we would have missed on these paintings. Her passion for the art works was evident. Like many who have reviewed her before us, we look forward to returning for another visit with her, and will recommend her to friends and family with enthusiasm. Thanks Rosa for a most memorable experience. Excellent National Gallery tour

Erik🇺🇸 United States

3 September 2023

We had a fantastic tour of the National Gallery with Rosa. She is incredibly knowledgeable about the collection and art history, she is highly recommended as a guide to the museum!Womderful!

Veronica🇵🇭 Philippines

17 July 2023

We so looked forward to going to the National Gallery and see the different famous paintings of renowned painters. My two daughters were with me and they know I liked art. I am an art collector myself and I really appreciate the details of every painting shown to us by Rosa and the consideration she had for my two daughters. She is very insightful and knowledgeable about the pieces in the museum having worked there for eight years as she said. She even gave us the names of places to eat after the tour. I wanted to stay in the Gallery the whole day and listen to her but had to leave because my daughters got hungry. Thank you very much, Rosa. We would not have experienced the Gallery the same way we did had we not have you guiding us inside. Cheers!Rendezvous with Rosa

Teresa🇺🇸 United States

16 June 2023

Rosa gave my 13 year old granddaughter and me a private tour of The National Gallery and she was amazing. Without her we would’ve walked through the rooms saying “like it” or “not my taste”. We learned about paints & pigments, symbolism, painting styles, etc. It was so interesting and when she was talking other visitors were drawn into what she was saying which didn’t bother me at all. We spent several hours with her; several days would have been better! I highly recommend her! Along with being knowledgeable, she’s also very funny and energetic. Highly recommend her tours. Rosa Rocks!

Webber🇺🇸 United States

7 June 2023

Rosa is THE person to show you around the National Gallery. Having worked there and obtained her PhD in art history, she is truly an expert and will put you at ease in the museum. She can tell you when pieces were acquired and about their restoration, as well as the artists, techniques, relevant history, and practically anything else. Her passion for the art is so clear. One recommendation - give yourself plenty of time. We booked two hours but would have enjoyed three or four. Rosa would be happy to build in a break for restrooms, water, or lunch, I’m sure.Go With an Expert

Evelyn🇺🇸 United States

24 May 2023

Rosa was knowledgeable, informative, detailed, and fun to be with in exploring the National Gallery and its treasures. We learned so much about art in 3 hours. Rosa was easy to understand and excited about the art she showed us. It was a valuable and memorable experience. Amazing Learning Experience

Shelly🇨🇦 Canada

21 May 2023

We thoroughly enjoyed our few hours with Rosa touring the National Gallery. Her passion and enthusiasm for Art shines through and she was the perfect guide for our group. She showed us many of the most significant works giving us a great background on the various periods and artists as well as explained the technical aspects of the works. She is very engaging and adds just the right amount of humor to the stories - whether you have some art knowledge or never been to a gallery, she tailors the experience so everyone can enjoy it. Would 100% recommend booking time with Rosa - it will be an experience you won't soon forget!Wonderful National Gallery tour

Philip🇬🇧 United Kingdom

7 April 2023

Rosa had scheduled 2.5hrs with us to take us through the collection. In the end, we spent some 4 hrs together as one interesting conversation led to another. Her knowledge was really deep and generously shared. The hours passed very quickly, propelled by her enthusiasm and passion for the collection. I would highly recommend Rosa to anyone who really wants to learn something.Fantastic guide - highly recommended

Francisco🇵🇹 Portugal

8 March 2023

It was the best experience in London. Rosa was punctual, as a british must be ;). She had worked for years in the National Gallery, and know every single masterpiece of the collection. We are just art lovers, and even so the explanations was very comprehensive and worth of. Unfortunately we had to end, but now we got another point of view of many things of that wonderful creations.Best experience in London

atanasova🇨🇭 Switzerland

27 February 2023

Rosa was great at creating a story and drawing you in to get excited about art. I could listen to her for hours and just enjoy all the details and tidbits that Rosa is passionate to share.Absolutely amazing

michael🇺🇸 United States

6 December 2022

Rosa was a wonderful, gracious, and generous guide. We learned so much, and even familiar works took on a new perspective with her expertise. Her love of the museum and art came through every moment.Great insight

David🇬🇧 United Kingdom

28 October 2022

Absolutely fantastic afternoon with Rosa in the National Gallery. She was so well informed and clearly had an exteremly high level of expertise. We felt that by the end of the afternoon we knew so much more about both the paintings we had looked at and the entire history and development of art, colouring, and artistic practices and materials - amazing! Her enthusiasm for the art and the gallery shone through and she was a pleasure to listen to. She also went on far longer than we had paid for and would have carried on longer if we hadn't had to leave to go to a dinner booking! Brilliant experience and can't recommend highly enough.Wonderful educational experience

Sarah🇬🇧 United Kingdom

28 October 2022

We booked Rosa’s tour of the National Gallery as a joint 60th birthday present for my parents. Their feedback after the tour was: “The National Gallery tour was totally amazing. She would have gone on all night as in no rush to get rid of us. She was so interesting passionate and informative. An absolute joy. Thank you so much. A brilliant present.” Rosa was also incredibly responsive and flexible in the booking process as we had to cancel and rebook due to transport strikes. Thank you Rosa! 60th birthday present

Olivier🇨🇭 Switzerland

24 October 2022

We were very very pleased! Great visit, clear detailed explanations . Very nice and enjoyable experience ! Review National galery visit with Rosa

Gibran🇺🇸 United States

15 October 2022

Our tour with Rosa was one of the highlights of our visit to London. Her passion for art is infectious. The tour was incredibly fun, engaging and memorable. Thank you Rosa!Exceptional Tour

Rose🇺🇸 United States

31 July 2022

We had the most marvelous experience with Rosa. Her passion and knowledge of The National Gallery is fabulous. She is so very upbeat and in tune with her audience; her ability to communicate effectively is outstanding. We were a family of three and we had a wonderful time. Interesting our daughter who was studying abroad with a group of college kids and they had Rosa as well. We were comparing notes about our experiences and realized we both had the pleasure of Rosa as our guide, it was a great experience and I’d recommend Rosa. A Passion Filled Day…

Pearl🇺🇸 United States

11 July 2022

Rosa conducted two consecutive tours for our group of 20 college students this summer. She was absolutely brilliant in providing information about all aspects of the painting with a focus on the formal aspects of painting and the history of the materials and symbols used. Her knowledge of medieval and Renaissance painting was particularly impressive. She pitched the level for our students perfectly and was an engaging and entertaining speaker. The tour was a little long for the attention span of our 18-20 year-olds (going 3 hours), but despite their getting a bit antsy at the end, they enjoyed it immensely. I would highly recommend the tour with Rosa, who knows the National Gallery very well and is able to highlight its most important pieces and provide information only an art historian would know. Thank you, Rosa!!

Leila🇺🇸 United States

3 July 2022

Rosa was amazing! We are a family of six with a wide range of age and interest in art. She kept all of us engaged for the entire tour and we learned so much that we would never have without her! She was also flexible and considerate of the needs of our varied group. Rosa integrates art history, technique development and personal details about the artists during her tour. Highly recommend!!!Excellent Guide

ronald🇬🇧 United Kingdom

7 June 2022

Our private tour of the National gallery with Rosa was nothing less than fantastic. She has so much knowledge and enthusiasm that it was impossible not to be enthralled by the whole experience. It was my wife's birthday present and she says it was the best ever. Thanks you Rosa.Wonderful experience

Lena🇸🇪 Sweden

6 June 2022

Rosa was sharing her deep knowledge in art history with us. Her generous and nice way of presenting the paintings to us was much appreciated. She gave us a comfortable tour through National Gallery showing and telling us about some of the most beautiful and interesting paintings of the collection. We are very happy having had Rosa as a guide and we can very much recommend her to everyone. Excellent guide to National Gallery

Linda🇺🇸 United States

18 May 2022

We weren't sure what to expect so opted for what Rosa called the highlights of the National Gallery. We are not big art people but her organization and vast knowledge of technique illuminated everything she showed us from the 1400s to the 1800s so we saw evolution from early art to Leonardo, the impressionists and Van Gogh. She kept our 12 year old interested and 3 hours passed in a flash. She reviewed intricacies of brush strokes and color in a way that was absolutely engrossing. Totally worth the price!An enriching and enlightening experience

Simona 🇮🇹 Italy

24 April 2022

esperienza meravigliosa con Rosa che per ben 4 ore (la visita doveva durare 2) ci ha accompagnato all'interno della National Gallery, partendo da Leonardo e arrivando agli impressionisti. grandissima professionista con una passione coinvolgente per l'arte inutile dire che le 4 ore sono volate e che al momento di lasciarci abbiamo avvertito un reale dispiacere umano! guida svolta in italiano perfetto, ironica e divertente! Consigliatissima.fantastica esperienza!

Thomas🇩🇪 Germany

16 April 2022

I highly recommend Rosa as a guide through the details and intricacies that make up art (or should I write "Art" with a capital "A"? I think not, because Rosa treats even great masterpieces as approachable). She took us through the National Gallery and made the experience so much more enjoyable than simply shuffling from one hall to the next. She also drew the whole experience together with over-arching theses on the artists' choice of subject matter and techniques, made all the more palpable with specific indications at individual works. I read up on a little art history before and after her guided tour: Rosa is inspiring! Five centuries of art--and all in the context of a "big picture"

Edward🇬🇧 United Kingdom

13 March 2022

I bought for Christmas, my grown up children, - 30 year olds - a private guided tour of the National Gallery with Rosa. It exceeded all expectations. Rosa was enthusiastic, very knowledgeable (having worked at the National and spent her life in art) and had a great sense of humour. We are still all buzzing about the experience. We all have a general light interest in art but it is not something we are particularly knowledgable about. Rosa shared her passion and opened our eyes to really see and understand. It is not an exaggeration to say it was a life changing experience - to now see with new insight. We cannot recommend Rosa enough. Please go and be inspired by her........An Amazing guide

Anna🇬🇧 United Kingdom

2 March 2022

I booked Rosa as an experience my Dad and I could share for his 80th birthday. My dad is an art lover, me not so much. However, I was totally enthralled from the very first painting. What Rosa doesn’t know about art and art history probably isn’t worth knowing! As she used to work at the gallery, she knows it incredibly well. There are 000’s of paintings to look at, and the National Gallery as a building is just gorgeous, so it was very special to have someone show us key paintings and specifically art my dad was particularly interested in. It was definitely up there as one of the best tours I have ever done. 100% worth it. Thank you Rosa for an incredible morning. Absolutely amazing - 5*

Jill 🇬🇧 United Kingdom

5 February 2022

I will be booking another tour with Rosa for my friends and I soon. We enjoyed and learnt so much. Rosa’s insights and knowledge about the paintings were fascinating. The collection at the National Gallery is absolutely stunning. Jill

idris🇬🇧 United Kingdom

6 January 2022

Rosa was an exceptional guide, extremely knowledgeable and passionate about all the artworks. What was planned for a 2 hour tour turned into something more like 4 hours + as she could tell we were enjoying it so much! Would definitely recommend whether you're a first time visitor to the national gallery or even someone who has been before. A fantastic tour of the national gallery

Unknown

21 November 2021

While a visit to the National Gallery was on our list of wants on our most recent visit, our time was limited. We contacted Rosa for an expedited visit of the must sees. She was the perfect choice!! Her resume and passion for art allowed for us to have a one of a kind experience. Her enthusiastic approach insured our visit was informative and captivating. Thanks Rosa, looking forward to continuing our journey with you through the Gallery the next time we are in town!.National Gallery Highlights Perfected

Candyce🇺🇸 United States

14 November 2021

Rosa was extremely knowledgeable about the art the we saw at the British Portrait Gallery, she was pleasant, funny, enjoyable. I would recommend her to anyone!A fabul!ous tour

fjanmamed🇬🇧 United Kingdom

4 November 2021

wow, wonderful few hours at the National Gallery with Rosa -- obviously a massive collection of wonderful art at the Gallery , but to have Rosa explain in detail, important pieces of art at different eras was absolutely magical, her knowledge and enthusiasm were boundless . Thank you Rosa , we all enjoyed every moment . Rosa at the National Gallery

Richard🇬🇧 United Kingdom

25 October 2021

Fantastic tour from Rosa, who is lovely. She is incredibly knowledgable and enthusiastic. Highly recommendedExcellent! Highly recommended