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National Gallery of Art
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National Gallery of Art

See all things to do
See all things to do
National Gallery of Art
5
9,336 reviews
#6 of 499 things to do in Washington DC
Art Museums
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10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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About
This national art museum holds over 141,000 works of western art, spanning from the middle ages through today. Bonus: It's completely free to visit.
Suggested duration
1-2 hours
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Upper Northwest
How to get there
  • Archives • 5 min walk
  • L'Enfant Plaza • 8 min walk
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See what other travellers are saying
  • MelTBert
    Tampa, Florida8 contributions
    My happy place...
    Not sure I can say much more than the thousands of people that have reviewed it before me. It gets 5 star reviews for a reason. I visit this museum regularly. And it never disappoints. Check their website for temporary exhibits, there are always great ones not to be missed. I absolutely love this museum. It’s on par with the Met in NYC and you can’t beat the entrance fee (it’s free!)
    Visited November 2019
    Travelled solo
    Written 21 January 2020
  • Brittany_11_10
    Los Angeles, California1,707 contributions
    Lots to see
    Beautiful museum with so much to see. Only the West Building is open right now, and we still spent a couple hours admiring the sculptures and colonial furniture just on the ground floor. You can easily spend a day here when it's fully open. Entry is free, you just need to sign up for your ticket(s) online in advance.
    Visited May 2021
    Written 20 May 2021
  • Khai L
    Austin, Texas633 contributions
    You'd wish you have more time
    I love going to museums. They are all different, and this one has its own charm and treasures. This museum is free and will be worth your time. There are original paintings of many famous artists throughout different periods. Yet it is known to be the only place that houses the only piece of artwork of Leonardo de Vinci in the Americas. There is also a humongous installation of a blue cock on top of the towers. If you are short on time, the front-desk is very friend and will help you pick up the guide for the highlights of the museum. They are also doing restoration or duplication work on some pieces so it's always fun to catch those moments.
    Visited January 2020
    Written 2 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
Popular mentions
5.0
9,336 reviews
Excellent
7,704
Very good
1,353
Average
207
Poor
49
Terrible
23
GSM_uk
Crawley, UK39 contributions
Art lovers this is a must
Sep 2023 • Friends
As I love arts, I really enjoyed this visit. It has two wings and both with are entertaining. You can go from one wing to another either from outside or indoor ( there’s like a tunnel that connects the two) please see pic.. there’s shop for souvenirs and snack outlet. They also have an interactive drawing area to show your skills which is fun.
Written 23 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sudeep Wig
Bengaluru, India29 contributions
Visit to this art gallery is a must …
Sep 2023 • Family
An outstanding display of art, this gallery is a must visit for those visiting Washington DC. Very well organised, ideally one needs a full day to do justice to this venue
Written 19 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Michael L
Watchung, NJ198 contributions
Must-see.
Aug 2023 • Family
Visited, but didn't come close to finishing the whole thing due to limited time. Would like to come back for more. The collection of Degas sculptures, and the works of French impressionists, were breathtaking.
Written 6 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ray
Fredericksburg, VA4 contributions
Great museum, not so great museum guards
Sep 2023 • Solo
Guards at this museum are rude and unhelpful, although there are some good ones. Lately they seem to be very concerned about people wearing backpacks in the museum . . . not just in the galleries but even in the museum store and dining area! I guess there was an incident recently. I understand the risks associated with wearing a backpack on the back while in the galleries, but if you are going to have a policy about this, enforce it correctly. I was wearing my bag on one shoulder yesterday with the bag resting on my hip (not swinging, held in place by my arm) and I was called out loudly by one of the guards and told that my pack needed to be on one shoulder . . . which it was! When I expressed confusion about what she wanted, she whipped out a little card that showed a graphic of a person with a backpack on one shoulder. She clearly thought I couldn't understand English. Really demeaning. If this is such an issue, then NGA needs to post signs about what they want, and guards need to stop singling out individuals and loudly shaming them in from of other guests.
Great museum as always, and I have been going there for decades, but it seems like every time I go I hear at least one guard treating guests in a way that is less than professional. If a guard has a concern, they should walk up to the person and address them in a normal speaking voice, not broadcast it throughout the entire room.
Written 3 September 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
William W
Ogden, UT54 contributions
World Class Art Museum
Aug 2023 • Solo
Enjoyed another fantastic visit to the Gallery after not visiting for 20 years. It was everything I remembered. This museum ranks among the best I have visited worldwide. The galleries are well organized and easily identified. The free maps were useful in guiding me through the galleries. My biggest disappointment was that a significant part of the museum was closed due to renovation. That being said, my favorite area was open—the American artist displays. My visit brought back many happy memories of other visits.
Written 15 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
NYC Explorer
6 contributions
A museum housing many Great Masters of Art (but don't eat there!)
Aug 2023 • Friends
Overall a Great museum. Regarding the art itself, the museum offers some examples of the very finest, most valuable, most important and most recognizable paintings and sculptures up to the early 20th century. The museum is free and in my opinion all museums in America should be free. With donations suggested. This enables all of every economic status the ability to visit museums and learn about art and culture. The Federal government should enable this for all museums. I did not give this museum an excellent rating despite it receiving TripAdvisor's rating as #2 in best museum to visit in Washington for 2 reasons. The curators did not do a very good job in placing their finest art. A rare Raphael painting is placed on a side wall making it seem insignificant. A magnificent Tintoretto is almost lost by being blocked by a cabinet of less important medallions in front of it! Very tacky. I never saw the Vermeer. Some of the more beautiful Monets and other impressionists were placed in far corners or on walls while lessor artists were shown more prominently. The paint colors were mostly drab and made the average visitor bored easily. Major museums are doing more innovative wall treatments with period patterns and lighting and display features to give the visitor a more exciting experience. This museum seems 20 years behind the times in seeming up to date. Too many rooms with drab green, overly pale blue. Only the American decorative arts rooms with vibrant lemon yellow hit the mark that accentuated and added life to the furniture it highlighted. The curators need to do more. Also there was no signage to draw attention to where to go to see the most important famous works, as the Vermeer. The Louvre does this. Most visitors are not going to research all the great works to see prior to a visit. Again the curators need to do more to add interest and make it easy for visitors to see famous valuable works. The second reason I did not give an outstanding mark is the food concession. It is utter discrimination for this museum to think all visitors earn in excess of $100K salary and shows a clear bias and prejudice by the restaurant offered. The prices are outrageous for a public government sponsored museum to rip off visitors. The type of food offered was not very appetizing = it wanted to appear gourmet. With lunch prices starting at $18 and up plus tip jar, Coca Cola in a can for $4, and expensive dessert items, a family of four could find it very hard to feed children affordably or even provide foods they would even eat! Some of the food was awful in flavoring - we ordered the quiche and salmon plates. Neither would appeal to an average American. The quiche was so tiny (about the size of an old dollar coin!) that I wanted to say is this some kind of joke when the staff served us! The salad was just some greens with no dressing. Almost $20! Horrible although I will give some positive points that the quiche was delicious. I was still hungry though! The salmon plate was a bit more food with disgusting tiny pickles (not sweet but horribly bitter and not even dill), disgusting pickled cauliflower. The salmon was smoked and average along with some slices of egg. Most would not find these menu items enjoyable. And the prices were outrageously expensive as if you were at an upscale restaurant or in New York City. I would encourage you to go elsewhere for lunch 2 blocks away to restaurants along the periphery of the museums. I am shocked the museum system allows such food and chefs to be housed here. The eating area was too small. The fountain statue was a nice touch but the seating was not that comfortable or attractive. Very average. The architecture of the museum is impressive and was well air conditioned. There was sufficient areas to sit despite the crowds of visitors. The special exhibit was up to date in feel and well curated. Much better presentation of the special exhibit than many of the gallery rooms of the main collection. I cannot put this museum in a category that compares with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Metropolitan Museum or the Victoria and Albert Museum but sadly one notch down. Those museums you want to visit over and over again. But if you go to Washington DC and want to see examples of the very best of Degas, Monet, Pissaro and Sisley, Renoir, Gaugain, Raphael, Vermeer and other great masters, it is more than worth it since it is free!
Written 14 August 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ann W
2 contributions
Glad I went back
Jul 2023 • Solo
An amazing collection of art! I found the map very helpful. I could cross off rooms as I went along. There are so many gallery rooms you may miss some otherwise.
Written 29 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Shana M
Lubbock, TX8 contributions
West Wing Tour
Jul 2023
We saw the West Wing of the Gallery with the tour guide. She was kind and considerate. I appreciated her taking us to all the "important" rooms, but also some of the lesser known rooms. We were then able to go explore on our own. It was a great tour.
Written 15 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
DTE441
Manchester, VT11 contributions
Great but management can do more
Jul 2023 • Family
Impeccable permanent collection and exhibits in stunning buildings. Great idea to ask for donations to those buying something in the gift shop.
Management falters on lack of drinking fountains and inability to fill a water bottle anywhere but a bathroom sink. No apparent recycling.
Also we would like to see circulation of thr enormous amount of art in storage to the multitude of small museums in the USA and beyond. Help those small museums thrive and NG can take full credit!
Written 14 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dan A
East Haven, CT34 contributions
Don't miss the National Gallery
Jun 2023 • Business
The collections are fantastic. We were amazed at how many important works are in the National Gallery. We had no idea how large it was, and we're amazed at how many important artworks were actually on display.
Written 10 July 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART: All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)

Frequently Asked Questions about National Gallery of Art
National Gallery of Art is open:
  • Sun - Sat 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM
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