British Museum & National Gallery of London Guided Tour - Semi-Private 8ppl Max

Badge of ExcellenceLondon, England

Londons National Gallery and The Britsh Museum Semi Private Guided Tour

From $202.56

Price varies by group size

Select Date and Travelers

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

5 hours 30 minutes
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Make the most of your time in London with tours of two of its flagship museums: the National Gallery and British Museum. Explore the National Gallery, home to one of the world’s greatest paintings collections, seeing masterpieces such as Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers.’ Plus, let your guide introduce you to some of the must-see ancient and medieval treasures at the British Museum. Both museums are free to enter.

Tour of the National Gallery and British Museum in London
Visit two of the world’s greatest museums in a single day
Admire the highlights of the National Gallery, such as Van Gogh’s ‘Sunflowers’ and Van Eyk’s ‘The Arnolfini Portrait’
View a curated selection of art and artifacts at the massive British Museum
See ancient treasures like the Mummy of Katebet and the Egyptian Rosetta Stone
Small group tour of eight people or fewer ensures personalized attention from a guide
Free entrance to both museums, plus a break for lunch (own expense)

What's Included

Semi-Private Guided Combo Museum Tour
Semi-Private" Means Group Size Is Never More Than 8 Guests Maximum
Professional Tour Guide
Duration 5.5 Hours (Including A Lunch Break)

Tour price does NOT include hotel pickup or drop-off (we recommend UBER or Taxi)
Tour price does NOT include gratuities (optional)
Tour is NOT available for those with walking disabilities or using a wheelchair
Temporary exhibitions NOT included

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

British Museum (Stop W)
London WC1B 3BP, UK
Meet by the red telephone booth closest to the main gate of British Museum. Meet your guide outside the gates of the museum by the red telephone booth situated to the left of the main gates of the museum on the sidewalk of Great Russell Street across from Starbucks.

Start time

10:00 AM

End point

The National Gallery
Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN, UK

What To Expect

Meet your guide near the British Museum, and be introduced to the small group of no more than eight participants in total.

This stunning museum showcases a vast collection of art and artifacts from around the world that span 6,000 years of human history, from Samurai armor to Assyrian lion hunting reliefs dating from the 7th century BC.

Roam through the rooms with your guide, and view a carefully chosen selection of treasures, such as the Mummy of Katebet, the Lewis Chessmen, and the world-famous Rosetta Stone; a 2nd-century BC stone inscribed with priestly Egyptian texts. Your guide provides in-depth but enjoyable insights into the pieces, putting them into context to deepen your understanding of human achievement through history.

Following your tour, leave the museum and after a break for lunch (own expense), reconvene with your guide for your visit to the National Gallery.

Hear a brief introduction to the National Gallery, and the artworks it houses. This famous art museum is home to over 2,300 paintings from all genres of European art from the 13th to the 19th centuries, including works by Leonardo da Vinci, Boticelli, and Monet.

Head inside and take an informative tour, with your guide showing you the highlights of the collection. See works masters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Seurat, and learn fascinating background about the artists, their subjects and techniques.

Masterpieces slated for you to see include 'The Arnolfini Portrait,' a depiction of a Bruges’ merchant and his wife by Jan van Eyck painted in 1434, and Van Gogh’s 'Sunflowers,' one of four paintings of the flowers by the Dutch artist in 1888.

After your tour, say goodbye to your guide, bringing your experience to an end.

The British Museum

2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

National Gallery

2 hours 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Near public transportation
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level

It is imperative that you provide us with guests MOBILE PHONE NUMBER (including country code)
A maximum of 8 people per tour allowed
Minimum numbers apply. This tour will not run without a minimum of 2 guests to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
Notes: British Museum and National Gallery and other attractions or museums in London may be subjected to occasional closures without previous warning from the museum management. When this occurs, we will provide guests with an appropriate alternative if the museum opening time is delayed more than 1h from the tour starting time. In these cases we are unable to provide refunds or discounts. Appropriate dress is required for entry into some sites on this tour. No large bags or suitcases are allowed inside the museum, only handbags or small thin bag packs are allowed through security. Due to increased security measures at many attractions some lines may form on tours with 'Skip the Line' or 'No Wait' access. Some specific rooms inside the museum are subjected to a very quiet or restricted right to speak inside, in this cases your guide will provide the information about this places before entering the specific rooms where this rule applies. Some collections may vary along the year.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 8 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

80 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 80 reviews

A Must- Do Tour

Annalisa_S, Apr 2024

This tour was the highlight of my trip to London and it had everything to do with our guide Matilda. She was not only very knowledgeable but her passion for the arts and its history made for a truly amazing day. Not only did she hone in on the highlights of both museums, her way of story telling provided so much insight and understanding. Absolutely a must do!

Fantastic art and history tour.

Jimmie_R, Feb 2024

Our tour guide Luis was amazing. His extensive knowledge of history and art made this tour very enjoyable and educational. Highly recommend.

Wonderful Tours of Both Museums

Reliant_M, Nov 2023

Mathilda was an excellent guide with clear experience and knowledge of all the key attractions in both museums.

Ask for Stephanie

Sharyl_M, Sep 2023

Our tour guide Stephanie was outstanding and knowledgable. Ask to be on her tour. She had a vast knowledge of history.

British Museum and National Gallery

Sean_E, May 2023

Matilda is a phenomenal guide! She hit all the peaks for each site and was very patient with our kids. We recommend requesting her when you book this tour!

Our guide,Elisha was extremely knowledgeable,friendly and a true teacher

Frank_I, May 2023

The guide,Elisha,who made the ancient artefacts come alive. She is personable patient,encouraging of questions.

Let Mathilda be your guide!

Will_Y, Apr 2023

Unfortunately, the workers at the British Museum went out on strike the morning we were scheduled to visit the British Museum -- Bah! Our guide, Mathilda, immediately set uo a refund for that portion of the tour and arranged to meet us at the National Gallery in the afternoon. Mathillda was a superb guide through the galleries. We learned so much from this pleasant and knowledgeable lady. We highly recommend booking Mathilda for any tour she provides.

History and Art

Harold_B, Mar 2023

Eli is a fantastic guide. Her knowledge and energy for both history and art was very evident as we walked through the museums. We had a great time learning from her. Really enjoyed how she pulled answer from us about the art we looked at. Really gave me a new way to understand and appreciate art.

Fantastic Tour!!

Ken_H, Mar 2023

Anthony Matthews was a brilliant guide in our visit to the British Museum and National Gallery. His knowledge of world history, art history and current events brought the content to life. Probably one of the best tour guides (and tours) we’ve encountered anywhere in the world.

So much more informative than I ever thought!

Robert_R, Jun 2022

Decided to see both the British Museum and the National Gallery in a single day, quite ambitious, even with two amazing guides. Andy met us at the British Museum and gave us a very good overview and highlights of this massive museum. Wish we could have spent more time at the Elgin marbles and Rosetta Stone. We had someone that asked a lot of mundane questions that definitely slowed us down. Poor Andy. We were handed off to Becky to tour the National Gallery. I just want to say that we’ve had guided tours of many art museums throughout the world and we learned more about art in the 2.5 hours with her than all the other tours combined. Becky was charming, witty, and very knowledgeable. I learned so much about the works, but also art in general that I’m sure I’ll be thinking about for years to come. Thank you Becky for sharing your love and knowledge of art with us!

OUTSTANDING!!! Highly recommend!

Ian_H, Jul 2018

Our guide Craig was terrific! Let's face it, there's so much to see at both of these places that the key for the first-time/short-term visitor is knowing where to go quickly, and to avoid wasting time trying to navigate from a map/book. Our guide got us to all the best spots ahead of the hordes, and provided an amazing wealth of knowledge and insights at both the BM and the NG. He'd actually worked at the Museum, and gave us some fantastic inside information on the inner workings that made our tour that much more special and memorable. Incredible collections, and well worth the reasonable price!

Great tour. It had to be split it up...

Gary S, Dec 2017

Great tour. It had to be split it up in two days because of scheduling but both guides were wonderful!

Our day guide Kathy was outstanding...

MJK K, Nov 2017

Our day guide Kathy was outstanding. Wonderful day. Time well spent.

Very knowledgeable tour guide gave us...

Roger_L, Jul 2017

Very knowledgeable tour guide gave us an excellent curated tour.

Had a little hiccup as the meeting...

Jonathan B, Jun 2017

Had a little hiccup as the meeting place had changed but we did not receive any notice from Viator. The guide made it to where we were and we started the tour as our small group turned out just to be my wife and I. I cannot say enough good things about our guide John from Babylon. He was fun, very knowledgeable and so well prepared. I would highly recommend this tour.