The Courtauld Gallery Tickets | Prices And Smart Timing

Courtauld Gallery entry starts at £12 for adults, with extra charges for major temporary exhibitions.

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The clean choice for the Courtauld Gallery tickets is simple: buy permanent collection entry if you mainly want Manet, Van Gogh, Monet, Renoir, Degas, and the Somerset House setting. Add the temporary exhibition ticket only if the current Floor 3 show is a main reason for your visit.

The Courtauld Gallery is not one of London’s free national museums, so the ticket decision matters more than it does at the British Museum or National Gallery. The upside is that the gallery is compact, central, and usually easier to visit without the crush that slows down larger London attractions.

Once you know your date, compare the ticket options before you lock in the time slot:

Do You Need To Book Courtauld Gallery Tickets Ahead?

The Courtauld Gallery permanent collection can be booked online, and same-day permanent collection tickets are also sold at the ticket desk when available. Major temporary exhibitions are the safer reason to book ahead, especially near opening weeks, final weeks, weekends, and late-opening evenings.

The Gallery is open daily from 10:00 to 18:00, with last entry at 17:15. For the 2026 Hepworth in Colour exhibition, the Courtauld has listed late openings until 20:00 on July 31 and September 4, with last entry at 19:15.

For most travelers, the best ticket time is late morning or mid-afternoon. A 10:00 slot works well if the Courtauld is the first stop of the day, while a 15:00 slot pairs neatly with Somerset House, Covent Garden, or the Thames afterward.

Courtauld Gallery Ticket Options: What Each One Includes

Courtauld Gallery ticket prices depend on whether you choose the permanent collection only or a ticket that includes the current major exhibition. Adult permanent collection entry is £12, while the 2026 Hepworth in Colour ticket is £18 for adults and includes the permanent collection.

The official ticket page lists permanent collection entry, concessions, free categories, and special exhibition prices. Check the official Courtauld plan-your-visit page before paying, because exhibition pricing and eligibility rules can change.

Price sense: the permanent collection is the value ticket if you have under two hours. The exhibition ticket makes sense when the temporary show is the reason you are going.

What You See With A Permanent Collection Ticket

A permanent collection ticket gives you the core Courtauld Gallery experience: Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, earlier European works, decorative arts, drawings displays, and changing smaller displays. The biggest draws for many visitors are Édouard Manet’s A Bar at the Folies-Bergère and Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Bandaged Ear.

The permanent collection covers three floors, so the visit feels rich without becoming an all-day museum commitment. Plan about 90 minutes if you want the main rooms at a relaxed pace, or two hours if you like reading wall text, sketching, or spending extra time in the LVMH Great Room.

The Courtauld Gallery collection also includes works by Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, Edgar Degas, Georges Seurat, Peter Paul Rubens, Sandro Botticelli, and Pieter Bruegel the Elder. Some works rotate or may be off display, so do not build the whole visit around one painting without checking current display notes.

When The Exhibition Ticket Is Worth Paying For

The exhibition ticket is worth buying when the current Floor 3 show matches your interests or when you want the fullest Courtauld visit in one stop. The permanent collection ticket is enough for a first visit focused on the famous paintings.

In 2026, Hepworth in Colour runs from June 12 to September 6 and carries separate exhibition pricing. That ticket includes the permanent collection, so you do not need to buy two separate admissions for the same visit.

• Buy the exhibition ticket if you are visiting for Barbara Hepworth, modern British art, or a time-limited London exhibition.
• Buy permanent collection only if you want the core Courtauld rooms and have a tight London schedule.
• Use a free category if you qualify as a student, under-18 visitor, Courtauld Member, or another listed concession group.
• Bring proof for concession categories, because eligibility may be checked at the ticket desk.

How To Time Your Visit Around Somerset House

The Courtauld Gallery sits inside Somerset House on the Strand, so the best plan is to treat the gallery as a central London stop rather than a remote museum trip. Temple, Charing Cross, Embankment, and Covent Garden Underground stations are all practical approaches.

A strong half-day plan starts at the Courtauld, adds Somerset House, then continues to Covent Garden or the South Bank. A late-afternoon ticket works well if you want dinner near Covent Garden after the gallery closes.

Visitors staying near the Strand, Covent Garden, Holborn, or the South Bank will have the easiest access to the gallery and nearby theaters, restaurants, and river walks. For a short London art trip, staying within walking distance can save a lot of Tube time.

For hotels near the Courtauld, compare central London stays around Covent Garden, Temple, and the Strand:

Practical Rules Before You Go

The Courtauld Gallery is cashless, so bring a card or mobile payment method for tickets, the shop, and the café. The Courtauld Café can be visited without a gallery ticket, and the shop can be accessed with a shop-only ticket from staff.

Large luggage, rucksacks, and suitcases are not accepted inside the gallery. A small number of lockers is available on the lower-ground floor, and Charing Cross Station has luggage storage about a 10-minute walk away.

Photography for personal, non-commercial use is allowed in the gallery, but flash and selfie sticks are not. Sketching is welcome with pencil, charcoal-free materials, or other permitted media, while wet paints, pastels, fixatives, and portable easels are not allowed.

Accessibility is better than in many historic buildings, but the entrance route still matters. A lift serves all gallery floors, and visitors who need step-free details should check access information before arriving at Somerset House.

Which Ticket Should You Choose?

The right Courtauld Gallery ticket depends on how much time you have and whether the temporary exhibition is part of the plan. Most first-time visitors should start with the permanent collection ticket; art-focused visitors should add the exhibition ticket when the current show fits their trip.

For the simplest decision, buy the £12 permanent collection ticket if you want the Courtauld’s essential art in a compact visit. Buy the £18 exhibition ticket if the current major show is part of your reason for going, since it already includes the permanent collection.

If your London dates are fixed, choose a morning or mid-afternoon slot and avoid leaving the ticket until the final exhibition days. Compare live ticket availability for your date here: