Wallace Collection

The Basics

This often-overlooked collection offers visitors unique insight into European art and social history with more than 5,000 display pieces lining the stately rooms, including paintings, ceramics, furniture, and sculptures. Select tours offer a visit as part of a private London itinerary, allowing for a fully personalized experience, while the museum itself offers private group tours, out-of-hours visits, and family activity maps, as well as a free highlights tour.

Things to Know Before You Go

• The Wallace Collection is free to enter.

• With one of the best ancien régime collections outside of France, as well as works by the old masters, the museum is a must-see for art enthusiasts and those interested in European history.

• The museum is wheelchair-accessible, with ramp access, a lift between floors, and accessible toilets.

How to Get There

The Wallace Collection is a 10-minute walk from Bond Street, served by the Central and Jubilee lines. Marylebone is the nearest mainline station, about a 20-minute walk away, or a short bus ride (No. 139, 13, 113, 189, or 174) straight down Gloucester Place. Driving in London is not recommended, although there is limited parking available in Manchester Square for disabled visitors.

When to Get There

The collection is open daily, and its on-site restaurant, Peyton and Byrne, offers dining in a glass-covered courtyard from breakfast through afternoon tea daily, and for dinner Friday and Saturday.

Links to British Aristocracy

When the widow of Sir Richard Wallace gifted the collection in 1897, it was an end to a long family legacy of collecting. The Wallace Collection was amassed by the first four Marquesses of Hertford and Sir Richard Wallace, the son of Richard Seymour-Conway, the fourth Marquess. The Seymour family are well-known in British history; Jane Seymour, Queen of England from 1536 to 1537, was the third wife of Henry VIII and a distant Wallace relative.

Ways to explore

The Wallace Collection’s main collection is free to visit, and it’s open daily. You can enrich your experience by exploring with a dedicated private guide, perhaps as part of a personalized private London art tour that takes in other classic galleries, such as the National Gallery. Expect unique insight into European art and social history with paintings, ceramics, furniture, and sculptures lining the stately rooms.

The museum itself offers a range of activities, from temporary exhibitions to lectures, concerts, workshops, ballet performances, and family-friendly events such as getting hands-on with armor.

Accessibility

The museum is wheelchair accessible with step-free access to the entrance and an elevator between floors. Wheelchairs, torches, folding stools, and magnifying glasses are available for loan. Concession tickets are available for visitors with disabilities, and carers enter for free. Service dogs are welcome.

Age limits

The Wallace Collection welcomes families, but with precious objets d’art scattered around, it’s not somewhere to take kids who like to race around.

What to pack

Bring a camera—it really is a fabulous space.

What to wear

Carry a layer on hot days, as temperatures are kept cool to protect the artworks.

Not allowed

Smoking, vaping, touching the exhibits

Amenities

Wi-Fi, restrooms, restaurant, baby-changing facilities, lockers, water fountain

Address

The Wallace Collection is in Marylebone, central London, about 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) northwest of Trafalgar Square. It’s easy to reach by public transport, with multiple options available.

Driving

Between the Congestion Charge and limited parking, the Wallace Collection isn’t a destination to drive to. Make like a Londoner and walk, grab a cab, take a city bike, or use public transportation. There is Blue Badge parking for disabled visitors on the square.

Public transportation

Bond Street station is around a 7-minute walk, served by the Central, Elizabeth, and Jubilee lines. Alternatively, take the Central line to Marble Arch, a 10-minute walk away. Oxford Circus and Baker Street stations are also less than 15 minutes on foot. Many bus lines stop locally, including the 2, 10, 12, 13, 30, 74, 82, 94, 113, 137, and 274.

Best times to visit

The museum is open daily, 10am–5pm. Midweek mornings from around 10am to 12pm, or the last hour before closing, typically offer the quietest experiences.

Best days to visit

Saturdays are busiest at the Wallace Collection. Sundays are a better choice if visiting on weekends, but it’s usually quiet midweek outside of school vacations.

Best months to visit

There’s no bad month to visit the Wallace Collection. However, as with most London attractions, aim to avoid the European summer vacation crowds in July and August if you can.

Special events

The Wallace Collection looks especially fabulous dressed up for the Christmas season.