Luggage storageNational Gallery London

Luggage storage and bag rules at the National Gallery

Visitors to the National Gallery, set right on Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, often arrive with more than they can take inside.

Suitcases and wheeled luggage, including cabin bags, are not allowed into the building, so plan around that before you arrive. The largest bag you can bring through the doors is 56 x 25 x 45 cm, and you'll pass through metal detectors and undergo a bag inspection as part of the security checks.

Liquids are also banned, apart from baby formula, expressed milk and prescription medicines. The National Gallery's official cloakroom on Level -1 of the Sainsbury Wing accepts bags within that same limit. It's open daily from 10am to 5.45pm, with extended hours on Fridays until 8.45pm.

The cloakroom charges £3 per item, while members can leave items there for free. If your bag is over 56 x 25 x 45 cm or you're visiting outside those cloakroom hours, a nearby Stasher point is the alternative, backed by its guarantee. With Stasher, you can store bags from £1.49 per bag per day at 20+ locations near National Gallery London.

Some top Stasher locations near National Gallery London include:

• Hotel reception, 2 min walk · open 07:00–23:00 most days · rated 5/5 (17,000+ reviews)
• Local shop, 2 min walk · open 09:00–00:00 most days · rated 5/5 (9,000+ reviews)

⁣Hosts include local shops and hotel receptions. Of the nearby locations, 14 stay open late and 6 are open 24/7. Every booking comes with the Stasher Guarantee, which protects your bags up to £10,000. Stasher storage near National Gallery London can be booked through the website or app.⁣

Getting to the National Gallery with luggage

Charing Cross is the nearest overground train station to the National Gallery, located approximately 200 metres away, and its left luggage facilities sit in the Cab Passage entrance. Charing Cross is also a tube station serving the Gallery, on the Bakerloo and Northern lines. For step-free access, Tottenham Court Road and Westminster are the closest underground stations to the Gallery.

If you're arriving via Waterloo Station, its official left luggage facility opposite the ramp to platforms 20-24 lets you drop your bags before continuing on to Trafalgar Square and the Gallery. Tottenham Court Road is a major West End interchange served by the Central, Northern, and Elizabeth lines.

Nearby sights and their own bag rules

The British Museum bans wheeled suitcases and anything over 40cm x 40cm x 50cm or heavier than 8kg, but it does run a cloakroom near the Great Russell Street entrance from 10.00 to 17.00 daily, and until 20.30 on Fridays. Holborn and Russell Square tube stations are each a 7-minute walk, and Tottenham Court Road is a 5-minute walk away.

Covent Garden itself, including the Piazza and Market Building, is an open public space you can wander day or night, with its own Piccadilly line station a short stroll from the Market Building. Theatreland has mixed rules: the Criterion Theatre on Piccadilly Circus can't take large bags or suitcases in its cloakroom, while the Leicester Square Theatre has no cloakroom at all, only permitting small bags, subject to search.

The Cambridge Theatre, by contrast, charges £3 for clothing items and £5 for bags and suitcases, with Covent Garden and Leicester Square as its nearest tube stops.