National Gallery of Canada Reviews

You need more than a day
The entire photography canon, all the important pieces
Impressive contemporary wing
Canadian Art and artist

Really awesome place to visit with tons of art for each and every appetite.

Great architecture, friendly guides and even with two closed galleries it was well worth the admission price.

Parts of the building I saw were beautiful. I did not go through the whole of the place.

Excellent collection of European masters and the most famous Canadian artists. Definitely a required stop when visiting Ottawa.

Thursdays are free. It has too many good things, to learn, and very good designs to take pictures, I recommend them.

Very nice welcoming building. Especially a Gauguin exhibition, which is worthwhile, I also liked the Contempary Canadian Art. The whole ensemble, inside, outside is fantastic, as is Ottawa.

Great place. Located in the center of Ottawa. Place has nice and neat washrooms. Discounts for students. Have to produce ID card. Entrance is through Sussex drive. Audio guides available. Friendly staff. Photography allowed without flash.

Admission is a little pricey and it's easy to get lost but it's a great way to spend a few hours on a Saturday.

Great gallery. Would highly recommend going some to and walking through quietly and reflecting. The rebuilt chapel with the 40 voice choir in the middle is a must see.

This was my fourth time visiting the National Gallery museum. A very nice place to go with friends or family. Always something new to see each time we go. Thursdays after 5pm is free!

The whole experience was simply marvelous. If you're into art, make sure you check the store, it is really extraordinary.

Fellow dilettantes, the front desk tells you that you could view the collection in two or three hours........ only if you wish to run a marathon through this gallery. I personally could have spent four+ hours, I highly recommend taking a visit to this beautiful space.

This is not your typical art gallery. The spaces are so large and just let the light in. We got lucky to visit on such a beautiful sunny day as the sun did the work of special museum lighting.

The collection is the largest in Canada and varies widely on subjunctive matter and genre. The building is spectacular and cafe area has great views of parliament hill. The collection contains a vast amount of the group of seven works and many other notable artists. Unfortunately the collection never changes and 95% of the archive is never viewed. This is worth the visit once and not so often for a local.

The Cafe 7 beside ScotiaBank Great Hall has the best Americano and Espresso. It comes with a lovely set of brown and white sugar, and small pitcher of froth milk, and even a bite size cookie to go down with your coffee. Prefect afternoon break you'll find there.

Free admission on thirty anniversary, cake is provided. Many visitors.

Beautiful art gallery in the heart of Ottawa. There was plenty if exhibits to look at ranging from Inuit art to the group of 7.
There was a few interactive exhibits that played movies and slideshows to immerse the crowd. They also had activities for kids, specifically to find the monsters in their monster art gallery. This museum was a blast. I will definitely go again.

It was alright. Didn't feel like they tried to make it interesting and is really only fun if your really into artists and their projects. No real famous paintings though.

Immense and well-kept, if you add that the entrance is cheap, you get a great museum

I'm not an art person, so I don't understand how a blue canvas with one yellow stripe is art - but the classical art and first nations art were enjoyable.

Haven't visited but parked before going to Canadian Mint

The building itself is a work of art. It's a great place to spend and afternoon, with several cozy spots to sit down distributed throughout. I cannot recommend it enough to anyone who hasn't been yet.

Wide and very interesting pictures. Requested almost 3 hours.

Always a great place to learn and take a date out since it stimulates a more complex conversation with all the different displays.

Saw the present Danish exhibition and permanent collection. Better than expected.

Had a great evening with my two teenage boys at the bicentennial exhibit and contemporary art exhibit. The security guards told us about the art.

The most amazing place for art in the city, filled with paintings from all over the world. Get ready to spend at least 6 hours there!

Excellent collection of Canadian arts holding some of the best gems of Canadian artists such as Emily Carr highly recommend visiting

I've been to many museums around the world and I wasn't sure what to expect of Ottawa's galleries and museums. They kinda are not really well known for holding world's finest artistic treasures.
But I was wrong - the architecture of this building, installations, art curating, organization - and most importantly, art description and labelling - is excellent.
Really out there with the best.
I won't reveal too much, except that it is a must visit in Ottawa and to put aside 2 hours for a quick run through or 4 hours for detailed and careful enjoyment.

Definite must see if you like arts. Great exhibits to wander around for hours. And architectural masterpiece on its own. There's a small gift shop and caffe inside and outside

Great collection, helpful curators and beautiful building

Too much to see in one visit, many different art styles and types to keep those who aren't interested in art history engaged. Not very kid friendly.

I was at the gallery yesterday and was disappointed in the 150 years of Canadian art. There was a nice selection of west coast native art as well as a good selection of inuite art. There however artists from other parts of the country that were not there. There was nothing from the prairie, I'm sure there are wonderful works from there. I also noted a severe lack of art from the east coast. I can list at least two artists that could have been included. Maude Lewis is one there is also DeGarth quite famous for his Peggy's Cove and Atlantic sea .scapes. Yes the group of seven are important but they are not the only Canadian artists! Overall a disappointing experience.

Love this gallery. Great building + always so much to take in.

Beautiful place make sure you have parking money!!!

K so I went to the anthropocene exhibition that came to Ottawa (it rotates around museums all over the world) and basically, it's really cool. You can make fun of some modern art that looks like a kid stamped his hand on a canvas, or a bunch of lines that represent... Whatever. It had some eerie exhibits, but really cool areas too. Fun to walk around. I may be really picky, but the floors there are sweaky. It's like stepping on mice the entire time. Also, the security guards are constantly looking at you, they are not trying to make you freaked out, they are making sure you don't take/break anything. (I still find it a little awkward though hahahahaha).

The temporary shows included many imprtant, historic and relevant works. The variety of the shows ensured there was something for everyone. I was particularly moved by some of the instalations and video pieces by indigenous artists. I would recommend a whole day if you are into art. We took just over 4 hours at a slightly faster pace than I would like and ran out of time to see the permanent exhibit.

I went there for the first time lately for the illumination of the big tree in the big hall. I was impressed how beautiful it is. The event was a success despite the engorgement of people who were going to see the big tree.

This is a great museum with a nice European art collection

A true national treasure. A must see for all locals and visitors.

Pretty good collection of various kinds of art. Especially liked the European section.

Great gallery, well-organized. Interesting displays. Huge site.

Super nice visit, it's a must of the city, take your time so it's better early

I always like to hang out at the gallery when I come home for a visit.

Anthropocene was a great show and Klee was nice to see as well. Very diverse works...

I am interested in art and like to visit galleries and museums far away. Cultures and their influence on creativity.

The people of Canada must be proud of this gallery. Many fine art crafts of Canadian artists are excited here. There was an exhibition of French and Belgian impressionist artists when I have visited there. I was lucky to see these works of art.

Ver..i.discover. work's.Thad..didn't. Knew...from.Gauguin..and.from.European..artists. That..found. Only.in.Amsterdam...

Art is very subjective as something that might look technically solid but doesn't inspire emotion and then something thats abstract can break someone in to tears.
My personal feeling is the education. Seeing the craftwork from generations before helps people not to live in the moment but expand to think about where we came from and where we are going.

Fantastic collection of Canadian art, with some nice pieces from Europe and elsewhere, too!

It really is wonderful. It is perfect. Must be visited

Books, pictures and videos do no justice to the masters and impressionists. Go see these works!

Loved all the First Nations exhibits including an Inuit film. Cool building.

Awesome place to tour through - a lot of things to see.

Awesome. The entrance and outside and inside buolding structures are impresive and artistic. Big place and a lot of diferent views and works of arts.

Must visit if you are visiting Ottawa, especially if you are an art fan. Great permanent collection. The building itself is worth a visit!

Art is a personal thing. Some see art, some see..... I've seen alot of waisted space here, possibly to enhance the illusion of art. We didn't see the total building but there was some interesting pieces. (Class trip)

The National Gallery is a beautiful building full of great artwork. Lots of stuff for kids and adults. I loved the modern and contemporary art. My main complaint is that the Native Arts section is very limited. I would have liked to see better representation of native populations.

The Paul Klee exhibit at the National Gallery was stunning. The gallery itself is an amazing space, and seeing the works of a talented and versatile artist in such a space was awesome. It was as if the art enhanced the building and vice versa. We also had an excellent guide who was able to speak about some of the more subtle points of Klee's art without dumbing it down. Fabulous.

Great collections of great arts works, from ancient time till today, from domestic to international.

The National Gallery is a MUST when visiting Ottawa, especially if you are interested is artwork. Their collection is very extensive and you could easily spend an entire day there as there is simply so much to look at and read. If you plan on visiting the museum more than once I suggest you and your grouo consider purchasing a membership as they can be quite afforable!

First time there. Very impressed with their collection.

Perfect place for thinking, the architecture make this place bright and airy. I visit this place very often since I am a member. The collection is great and its an extremely quite place. The lines are typically long in the mornings, but you can bypass the line if you are the member.