Tate Modern

Tate Modern is Britain's national gallery of international modern and contemporary art, housed in the former Bankside Power Station on the south bank of the Thames. The power station, designed by Sir Giles Gilbert Scott, closed in 1981, and the Swiss architects Herzog & de Meuron converted it into a gallery that opened in 2000. A ten-storey extension, now called the Blavatnik Building, followed in 2016. The free collection displays include work by artists such as Picasso, Matisse, Rothko, Warhol, Louise Bourgeois and many contemporary names.

The building itself is part of the experience. The vast Turbine Hall runs the length of the gallery and hosts large commissioned installations, and the concrete Tanks below the Blavatnik Building are used for live art and film. The collection is spread over several levels of the Natalie Bell Building and the Blavatnik Building, arranged by theme rather than strictly by date, so it is easy to dip in and out. Paid exhibitions change through the year; at the time of writing they include Frida: The Making of an Icon until 3 January 2027.

Tate Modern suits anyone curious about modern art, whether experienced gallery-goers or first-time visitors who want to see a few famous names. Families will find space to move in the Turbine Hall, and the restaurant on Level 6 of the Natalie Bell Building has wide views across the river. There are also an espresso bar, a café on the Blavatnik Building's first level and several shops.

The gallery is open from 10:00 to 18:00 Sunday to Thursday and until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. The collection is free and booking is recommended for exhibitions. Bags are checked on arrival and anything larger than cabin size is not allowed, though paid lockers are available on Level 0 of the Blavatnik Building. Accessibility provision is good, with accessible toilets on every floor, a Changing Places toilet, quiet rooms, wheelchair loans and touch tours bookable in advance.

Blackfriars station is the closest, with the rail station about 300 metres from the South exit, and Southwark on the Jubilee line is around 600 metres away. The Millennium Bridge links the gallery directly to St Paul's Cathedral, Shakespeare's Globe is a few steps east, and a walk along Bankside leads towards Borough Market and London Bridge.