Why go

Tate Modern fills a former power station on Bankside with modern and contemporary art from around the world, and the collection is free to walk in. It spans paintings, sculpture and large installations by artists including Pablo Picasso, Yayoi Kusama and Henri Matisse, arranged by theme rather than strict chronology. Even if contemporary art is not usually your thing, the building alone, with its vast Turbine Hall and riverside setting opposite St Paul’s, makes it worth an hour.

What to see

  • Mark Rothko’s Seagram murals. Rothko painted these for a New York restaurant, withdrew from the commission and later gave the series to Tate. Find them in the In the Studio display, Natalie Bell Building, Level 2.
  • Andy Warhol, Marilyn Diptych (1962). Also in In the Studio on Level 2.
  • Henri Matisse, The Snail (1953). One of his late paper cut-outs, made when illness kept him from painting. Level 2.
  • Marcel Duchamp, Fountain. The famous upturned urinal, in Materials and Objects, Natalie Bell Building, Level 4.
  • Cildo Meireles, Babel. A tower built from hundreds of second-hand radios, each tuned to a different station. Media Networks, Level 4.
  • The Turbine Hall. A new commission fills this enormous space every year, a tradition running since 2000.
  • The Tanks. Underground spaces dedicated to live art, performance, film and video.

Displays change through the year, so check the gallery’s website for exactly where things hang on your visit. Current ticketed exhibitions include Frida: The Making of an Icon (until 3 January 2027), Ana Mendieta (until 17 January 2027) and Julio Le Parc: Light. Colour. Action. (until 3 May 2027).

Planning your visit

Tate Modern is open Sunday to Thursday from 10.00 to 18.00, and until 21.00 on Fridays and Saturdays, with last entry 30 minutes before closing. The late openings are the best time for a calmer visit after work or before dinner on the South Bank. Enter via the Turbine Hall ramp or through the Blavatnik Building.

Before you leave, take the lift to Level 10 of the Blavatnik Building. The café there has a free panoramic view over the Thames to St Paul’s and the Millennium Bridge, and you can stop for a coffee while you look.

If you are not sure where to start, free guided tours run most days at 12.00, 13.00 and 14.00, last around 45 minutes and meet on Level 2 of the Natalie Bell Building. Families can join shorter free Family Tours for children aged 5 to 11, and try the free Tate Draw digital drawing desks.

Bags are checked on arrival. Anything larger than cabin-bag size (55 x 40 x 20cm) is not allowed in the building, and the old cloakroom has closed, so use the lockers on Level 0 of the Blavatnik Building (£4 to £8, card only, free for members) or leave big bags elsewhere.

Tickets and saving money

The collection displays are free for everyone, with no time slot needed. You only pay for major exhibitions, and there are good discounts. Up to four children aged 11 and under go free per parent or guardian, family tickets for 12 to 18-year-olds cost £5, and 16 to 25-year-olds can join Tate Collective for £5 exhibition tickets. Disabled visitors pay a concession rate and companions go free. If you plan to see two or more exhibitions in a year, Tate Membership gives unlimited free exhibition entry with no need to book.

Accessibility

There are lifts in both buildings, accessible toilets on every floor and a Changing Places toilet on Level 0 of the Natalie Bell Building. Wheelchairs and walkers can be borrowed free, and mobility scooters can be booked at least 24 hours ahead. Twelve accessible parking spaces on Park Street can be booked 24 hours in advance. There are two quiet rooms, ear defenders at the ticket desks and large print guides for every exhibition. Some artworks include loud noise, flashing lights or strobe effects.

Nearby things to pair it with

The Millennium Bridge leads straight from Tate Modern’s front door across the Thames to St Paul’s Cathedral, an easy pairing. Shakespeare’s Globe is a few minutes east along Bankside, and Borough Market is a short walk beyond for lunch. To make a day of art, the Tate to Tate boat runs between Bankside Pier and Millbank Pier for Tate Britain.