Klemio
Tate Modern
You can walk straight in off the river, ride the escalator up, and spend two hours with Rothkos and Picassos without paying a penny. That still surprises people. Tate Modern is a free museum of modern and contemporary art inside an old power station, and the building does half the work: the brick chimney, the dark turbine hall the size of a cathedral nave, the concrete that was never meant to be pretty. It is not a quiet, contemplative place most of the time. It is loud, full of teenagers and prams and tour groups, and the collection hang changes often enough that the painting you came back for might be in storage. Go anyway.
Photos: Colin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Colin (CC BY-SA 4.0), Diego Delso (CC BY-SA 4.0), via Wikimedia Commons
A free, genuinely world-class modern art collection in a dramatic old power station, with a free skyline terrace thrown in. Even if you are lukewarm on modern art, the building and the view earn the trip.
Worth it for
- An afternoon on the South Bank where you want a free, weatherproof stop with a great river view
- Seeing big-name 20th-century painting without paying museum prices
You can skip if
- You came hoping to see one specific famous painting, because the collection rotates and it may not be on display
- Crowds wear you down and you can only visit on a busy weekend afternoon
Tickets & tours for Tate Modern
Which ticket should you buy?
The Turbine Hall
This is the room you walk into first, and it sets the tone. It once held the generators that powered a chunk of south London, and now it holds one big commissioned installation at a time, swapped roughly once a year. Sometimes it is a sun, sometimes a slide, sometimes a crack in the floor, sometimes something you are not sure how to read at all. The point is scale: art made to fill a space five storeys high.
Whether the current commission lands depends entirely on what is up when you visit, and some are stronger than others. Even on a weak year the hall is worth the walk-through, because standing at the bottom of that ramp and looking up tells you more about the building's old life than any label could. It is free and you do not queue for it, so there is no reason to skip it.
The free collection
The permanent collection spans roughly 1900 to now: Matisse, Picasso, surrealism, abstract expressionism, pop art, plus a lot of recent and global work that the older Tate never showed. It is arranged by loose theme rather than strict chronology, which annoys some people and delights others. You do not need a ticket and you do not need to book; you walk in.
The honest caveat is that the hang rotates, so there is no guaranteed greatest-hits room. If you have your heart set on a specific famous piece, check the 'on display' search on Tate's site before you go, because it may be loaned out or in the basement. Treat the collection as a place to wander and stumble onto things rather than a checklist to tick off.
The Blavatnik viewing level
Up in the newer extension (the twisted brick tower, opened 2016) there is a free viewing level near the top with a wraparound terrace. The view is genuinely good: St Paul's straight across the Thames, the City clustered behind it, the Millennium Bridge feeding pedestrians toward the dome. It is one of the better free high-up views in central London, and you do not pay for it or pre-book.
One thing to know: part of the terrace looks directly into the flats of a neighbouring block, and there was a long legal fight about that, so a section is now closed off. You still get the river-facing panorama, which is the side you want anyway. Bring a layer; it is open-air and the wind off the water bites.
What costs money, and the rest of the building
The big temporary exhibitions are ticketed, and the headline shows can sell out their popular weekend slots, so book those ahead online. Everything else (collection, Turbine Hall, viewing level) is free. There are cafes and a members' room, a good shop, and a restaurant with a view, none of it cheap.
Practically, the museum is large and easy to get lost in, with two linked buildings and several floors. Grab a free map or use the Tate app to find specific works. If you only have an hour, do the Turbine Hall, one or two collection floors, and the viewing level, and leave the temporary show for a return trip.
Tate Modern: FAQs
Yes. The permanent collection, the Turbine Hall commission, and the Blavatnik viewing level are all free and you do not need a ticket. Only the big temporary exhibitions and some events are paid.
Not for the free parts; just walk in. For ticketed temporary exhibitions, book online ahead, especially for weekend and school-holiday slots, which can sell out.
It is the vast main entrance hall, the former generator room of the power station, which now hosts one large commissioned installation at a time, changed roughly once a year. It is free to walk through.
Yes. The free terrace near the top of the Blavatnik Building looks straight across the Thames at St Paul's and the City skyline. Part of the terrace facing nearby flats is closed, but the river-facing view is open.
Allow about two to three hours for the collection plus the viewing level, more if you add a temporary exhibition. If you are short on time, an hour covers the Turbine Hall, a collection floor, and the view.
The nearest tubes are Southwark (Jubilee line) and Blackfriars, with St Paul's across the river; it is a short signed walk from London Bridge too. Many people cross the Millennium Bridge on foot from St Paul's.
Explore more in London
Plan your trip
- Best time to visit London
- Day trips from London
- 3 Days in London: A Realistic First-Timer Itinerary
- Free Things to Do in London (That Aren't a Letdown)
- London With Kids: What Actually Holds Their Attention
- London at Night: South Bank, the West End, and Old Pubs
- London When It Rains: A City Built for Bad Weather
- Tower of London vs Westminster Abbey: Which Historic Site?
Where to next?
One short email, twice a month: handpicked experiences, hidden-gem cities, and the best windows to book them.