Saatchi Gallery

The lowdown

The Saatchi Gallery is the place that, more than any other, put Damien Hirst, Tracey Emin and the rest of the Young British Artists on the map in the 1990s. It now lives in the Duke of York's headquarters, a handsome old military building off the King's Road, and general admission is free.

The spaces are huge, white and flooded with light, which suits the scale of the contemporary work it shows, often immersive, often provocative, sometimes baffling, rarely boring. The free general entry gets you most of it, with only the big blockbuster shows asking for a ticket.

It sits in the middle of one of London's smartest shopping streets, so it is an easy and free thing to fold into a Chelsea wander. Duke of York Square outside has a Saturday food market and plenty of benches if you want to sit out afterwards.