Tate Britain

The lowdown

Everyone piles into Tate Modern and forgets that the original Tate is sitting quietly upriver at Millbank, just as free and a great deal calmer. Tate Britain tells the story of British art from 1500 to now, all in one grand building, and it costs nothing to walk in.

The heart of it is the Turner Collection in the Clore Gallery, the largest hoard of his work anywhere, left to the nation by the man himself. Whole rooms of those wild skies and burning sunsets, free. Add Hogarth, Blake, the Pre-Raphaelites and a strong run of modern British names and you have a proper afternoon.

Because the crowds default to the modern site, this one stays peaceful. You can sit on a bench in front of a masterpiece without a tour group breathing down your neck, which is a rare thing in central London for free.