Tate Britain
the other tate, and the calm one
The original Tate, free on the river at Pimlico, holding five hundred years of British art and the greatest collection of Turners on earth.
Free to visit · Pimlico · Pimlico · SW1P 4RG
Opening: Daily 10am–6pm
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.
Getting there: A few minutes walk from Pimlico on the Victoria line, or hop the Tate Boat along the river from Tate Modern.
Best time to go: A weekday morning. It is far quieter than Tate Modern across the river, so you can have whole rooms of Turner to yourself.
Insider tip: Skip the tube and arrive by the Tate Boat from Tate Modern. It is not free but it is cheap, it runs along the river past Westminster, and it turns the trip between the two Tates into the nicest bit of the day.
Official site: https://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain
Free things to do in London · London Free Guide