Tate Modern

Start with the scale of the building

Tate Modern asks you to look at art and architecture together. The former Bankside Power Station became a gallery in 2000, with Herzog & de Meuron adapting the industrial structure.

The Turbine Hall is still the clearest reminder of the building’s original scale.

The later extension, now the Blavatnik Building, opened in 2016. Outside, compare its folded brick form with the long power-station block before going into the galleries.

The two buildings make different arguments about how a museum can occupy the city.

Follow materials and ideas

The collection brings together international modern and contemporary art across painting, sculpture, photography, film and installation. Thematic displays make it possible to follow an idea, such as the use of ordinary materials or the influence of mass media, without moving through one strict chronology.

Choose two display areas for a first visit and give unfamiliar work a little time. A large installation may make sense through movement or sound, while a small photograph asks for a slower, closer look.

Choose the exhibition you actually want

Temporary exhibitions need their own tickets. Frida: The Making of an Icon runs until 3 January 2027 and brings Kahlo’s painting together with the wider story of her image and influence.

Its £25 ticket is for that exhibition; visiting the general collection does not require it.

The riverside setting makes Tate a good final stop after a walk. Leave enough energy for the art rather than arriving only for the building, and use the Friday or Saturday late opening if it suits the day.