Travel bucket list idea:

Tate Modern

London, United Kingdom (UK)
https://www.tate.org.uk
Bucket List Experience

External view of the art gallery - a big oblong brick building with glass roof and a single large square chimney

Credit: Kamira / Shutterstock.com

Last updated: 10 March, 2024

Like MoMA in New York or the Pompidou Centre in Paris, London’s Tate Modern is an energetic and uniquely site-specific art space. This former power station beside the Thames houses a permanent and rotating exhibition of contemporary art that gets London talking and walking around its inventive exhibition spaces.

From Damien Hirst to Monet, Rothko to Miro, Lichtenstein to Warhol, the treasures in this 1940s industrial construction are legendary. The main galleries feature a rotating selection of the 60,000-piece permanent collection.

But the big buzz is usually about its colossal Turbine Hall, which hosts temporary, site-specific installations from big names like Louise de Bourgeois, Anish Kapoor and Bruce Nauman.

Don't miss

Look for highlights: Hirst’s Mother and Child Divided, Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych and the jewel of the Tate Modern – the brooding, Mark Rothko room of wine-red. paintings.

Logistics

Price: Free

Minimum age: Any

Age suitable: 18+

When: All year around

Getting there & doing it

The nearest Underground station is Southwark (Jubilee Line). Alternatively, get off at St Paul’s (Central Line) and enjoy the views as you cross the Millennium Bridge to the gallery.

These days, ticket must be booked in advance online so check before you go. You’ll definitely need to book ahead for the big exhibitions. Expect crowds if an installation has just opened in the Turbine Hall or temporary galleries – however, this is also the most exciting time to visit.

Free 45-minute guided tours run daily at 11am and 12pm. No booking is required.

When to do it

The gallery is open all year round, seven days a week.

Who to go with: organised tours

Our selection of the best Viator tours of this attraction or activity

The Tate Modern London Guided Museum Tour - Semi-Private 8ppl Max

London

Viator

Modern art lover or not, no traveler’s trip to London is complete without a visit to the iconic Tate Modern. On this 2 hour semi-private (8 Guest Maximum) guided museum tour welcoming up to 8 guests, you’ll learn all about the world-famous modern art and performances housed in this refurbished 19th century power plant. There’s no need to be an art expert to fall in love with everything going on inside the Tate Modern – we’ll make sense of it for you.

Price €105

Min age 0

Rating 5 / 5 [22 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Website >

The Tate Modern London - Exclusive Guided Museum Tour

London

Viator

Modern art lover or not, no traveler’s trip to London is complete without a visit to the iconic Tate Modern. On this 2 hour exclusive guided museum tour, you’ll learn all about the world-famous modern art and performances housed in this refurbished 19th century power plant. There’s no need to be an art expert to fall in love with everything going on inside the Tate Modern – we’ll make sense of it for you.

Price €105

Min age 0

Rating 5 / 5 [19 ratings]

Tour supplied by:

Website >

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London

Greater London, United Kingdom (UK)

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Round-ups

Round-ups that include this experience

32 World’s greatest art museums

Multiple countries

Inspiration

From New York to London, Paris to Berlin, here’s our round-up of the must-see art galleries and museums around the world that should be on everyone’s travel bucket list.

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