People often assume these are two branches of the same museum showing the same kind of thing. They are not. Tate Modern shows international modern and contemporary art; Tate Britain shows five hundred years of British art. They sit about three miles apart on opposite banks of the Thames, both are free to enter, and a boat runs between them.
| Tate Modern | Tate Britain | |
|---|---|---|
| What you see | International modern and contemporary art, 1900 to now | British art, 1500 to now — the national collection |
| Where it is | Bankside, South Bank. Nearest: Southwark or Blackfriars | Millbank, Pimlico. Nearest: Pimlico |
| The building | A converted power station. The Turbine Hall is free and worth seeing on its own | A purpose-built 1897 gallery, quieter and easier to walk in one go |
| Best known for | Rothko's Seagram murals, Picasso, Matisse, Warhol, the Turbine Hall commissions | The Turner collection in the Clore Gallery, Millais's Ophelia, the Pre-Raphaelites |
| Time to allow | 2-3 hours, longer if there is a big Turbine Hall installation | 1.5-2 hours — smaller and more linear |
| Admission | Free (collection). Paid special exhibitions | Free (collection). Paid special exhibitions |
| Free audio guide | Yes, via Audioguide.London | Yes, via Audioguide.London |
If you want art you have seen on posters — Rothko, Warhol, Picasso, a vast installation in an old turbine hall — go to Tate Modern. If you want Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites, and to watch British art change across five centuries in one walk, go to Tate Britain. Tate Britain is the calmer of the two and rarely crowded; Tate Modern is busy most of the day. If you are choosing on a first trip to London and have no strong preference, Tate Modern is the more famous building and the easier one to combine with the South Bank walk.
It is very doable. The Tate Boat runs along the Thames directly between the two, roughly every 30 minutes, and takes about 18 minutes — it is the nicest way to do it, though it is a paid ferry rather than a free shuttle. By Tube it is Southwark to Pimlico via a change. Start at Tate Britain in the morning while it is quiet, then sail down to Tate Modern for the afternoon.
Audioguide.London works at Tate Modern and Tate Britain, and at four other London museums, from the same page. Photograph a work and the commentary plays, in any of six languages, with nothing to download and nothing to pay.
Start with the Tate Modern highlights or the Tate Britain highlights for a practical list, each linking through to a free audio guide for every work.
Tate Modern shows international modern and contemporary art from about 1900 onwards. Tate Britain shows British art from 1500 to the present, including the national Turner collection. They are separate buildings about three miles apart, and both are free.
Neither is better; they show different things. Tate Modern for international modern and contemporary art and the Turbine Hall. Tate Britain for Turner, the Pre-Raphaelites and the story of British art. Tate Britain is quieter.
Yes. The Tate Boat runs directly between them in about 18 minutes, roughly every half hour. Allow 2-3 hours at Tate Modern and 1.5-2 at Tate Britain and it fits comfortably into a day.
Entry to the permanent collections at both is free. Special exhibitions are ticketed. Audioguide.London is free at both as well.