This guide is for people who have moved to London from abroad and want the National Gallery and Tate Modern to be part of everyday life, not a one-off sightseeing trip. You will learn what is free, what costs money, when to go, what to leave at home and how to plan a visit around children or a working week.
- What free entry covers
- Opening hours and late evenings
- Making the most of the National Gallery
- Making the most of Tate Modern
- Paid exhibitions, discounts and membership
- FAQ
What free entry covers
The National Gallery’s visiting page says general admission is free and donations are welcome, but some exhibitions have a charge. Tate Modern’s visit page puts it simply: entry to the collection is free for everyone, and booking is recommended for exhibitions.
Because you live here, you can treat both buildings as places to drop into for an hour. See three rooms, go home and come back next month. That habit is one of the best things about living in London, and it costs nothing.
Opening hours and late evenings
The National Gallery is open daily from 10am to 6pm, and until 9pm on Fridays. It is closed from 24 to 26 December and on 1 January, so plan around those dates if relatives visit over the holidays. Tate Modern is open from 10.00 to 18.00 Sunday to Thursday and from 10.00 to 21.00 on Friday and Saturday. Last entry is 30 minutes before closing.
Neither gallery publishes quiet times, so be wary of anyone who claims to know the best hour to go. What the pages do give you is late opening: Friday at both galleries, plus Saturday at Tate Modern. If you work office hours, these evenings are the easiest way in. The National Gallery says staff may ask you to move to another painting or room when it is particularly busy, which matters if you want to sit and sketch.
Making the most of the National Gallery
The address is Trafalgar Square, London WC2N 5DN. The main entrance for everyone is the Sainsbury Wing, which faces the square at the corner of Pall Mall and Whitcomb Street. Every door has a walk-through metal detector and bags are inspected, so travel light.
Building work for a new Research Centre, which opens in 2028, means some rooms are closed and some paintings have been moved. If you are going to see one artist or one painting, check its current location and the floorplan on the website before you set off.
For adults, the events programme is what makes the gallery a local resource: life drawing, talks by experts, concerts, tours, poetry readings and drink tastings. Audio guides offer set routes or a tour you build yourself, and the free Smartify app lets you scan paintings as you go. You are welcome to sketch with approved materials, and you can take photographs for personal, non-commercial use unless a sign says otherwise.
For children, there is a family space at weekends and during school holidays. Buggies are welcome, and there are toilets and baby changing just inside the entrance. You can bring your own food, but there is little space to eat it, and you cannot eat it in the cafés or restaurants.
Making the most of Tate Modern
Tate Modern shows modern and contemporary art from around the world, including work by Pablo Picasso, Yayoi Kusama and Henri Matisse. The Turbine Hall and the underground Tanks, which are used for live performance and video, are part of the free visit. Free guided tours take you around part of the gallery, and the gallery’s own guide to slow looking suits an unhurried evening spent with a few works.
Go in by the Turbine Hall ramp or the Blavatnik Building, and allow extra time because bags are checked on arrival. Southwark station on the Jubilee line is about 600 metres away, and Blackfriars on the District and Circle lines is about 800 metres away. There is no parking at the gallery or in the surrounding streets. The Tate to Tate RB2 boat runs every 30 minutes between Millbank Pier, for Tate Britain, and Bankside Pier. Check Thames Clipper for the timetable.
At Tate Draw, your drawings come to life on digital sketch pads, which makes it an easy win with younger visitors. There is a Baby Care Room on Level 0 of the Natalie Bell Building, and nappy-changing facilities in the toilets on levels 0 to 5. Two quiet rooms, on Levels 2 and 4 of the same building, are open to neurodiverse people, families and anyone who needs a break. For a view, adults can go up to the Restaurant on Level 6, which looks across the Thames to St Paul’s.
Paid exhibitions, discounts and membership
Many of the big names are in the paid exhibitions. At the National Gallery, Renoir and Love runs until 31 January 2027, and an exhibition ticket includes free general admission. Tate Modern’s current exhibitions include Frida: The Making of an Icon, Julio Le Parc: Light. Colour. Action. and Ana Mendieta. These pages do not list adult ticket prices, so check each gallery’s own site for current prices.
Tate Modern has several useful discounts. Visitors aged 16 to 25 can join Tate Collective for £5 exhibition tickets. Up to four children aged 11 and under go free with each parent or guardian, and £5 family child tickets are available for ages 12 to 18. Visitors with a disability pay a concessionary rate, and their companions go free.
If you expect to see several exhibitions a year, look at membership. National Gallery Members get unlimited free entry to all exhibitions, priority entry, a free cloakroom and discounts in the cafés, restaurants and shops. Tate Members get unlimited free entry to exhibitions at all Tate galleries with no need to book, plus free lockers at Tate Modern. These pages do not list membership fees, so check each gallery’s website and compare the cost with what you would spend on single tickets.
FAQ
Do I need to book to visit for free?
No. At the National Gallery you can book a free general admission ticket for fast-track entry and updates before your visit, but you can also just walk in. At Tate Modern the collection is free for everyone without a ticket, and booking is only recommended for exhibitions.
Can I bring a large bag or suitcase?
Not really. The National Gallery accepts bags up to 56 x 25 x 45 cm but not wheeled luggage, cabin bags or suitcases, and its cloakroom costs £3 per item. Tate Modern does not allow anything larger than 55 x 40 x 20 cm, and its cloakroom has closed. The lockers on Level 0 of the Blavatnik Building cost £4, £6 or £8 depending on size and do not take cash.
Are the galleries good for children?
Yes, with some planning. The National Gallery has a family space at weekends and during holidays, and buggies are welcome. At Tate Modern, up to four children aged 11 and under go free with each parent or guardian, Tate Draw is popular with younger visitors, and there is a Baby Care Room on Level 0.
When can I visit after work?
Friday is the late evening at both galleries: the National Gallery stays open until 9pm and Tate Modern until 21.00. Tate Modern is also open late on Saturdays. Remember that last entry at Tate Modern is 30 minutes before closing.
Official sources: nationalgallery.org.uk · tate.org.uk
Last checked: 7 October 2026 against the pages linked above. Prices, opening hours and programmes change; the venue’s own site always has the current details.
Sources
- nationalgallery.org.uk: Plan your visit | Visiting | National Gallery, London, accessed 7 October 2026
- tate.org.uk: Tate Modern | Tate, accessed 7 October 2026 (archived copy)
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