Tate Britain

The building is surrounded by beautiful tree-lined streets. Much quieter than the National Gallery but no less interesting. The internal is very spacious, showing a wealth of British art from the Tudors era through contemporary to Modern art. Small collection from overseas artists as well. It Houses an impressive inventory of Turner's work for a deep dive into the artist's career. Also a good opportunity to appreciate other influential and/or controversial artists' famous works both in the forms of painting, drawing, sculpture and installation.

I love this museum! The Francis Bacon collection is impressive and features a diverse range of artists, periods in art history, and photography. It’s totally worth the visit.

For US Travelers: I know a lot of people may not be interested in art, but I definitely think this Museum is worth a visit. This place is fully of British art and especially known for Ophelia (which is the lady lying dead in the river on the photos). If you've seen some movies (like Ocean's 12) they will talk about the "Tate" and this is it! It's a little wise to do some read-up on the history of Turner, Constable, Rembrandt, Manet, Michelangelo, Raphael, Caravaggio, etc before coming to England and looking at the art galleries. I think if you've visited the National Art Gallery, the Wallace Collection, etc you will definitely enjoy this place. I personally had no interest in Art, but it's definitely cooler than going to look at all of the stolen pieces at the British Museum which has no AC.

Tate Britain is a place where arts from the past meet new contemporary art. My favorite piece is Ophelia she is remarkable. Interior of museum was stunning every corner, all the lights, wall color, ceiling, tiles is in their best when presented with arts. Don’t forget food at cafe is pretty decent and delicious.

Very pleasant day at Tate Britain, which is a charity, and donations are welcome to support the museum. Holds all you really need to see under one roof. It's free to enter, but for some specific art studios, you would need to check the website and book with a ticket on the day or in advance. They have a cloakroom to keep luggage or bags. Their cafe serves up quite a fanfare and plenty of tables to accommodate. Lots of places to sit in the specific rooms if you need to reminence on a particular art piece. Easels placed in front of the seats, perhaps to aid the budding or veteran artist. Set aside at least 2 good hours to have a walk-around in the free art galleries. Membership options are available to view the gallery throughout the year.

Such a fascinating museum with a wonderful collection of classical art alongside a selection of interesting contemporary pieces. There is a wonderful mural in the stairwell currently that is gorgeously colorful. The museum was very quiet and not too busy, making for a pleasant afternoon browsing the artwork and seeing the collections. Highly recommend as it is also free.

If you have to come at the weekend, come at 10ish, then you will have the most peaceful moments with the artworks. Lots of things to see, so plan ahead. Pick 1 or 2 galleries/ exhibitions would be a good mix with cafe and shop. However, it's a shame that 3 video works at Ed Atkins were yet to be fixed.

Hade one of the best museum experience here. Took two of the free tours, and they elevated my experience tremendously. It was way more meaningful that way. Took the Turner, and the Pre rafhaelist tour, recommend both. Amazing. And the carnation,l lily, lily, rose is one of the most beautiful painting I've ever seen, and the Ophelia as well.

Truly one of the best free art museums in the world. The collection is vast and they have several salon style gallery walls that you could look at for ages. Get there early- they fill up quickly. Everything was well marked and rooms are numbered to make navigation via the map easy and to ensure you've seen it all. The Turner collection is best in class. I loved that they displayed artists he inspired (such as Rothko) alongside them to give context to how influential he was.

John Singer Sargent's "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose"--a painting of two children lighting paper lanterns at dusk in a garden filled with blooming flowers--has been a personal favorite of mine since college, so when I realized this painting was at the Tate Britain I knew I had to make a stop here on this trip. Arriving on a Friday afternoon around 4pm, it was rather rushed to walk thru the whole gallery by 5:45pm when they started to clear out the exhibition halls. Good news was that it was fairly clear and uncrowded with most visitors trickling out slowly between 4-6pm. Wonderful that this museum along with many others in London are free with donations encouraged, a terrific social effort to make art easily accessible to the public. A casual viewer could easily spend 1-1.5 hours here, if you want to take a bit more time to read the descriptions, admire the art, then 2-3 hours is doable. Among the other artworks here, "Ophelia" by Sir John Everett Millais is very well known as are the works of JMW Turner, James Tisot's "Holyday", and many others. I personally appreciated William Stott's "Le Pasteur" depicting two girls waiting for a ferry at dusk, something about the quality of light and anticipation created a calm tension in the painting that felt palpable. A number of Henry Moore's modern sculptures with their monolithic human torsos or undulating Matisse-like curves really drew me in too. All in all a worthwhile afternoon spent enjoying art!

At first I thought that this museum was simply going to be just modern art, much like the Tate Modern, but it turns out that this museum is focused specifically on British Art, though I sort of thought that that was also the National Gallery. Well, there is a whole gamut of art works here, stretching across the centuries, right down to the modern day, with some really interesting things, such as a coil of rope on the floor. Yeah, it's pretty good, and it's free as well, which is always a good thing to be honest.

This is a really amazing free museum with a nice combination of modern art and older standards. Most of the older art was of Victorian era (if I am getting that correct) with a lot of paintings of royalty and rich merchants (who could afford to have their portraits done), angels, seascapes. But so much more that you could spend hours wandering around. The focus is on British artists with a large collection JMW Turner's work. I found a lot of his work to be expensive, dramatic, and kind of repetitive. He painted a lot of seascapes, which are very impressive. There is an entire room filled with his unfinished works. There was an entire interesting collection of modern art, including sculptures, which was also fascinating. One of them included a collection of plastic lawn chairs with leather motorcycle gang jackets over them. We had to be reminded not to sit in the chairs. There was one sculpture, I really didn't understand, though, it was an older broken toilet with a red light on the inside and 2 walnuts with a cigar in the middle, attach to the toilet lid by metal wires. There were really well done curated notes for each painting, which made them much more interesting when you read some of the history behind the painting, but there is so much that you have to pick and choose. John Singer Sargent's "Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose"--a painting of two children lighting paper lanterns at dusk in a garden filled with blooming flowers was a beautiful painting as well as Edward Burra's 1930s "The Snack Bar", which I found so interesting to read about and look at.

I was a bit disappointed that I couldn't see Monet at the National Gallery, but that feeling completely disappeared when I saw Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose here. Many other works I had hoped to see were also displayed along a well-organized route, which made the viewing experience very comfortable. Above all, the staff were incredibly kind. Especially the person who checked my bag -- they were so cheerful that I was able to start my visit with such positive energy. Thank you, and I'm praying for you.

We were looking for something to do on a cold Sunday in London and decided to stop by the Tate Britain. Wow! I was shocked at how long it took me to visit this awesome museum. A great variety of art, organized by date, as well as a great limited time exhibit. We were especially excited to see John Everett Millais' 'Ophelia' and John Singer Sargent's 'Lady Macbeth'. If you are in the Westminster/Victoria area, make sure to visit the Tate Britain.

I've been to a few art museums in London, but had never visited this one and I'm so glad I did. It houses artworks made British artists, so in addition to modern art, here you will find some classics by Waterhouse, Gainsborough, Millhouse etc. Many museums around the world are grappling with their ties to colonialism, and the UK's museums are no exception. What I was most impressed with however, is that the Tate Britain's team seems to have reflected on the museum's historical roots to slavery, and what that means for the art it shows and how that art came into the museum. How do you reckon with the fact that the museum's founder had ties to slavery and the art he donated was linked to that? I was really impressed with the signage around much of the older art, that would call out whether the subjects depicted were slaveowners or had ties to colonialist institutions. In a few instances, there were portraits depicting BIPOC subjects and the museum added additional information about their lives. I also noticed the gift shop carried books about art diversity and intersectionality. I've never seen another art museum do this level of detail in regards to reckoning with a colonialist past, so I thought this was much-needed scholarship for our modern era. In addition, the museum also displays modern art, and there was a large exhibit for Hew Locke's The Procession, which featured figures who move through celebratory/mourning poses. The installation brings attention to the museum's founding. It was a deeply moving experience to see an exhibit by a Guyanese-British artist featuring African communities taking up space in a historically colonialist institution. Pictures don't really do it justice. When you walk around it, it feels like experiencing all the joys and sorrows of humanity. I was really impressed with Tate Britain and would recommend it!

A fantastic collection and a great Singer Sargent exhibition! Loved the cafe! Also loved the people who worked cloakroom, an Eastern European lady and her African assistant, both fantastic, extremely helpful, and friendly. They made the visit extra special. Can't wait to get back!

On my last London visit, I got to stay about a mile from the Tate and it was my first time ever living in such close proximity to a world class museum. The Tate is absolutely stunning from the entrance to the great large scale installations to the sheer creativeness of the exhibits. I always want to visit the Turner and Rothko room when I visit and of course the David Hockney. I know it's strange to say but when I stand in front of the Hockney I instantly feel like I'm back in Southern California, visiting Palm Springs where if you are lucky you'll find yourself there on a bright blue sky day looking at the mid century architecture and you'll see the same things Hockney Did. I believe Hockney referred to LA as a "promised land" and that painting encompasses that for me. I'm clearly biased but it's one of my favorite paintings to visit at the Tate. If you're lucky enough to go with a member, go up to the member's room for lunch. I've had some of the best summer/autumn salads I've had there. I still dream about the sweet potato and beet root salad I've eaten there! The architecture is stunning and it's a cool place to have a bit of a breather, especially if you have had a jammed pack day.

OK, this is the thing with me. I'm only into spiritual art. Not religious art but art work that deals with highly spiritual concepts and teachings and the masters of that sort of thing are easily William Blake and William Morris (that's on the British side, on the Russian side, I'd say it would be Nicholas Roerich). The Tate Britain has the world's largest collection of William Blake's painting and sketches so I had made it a point to come here (as well as the Victoria and Albert Museum) to see Blake's work directly. It's all located in a separate room up on the second floor. It's no fluke Blake was voted as one of the Greatest Britons of all time, the man and his works were genius. Full stop. But to limit a visit to the Tate Britain just to see Blake does no justice to this place. The Tate Britain is also ground-zero for the works of the Pre-Raphaelites like Dante Gabriel Rossetti, John William Waterhouse, Arthur Hughes, Ford Madox Brown and many, many others. It's quite a treat walking through the galleries here and seeing the original paintings you've seen your whole life on cards and posters. I remember reading "The French Lieutenant's Woman" by John Fowles years ago (saw the movie too) and how the character of Sarah Woodruff ended up being a model for Dante Gabriel Rossetti, who had a habit of painting astoundingly beautiful women, including William Morris' wife, Sarah Morris. You can see her here in Rossetti's painting of "Proserpine". This really is a pleasant gallery and a required pit stop if you want to do the museum and gallery circuit of London.

One of many great museums in London. Tate Britain is the original museum, Tate Modern was added on later. We saw the famous Turner exhibition. It's definitely worth the visit if you are familiar with his work. William Blake exhibition was also on display at the same time with admission fee. Like all museums in London, it's FREE!! So don't miss this opportunity to see as many as you can.

I have been to quite a few of the museums in London and while the Tate Britain has some quality art, I can't really say that this is my favorite of them. It's not the Tate's fault - this is just art that I don't really appreciate and just don't "get." I'm sorry, Tate. Lots of really classy stuff here and the audio guide is a big help. A few Sickerts, but the collection of Turners can't be matched. If you like art, especially British art, then you'll love the Tate Britain. Note that pictures are not permitted, so if someone was going to try and take pictures, they might do well to get the audio guide device and it doesn't look nearly as obvious. Or so I heard.

This museum is a must-see for fans of JMW Turner and John Singer Sargent. Seeing their works was absolutely worth the trip. I thought the collections could have been organized better. The layout does not do justice to some of the works. But overall it is definitely worth visiting for an art lover. Admission is free.

Nice museum to spend an hour or two. Famous for Turner collection. For first timers, taking a free tour is recommended. Took the free tour for the weekend. It was interesting to hear the stories and history about the museum. Worth a visit.

We went here for a late event to see "My Bed" art work. Honestly, there is so much to see here that you'll have to go more than once. I especially enjoyed the Hirst, Hockney, and Will Blake pieces. There was also an excellent exhibition on Jo Spence's work. If in London, I would say it's one of the best if not THE best of the museums in London. Oh yeah, and the "My Bed" piece was well worth it. You wouldn't think so, but it really makes you think about what art is. It's also one of those pieces that still retains it's aura, unlike so many others.

Great collections of British paintings and sculptures are on display. There are many of the JW Turner's permanently on display. The museum is free and can get crowded over weekends. The gallery itself is spacious and well lit.

This is a really cool museum that is definitely worth a visit if you are nearby the area. I really enjoyed the art here (hence my photos). It's free. We were only there for a hour, but could have easily spent about 4 hours inside.

Amazing! I made sure to see every room! And came back next day to view works by William Blake by appointment only.

I'm really happy that I stayed near Tate and was able to pop in for a visit on my last day in London. Entrance is free, but like other London museums, you're encouraged to donate 5 pounds and can purchase tickets to various extra exhibitions. I opted for a free tour (they have a schedule with times and topics) that really helped me to garner an appreciation for modern art that I did not have beforehand. Don't be fooled, though; there is plenty of art for those who enjoy works from the 16th century onward. I spent 1 hour on the tour and another hour perusing the beautiful pieces. I appreciated the ample benches, too.

Incredible collection of art at the Tate Museum. This is definitely a must see if you're in London. Very easy to get to by the Tube, 'mind the gap'. We had a very relaxing time viewing all the collections of art acquired at the Tate. My favorite was 'Love Locked Out' by Anna Lea Merritt, an American painter that moved to london. (see photo)

My husband and I spent a very pleasant morning immersing ourselves in quintessential British art at The Tate Britain. There are major pieces here by some major artists. We found work by Francis Bacon, David Hockney, Damien Hirst, Anish Kapoor, Gilbert and George, Tracy Enim, and more. There is an entire wing devoted to JMW Turner that showcases some spectacular work, there is an entire room devoted to William Blake, and there are some wonderful pieces by Constable and Gainsborough here and there. The collection covers all eras. The High/Low of our visit was seeing the Anish Kapoor sculpture "Adam". The High came from trying to figure out if the jet black rectangle on the face of the sculpture was a hole or if it was a rectangular piece of material. It was really difficult to tell, even up close. The Low came when some idiot walked up to it while we were there, put both hands on either side of the space in question, then stuck his head into what we discovered to be a hole. He yelled something into it then walked away. He must have seen our confusion and decided to come explain the mystery to us. We saw this guy in a couple of other galleries running his hands all over the art; then I noticed that there weren't many guards around. Perhaps the Tate should invest in better security. Other than that, it was a very pleasant museum experience.

excellent museum, especially if you're a Turner fan (as I am). the layout is really spacious, lots of galleries dedicated to British historical art (500+ years) and three large rooms (and some smaller areas) of JMW Turner's works. oddly, there are other Turners scattered throughout the other areas of the museum. the Turner works are part of the permanent exhibits so not sure why. oh well museum is free (yay!) with a suggested donation of 4 pounds. maps have a suggested donation of 1 pound. the gift shop/bookstore has the usual combination of art books and kitschy stuff people buy as a reward for bored kids all in all, a great experience and I'll be sure to return

This museum has over 500 years of British paintings, artifacts and sculptures. It's FREE to enter but they do have special temporary exhibits for a small price. The audio guide is free if you have the London Pass. The permanent collection is divided into three main groups. The 20th century, historic works and contemporary pieces. And within each group, they also have "Focus" areas, which are areas you should get the most out of when you visit the museum. The Focus areas change regularly so every time you visit, there will be a different Focus area on the next visit. My favorites includes works from William Turner. A lot of his work has ships as part of the theme. Although the building itself looks big, the collection here occupies only one floor with the temporary exhibits occupying parts of another floor, so your visit here won't be as long as compared to visiting the National Gallery or the British Musuem.

Very interesting place and I'm definitely not usually a museum person. We took one of their scheduled guided tours which lasted about 45 minutes. I could have followed them around all day. Great to hear all the different nuances to the pieces and artists on display.

I usually go to the Tate modern but decided to check this place out today. It is really great. It is a great mix of modern and classical art all under one roof. I stayed mostly in the contemporary British art section which has some amazing pieces by Tracy Emin and Damien Hirst. Then just a stroll down the corridor is a completely different looking section with grand pillars, stucco work and loads of 19th century paintings. It is like two different galleries under one roof but they work really well together. As well as the historic and contemporary art there is also a section of early 20th century art and the Turner galleries. At the moment the temporary exhibition is Francis Bacon and is fantastic. It is pretty pricey at £10.50 for a student but the rest of the gallery is free.

About a 5 minute walk from Pimlico Tube Station and 3 minute walk from my hotel - Doubletree Westminster. I love that its FREE but I felt the juicier things at the museum did come at a price. They had Pablo Picasso Exhibit up but decided against it as I didn't want to pay the £13+ for admission. There were mostly Contemporary Art in creative works like Tate Modern but there were also Oil on Canvas by British artists, sculptures, and photographs. Pretty quiet and small scale museum compared to the other popular ones around London. A lot of it is currently being renovated so thats probably partially why it was just OK for me. I'm glad I went since it was so close to my hotel but wouldn't go out of my way for this one.

Being the expensive city that London is, it's amazing that there are so many free attractions--especially top of the line museums. The Tate Museums are fantastic and Im glad I had the opportunity to experience them. The Tate Britain isnt at the level of the Tate Modern, in my opinion, but it certainly is a grood museum. The collection is entirely different as you would imagine but still impressive. Their collection is quite a bit more traditional and may appeal to people who arent as into modern or controversial art. The space itself is beautiful--very spacious and quiet with areas or dark and light. The exterior of the building is a stark contrast to the Tate Modern and fits the collection appropriately. As for the collection itself, it's very good but not at the level of some internationally known museums. The location is also good--just down the road from Westminster Abbey and parliament. But the best thing about the museum is that it's FREE.

The Tate Modern covers over 500 years of modern art and is conveniently located by the Thames close to Pimlico tube or a 20 minute walk from Westminster. Like all good British museums it is free to enter but you have to pay to see exhibits. We came to see the David Hockney exhibition which ran until the end of May 2017 and paid an additional fee to enter a very busy space. I really enjoyed the exhibit particularly the Californian swimming pools and Yorkshire landscapes. The rest of the museum is a lot quieter and there are famous paintings like the Lady of Shalott by Waterhouse dotted around. Given London's inclement weather you could easily spend a few hours here.

I really enjoyed going to Tate Britain and was pleasantly surprised to find it was the home of the Turner prize retrospective, having studied the art contained in it for years. It displayed Damian Hirst's Spot paintings and cut up animals, plus Chris Ofili's elephant dung paintings! I also attended Loud Tate, which was an event organised by Tate with workshops where you could invent characters and make them (I've uploaded an image of what I made), try foreign cuisines and listen to live music. It was a great day and I'd tell anyone to keep an eye out for all Tate related events and to get involved.

I am old enough to deplore the renaming of the Tate as the 'Tate Britain' - a polictically correct name which has a disturbing Orwellian ring to it. Why shouldn't it still be called 'The Tate' even if the new one is 'The Tate Modern'? Having got that off my chest, I love the place dearly and go as often as I can. It's light, bright and uplifting, and one can renew one's love of art without condescension. The Turners are superb, of course, unlike any paintings one can see anywhere else, and one can sit in front of that Burne-Jones for ever, but the current Francis Bacon Exhibition eclipses even those unassailable heights. It's one of the greatest exhibitions ever held in London and is brilliantly foreshadowed on the Tate's website with one of the best interactive catalogues anywhere (http://www.tate.org.uk/britain/exhibitions/francisbacon/default.shtm/ ) When I was there last, there were runners racing through the main halls at one minute intervals; a kind of mini- marathon which invigoraged the place perfectly. I came across an American in a wheelchair who had spent hours trying to photograph them as the raced by. As a means of inspiring artists, it was as inventive and unassuming as the great building itself

Idea way to spend a rainy bank holiday Saturday. Excellent Henry Moore exhibition at the moment which is well worth a look. Pictures of miners and tje underground bomb shelters during the war are very moving. Top tip for londoners would be to become a Tate member for about £60 which allows you and a guest free entry to all the Tate exhibitions for a year and the use of the members room at each venue - bargain.

Lovely gallery. I went to see John Craxton in August,marvellous. I passed through a room with Chamber music playing to a video by Mark Wallinger. The Exit Gates of Heathrow. Ordinary people become like angels in slow motion set to this choral air. Brilliant & permanent I am delighted to say. The Tate runs workshops too : I went to one for the homeless in Oct (see my pic) they loved it too.It was run in the Turner Gallery : a part of the Tate which was built from money which Turner left,along with his entire collection to house for the Nation.

Good museum. It is a museum that is free to enter. Filled with ancient art through old British time. Upstairs and down stairs are ticket required.

Tate Britain is my favourite art gallery where I try to visit every year. Turner Prize 2019 is really excellent and I enjoyed lots of nice paintings there. Turner Prize 2018 and Turner Prize 2018 were also good. I really appreciate the show and hope they will select the best artist from the Turner Prize 2019 shortlist artist. I also saw some Turner Prize art works at https://turner-prize-2019.com

I have had so many recommendations for the Tate Modern, but people don't seem to be as into Tate Britain. I don't understand why! It has several centuries' worth of British artwork, and I love that they have it set up so that you can walk through each room in chronological order, watching art change throughout time. So much beautiful, fascinating art. And like many museums in London, it's FREE! And free stuff is just generally awesome. I spent an entire Sunday afternoon here, and only left from physical tiredness and hunger (and it was closing soon...) One thing that always helps me at museums is listening to an audio guide, if you don't take a guided tour. Brilliantly, the Tate Britain website has audio guides on their website for iphones, android, and general mobile stuff: http://www.tate.org.uk/visit/tate-britain/tate-britain-mobile. Definitely check it out - it's a great way to give you background into some of the art in each room. Also make sure to take a water bottle to increase your endurance, so you can see as much as possible.

Funny that the Tate Britain has earned only four little stars from others' reviews and decried as the "red-headed step-child of the Tate Modern." This redhead takes offense! But, ultimately, it's your loss. When I tell friends about my visit to London I tell them that this gem was my favorite of all London museums (and, believe me, I went to many). Why? Well: 1) It's quietly hidden behind Westminster Abbey after a nice stretch of greenery along the Thames, so the walk there is lovely, imho. 2) It's small and so therefore easily manageable such that you can actually sit and enjoy each piece of artwork (I even had a chance to sit and sketch). 3) There's both early and modern galleries, so if you wanted to catch a little bit of everything you can in one museum. I realize there are other things that are bigger, flashier, more in the mix of everything (hello, Trafalgar!), but if you prefer a more intimate, memorable experience go with the redhead. ;)

If you are a fan of Turner, you MUST go to the Late Turner Exhibition. Although the museum was crowded (Sunday afternoon), it was worth the time and patience required to see each work. The works were well gathered by particular theme and time period, with a very good explanation of each theme. Some pieces had not been exhibited together since their first exhibition many years ago so it was a real treat. I had not seen many of the pieces before such as the watercolors or his sketches, which provided helpful insight to his process.

The Tate Britain is a must-do if you are in London before the Picasso exhibit ends on July 15th. The exhibit focuses on Picasso's influence on British artists and also does a good job chronicling his exhibitions in Britain during his lifetime. I loved the display of his designs for the costumes of Diaghilev's ballet "The Three Cornered Hat". I also thought the section of David Hockney's work was especially good - the photographic collages that recall the cubist style of painting were probably my favorite of the British art displayed. The rest of the museum has plenty of fine art to see - don't miss the John Singer Sargent "study for Madame X". Lastly, the restaurant is quite fabulous. There is a "set menu" of which you can have either a two course or three course meal, complete with wine pairings. Fancy :) Pro tips: use the Tate to Tate shuttle boat to get to and from the Modern. Open late on Fridays and Saturdays (though the shuttle only runs late on weekends.)

The Tate Britain has become something of the red-headed step-child of the Tate Modern. And for no good reason! Have we Londoners been so thoroughly spoiled by our choice of free art museums that we have pushed the Tate Britain aside in favour of its flashier and cooler cousin across the river? Shame on us all. The Tate Britain offers a world-class tour through both British art and British history in just a few short hours. And the sheer quantity of Turner and Constable paintings in this museum should really make it much busier than it is on an average Saturday. Honestly folks. Give it another chance. Sure, it doesn't have the flair of a room full of Rothkos at the Tate Modern. And no, it's definitely not filled with stolen antiquities from around the globe like the British Museum. But it's something special in it's own right. And if do find yourself there on a rainy day, you'll likely encounter me skulking in the corner of some forgotten gallery, giving unsuspecting visitors a bit of unrequested information about a painting they've walked by without proper consideration.

John William Waterhouse's The Lady of Shalott was stunning. As well as, Millais' Ophelia.Pre-Raphaelites dominate this museum. The heat, however, was unbearable. It was hot and stuffy in most of the rooms.

Turners. Moderns. Classic. Joseph. William. Where else could you find a stripped & polished Harrier jet? Skip the horrible religionosity. Dig the excellent curation (no, seriously, how do they do it? Watercolours-- brilliant. American 20th C photos. Amazing. Compelling. As good as a massive museum like the Met, but not overwhelming. Almost never massively crowded (unless something is just starting or ending). In a gorgeous building. And Henry Tate was just kind of brilliant-- made a shedload of money and then gave it all away for stuff like this and South London libraries.

[Aside: I think I always give five stars to museums and galleries because I'm such a huge museums and galleries nerd and I can never really find faults with them ... ] Oh, Tate Britain, the underrated sister of uber-cool and always-crowded Tate Modern. Yes, its location on Millbank could leave you for want, but it is a nice walk along the Thames from Westminster and all the masterpieces it holds is definitely worth it. The first time I went here, I had about an hour and a half to spare, and I spent the majority of it in the Turner wing, where they had a special display of not only Turner (who fast made it on my list of Favourite British Artists) but his Romantic era counterparts. After being almost literally blown away by the landscapes and manipulations of light and shadows, I wandered through the rest of the gallery en route to the Eadwarde Muybridge (I never know how to spell it) photography exhibition. I whizzed through the contemporary galleries, bade a quick greeting to the Lady of Shallot and Ophelia, promising them (and myself) that I would be back soon. Less than two weeks later, I found myself at Tate Britain again, with more time to spare to take it all in. Yes, they are going through a bit of refurbishing work, but the works of art they have on display and its diversity is enough to make anyone who could possibly scoff at the possibility of enjoying their time here as much as in the Tate Modern (yes, I admit, in a past life, I was one of those people) change their mind. I'll definitely be back for their upcoming Watercolours exhibtion!

Mostly a classical painting museum. My favorite exhibit, is the not so classical painter Francis Bacon. Shouldn't his work be at the Tate Modern. They also once had a Hogarth exhibit that was mind blowing. You can take the little Ferry and scoot over to the Tate modern quite easily,

Definitely one of the best museum in the city. Way less crowded than the Tate Britain or The National Gallery (probably due to its less central location), you can actually enjoy the art collections and walk peacefully through the galleries. From the Pre-Raphaelite to Tracy Emin, the museum will give you a good feel of the British art history. The Henry Moore and the David Hockney rooms are particularly good. The entrance is free but like other museums they suggest small donations. The access is easy (few minutes away from Pimlico station), and they have a café and a restaurant if you want to grab a bite.

Back in the day before the almighty Tate Modern opened, there was just the Tate or Tate Britain as it's now known. I've spent so many years sitting in front of wonderful artworks sketching for hours undisturbed and when I now pass through the beautiful old halls, I see lots of students doing the same thing. My favourite part used to be the Turner Collection, not necessarily for the artworks but for the layout because there is a room that overlooks the Thames and it has a little bay window where you can just sit for ages. Another favourite part of mine is to the right when you enter, where you descend down the twisty windy stairs to the café, which in itself is really nice too. In recent years, they added a modern extension to the right side of the building, which works because it blends in and it's a different and nice way to enter the site without the masses. Personally, I prefer Tate Modern for its content but the Tate is such a lovely building and evokes many old memories for me that I always pop in every now and again to wander the halls.

This museum is a gorgeous piece of architecture to start, the twirling staircases and black and white tiling especially. I love that it is free and accessible to the public. I love how many families and groups are wandering its galleries. The 500 years of Britain show was a great introduction to British art, and it included countless master works. The Turner Prize is fantastic! I do think they would benefit from more contextual information for the works and some more interactivity throughout the exhibitions themselves. I'll be there every time I am in London!

As an art traditionalist I had been wanting to get to Tate Britain for some time. Indeed, I had subjected myself to the Tate Modern some time ago and yearned for some "older" stuff to see. This museum did not disappoint. It also has a number of guided tours you should take advantage of - and just like the museum - the price is right: free.

Getting to Millbank always seems like a hike as it is not near anything else remotely interesting, so it feels like extra effort to get to the Tate. But it is always worth the effort and never ceases to surprise and delight me. Like all of the Tate museums, it features a contemporary artist's works in the public spaces, casually, almost thrown there, but that extra cherry on the top of your visit letting you know art is everywhere. Then the skilled curators of all their exhibitions always assemble in depth, quality shows. But it is the familiar faces in the permanent collections, like Whistler's 'Nocturne' series, or the mythical works of the Pre-Raphaelites, that make it the perfect place to be with friends on a rainy day.

Tate Britain, we need to talk. Why is your permanent collection so quiet and stuffy? Why are the lights so dim in comparison to both the National Gallery and your Modern twin? Why is your cafe so hard to find and ultimately pedestrian? Ah, well. The Picasso exhibit is expensive but well worth it- 100x better than the rest of the museum. The rooms flow together nicely and each one has a theme that makes sense. It revolves Picasso's time in Britain, his reception among the British public and British critics and collectors, and his influence on British art. The tags were all interesting as well- one of the few times I've gone through and read everything in an exhibit.