The famous front entrance to Tate Britain is shut, and will be until 2027.
The Millbank entrance is closed until 2027 for construction of the Clore Garden. Use the Manton Entrance on Atterbury Street instead.
That is the grand portico with the steps, the one in every photograph and every set of directions. Walk up to it now and you walk back down again. Atterbury Street runs along the side of the building.
It holds the world’s largest free Turner display
Tate’s own claim, and the single best reason to come. The JMW Turner display is the world’s largest free display of his paintings.
Alongside it, also free: Historic and Early Modern British Art, tracing British art from the Tudors to the Second World War, Modern and Contemporary British Art from 1940 to today, and Art Around the Building, covering commissions in the building and garden.
Entry to the collection is free for everyone and needs no booking.
Four free tours a day, one more than Tate Modern
Free guided tours run most days at 12.00, 13.00, 14.00 and 15.00.
Tate Modern runs three, stopping at 14.00. So if a guided tour is what you want, this is the building with the extra chance, and the 15.00 slot is the quietest.
It closes at six, every day
Monday to Sunday: 10.00 to 18.00. Last entry 17.30. Galleries start closing at 17.50.
Two things worth drawing out.
There is no late opening at all. Tate Modern runs to 21.00 on Fridays and Saturdays; Tate Britain never does. If you want a Tate in the evening, it has to be the other one.
Tate Britain publishes its last entry and its closing sequence; Tate Modern publishes neither. So you know precisely that 17.30 is the cut-off and that rooms begin shutting at 17.50, giving you a real twenty minutes rather than a hopeful hour.
There is a cloakroom, and it is free
The practical advantage over Tate Modern, and it is a recent one.
Tate Britain has a cloakroom. Tate Modern’s closed, and bags there now go in paid lockers at £4 to £8.
Tate’s own policy wording makes the split explicit: non-electric skateboards, scooters and folding bikes must be stored in the cloakroom at Tate Britain or in the paid locker facilities at Tate Modern.
Electric skateboards, scooters and folding bikes are not permitted in the building. Cloakroom capacity is limited and at busy times they may refuse these items.
The bag limit is the same, the left luggage is not
Bags and items larger than cabin bag size, 55 x 40 x 20cm, are not permitted in the building. Bags are checked on arrival, so allow time.
Tate Britain points to the left luggage facility at Victoria station. Tate Modern points to London Bridge. Same rule, different nearest answer, and Victoria is the better one if you are coming in from Gatwick.
Exhibition prices, and the £5 route
Identical across both Tates:
Visitors aged 16 to 25 can join Tate Collective for £5 exhibition tickets.
Up to four children aged 11 and under go free per parent or guardian.
£5 family child tickets for children aged 12 to 18.
Visitors with a disability pay a concessionary rate and their companion enters free.
Members and Supporters go free to every exhibition at every Tate gallery, with no booking. Just turn up with the card.
Booking is recommended for exhibitions and never required for the collection.
Published guides worth knowing about
Tate Britain publishes more access material than most galleries and it is easy to miss.
There is a visual story, a step-by-step visual and written guide to the visit, which is the thing to send to anyone anxious about a new building. There is a family guide, a schools guide, visiting tips for social care professionals, and a film called Ways of Looking at Art.
None of it costs anything and none of it is advertised on the way in.
Where it is
Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG, entered from the Manton Entrance on Atterbury Street until 2027.
Pimlico is the nearest Underground station and Vauxhall is across the river. There is a Thames boat service running between Tate Britain and Tate Modern, which is the pleasant way to do both in a day.
How to plan it
Arriving: Atterbury Street, not Millbank, until 2027.
Free, always, for the collection, including the Turner rooms.
Free tour: 12.00, 13.00, 14.00 or 15.00. The 15.00 is the quiet one.
Last entry 17.30, and rooms start closing at 17.50.
Want an evening: go to Tate Modern instead, open to 21.00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Carrying a coat or a bag: there is a free cloakroom here, which Tate Modern no longer has.
Aged 16 to 25: Tate Collective, £5 exhibitions.
Doing both Tates: take the boat between them.
Tate Britain
- Address
- Tate Britain, Millbank, London SW1P 4RG. Enter via the Manton Entrance on Atterbury Street until 2027
- Nearest
- Pimlico, with Vauxhall across the river and a Thames boat service to Tate Modern
- Hours
- Monday to Sunday 10.00 to 18.00. Last entry 17.30, galleries start closing 17.50. No late opening on any day
- Booking
- Not needed for the collection. Recommended for exhibitions. Members enter exhibitions without booking
- Price
- Collection free for everyone. Exhibitions ticketed, with 5 pound tickets for 16 to 25s through Tate Collective, four under 11s free per adult, 5 pound family tickets for 12 to 18s, and a concessionary rate plus free companion for disabled visitors
- Standing
- British art from the Tudors to today, including the world’s largest free display of JMW Turner
How to get in
The Millbank entrance is closed until 2027 for the Clore Garden, so entry is from the Manton Entrance on Atterbury Street. Free guided tours run four times a day at 12.00, 13.00, 14.00 and 15.00, one more than Tate Modern. There is a free cloakroom here, which Tate Modern no longer has. Nothing larger than 55 by 40 by 20cm is allowed in the building.
Where to go next
Tate Modern is the other half, open until 21.00 on Fridays and Saturdays, with a free top-floor view over the Thames.
The free museums page covers the national collections, and the art galleries cover the commercial rooms.
Questions we get asked
Is Tate Britain free?
Yes, entry to the collection is free for everyone with no booking needed, including the Turner rooms. Temporary exhibitions are ticketed, with £5 tickets for 16 to 25 year olds through Tate Collective, four under-11s free per adult and £5 for 12 to 18 year olds on a family ticket.
Which entrance do you use at Tate Britain?
The Manton Entrance on Atterbury Street. The main Millbank entrance, the one with the portico and steps, is closed until 2027 for construction of the Clore Garden.
What are Tate Britain's opening times?
Monday to Sunday 10.00 to 18.00, with last entry at 17.30 and galleries starting to close at 17.50. There is no late opening on any day, unlike Tate Modern which runs to 21.00 on Fridays and Saturdays.
Does Tate Britain have a cloakroom?
Yes, and it is free. That is now a difference between the two galleries: Tate Modern's cloakroom has closed and bags there go in paid lockers costing £4 to £8. Cloakroom capacity here is limited and may be refused at busy times.
Does Tate Britain do free tours?
Yes, four a day, most days, at 12.00, 13.00, 14.00 and 15.00. Tate Modern runs three, finishing at 14.00.
Where can you see Turner in London for free?
Tate Britain, which holds what Tate describes as the world's largest free display of paintings by JMW Turner. It is part of the free collection, so no ticket is needed.
Can you take a suitcase into Tate Britain?
No. Bags and items larger than cabin bag size, 55 x 40 x 20cm, are not permitted in the building, and bags are checked on arrival. Tate Britain points visitors to the left luggage facility at Victoria station.
Written by Robert J Wills, no. 290 in the guide.
Last checked 6 October 2026 against the venues' own published information. Nobody pays to appear here and we take no bookings.
