Experiences
The 6 Best Art Galleries in London
Six London galleries worth the trip, from Tate Modern's turbine hall to Hauser and Wirth on Savile Row. Mostly free, all genuinely good, and a note on when to go.
In short: our top picks are Tate Modern, The National Gallery and Whitechapel Gallery. 6 places in total, chosen on merit, with the full reasoning below.
A gallery is a different proposition to a museum. You go for one or two rooms, not a forced march past everything humanity ever made, and the best London ones reward an hour rather than a day. The grand public houses are free and busy. The commercial spaces, Hauser and Wirth in Mayfair, White Cube down in Bermondsey, are also free and oddly calm, because most people assume you need an invitation or a spare six figures to walk in. You don’t. Push the door, nod at whoever is on the desk, take your time. Below are six we keep going back to, split between the institutions everyone names and the shop-window galleries that are quietly some of the better art in the city.
| Place | Area |
|---|---|
| Tate Modern | Bankside |
| The National Gallery | Trafalgar Square |
| Whitechapel Gallery | Aldgate East |
| Serpentine Galleries | Kensington Gardens |
| White Cube Bermondsey | Bermondsey |
| Hauser & Wirth | Mayfair |
-
Editor’s choice
Tate Modern
Why we pick itThe old Bankside power station still does the thing no white-walled gallery can: you walk into the Turbine Hall and the scale knocks the chatter out of you. The free collection upstairs is genuinely world-class, Rothko, Bourgeois, a lot of work that rewards a second look. Go Friday evening when it stays open till nine and the building empties out.
Modern and contemporary art
-
The National Gallery
Why we pick itThe Sainsbury Wing reopened in May 2025 after a long refit, and the new glass entrance finally lets daylight into what used to feel like a side door. Inside it's Van Eyck, Velazquez, the Wilton Diptych, eight hundred years of painting, all free. Don't try to see it all. Pick two rooms, sit, and let the rest wait for next time.
Old Masters and European painting
-
Whitechapel Gallery
Why we pick itIt showed Picasso's Guernica in 1939 and gave Gilbert and George an early platform, and the programme still leans toward artists the bigger institutions catch up with years later. A minute from Aldgate East, free to walk into, with two ticketed shows a year funding the rest. The cafe and bookshop are worth the detour on their own.
Contemporary art
-
Serpentine Galleries
Why we pick itTwo small pavilions on either side of the lake, the second a Zaha Hadid conversion of an old gunpowder store. The exhibitions are sharp and the visit is short, which is the point: see the show, then walk it off across the park. Every summer they commission a temporary pavilion from an architect who has never built in Britain, and it is always worth a look.
Contemporary art and architecture
-
White Cube Bermondsey
Why we pick itEurope's largest commercial gallery space, and you can wander in off Bermondsey Street for nothing. The scale lets it stage shows museums would envy, Tracey Emin, Anselm Kiefer, work hung with room to breathe. Nobody will pressure you to buy. Pair it with lunch on the same street, which has quietly become one of south London's better eating strips.
Blue-chip contemporary, commercial
-
Hauser & Wirth
Why we pick itA heavyweight gallery on Savile Row, two big rooms showing the likes of Louise Bourgeois, Philip Guston and Mark Bradford with the care of a public institution and none of the queue. Free, open Tuesday to Saturday, and the perfect twenty-minute stop between a fitting and lunch. Walk in like you belong; everyone else is bluffing too.
Modern and contemporary, commercial
Before you book
All six are free to enter, though Tate Modern, the National Gallery and Whitechapel charge for their big ticketed shows (Whitechapel’s run around 16.50 pounds). Late Fridays at Tate Modern and the National Gallery, both open until 21.00, are the civilised way in: thinner crowds, better light. Commercial galleries shut Sundays and Mondays, so save those for the public ones. Nothing needs booking for the permanent rooms.
Common questions
What are the top picks in this guide?
Tate Modern is our editor's choice: The old Bankside power station still does the thing no white-walled gallery can: you walk into the Turbine Hall and the scale knocks the chatter out of you. The free collection upstairs is genuinely world-class, Rothko, Bourgeois, a lot of work that rewards a second look. Go Friday evening when it stays open till nine and the building empties out. Tate Modern, The National Gallery and Whitechapel Gallery lead the guide, with 6 places in total, all chosen on merit.
How does Lamplit London choose its recommendations?
Every place is chosen on merit, after first-hand visits where possible, with no pay-for-placement. Read our full method at https://www.lamplitlondon.com/how-we-choose/.
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