Tate Galleries London

There are two Tate Galleries and both are worth your attention. Remarkably, there is no admission charge to either one. The Tate Modern occupies a former power plant, which creates an interesting -and controversial - backdrop for the world's largest collection of Modern Art. Like most museums of modern art, the layout of the galleries (and in this case, the building itself) adds to the impact of the individual pieces.

Works range from abstract piles of brick to explorations of African roots in Modern Western Art. This is an extremely popular museum with the locals, therefore you will want to plan you visit on a weekday, as the weekends are extremely crowded. The Tate Britain is the home of an impressive historical archive of British art. Built in 1897, the museum houses pieces from 1500 until the present day. The Pre-Raphaelites and neo-classicists are impressive in quality as well as in quantity. The Tudor collection is second only to the Portrait Gallery. The layout here is a bit more traditional with most of the works displayed by theme, association, or chronology.