Autumn, with its chillier days, is the perfect time to start planning days out exploring the treasure trove of museums and art galleries that the UK has to offer. We are spoilt for choice, for great places to visit and with many museums and art galleries offering free admission it can be a relatively inexpensive day out
If you love wandering around art galleries and you haven’t yet discovered Tate Britain in London then a visit is a must. Tate is home to 500 years of the very best of British art with much-loved favourites alongside new contemporary artworks. From the Pre-Raphaelites to David Hockney, Barbara Hepworth and Henry Moore, to name but a few. Tate has the largest collection of works by JMW Turner in the world. It is a veritable gem of a gallery for art-lovers and is generally less crowded than some of the other galleries in London, which is a bonus.
The Tate has a cafe for refreshments offering a deli counter, hot food and sandwiches and wraps, and a shop to browse selling books, prints, homeware, jewellery and gifts, so you could spend a whole afternoon exploring the treasures within.
The Tate offers free admission to the main collection, and for added interest there are always special exhibitions showing although these usually attract an admission charge. One exhibition that caught our eye is the Turner and Constable exhibition running from 27 November 2025 to 12 April 2026 showing the works of two of Britain’s greatest painters marking 250 years of their birth. Discover unexpected sides to both artists alongside intimate insights seen through sketchbooks and personal items. This is an unmissable opportunity to explore the careers of two of the greatest British landscape painters, seen – as they often were in their own time – side by side.
It is advisable to book tickets to the exhibition in advance of your visit via the Tate website.
Swift Valley Coach Travel’s next day trip to London, dropping at Tate Britain is on Wednesday 3rd December 2025 which coincides with the Constable and Turner exhibition. The day trip is available to Route A customers with departure points from Lutterworth, Blaby, Whetstone, Narborough, Market Harborough and Rugby. Seats can be booked online https://bit.ly/tatebritaincoachtrip or by calling our Booking Office on 01455 552414.
