Tate Modern

Tate Modern is a very large gallery with two interconnecting buildings, Natalie Bell Building and Blavatnik Building.

Visiting all galleries involves moving around on different floors and buildings, across indoor bridges. Lifts are available on each level. Visit our Wheelchair and Mobility Scooter Provision section for more information.

There are five entrances to the gallery.

Download the map

Turbine Hall entrance on Holland Street

• There is a ramp into Level 0 of the gallery.
• A flight of steps with a handrail runs alongside the length of the ramp.
• From here, there is escalator, lift and stair access to all levels.

River entrance on Queen’s Walk

• The river entrance provides access directly to Level 1.
• From here, there are lifts and staircase to all floors in the Natalie Bell Building.

Blavatnik Building entrance on Sumner Street

• The entrance is located on the south side of the building and it provides access directly to the Terrace Bar and Terrace Shop.
• From here, there are lifts to all levels in the Blavatnik Building and access to the Natalie Bell Building via Level 1 Bridge.
• The two parts of the Tate Modern building: Natalie Bell Building and Blavatnik Building are connected on Level 0 through the Turbine Hall, Level 1 Bridge and Level 4 Bridge.

South entrance

• Two RADAR Key operated lifts link the South Entrance on Level 1 and the Ticket desks in the Turbine Hall on Level 0. RADAR keys are available from staff at the South Entrance on Level 1, and from the cloakroom and ticket desks on Level 0.

Additional entrance to the Café

• There is an additional entrance to the Café on Level 1 next to the Turbine Hall entrance on Holland Street.

Natalie Bell Building and Blavatnik Building

• The two parts of the Tate Modern building: Natalie Bell Building and Blavatnik Building are connected on Level 0 through Turbine Hall, Level 1 Bridge and Level 4 Bridge.

Wheelchairs, prams and buggies

• All entrances are accessible for wheelchairs, prams and buggies.

Wheelchairs, mobility scooters and walkers are available at the gallery.

If you wish to borrow a wheelchair you can either book in advance or ask a member of staff on arrival (subject to availability). The reservation is free.

If you wish to borrow a mobility scooter please book in advance giving at least 24 hours notice. The reservation is free. You must have driven a mobility scooter before to use one at Tate Modern.

To book:

Email ticketing@tate.org.uk

Call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 – option 1 (daily 09.45–18.00)

Our phone line supports the use of speech recognition apps.

Please note your name, contact details, date and time of visit are required to make the booking.

Information desks

Information desks are located near the River entrance on Level 1 and in the Turbine Hall on Level 0. Staff are happy to help with any questions you have.

Toilets

Fully accessible toilets are located on every floor, on the concourses.

A Changing Places toilet is available on Level 0 Natalie Bell Building. Visitors can access the toilet using their RADAR key. RADAR keys are available from the cloakroom and ticket desks on Level 0, and from staff at the South Entrance on Level 1.

It offers:

• Plenty of room for carers
• Full room coverage electric hoist equipment
• Height adjustable changing bench
• Paper roll
• Height adjustable wash hand basin
• Non-slip floor
• Privacy screen
• Seating

Baby changing facilities

• The Baby Care Room is located on Level 0 Natalie Bell Building.
• Additional nappy-changing facilities are available in all toilets on each floor.

Lifts

• There are four lifts in the Natalie Bell Building part of the building situated by the main stairs on each floor. You can reach the lifts from the River entrance, the Turbine Hall entrance and the Café entrance .
• There are eight lifts in the Blavatnik Building, situated by the main stairs on each floor
• Two RADAR Key operated lifts link the South Entrance on Level 1 and the Ticket desks in the Turbine Hall on Level 0. RADAR keys are available from staff at the South Entrance on Level 1, and from the cloakroom and ticket desks on Level 0

Cloakroom and Lockers

The cloakroom is located on Level 0 Natalie Bell Building. The service is free of charge.

• You may be requested to leave briefcases, bags or umbrellas in the cloakroom.
• Buggies can also be stored there, subject to space availability.
• Self-service lockers are located in the Tanks lobby on Level 0 Blavatnik Building.
• The use of the lockers is free of charge with the requirement of a £1 deposit.
• Bags larger than cabin bag size (55cm x 40cm x 20cm), sports or recreational equipment (musical instruments), large wheelie bags or boxes are not permitted into the gallery.
• Foldable bicycles, large skate boards and child or adult scooters are permitted into the building but must be deposited in the cloakroom.

Seating

• There are seats and benches throughout Tate Modern galleries, Turbine Hall and the concourses.
• Folding seats are available – just ask a member of staff or pick up a stool from the racks located on the concourses on levels 2, 3 and 4.

Telephones

• There is a card and cash pay phone on Level 1 in the Natalie Bell Building, under the staircase in the lift lobby.
• They are equipped with volume control and inductive couplers, and are accessible to wheelchair users.
• Staff at the Information desks will call the Dial-a-Ride service for visitors.

Water fountains

• There are water fountains by the toilets on levels 2, 3 and 4 in the Natalie Bell Building.

• There are no water fountains in the Blavatnik Building.

Restaurant, Café and Espresso Bar

• The Kitchen and Bar on Level 6 Natalie Bell Building and the Restaurant on Level 9 Blavatnik Building are both accessible via lifts. Both have waiter service.
• Café on level 1 Natalie Bell Building and the Terrace Bar on Level 1 Blavatnik Building are accessible from street level. The Espresso Bar on Level 3 Natalie Bell Building is accessible via lifts in the Natalie Bell Building. All are self-service, but staff are happy to help if you need assistance.

Tate Modern shops

There are four shops at Tate Modern:

• the Terrace shop on Level 1, Blavatnik Building
• the Turbine Hall shop on Level 0, Natalie Bell Building
• the River Shop on Level 1, Natalie Bell Building
• the Exhibition Shop on Level 3, Natalie Bell Building

Member Facilities

The Members Room is located on Level 8 Blavatnik Building. Lifts are available on every floor.

The Members Bar is located on Level 5 Natalie Bell Building. Lifts are available on every floor.

Admission to Tate Modern is free, but there is a charge for the majority of exhibitions.

The ticket desk is in the Turbine Hall on Level 0. Consider purchasing your e-ticket in advance on the special exhibition page and show it at the exhibition entrance. No booking fee.

Entry for exhibitions

Visitors with a disability pay a concessionary rate, and a companion/carers entrance is free.
Details are available on each exhibition page.

Guide dogs

We welcome guide dogs. A drinking bowl is available at the cloakroom on level 0 – just ask a member of staff.

Enlarged print gallery plans

Enlarged print gallery plans are available on request from the Information desks.

Large print guides

Large print exhibition guides are available at all special exhibitions at Tate Modern. Please ask at the exhibition entrance.

Large print guides for the special exhibitions are also available on our website: visit the relevant exhibition page and click on the blue box 'Read the exhibition guide' half way through the page; click on the 'Download large print guide' button near the top of the page to read the guide or to save a copy to your device.

Large print captions are currently not available for the permanent collection. Visitors can borrow a Magnifier from one of the Information Desks.

Magnifiers and Coloured Overlays

Magnifiers and coloured overlays are available from the Information desks and the exhibition entrances.

Touch tours

Touch Tours introduce visually impaired visitors to the thematic arrangement of the displays. Tours engage with the ideas, materials and techniques of the art on display.

Touch tours typically include a sculpture that can be explored through direct handling and a number of other two and three dimensional works that are explored using a combination of raised images, handling objects, description and discussion.

We ask that visitors book at least a week in advance, although it may be possible to arrange tours at shorter notice. Tours can be arranged for any time during normal gallery opening hours.

To book call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (option 2 (9.00-18.00, daily)

Audio described tours

Audio described tours explore works on display in the permanent collection and exhibitions.

Check the list of tours available on the What’s on pages.

Tours take place seated in the gallery and are delivered by visually impaired artists. Hearing loops and amplifiers are available.

Sighted companions and guide dogs are welcome.

Audio described tours at Tate Modern occur 4 times a year. Each tour lasts around one hour.

Please join us in the Community Room (in the Blavatnik building, next to Terrace Café) for tea and coffee from 15.30 before the tour.

Audio described tours at Tate are free. No booking required.

If you have any other access needs that you would like to let us know about please contact: Public Programmes: publicprogrammes@tate.org.uk and use the subject line ACCESS or call +44 (0)20 7887 8888.

We also have an online audio description tour for key works at Tate Modern.

Hearing loops

The following areas of Tate Modern are fitted with a hearing loop:

• Information desks
• Auditorium
• Hearing loops are also available on most gallery tours

Find out whether an event at Tate Modern has a hearing loop in the What’s on pages.

BSL talks

Join our BSL talks to discover works on display in the permanent collection and the special exhibitions.

Tate trained guides deliver tours at Tate Modern in spoken English with British Sign Language interpretation. Hearing loops and amplifiers are available.

Each tour lasts around one hour.

Check the list of tours available on the What’s on pages to learn about dates, time and meeting point.

BSL Talks at Tate are free. No booking required.

If you have any other access needs that you would like to let us know about please contact: Public Programmes: publicprogrammes@tate.org.uk and use the subject line ACCESS or call +44 (0)20 7887 8888.

Signing Art training programme

Signing Art was a training programme for Deaf British Sign Language (BSL) users interested in developing the skills needed to become gallery guides. The programme included sessions on; research skills for art, professionalism, and how to best present to a Deaf audience in a gallery setting. These three sessions have been replicated as videos here in BSL or with BSL translation throughout as a reference for those interested in learning more.

Signing Art is supported by the Skills Funding Agency

• Signing Art video 1: Serena Cant on research skills
• Signing Art video 2: Signing Art: John Wilson on how to present to a Deaf audience
• Signing Art video 3: Marcus Dickey Horley on professionalism in museums and galleries

Signing Art Project In a Box: A guide on how to implement your own training programme

• British Sign Language Lipspeaking tours [PDF document, 1MB]
• Signing Art Project in a Box [PDF document, 140KB]
• Signing Art Project: Lesson plans [PDF document, 112KB]

Supported by the Lord Leonard and Lady Estelle Wolfson Foundation

We welcome guide dogs, hearing dogs and assistance dogs in the gallery. Drinking bowls are available from the cloakroom – just ask a member of staff.

Tate Modern offers a range of free talks and workshops which are available to relevant groups through Tate Modern’s community programme.

These include gallery talks introducing current exhibitions and artist-led workshops involving a high degree of participation through discussion and hands-on activities.

These sessions can be tailored to the needs of a wide range of groups.

Attendees currently include mental health service users, people who experience homelessness, adults with learning difficulties and ESOL (English as a Second Language) groups.

We can accommodate individual group members who have a visual or hearing impairment.

Please note that loud noises, flashing lights, smoke effects and strobe lighting feature in some artworks at Tate Modern.

The Blavatnik Building lifts and Level 2 concourse contain an artwork that uses intense pure yellow lighting (mono-frequency lighting). Please speak to a member of staff if you require an alternative route.

The artwork, Big Bang Fountain, in the Olafur Eliasson: In real life exhibition, includes flashing lights.

For more information in advance of your visit, contact the Information team - call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (09.00–18.00 daily) or email information@tate.org.uk. Our phone line supports the use of speech recognition apps.

• Coloured overlays and magnifiers are available at the Information desks and at the special exhibition entrances.
• Large print captions are available in all special exhibitions. Ask at the exhibition entrance.

Ear defenders

Ear defenders can be borrowed from the Information desks.

For more information in advance of your visit, contact the Information team - call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (09.00–18.00 daily) or email information@tate.org.uk. Our phone line supports the use of speech recognition apps.

Please note that loud noises, flashing lights, smoke effects and strobe lighting feature in some artworks at Tate Modern.

Tate Modern programmes events for all audiences.

Access Events at Tate Modern

Tate Modern offers events and workshops for a wide range of community groups. Attendees currently include mental health service users, people who experience homelessness, adults with learning difficulties and ESOL (English as a Second Language) groups.

Find out more about Group Visits.

For:

• group reservations
• mobility scooter reservations
• wheelchair reservations
• accessible car park reservations
• membership and ticketing services

Email ticketing@tate.org.uk or call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 – option 1 (09.45–18.00, daily)

For:

• general information to plan your visit
• book a touch tour

Email information@tate.org.uk or call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 – option 2 (09.00–18.00, daily)

Our phone line supports the use of speech recognition apps.

Please leave us a comment about your visit or your experience of our website.
We want to make sure that all our galleries are welcoming and accessible, your feedback will help us to improve this.

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