Hotels for Light and Magic: The Birth of Art Photography

Early photography once fought to be taken seriously as art, and this exhibition traces that struggle through the work of the people who waged it. Expect soft-focus prints, painterly darkroom techniques, and portraits staged with the same care as oil paintings. The subject suits a slow, quiet walk round rather than a quick pass through. Weekday mornings tend to be calmer, giving the smaller prints the attention they need.

Tate Modern is Britain's temple to modern and contemporary art — a former power station on Bankside whose vast Turbine Hall stages era-defining installations, with free galleries running from Picasso and Rothko to the very latest. The riverside setting is one of London's best: the Millennium Bridge crosses to St Paul's, and Borough Market, Shakespeare's Globe and the South Bank are all a short stroll.

Blackfriars and Southwark stations are close, and the whole West End sits just over the river. Staying nearby means quiet early-morning gallery time with the Thames on your doorstep.