Tate Britain

Such a shame, the staff had a snooty attitude and did not know their own systems. I won't be going back.

I planned a 'Tate Day' going to the Tate Britain in the morning, taking the Tate Boat to the Tate Modern for a guided tour of a special exhibtion in the afternoon. In preparation for this I booked a boat ticket and guided tour ticket on-line.

Arriving at the Tate Britain in the morning, I was told that to collect pre-booked, pre-paid tickets I had to wait in the 30-minute queue with those who were simply buying tickets on the day (so what benefit to booking in advance?!). When I finally arrived at the top of the queue, the sales assistant told me that all tickets (including for the boat) are held for collection at the Tate Modern instead! What a waste of my time.

So I was booked and paid-up to get to my destination (Tate Modern) by boat, but to board the boat I needed a ticket - which apparently I couldn't get until my destination. Conundrum!

The only option was to walk to the Modern (45 mins at a brisk pace, thankfully in fine weather) where they told me that of course the Britain could have issued the boat ticket. They happily refunded my boat fare as by that time it would have been impossible to have the boat ride as well as make the guided tour.

My advice to others:

- Don't bother to book tickets on-line, there is no apparent benefit (unless you want to get tickets to a popular exhibition which might be sold-out)

- Go to the Tate Modern in preference to the Britain as the staff there seemed much more knowledgeable and had a more helpful attitude. If you have time to pop down to the Britain after you are finished with the Modern, it might be worth considering.

I must admit that I was a bit disappointed by the the Tate Britain. The building's interior lacks the warmth of the V & A or the beauty of the National Gallery. The collections of English art are very good, but some of the works are in obvious need of cleaning or restoration. The Tate shop can't compare to the V & A or the British Museum shops. I would rank the Tate Britain behind the National Gallery, the British Museum, The V & A and the British Library in terms of cultural attractions. Plan to spend no more than 90 minutes here - unless you have a special interest in English art.