from $164 New York CityPASS
Five top attractions, including the Natural History Museum and a choice of observation decks, for up to 40% less than paying separately. The best-value pass if you will…
- 5 attractions
- Up to 40% off
- Best for a short trip
The Best Museums in New York
From the Met's two million years of art to a mirrored deck a thousand feet above Midtown, New York holds more world-class collections within a subway ride than almost anywhere on earth. This guide sorts the museums in New York by theme, with hours, ticket prices and the passes that genuinely save money.
Updated 2026-07-18
- 35+ museums mapped
- Skip-the-line tickets
- Free cancellation
35+
Museums covered
5
Categories
4.7★
Avg tour rating
No city in the world does museums the way New York does. Somewhere between eighty and a hundred of them sit on this small stretch of islands, and the best museums in New York City cluster so tightly that a single stretch of Fifth Avenue packs nine of them into a mile, while a synagogue on the Lower East Side and an aircraft carrier on the Hudson round out the range. They run from the world-famous to the genuinely strange. New York hides some of the coolest small collections anywhere: the cool museums in New York and unique museums in New York that turn a spare afternoon into a highlight, alongside the interesting museums in New York everyone already knows. The question is never what museums are in New York, but which of the must-see museums in New York you can realistically fit into your days — so this guide sorts them into five clear themes, letting you pick by what you actually want to see rather than working down a list.
Each section below covers where a museum sits, when it opens, what a ticket costs, what is genuinely worth finding inside, and the tickets and tours worth booking ahead. Two things to know before you plan. Unlike Europe, most of the best museums in New York open every day, so a Monday arrival is rarely a problem — though a handful, like the Whitney and the Frick, close on Tuesdays instead. And the timed attractions — the 9/11 Museum, the observation decks and the Statue of Liberty ferry — sell out their best slots days ahead in summer, so those are the ones to book first.
Hours, prices and closing days on this page were last checked in July 2026. New York museums shift their schedules for exhibitions and holidays, so confirm on the official site before a special trip.
The Best Museums in New York by Visitor Type
Best Museum Overall
The Metropolitan Museum of Art — two million years of human art under one roof on Fifth Avenue, from Egyptian temples to a rooftop garden. Nothing else in the city is close in scale.
Best for First-Time Visitors
The American Museum of Natural History — the blue whale, the dinosaur halls and the planetarium make it the easiest half-day win in the city, whatever your age.
Best for Modern Art
The Museum of Modern Art — Starry Night, the Water Lilies and Warhol's soup cans, floors apart in the same Midtown building.
Best for Kids
The Intrepid Museum — a real aircraft carrier with the space shuttle Enterprise, a Concorde and a submarine on deck. The most hands-on museum in the city.
Best Skyline View
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt — a mirrored observation experience beside Grand Central, and the most-reviewed attraction on this entire page.
Best Hidden Gem
The Frick Collection — Old Masters hung in a Gilded Age mansion, the way a robber baron actually lived with them. Uncrowded, and unforgettable.
The Top 10 Museums in New York
Short on time? These are the top museums in New York, ranked, each with a one-line case and a link to its full section. The best museum in New York is the Met on almost any measure, and the nine that follow are ordered by what we would give up last. If you want the five essentials and nothing more, stop after the Statue of Liberty at number five — between them they cover art, science, modern memory and the American story.
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art — encyclopedic, endless, and the single most rewarding building in the city. Check Availability
- American Museum of Natural History — dinosaurs, the blue whale and the Rose Center planetarium off Central Park. Check Availability
- The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) — the greatest collection of modern painting anywhere, in Midtown. Check Availability
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum — built in the footprints of the Twin Towers, and one of the most moving museums in the world. Check Availability
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island — the harbor icon and the immigration museum that tells twelve million stories. Check Availability
- The Guggenheim Museum — Frank Lloyd Wright's white spiral, as much the exhibit as the art inside it. Check Availability
- The Intrepid Museum — an aircraft carrier, a space shuttle and a submarine, moored on the Hudson. Check Availability
- SUMMIT One Vanderbilt — the newest and most-reviewed of the city's sky decks, a thousand feet up beside Grand Central. Check Availability
- The Frick Collection — Vermeer, Rembrandt and Bellini in a mansion that feels like a private home. Check Availability
- Empire State Building — the most famous skyline view in the world, with a genuinely good museum on the way up. Check Availability
New York Museums at a Glance
The essentials for the most famous museums in New York, side by side. Most open every day, so the timed attractions — the 9/11 Museum, the Statue of Liberty ferry and the observation decks — are the ones to book ahead; the art museums you can usually walk into. Prices are the booked ticket including fees, which is what you actually pay.
Use this as your working list of museums in New York, and buy tickets in roughly this order.
| Museum | Best for | Area | Time needed | Closed | Ticket | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Met | Encyclopedic art | Museum Mile | 3 h | Open daily | $60 · Check Availability | The one museum to see if you see only one. Three hours is the honest minimum, and most people underestimate it. |
| MoMA | Modern masters | Midtown | 2–3 h | Open daily | $30 · Check Availability | Van Gogh, Monet and Warhol in two hours. Book the skip-the-line ticket; the entrance queue is real on weekends. |
| The Guggenheim | Modern art & architecture | Museum Mile | 1.5 h | Open daily | $30 · Check Availability | Ride to the top and wind down the ramp. The building is half the reason to come. |
| The Whitney | American art | Meatpacking | 2 h | Tuesdays | $30 · Check Availability | American art from Hopper to Basquiat, with the best free river views downtown from its terraces. |
| The Frick | Old Masters | Upper East Side | 1.5 h | Tuesdays | $30 · Check Availability | The connoisseur's pick. Old Masters in a Gilded Age mansion, and you may have a room to yourself. |
| Natural History | Dinosaurs & planetarium | Upper West Side | Half day | Open daily | $37 · Check Availability | The family default, and rightly so. Half a day minimum, and let the kids lead once you are inside. |
| 9/11 Memorial & Museum | Modern memory | Financial District | 2 h | Open daily | $25 · Check Availability | Heavy, honest and one of the highest-rated things to do in the city. Book a timed slot and allow two hours. |
| Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island | The American icon | Harbor | Half day | Open daily | $33 · Check Availability | A half-day round trip by ferry. The Ellis Island immigration museum is the part people don't expect to love. |
| The Intrepid | Ships, jets & a shuttle | Hudson Yards | 2–3 h | Open daily | $38 · Check Availability | An aircraft carrier with a space shuttle on deck. A guaranteed win with kids and plane-spotters alike. |
| SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | Mirror-room views | Midtown East | 1–1.5 h | Open daily | $48 · Check Availability | The newest deck and the most reviewed attraction on this page. The mirror rooms are an experience, not just a view. |
| Empire State Building | The classic view | Midtown | 1.5 h | Open daily | $48 · Check Availability | The famous one, open late, with a genuinely good history museum included on the way up. |
| Museum of Ice Cream | Playful & photogenic | SoHo | 1 h | Open daily | $40 · Check Availability | Built for photos and groups more than history. Kids and teens have a great time; go in expecting exactly that. |
Are New York City Passes Worth It?
New York sells four overlapping passes, and the right one depends entirely on how fast you move. The New York CityPASS is the classic: five top attractions, including the Natural History Museum and a choice of observation decks, for up to 40% less than paying separately ($164 booked). If you will hit exactly those five, nothing beats the maths. Check Availability
The C3 by CityPASS is the same idea, lighter — any three attractions from a shortlist, ideal for a weekend ($114). Check Availability The Explorer Pass lets you pick a set number of attractions from a much longer list, including the Met and harbor cruises, so it wins when you want to choose as you go (from $89). Check Availability And the New York Pass is all-you-can-visit across 100-plus attractions on a day-based clock — it only pays off if you pack four or more stops into every day (from $169). Check Availability
One rule cuts through all of it: if you are visiting two or three museums at a relaxed pace, skip the passes and just book the tickets. The passes reward a packed, fast-moving itinerary, not a leisurely one.
| Pass | What it covers | Price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York CityPASS | 5 top attractions, fixed list | $164 | The classic first trip |
| C3 by CityPASS | Any 3 from a shortlist | $114 | A short weekend |
| Explorer Pass | Pick 2–10 attractions | from $89 | A flexible mix |
| New York Pass | 100+ attractions, day-based | from $169 | Fast movers, many stops |
New York City Passes Compared
The four passes above, bookable here, with our full New York city pass comparison if you want the honest breakdown. CityPASS suits most first trips; the New York Pass only pays off if you move fast and see a lot.
from $164 
from $114 C3 by CityPASS
Any three attractions from a curated shortlist, a lighter option for a weekend visit. The sweet spot if five feels like too many but full price stings.
- Choose any 3
- Weekend-sized
- Curated shortlist
from $89 New York Explorer Pass
Pick a set number of attractions from a long list, including Edge, the Met and harbor cruises. More flexible than CityPASS if you want to choose as you…
- Pick your own
- Flexible list
- 2–10 attractions
from $169 New York Pass
All-you-can-visit access to 100-plus attractions on a day pass, built for travelers who move fast and see a lot. The math works if you pack four or more…
- 100+ attractions
- Day-based pass
- For fast movers
New York Museum Hours: Closing Days & Late Nights
The good news about museum hours in New York is that most of the big ones open every single day, which is the opposite of Europe and a relief if you are only here for a weekend. The Met, MoMA, the Natural History Museum and the Guggenheim all keep daily hours. The exceptions are worth memorizing: the Whitney and the Frick close on Tuesdays, not Mondays, and a few smaller museums take one weekday off. Several also run late one night a week — MoMA and the Met stay open until nine on certain evenings, which are the calmest hours to visit.
The timed attractions keep their own clocks. The observation decks run from morning until near midnight, while the 9/11 Museum and the Statue of Liberty ferry stop admitting visitors in the late afternoon. Always confirm the day's hours before a long trip across town.
| Museum | Open | Closed |
|---|---|---|
| The Met | Sun–Thu 10:00–17:00 · Fri–Sat to 21:00 | Thanksgiving, Dec 25, first Mon in May |
| MoMA | Daily 10:30–17:30 · Sat to 19:00 | Thanksgiving, Dec 25 |
| The Guggenheim | Daily 11:00–18:00 · Sat to 20:00 | Dec 25 |
| The Whitney | Wed–Mon 10:30–18:00 | Tuesdays |
| The Frick | Wed–Mon 10:00–18:00 | Tuesdays |
| Natural History | Daily 10:00–17:30 | Thanksgiving, Dec 25 |
| 9/11 Memorial & Museum | Wed–Mon 9:00–19:00 (last entry 17:15) | Tuesdays |
| Empire State Building | Daily 9:00–24:00 (last elevator 22:15) | Open every day |
| SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | Daily 9:00–22:00 | Open every day |
All the Museums in New York on One Map
Color = theme. Click any pin to jump to that museum's section of the guide. Most of these cluster in Manhattan, from Museum Mile on the Upper East Side down to the harbor. Four sit off the map on purpose — the New York Hall of Science and Liberty Science Center out in Queens and New Jersey, and the Brooklyn Museum and the Cloisters at the top and bottom of the city — because plotting them squashes everything else.
Art Museums
Natural History & Science
History & Memory
Iconic & Immersive
Skyline Views
No booking needed
Art Museums in New York: The Met, MoMA, the Guggenheim & More
The art museums in New York are the reason a lot of people come to the city at all, and the top art museums in New York cluster with almost unfair convenience. Museum Mile runs up Fifth Avenue along the eastern edge of Central Park, threading together the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, the Guggenheim Museum in New York, the Neue Galerie and the Cooper Hewitt within a single walkable stretch. The Met alone is a world unto itself — two million works from Egyptian temples to Rothko, more than anyone can see in a day, so most people pick two or three wings and let the rest go.
The best art museums in New York are not all uptown, though. MoMA, the modern museum of art in New York that everyone means, sits in Midtown with the deepest collection of modern painting anywhere: Van Gogh's Starry Night, Monet's Water Lilies and Warhol's soup cans. The Whitney Museum in New York anchors the downtown end by the High Line, the Frick Museum in New York keeps its Old Masters in a Gilded Age mansion, and newer arrivals like Mercer Labs and the Banksy Museum push the definition of what a New York art museum even is. This is the category to plan hardest, because it is the one you will run out of time in.
What to Find in the Art Museums
The Met's Temple of Dendur
An entire Egyptian temple, moved stone by stone into a glass-walled hall overlooking Central Park. The Met's single most photographed room.
MoMA's Starry Night
Van Gogh's night sky in person, smaller and thicker with paint than the posters suggest, on the fifth floor beside Monet's Water Lilies.
The Guggenheim's spiral
Frank Lloyd Wright's white ramp coils up six storeys around an open rotunda. Take the elevator to the top and walk down past the art.
The Frick's Vermeers
Three Vermeers, a room of Fragonards and Bellini's St Francis, hung in the panelled rooms of a coal baron's Fifth Avenue mansion.
The Whitney's terraces
American art from Hopper to Basquiat, with outdoor terraces that hand you free Hudson River views at the foot of the High Line.
Mercer Labs & the Banksy Museum
Thirty immersive rooms of projection and sound near Times Square, and 160 full-scale Banksy reproductions downtown — the newest art on this list.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Address
- 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028 (Museum Mile)
- Getting there
- Subway 4/5/6 to 86 St, then a three-block walk to the Park
- Hours
- Sun–Thu 10:00–17:00, Fri–Sat to 21:00 · open daily
- Admission
- $30 general · pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents · booked from $60
The ticket is valid all day, so you can leave for lunch and come back. The Friday and Saturday late nights are the calmest hours to visit.
The Met ticket with digital highlights tour · from $60 Check Availability
Planning Your Art Museum Days
The Met and MoMA each deserve their own half-day; trying to do both properly in one day is how people burn out. Pick your two must-sees, book the skip-the-line tickets, and treat the smaller museums — the Frick, the Whitney, the Guggenheim — as the shorter, richer visits they are.
- The Met — the encyclopedic giant, valid all day, with a digital tour to point you at the greatest hits. A guided highlights tour or a private art historian is the fix if the scale feels daunting. Check Availability
- MoMA — book the skip-the-line ticket for the modern masters, or the before-hours tour to have the galleries almost to yourself. Check Availability
- The Guggenheim — one ticket, ninety minutes, and a building that is half the point. Check Availability
- The Frick and the Whitney — Old Masters in a mansion, and American art by the river. Both short, both uncrowded compared with the giants. Check Availability
- Mercer Labs, MAD and the Banksy Museum — the newer, more immersive end of the New York art scene. Check Availability
What Visitors Say
★★★★★
★★★★★
We gave the Met a full day and still didn't see half of it. My advice is to pick two wings, do them properly, and come back another time. The Temple of Dendur at opening, before the crowds, is magic.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Booked the MoMA skip-the-line and walked straight past a line down the block. Starry Night is smaller than you expect and somehow more moving for it. Two hours was perfect.
★★★★★
★★★★★
The Frick is the one nobody tells you about. A handful of Vermeers in a mansion on Fifth Avenue, no crowds, and you feel like you've stumbled into someone's private house. Loved it.
Art Museum Tickets & Tours
Tickets, skip-the-line entry and guided tours for the Met, MoMA, the Guggenheim, the Whitney, the Frick and New York's newer immersive art spaces.
from $60Must-see The Metropolitan Museum of Art Ticket
Two million years of art under one roof on Fifth Avenue, from Egyptian temples to the rooftop garden. Your ticket is good for the day, and a digital…
- Fifth Avenue main building
- Valid all day
- Digital highlights tour
from $55 Met Museum Express Highlights Tour
A guide walks you to the Temple of Dendur, the European painting galleries and the arms and armor court in about 90 minutes, so you leave with the…
- 90-minute guided route
- Skip the ticket line
- Small group
from $175 Private Guided Tour of the Met
Your own art historian, your own pace, and a route built around whatever you actually want to see. The highest-rated Met option here, and the one families with…
- Private art historian
- Fully customizable
- Rated 4.9 stars
from $30Popular MoMA Skip-the-Line Ticket
Van Gogh’s Starry Night, Monet’s Water Lilies and Warhol’s soup cans sit floors apart in the same Midtown building. Skip the entrance queue and give yourself two or…
- Starry Night in person
- Skip the entrance line
- Midtown, near Rockefeller
from $112 MoMA Before-Hours Expert Tour
The galleries before the doors open to the public, with an art expert and almost no crowd between you and the canvases. It costs more, and on a…
- Empty galleries
- Art expert guide
- Before public opening
from $30 Guggenheim Museum Ticket
Frank Lloyd Wright’s white spiral is as much the exhibit as the art inside it. Ride the elevator up and wind down the ramp past Kandinsky, Picasso and…
- Wright’s spiral rotunda
- Museum Mile
- Walk down, not up
from $30 Whitney Museum of American Art Ticket
American art from Hopper to Basquiat in a Renzo Piano building at the foot of the High Line. The outdoor terraces have some of the best free Hudson…
- American art focus
- High Line location
- River-view terraces
from $30 The Frick Collection Ticket
Old Master paintings hung in a Gilded Age mansion, the way a coal baron actually lived with them. Vermeer, Rembrandt and Bellini in rooms that feel like a…
- Gilded Age mansion
- Vermeer & Rembrandt
- Intimate, uncrowded
from $57 Mercer Labs Museum of Art & Technology
Thirty-plus immersive rooms of projection, sound and mirror floors near Times Square, from the co-creator of Meow Wolf. More sensory playground than gallery, and a hit with teens.
- 30+ immersive rooms
- Near Times Square
- Great for teens
from $20 Museum of Arts and Design (MAD)
Craft, design and materials at Columbus Circle, where jewelry, glass and furniture are treated as seriously as painting. Small, sharp, and easy to pair with Central Park.
- Craft & design focus
- Columbus Circle
- Under an hour
from $30 The Banksy Museum
Full-scale reproductions of more than 160 Banksy street works gathered in one downtown space. Not the originals, but the closest you will get to seeing the whole body…
- 160+ works reproduced
- Street-art survey
- Self-paced
Natural History & Science Museums in New York
The natural history museum in New York is one of the great museums of the world, and for families it is often the whole reason to visit. The American Museum of Natural History fills four city blocks on the west side of Central Park with the blue whale suspended over the ocean hall, the dinosaur floors that inspired every kid's dinosaur phase, and the Rose Center planetarium glowing inside its glass cube. It is a genuine half-day, and it rewards letting children set the pace.
Beyond it, the science museums in New York lean hands-on and skew toward families, and rank among the best children's museums in New York and museums for kids in New York. The New York Hall of Science out in Queens is a warehouse of 450 exhibits built to be touched, with a rocket park outside. Just across the Hudson in Jersey City, the Liberty Science Center holds the largest planetarium dome in the Western Hemisphere and fills whole floors with interactive experiments. Both take a subway or ferry ride to reach, and both are worth it if you are traveling with curious kids.
What to Find in the Science Museums
The blue whale
A 94-foot fiberglass model suspended over the darkened ocean hall, and the photograph everyone leaves the Natural History Museum with.
The dinosaur halls
Two full floors of fossils, including a titanosaur so long its head pokes out into the elevator lobby. The reason most kids remember the museum for life.
The Rose Center planetarium
A glass cube holding the Hayden Planetarium, where a space show narrated by a famous voice runs through the birth of the universe.
The Hall of Science's exhibits
450 hands-on stations in Queens where children push, pull and build — plus a rocket park of real Cold War missiles outside.
Liberty Science Center's dome
The biggest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, across the river in Jersey City, wrapped in floors of touch-everything experiments.
Night at the Museum
Yes, this is the museum from the films. The Natural History Museum leans into it, and the dioramas really do look like they might move.
American Museum of Natural History
- Address
- 200 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024
- Getting there
- Subway B/C to 81 St–Museum of Natural History, which exits into the museum
- Hours
- Daily 10:00–17:30 · open every day except Thanksgiving & Dec 25
- Admission
- General admission from $28 · pay-what-you-wish for NY, NJ & CT residents · booked from $37
The super-saver ticket covers general admission; the giant-screen films and special exhibitions cost extra. Plan on half a day at least.
American Museum of Natural History ticket · from $37 Check Availability
Planning Your Science Museum Visits
The Natural History Museum is the anchor and needs half a day; build the morning around it and use Central Park across the road as the break. The two hands-on science centers are day-trips in their own right, best saved for a day when you are traveling with kids who need to run.
- American Museum of Natural History — the super-saver admission covers the dinosaurs, the whale and the planetarium. The essential family museum. Check Availability
- New York Hall of Science — 450 hands-on exhibits and a rocket park in Queens, cheap and genuinely engaging for younger kids. Check Availability
- Liberty Science Center — the hemisphere's biggest planetarium and floors of experiments, a short PATH or ferry ride into New Jersey. Check Availability
- Also worth knowing: the Natural History Museum sits directly on Central Park West, so pair it with a walk in the park rather than another indoor museum.
What Visitors Say
★★★★★
★★★★★
The Natural History Museum was the highlight of the trip for our two boys. The dinosaur floors alone kept them going for two hours. Get the super-saver ticket ahead of time and skip the line at the door.
★★★★★
★★★★★
The blue whale hall genuinely made me gasp. It's dark and quiet and the whale just hangs there above you. We spent four hours and could have stayed longer. Do the planetarium show.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Took the kids out to the Hall of Science in Queens and it was worth the subway ride. Everything is hands-on, nothing is precious, and it was a fraction of the crowd of the big Manhattan museums.
Natural History & Science Museum Tickets
Admission tickets for the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Hall of Science in Queens and the Liberty Science Center across the Hudson.
from $37Family pick American Museum of Natural History Ticket
The blue whale, the dinosaur halls and the Rose Center planetarium fill four city blocks off Central Park. Plan on half a day, and let the kids lead…
- Dinosaur halls
- Suspended blue whale
- Central Park West
from $18 New York Hall of Science Ticket
A hands-on science center in Queens with 450 exhibits kids can actually touch, plus a rocket park outside. Worth the subway ride if you are traveling with curious…
- 450 hands-on exhibits
- Outdoor rocket park
- Great for kids
from $22 Liberty Science Center Admission
A big interactive science center just across the river in Jersey City, home to the largest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere. A short ferry or PATH ride from…
- Hemisphere’s biggest dome
- Across the Hudson
- All-day for families
History & Memory: The 9/11 Museum, Ellis Island & More
The history museums in New York tell the American story more directly than anywhere else in the country, and the two most powerful are both built on the actual ground where the history happened. The 9/11 Museum in New York sits in the footprints of the Twin Towers, telling the story with the objects left behind — a crushed fire truck, a stairwell, voicemails. This 911 Memorial Museum in New York, as many people search for it, is heavy and honest, and one of the highest-rated museums in the world for a reason. Down in the harbor, the ferry to the Statue of Liberty also lands at Ellis Island, where the Immigration Museum traces the twelve million people who first set foot in America right there.
The category runs wider than memorials, though. The Intrepid Museum in New York is an actual aircraft carrier moored on the Hudson, with the space shuttle Enterprise and a Cold War submarine on and below its deck — this Sea, Air and Space Museum in New York is the most tactile museum in the city. The Museum of the City of New York on Museum Mile tells the whole arc from Dutch trading post to the present, and the tiny Museum at Eldridge Street preserves an 1887 synagogue that anchors the immigrant history of the Lower East Side.
What to Find in the History Museums
The 9/11 Museum, at Ground Zero
The museum is built seven storeys down, in the foundations of the towers. The surviving slurry wall and the Last Column are the emotional center.
Ellis Island Immigration Museum
The Great Hall where twelve million immigrants were processed, restored, with a searchable database where many visitors find their own ancestors.
The Statue of Liberty
The official ferry is the only boat that docks at Liberty Island. Crown and pedestal access sell out weeks ahead; the grounds alone are worth the trip.
The Intrepid's flight deck
The space shuttle Enterprise, a Concorde and dozens of military aircraft on the deck of a real aircraft carrier, with a submarine tour alongside.
The city's whole story
The Museum of the City of New York runs from Dutch New Amsterdam to now; its Timescapes film is the fastest way to understand how the city grew.
The Eldridge Street Synagogue
An 1887 Moorish-revival synagogue on the Lower East Side, restored, with a stained-glass east window that stops people in the doorway.
9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Address
- 180 Greenwich Street, New York, NY 10007 (Financial District)
- Getting there
- Subway to WTC Cortlandt (1), Fulton St (2/3/4/5/A/C) or the PATH
- Hours
- Wed–Mon 9:00–19:00, last entry 17:15 · closed Tuesdays
- Admission
- From $25 timed entry · the outdoor Memorial pools are free · booked from $25
Book a timed slot, especially in summer. Allow two hours, and know going in that it is an emotionally heavy visit.
9/11 Memorial & Museum timed ticket · from $25 Check Availability
Planning Your History & Memory Days
The 9/11 Museum and the Statue of Liberty ferry both leave from Lower Manhattan, so they pair naturally into a downtown day, though each is emotionally full and two hours long. The Intrepid is uptown on the west side and is the lighter, more kid-friendly of the group.
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum — a timed ticket at Ground Zero; the outdoor pools are free to visit any time. Check Availability
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island — the official ferry to both islands, with the Immigration Museum. Book the guided version if you want the history told for you. Check Availability
- The Intrepid — the carrier, the shuttle and the submarine, on the Hudson at Pier 86. The family pick in this category. Check Availability
- Museum of the City of New York — the whole city story on Museum Mile, an easy hour and rarely crowded. Check Availability
- Museum at Eldridge Street — a restored 1887 synagogue on the Lower East Side, best on the docent-led tour. Check Availability
What Visitors Say
★★★★★
★★★★★
The 9/11 Museum is not an easy visit and it isn't meant to be. Standing in the foundations of the towers, hearing the voicemails, is something I won't forget. Book a timed ticket and give yourself two hours.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Ellis Island was the surprise. We looked up my grandfather in the database and found his name on a ship manifest from 1911. The ferry ride past the statue on the way is worth it by itself.
★★★★★
★★★★★
The Intrepid was a huge hit with our son. An actual aircraft carrier, with a real space shuttle on the deck and a submarine you can climb through. Half a day, easily.
History & Memory Museum Tickets
Timed tickets for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry, the Intrepid, the Museum of the City of New York and Eldridge Street.
from $25Top rated 9/11 Memorial & Museum Ticket
The museum sits in the footprints of the Twin Towers and tells the story with the objects left behind. It is heavy, honest and one of the highest-rated…
- Built at Ground Zero
- Timed-entry ticket
- Allow two hours
from $33Bucket list Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Ferry
The official ferry to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, where the Immigration Museum traces the twelve million people who first landed here. The only boat that actually docks…
- Both islands
- Ellis Island museum
- Official statue ferry
from $59 Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Guided Tour
Same ferry, but a guide handles the logistics and fills in the history on both islands so you are not reading every placard yourself. Good if it is…
- Guided on both islands
- Reserved ferry
- History in context
from $38 Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
An aircraft carrier moored on the Hudson, with the space shuttle Enterprise, a Concorde and a submarine on deck. The most tactile museum in the city and a…
- Real aircraft carrier
- Shuttle Enterprise
- Submarine tour
from $23 Museum of the City of New York
The whole arc of the city in one Museum Mile building, from Dutch trading post to the present. The Timescapes film is the fastest way to understand how…
- NYC story start to now
- Museum Mile
- Under 90 minutes
from $8 Museum at Eldridge Street Docent Tour
A restored 1887 synagogue on the Lower East Side, told by docents who know the immigrant families who built it. The stained-glass east window alone is worth the…
- 1887 synagogue
- Docent storytelling
- Lower East Side
Iconic & Immersive Museums in New York: Ice Cream, Illusions & More
Not every museum in New York is a marble hall of Old Masters, and the fun museums in New York have quietly become an attraction in their own right. These are the photogenic, hands-on, built-for-a-good-time spaces that keep teenagers happy and give a rainy afternoon a plan. The Museum of Ice Cream in SoHo — the ice cream museum in New York everyone means — has a pool you can dive into filled with giant sprinkles and unlimited samples on the way round. The Museum of Illusions in New York bends your eyes with tilted rooms and holograms, and RiseNY straps you into a flying-theater ride over the city.
There is range here beyond the purely playful. The Museum of Broadway is the first museum dedicated to the theater district, full of real costumes and immersive sets. SPYSCAPE, the spy museum in New York, turns the history of espionage into an interactive challenge that scores your skills. Madame Tussauds, the wax museum in New York, lines up the famous in wax on 42nd Street, and the Museum of Sex takes a genuinely serious, adults-only look at the history of human sexuality. None of these will change your life, but all of them are a good time, and most sit within a few blocks of Times Square.
What to Find in the Iconic & Immersive Museums
The sprinkle pool
The Museum of Ice Cream's centerpiece: a pool of giant plastic sprinkles you can jump into, plus unlimited ice cream across two SoHo floors.
The tilted room
The Museum of Illusions packs 70-plus optical tricks into a compact space near Times Square, including a room that turns your photos upside down.
RiseNY's flying ride
A soaring flying-theater ride over the New York skyline, wrapped in exhibits on the city's film, TV and music. Part museum, part simulator.
The Museum of Broadway
Real costumes, immersive sets and the story of every era of the theater district, in the first museum dedicated to Broadway itself.
SPYSCAPE's challenges
Real espionage history paired with interactive tests — a laser tunnel, a lie-detector — that score your aptitude as a spy at the end.
Wax and the Museum of Sex
Madame Tussauds' wax celebrities on 42nd Street, and the adults-only Museum of Sex, which is far more thoughtful than its name suggests.
Museum of Ice Cream
- Address
- 558 Broadway, New York, NY 10012 (SoHo)
- Getting there
- Subway N/R/W to Prince St or 6 to Spring St
- Hours
- Open daily, with timed-entry slots throughout the day
- Admission
- From $40, including unlimited ice cream and the sprinkle pool · booked from $40
This is built for photos and groups more than for quiet reflection. Go in expecting exactly that and it delivers, especially with kids or teens.
Museum of Ice Cream general admission · from $40 Check Availability
Planning Your Iconic & Immersive Visits
These are short visits — most take an hour or so — and most cluster around Times Square and SoHo, so they slot easily around a Broadway show or a shopping afternoon. They are the reliable rainy-day and teenager-wrangling picks of the whole guide.
- Museum of Ice Cream — the sprinkle pool and unlimited samples in SoHo, the group and family favorite. Check Availability
- Museum of Illusions & RiseNY — optical tricks near Times Square, and a flying ride over the city. Both an easy hour. Check Availability
- Museum of Broadway — for anyone who loves a show; real costumes and immersive sets in the Theater District. Check Availability
- SPYSCAPE & Madame Tussauds — spy challenges and wax celebrities, both a few blocks from Times Square. Check Availability
- Museum of Sex — the adults-only pick, more cultural history than shock value. Check Availability
What Visitors Say
★★★★★
★★★★★
The Museum of Ice Cream is exactly what it says — pink, silly, full of ice cream, and our kids adored it. The sprinkle pool was the highlight. Go knowing it's for photos and fun, not for learning, and you'll have a blast.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Took our theater-mad teenager to the Museum of Broadway and she was in heaven. The real costumes and the immersive sets from famous shows are brilliant. A perfect thing to do before an evening show.
★★★★★
★★★★★
SPYSCAPE was more fun than I expected. It's part museum, part escape-room-style challenge, and at the end it tells you what kind of spy you'd make. Good for a rainy afternoon with older kids.
Iconic & Immersive Museum Tickets
Tickets for the Museum of Ice Cream, the Museum of Illusions, RiseNY, the Museum of Broadway, SPYSCAPE, Madame Tussauds and the Museum of Sex.
from $40 Museum of Ice Cream Ticket
A sprinkle pool, pink everything and unlimited ice cream across two floors in SoHo. It is built for photos more than history, and kids and groups have a…
- Sprinkle pool
- Unlimited samples
- Very photogenic
from $35 Museum of Illusions Ticket
Optical tricks, a tilted room and holograms packed into a compact space near Times Square. An hour of good fun, best with kids or a group who will…
- 70+ illusions
- Photo playground
- About an hour
from $41 Museum of Broadway Ticket
The first museum dedicated to Broadway, with immersive sets, real costumes and the story of every era of the theater district. A must for anyone who loves a…
- Real show costumes
- Immersive sets
- In the Theater District
from $48 RiseNY Experience Ticket
A flying theater ride that soars over the city, wrapped in exhibits on New York film, TV and music. Part museum, part simulator, and an easy crowd-pleaser near…
- Flying-theater ride
- NYC film & music
- Times Square
from $39 SPYSCAPE Spy Museum & Experience
Part museum of real espionage history, part interactive challenge that scores your spy skills. More hands-on than most, and a change of pace from the art crowds.
- Real spy history
- Skills challenges
- Midtown
from $37 Madame Tussauds New York
Wax figures of the famous, from presidents to pop stars, on Times Square’s 42nd Street. It is exactly what it says on the tin, and a reliable rainy-day…
- Wax celebrities
- 42nd Street
- Rainy-day pick
from $32 Museum of Sex Ticket
A serious look at the history and culture of human sexuality, plus a bouncy-castle installation made of inflatable breasts. Adults only, and more thoughtful than the name suggests.
- 18+ only
- Culture, not shock
- Near Madison Square
Skyline Views: New York’s Observation Decks
These are not museums in the strict sense, but they are on nearly every New York itinerary and two of them do include a real museum, so they earn their place here. The city has five great observation decks, and choosing between them is the most-asked question of any first trip. SUMMIT One Vanderbilt beside Grand Central is the newest and, by a wide margin, the most reviewed — a mirrored art installation where the view and the artwork are the same thing. The Empire State Building is the classic, the one from the films, and the only one with a genuinely good museum on the way up to the 86th-floor deck.
The other three each have a signature. Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center gives you the one view that puts the Empire State Building and Central Park in the same frame, which is why photographers pick it. Edge at Hudson Yards is the highest outdoor deck in the Western Hemisphere, jutting into open air with a glass floor for the brave. And One World Observatory sits atop the tallest building in the hemisphere downtown, where the time-lapse elevator ride is half the experience. You do not need all five — pick one classic and, if you have time, one modern.
Choosing Your Observation Deck
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
The newest deck and the most reviewed attraction on this page. Mirror-lined rooms turn the whole space into an installation. Beside Grand Central.
Empire State Building
The classic. The 86th-floor open-air deck, a genuinely good museum on the building's history on the way up, and open until midnight.
Top of the Rock
The photographer's pick, because it's the only deck that puts the Empire State Building and Central Park in the same shot. Three open-air levels at Rockefeller Center.
Edge
The highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, angling out over Hudson Yards, with a glass floor and angled glass walls to lean on.
One World Observatory
The top of the tallest building in the hemisphere, downtown at the World Trade Center. The elevator time-lapses 500 years of the city on the way up.
Which one to pick
One classic and one modern is the sweet spot. Empire State or Top of the Rock for the icon; SUMMIT or Edge for the experience. Sunset slots sell out first.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
- Address
- 45 East 42nd Street, New York, NY 10017 (beside Grand Central)
- Getting there
- Directly above Grand Central Terminal — 4/5/6/7/S and Metro-North
- Hours
- Open daily from 9:00, last entry mid-evening · check the day’s closing time
- Admission
- From $48 · sunset and evening slots cost more and sell out first · booked from $48
Book a timed slot around an hour before sunset for the best light, and know the mirror-floor rooms mean skirts and dresses are not ideal.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt timed ticket · from $48 Check Availability
Planning Your Skyline Views
Pick one, maybe two, and book a timed slot near sunset — the golden hour is when every deck is at its best, and those slots go first. Downtown decks (One World, Edge) pair naturally with a 9/11 Museum or Hudson Yards day; Midtown decks (SUMMIT, Empire State, Top of the Rock) with a Times Square or Central Park day.
- SUMMIT One Vanderbilt — the newest and most-reviewed, a mirrored installation beside Grand Central. Check Availability
- Empire State Building — the classic view, open late, with its history museum included. Check Availability
- Top of the Rock — the photographer's choice, with the Empire State Building in your frame. Check Availability
- Edge — the highest open-air deck in the hemisphere, at Hudson Yards. Check Availability
- One World Observatory — the tallest building downtown, with a time-lapse elevator. Check Availability
What Visitors Say
★★★★★
★★★★★
We did SUMMIT at sunset and it was the best thing we did in New York. The mirrored rooms are genuinely disorienting in the best way, and watching the light change over Midtown was unforgettable. Book the sunset slot early.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Everyone told us to do Top of the Rock instead of the Empire State for the view, and they were right — you get the Empire State Building itself in every photo. But the Empire State's museum on the way up was better than expected.
★★★★★
★★★★★
Edge is not for anyone scared of heights — the glass floor had me hugging the wall. But the open-air platform is a thrill and Hudson Yards is easy to get to. One deck is plenty; don't try to do three.
Observation Deck Tickets
Timed tickets for SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, Edge at Hudson Yards and One World Observatory.
from $48Most reviewed SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
A mirrored observation experience beside Grand Central where the art and the view are the same thing. The most reviewed attraction on this list by a wide margin…
- Mirror-room installation
- Beside Grand Central
- 1,000+ ft up
from $48Icon Empire State Building Observatory & Museum
The 86th-floor deck plus a genuinely good museum on the building’s history two floors down. The most famous skyline view in the world, and yes, the museum is…
- 86th-floor deck
- Included history museum
- Open late
from $46 Top of the Rock Observation Deck
The Rockefeller Center deck, and the one view that puts both the Empire State Building and Central Park in the same frame. The best skyline photo in the…
- Empire State in view
- Central Park panorama
- Rockefeller Center
from $48 Edge Observation Deck
The highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere, jutting out over Hudson Yards with a glass floor for the brave. All the drama, none of the enclosure.
- Open-air platform
- Glass floor
- Hudson Yards
from $30 One World Observatory
The top of the tallest building in the hemisphere, downtown at the World Trade Center. The elevator ride up, which time-lapses 500 years of the city in 47…
- Tallest in the hemisphere
- Time-lapse elevator
- Harbor views
More Museums in New York Worth Knowing
New York has far more museums than any booking platform lists, and several of the best sell tickets only at the door or through their own site. None of these appear in the comparison table above, none need a third-party booking, and all of them are worth an hour.
- National Museum of Mathematics (MoMath) — the only museum of its kind in North America, near Madison Square Park, with two floors of hands-on exhibits that make math genuinely fun for kids. Buy tickets at the door or on its own site.
- The Tenement Museum — a preserved Lower East Side tenement, visited only on a guided tour that walks you through the actual apartments of the immigrant families who lived there. Book directly; tours sell out.
- The Cloisters — the Met's medieval branch, a monastery rebuilt from European fragments in a park at the northern tip of Manhattan. Your Met ticket covers it, though it is a trek to reach.
- Brooklyn Museum — a vast, under-visited encyclopedic museum next to the Botanic Garden, strong on Egyptian art and feminist art, with a famous first-Saturday-of-the-month free night.
- The New Museum — contemporary art in a stack of off-kilter boxes on the Bowery, the one downtown museum devoted entirely to living artists.
- The Morgan Library & Museum — J.P. Morgan's private library preserved intact, with illuminated manuscripts, a Gutenberg Bible and rotating literary treasures, near Madison Avenue.
- Cooper Hewitt — the Smithsonian's design museum, in Andrew Carnegie's Fifth Avenue mansion on Museum Mile, where you sketch your own designs with an interactive pen.
One-Day Museum Itineraries in New York
Five ways to spend a day among the museums in New York without rushing. The city is bigger than Florence or Paris, so these routes are grouped by neighborhood — do not try to cross town more than once in a day.
| Day plan | The route | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| The essentials | The Met in the morning → Central Park → Natural History Museum in the afternoon | The two giants, on opposite sides of the park, with a green break between them. A classic first day |
| Downtown & memory | 9/11 Memorial & Museum → Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island ferry → One World Observatory | The whole downtown story — memory, immigration and the skyline — without leaving Lower Manhattan |
| Modern art day | MoMA at opening → lunch → The Guggenheim or the Whitney | The best of modern and contemporary art, MoMA in Midtown and one uptown or downtown to finish |
| With kids | Natural History Museum → The Intrepid → Museum of Ice Cream | Dinosaurs, a real aircraft carrier and a sprinkle pool. Hands-on all day, no gallery fatigue |
| Rainy day & views | SUMMIT One Vanderbilt → Museum of Illusions → an evening at Top of the Rock | Indoors and immersive when the weather turns, bookended by two of the best skyline views |
Free Museums in New York
There are more ways into the free museums in New York than most visitors realize, though the rules reward a little planning. The biggest names run on suggested donation or pay-what-you-wish for residents, and several open their doors free for a few hours one evening a week. The trick is knowing which night is which, because those free hours are also the busiest.
- Pay-what-you-wish for residents — the Met is pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents, and the Natural History Museum for NY, NJ and CT residents. Bring ID
- Free Friday evenings — MoMA is free on Friday evenings (4–8pm) courtesy of UNIQLO, and the Whitney runs pay-what-you-wish on Friday evenings and free second Sundays
- Free by donation — the National Museum of the American Indian (a Smithsonian, near Battery Park) and the Federal Reserve gold vault tour are free year-round
- Free to admire without a ticket — the 9/11 Memorial pools, the Staten Island Ferry past the Statue of Liberty, and the High Line beside the Whitney
- Guggenheim & others — the Guggenheim is pay-what-you-wish on Saturday evenings (6–8pm), and the New Museum on Thursday evenings
Museums in New York: FAQ
What is the most famous museum in New York?
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is the most famous museum in New York and the largest in the United States, holding two million works from Egyptian temples to modern painting on Fifth Avenue. The Museum of Modern Art runs a close second for its unmatched collection of modern masters, and the American Museum of Natural History is the most famous with families.
What are the best museums in New York?
The best museums in New York, for most visitors, are the Met, MoMA and the American Museum of Natural History for the collections, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum for its emotional power, and the Guggenheim for its architecture. See our top 10 for the full ranking and our glance table to compare them side by side.
What are the best art museums in New York?
The best art museums in New York are the Met and MoMA, and nothing else is quite in their league. After them, the Guggenheim for modern art and architecture, the Frick for Old Masters, and the Whitney for American art. If you have time for only two art museums in New York, make them the Met and MoMA.
How many museums are in New York City?
New York City has somewhere between 80 and 100 museums, depending on how you count the smaller and specialist collections. They range from giants like the Met and the Natural History Museum to single-room museums devoted to skyscrapers, math, sex and ice cream. This guide covers the ones most visitors actually want to see.
Which museums in New York are free?
The Met is pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents, and the Natural History Museum for tri-state residents. Several open free for a few hours weekly — MoMA on Friday evenings, the Whitney on Friday evenings and second Sundays, the Guggenheim on Saturday evenings. The National Museum of the American Indian is free year-round. See our free museums section.
Are New York museums open on Mondays?
Yes — unlike most European cities, the major museums in New York open every day, including Mondays. The Met, MoMA, the Guggenheim and the Natural History Museum all keep daily hours. The exceptions close on Tuesdays instead: the Whitney, the Frick and the 9/11 Museum. See our hours table for the details.
Is a New York museum pass worth it?
It depends how fast you move. The New York CityPASS saves up to 40% if you will visit its five attractions, and the New York Pass pays off only if you pack four or more stops into each day. For a relaxed trip to two or three museums, skip the pass and just book the tickets. See our full pass comparison.
What is the best museum for kids in New York?
The American Museum of Natural History is the classic family choice, with dinosaurs, the blue whale and a planetarium. The Intrepid — a real aircraft carrier with a space shuttle on deck — is a close second, and the Museum of Ice Cream and the Hall of Science are reliable wins with younger children.
Do I need to book museum tickets in New York in advance?
For the timed attractions, yes. The 9/11 Museum, the observation decks like SUMMIT and the Statue of Liberty ferry all sell out their best slots days ahead in summer, and crown access at the statue sells out weeks ahead. The art museums you can usually walk into, though booking the Met or MoMA skip-the-line ticket still saves the entrance queue.
Is there a Smithsonian museum in New York?
Yes — there are two Smithsonian museums in New York. Cooper Hewitt, the Smithsonian's design museum, sits in Andrew Carnegie's mansion on Museum Mile, and the National Museum of the American Indian occupies the old Custom House near Battery Park and is free to enter. See our more museums section.