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.
The museums in New York most visitors start with are the Met, MoMA, the American Museum of Natural History, the Guggenheim and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and most of them open every day. Standard tickets run from $25 at the 9/11 Museum to $30 at MoMA and the Guggenheim and $37 at the Natural History Museum.
Key takeaways
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 close one weekday instead: the Whitney and the Frick on Tuesdays, the Met on Wednesdays. 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.
New York museums shift their schedules for exhibitions and holidays, so confirm on the official site before a special trip.
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.
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.
The Museum of Modern Art — Starry Night, the Water Lilies and Warhol's soup cans, floors apart in the same Midtown building.
The Intrepid Museum — a real aircraft carrier with the space shuttle Enterprise on deck, a submarine alongside and a Concorde on the pier. The most hands-on museum in the city.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt — a mirrored observation experience beside Grand Central, and the most-reviewed attraction on this entire page.
The Frick Collection — Old Masters hung in a Gilded Age mansion, the way a robber baron actually lived with them. Uncrowded, and unforgettable.
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 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 | Wednesdays | $59 · 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 | Tuesdays | $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 | $50 · 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. |
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 ($149 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 ($109). 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 | $149 | The classic first trip |
| C3 by CityPASS | Any 3 from a shortlist | $109 | 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 |
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 $149
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…
from $109
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.
from $89
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…
from $169
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…
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. MoMA, the Natural History Museum and the Guggenheim all keep daily hours. The exceptions are worth memorizing: the Whitney, the Frick and the 9/11 Museum close on Tuesdays and the Met closes on Wednesdays, not Mondays. Several also run late: the Met until nine on Friday and Saturday, MoMA until 8:30 on Friday and the Whitney until ten on Friday.
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–Tue & Thu 10:00–17:00 · Fri–Sat to 21:00 | Wednesdays, Thanksgiving, Dec 25, first Mon in May |
| MoMA | Daily 10:30–17:30 · Fri to 20:30 | Thanksgiving, Dec 25 |
| The Guggenheim | Daily 10:30–17:30 | Thanksgiving, Dec 25 |
| The Whitney | Wed–Mon 10:30–18:00 · Fri to 22:00 | Tuesdays |
| The Frick | Wed–Mon 10:30–17:30 | Tuesdays |
| Natural History | Daily 10:00–17:30 | Thanksgiving, Dec 25 |
| 9/11 Memorial & Museum | Wed–Mon 9:00–19:00 (last entry 17:30) | Tuesdays |
| Empire State Building | Daily from 9:00 or 10:00 · closing time varies by season | Open every day |
| SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | Daily 8:00–24:00 (last entry 22:30) | Open every day |
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.
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.
The Fifth Avenue facade of the Met — the front door to two million years of art.
An entire Egyptian temple, moved stone by stone into a glass-walled hall overlooking Central Park. The Met's single most photographed room.
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.
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.
Three Vermeers, a room of Fragonards and Bellini's St Francis, hung in the panelled rooms of a coal baron's Fifth Avenue mansion.
American art from Hopper to Basquiat, with outdoor terraces that hand you free Hudson River views at the foot of the High Line.
Thirty immersive rooms of projection and sound near Times Square, and 160 full-scale Banksy reproductions downtown — the newest art on this list.
Every Met ticket covers same-day entry to both The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. The Friday and Saturday late nights are the calmest hours to visit.
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.
Katy was the best. We had a wonderful afternoon. She was knowledgeable and also made the tour fun and engaging. I think the tour was a perfect 5 stars because of her.
Amazing experience. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw do many famous paintings up close. Fabulous.
I loved the building and the amount of art in the exhibition. It was exciting seeing some of picassos amazing large paintings.
Verified GetYourGuide reviews of the Met Museum Express Highlights Tour, MoMA Skip-the-Line Ticket, Guggenheim Museum Ticket.
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 $59
Must-see
A two-hour guided walk through the Met with skip-the-line entry, from the Temple of Dendur to Velázquez, Rembrandt, Van Gogh, Picasso and Warhol, plus the roof garden in…
from $52
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…
from $175
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…
from $30
Popular
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…
from $112
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…
from $30
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…
from $30
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…
from $30
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…
from $46
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.
from $20
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.
from $30
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…
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.
The dinosaur halls at the American Museum of Natural History — the reason most kids remember the museum for life.
A 94-foot fiberglass model suspended over the darkened ocean hall, and the photograph everyone leaves the Natural History Museum with.
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.
A glass cube holding the Hayden Planetarium, where a space show narrated by a famous voice runs through the birth of the universe.
450 hands-on stations in Queens where children push, pull and build — plus a rocket park of real Cold War missiles outside.
The biggest planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, across the river in Jersey City, wrapped in floors of touch-everything experiments.
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.
The super-saver ticket covers general admission; the giant-screen films and special exhibitions cost extra. Plan on half a day at least.
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.
There is so much history and amazing views to be seen. It was a great afternoon and the Milky Way exhibit was awesome.
Very good. The bubbles was a bit disappointing to much water in the mix. So not enough bubbles made. We enjoyed the interactivities
i wish this ticket can skip the line to the box office. coz I still went into the line to have it verified.
Verified GetYourGuide reviews of the American Museum of Natural History Ticket, New York Hall of Science Ticket, Liberty Science Center Admission.
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 $37
Family pick
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…
from $22
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…
from $22
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…
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.
Spencer Finch's blue-tile wall inside the 9/11 Museum — no two of its 2,983 squares are the same shade.
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.
The Great Hall where twelve million immigrants were processed, restored, with a searchable database where many visitors find their own ancestors.
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 space shuttle Enterprise and more than two dozen aircraft on the deck of a real aircraft carrier, with a submarine alongside and a Concorde on the pier.
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.
An 1887 Moorish-revival synagogue on the Lower East Side, restored, with a stained-glass east window that stops people in the doorway.
Book a timed slot, especially in summer. Allow two hours, and know going in that it is an emotionally heavy visit.
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.
Really surreal experience, learnt a lot about it all and there was beautiful tributes to all that lost their lives that day.
The trip exceeding my expectations and was really great value for money. Both LIberty and Ellis Island are a must see and experience thing when visiting here
soo good. I loved it! seeing the fighter jets and the space shuttle and the carrier was such a fantastic experience. my favorite was the Lockhead A12 IOxcart and the Grumman F14 Toncat. soo cool.
Verified GetYourGuide reviews of the 9/11 Memorial & Museum Ticket, Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Ferry, Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
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 $25
Top rated
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…
from $33
Bucket list
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…
from $59
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…
from $38
An aircraft carrier moored on the Hudson, with the space shuttle Enterprise in its pavilion on deck, the submarine Growler alongside and a Concorde on the pier. The…
from $23
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…
from $8
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…
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.
The sprinkle pool at the Museum of Ice Cream in SoHo — the most photographed room in this category.
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 Museum of Illusions packs 70-plus optical tricks into a compact space near Times Square, including a room that turns your photos upside down.
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.
Real costumes, immersive sets and the story of every era of the theater district, in the first museum dedicated to Broadway itself.
Real espionage history paired with interactive tests — a laser tunnel, a lie-detector — that score your aptitude as a spy at the end.
Madame Tussauds' wax celebrities on 42nd Street, and the adults-only Museum of Sex, which is far more thoughtful than its name suggests.
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.
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.
It was great. My daughter & I had so much fun & ate endless ice cream. Staff was very friendly & welcoming.
Very kids friendly but I also really enjoyed it as a adult to haha , many rooms with activities!
Loved it my kids had a very good time was so perfect and the ice cream was really good
Verified GetYourGuide reviews of the Museum of Ice Cream Ticket.
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
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…
from $38
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…
from $41
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…
from $48
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…
from $39
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.
from $37
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…
from $32
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.
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.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt: a mirrored installation beside Grand Central, and the most-reviewed attraction in this guide.
The newest deck and the most reviewed attraction on this page. Mirror-lined rooms turn the whole space into an installation. Beside Grand Central.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Excellent attraction, the views are amazing. The bar at the top was great to stop and take it all in.
Absolutely amazing experience hands down the best experience in New York.
Incredible views, quite busy but definitely the best one!
Verified GetYourGuide reviews of the SUMMIT One Vanderbilt.
Timed tickets for SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, Edge at Hudson Yards and One World Observatory.
from $48
Most reviewed
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…
from $50
Icon
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…
from $46
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…
from $48
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.
from $30
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…
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.
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 |
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 for New York State residents, the Whitney on Friday evenings and second Sundays, the Guggenheim on Tuesday and Sunday afternoons. The National Museum of the American Indian is free year-round. See our free museums section.
Yes — unlike most European cities, the major museums in New York open every day, including Mondays. MoMA, the Guggenheim and the Natural History Museum all keep daily hours, and the Met is open on Mondays but closes on Wednesdays. The Whitney, the Frick and the 9/11 Museum close on Tuesdays instead. See our hours table for the details.
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.
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.
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.
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.