About Museums in New York

Why we built this site

New York holds somewhere between eighty and a hundred museums, and most guides hand them to you as one long, undifferentiated list. We wanted something you could actually plan a trip around: the museums grouped the way you would visit them, with the real details in one place — where each one sits, when it opens, what a ticket costs, and what is genuinely worth finding inside.

We also lead with the facts that trip up first-time visitors. Unlike Europe, most of the big museums here open every day, so a Monday is rarely a problem — but the Whitney and the Frick close on Tuesdays instead. And the timed attractions, from the 9/11 Museum to the Statue of Liberty ferry and the sunset slots at the observation decks, sell out days ahead in summer. Knowing which is which is most of the battle.

How we choose what to feature

We don't list everything, and we don't rank by commission. For tickets and tours, we feature operators that meet a consistent baseline:

• Licensed operators with certified, knowledgeable guides
• A verified track record of strong traveler reviews
• Clear, honest inclusions, from skip-the-line entry to audio guides
• Free cancellation policies so you can plan without risk

Museums we cover but cannot sell you a ticket for

Several of the best museums in New York do not sell tickets through any booking platform — the National Museum of Mathematics, the Tenement Museum, the Brooklyn Museum, the Morgan Library, Cooper Hewitt and the Cloisters among them. We cover them anyway, in full, with no link to click and nothing in it for us. A guide that only mentions what it can earn from is not a guide.

How we make money

This site is free to use. When you book a ticket or tour through a link here, we may earn a small commission from the booking platform, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what you pay, and it never determines the order in which we present museums or tours.

Our recommendations reflect verified reviews, real value, and what is genuinely best for different kinds of visitors, not commission rates. Opening hours and prices change often in New York, so we always suggest confirming details on each museum's official website before you go.

About the author

Nora Ellison is a New York-based arts and culture writer. She has spent years working through the city's museums and the practical business of getting into them, from the Met's early members' hour to the empty rooms of the Frick on a weekday morning. She writes and fact-checks every page here, and rechecks hours and prices before each update.

Get in touch

Spotted a price that has changed, a museum we should add, or a detail that needs fixing? We genuinely want to know. Reach us through the contact page — we read every message.