The best museums in New York

Table of Contents

The best museums in New York and practical tips for visiting them and saving on admissions

New York is a city famous for its culture and art, and there are many museums worth visiting. From classics like the Metropolitan Museum of Art to more modern works of art at MoMA, New York offers a wide range of museums to suit all tastes.

If you’re a history, modern art, or popular culture enthusiast, there’s a museum in New York for you . In this post, we’ll explore the best museums in New York , describing their collections, current exhibitions, and everything you need to know to visit them. Prepare to discover some of the world’s best art and historical objects as you immerse yourself in New York City’s vibrant cultural scene.

Remember that in some of these, entry is free one day a week at specific hours. I have updated to 2023 but before going check on the official sites if they coincide and organize the visits in such a way that you can see them all practically for free. Wear sneakers because some are huge.

Have you found plane tickets? See also on Traveljourn
Read also: New York City – Top 10 tourist attractions

SAVE ON ENTRANCE TO NEW YORK MUSEUMS
If during your trip to New York you want to visit more museums and attractions I recommend purchasing the New York City Pass which includes admission to the best museums and numerous attractions in the cost. Choose between the 3, 5 and 10 attractions package and save up to 40% on the cost of tickets purchased individually. Thanks to the 9 days of validity, you will have plenty of time to enjoy each one.

What you will find in this post

Discounted tickets and CityPass to save on admissions to New York museums

NEW YORK CityPASS
For those who want to take advantage of the many attractions of the Big Apple at discounted prices, I recommend the New York CityPASS which offers three different packages: 3, 5 and 10 attractions. If you have little time, opt for the 3 attractions package but if you want to visit as much as possible then purchase the 10 attractions package which costs $194 per person and will save you up to 45% on the cost of single tickets. The pass is valid for 9 days.
This pass is the best for those who plan to visit many paid attractions thanks to the important discounts included.

THE NEW YORK PASS
For those who don’t want to have limits on attractions and the more they can do in a day the better, the right card is The New York Pass , starting from €130 , which allows unlimited entry to museums, tours , tickets for hop on hop off buses, bike tours.
An interesting investment to keep busy at discounted prices from 7.30 in the morning to 8.30 at night discovering every corner of the Big Apple.

TIQETS – FOR DISCOUNTED TICKETS
This is a new site that I have only been using for a short time but which has exceptional partnerships with major museums around the world, including New York! Check all the offers, book in advance and save

The 10 best museums in New York – Prices and days of free admission

Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET)

The Metropolitan Museum of Art, also known as “The Met”, is one of the best museums in New York but is also one of the most important and famous in the world. The museum houses a vast collection of works of art, ranging from the Middle Ages to contemporary art, with particular attention to the cultures of Asia, Africa, Europe and the Americas.

The museum’s permanent collection includes more than 2 million works of art, including paintings, sculptures, artifacts, textiles, photographs and more. Among the most famous works in the museum are the Egyptian statue of Pharaoh Hatshepsut, Vermeer’s canvas “The Milkmaid” and the famous “Madonna and Child” by Leonardo da Vinci. THE

The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions featuring works of art by world-renowned artists and an extensive library specializing in art and art history. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a must-see for art lovers visiting New York. Don’t miss the Greek, Roman, Cypriot and Asian room which attracts visitors from all over the world every year, as does the room with Robert Menschel’s photographs .

Opening times: The museum opens at 9.30 in the morning and closes at 9 in the evening.
Entrance: The cost of admission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art varies depending on the visitor’s residence. For adults not residing in New York, the price is $30, while for residents of New York the ticket is “pay-as-you-wish”, meaning the visitor decides the amount to pay – Entrance included in the New York CityPASS
Official link: www.metmuseum.org

Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)

Among the best museums in New York that you shouldn’t miss is the MOMA. MOMA reopened in 2004 after a $425 million renovation . The size has doubled and the reopening coincided with the museum’s 75th anniversary.

The MoMA, an acronym for Museum of Modern Art , is one of the most important museums in the world for modern and contemporary art. Located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, the museum houses a vast collection of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculptures, photographs, films and more.

Among the most famous works in the museum are “The Starry Night” by Vincent van Gogh, “Irises” by Claude Monet, “Le Demoiselles d’Avignon” by Pablo Picasso and “The Persistence of Memory” by Salvador Dalí. The museum also offers temporary exhibitions featuring works by world-renowned artists.

Admission $25 adults – Entry included in the New York City Explorer Pass
Hours: Free admission on Fridays from 4pm to 8pm
Official link: www.moma.org

American Museum of Natural History

The American Museum of Natural History is one of the largest and most famous museums in New York and the world. The museum houses a vast collection of naturalistic artifacts, including animals, plants, minerals, fossils and anthropological artifacts. The museum’s permanent collection includes over 33 million specimens , including the famous dinosaur collection , the largest in the world, and the famous blue whale, a life-sized specimen hanging from the ceiling of the main atrium.

The museum also offers numerous interactive displays and temporary exhibitions featuring the latest scientific and technological discoveries. Among the museum’s most popular permanent exhibits are the Hall of Biodiversity , the Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs , the Hall of Human Origins , and the Rose Center for Earth and Space , which houses a planetarium and an exhibit on the formation of the universe.

The museum is also famous for its scientific research activity and for its library specializing in natural history and anthropology.

The museum is huge and the exhibitions start from prehistory and dinosaurs up to Chinese costumes and rare gems. The American Museum of Natural History is a must-see for nature and science lovers visiting New York City, and is considered one of the most important and interesting museums in the world and is also recommended if you are traveling with children,

Admission $23 adults – Admission included in the New York City Explorer Pass and New York CityPASS
Official Link: www.amnh.org

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, often simply called the “Guggenheim” , is an art museum located on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, and is one of the best museums in New York that first-time visitors don’t want to miss.

The museum was founded in 1939 by Solomon R. Guggenheim, a wealthy American businessman and art collector, to display his collection of paintings. The current building, designed by Frank Lloyd Wright , was completed in 1959 and is considered such an architectural masterpiece that it resembles a museum within a museum.

The building features a unique spiral design with a central atrium that allows visitors to view the artworks from different angles as they ascend the ramp.

The museum’s collection includes works of art from the late 19th century to the present day, with a focus on modern and contemporary art. The collection includes works by artists such as Pablo Picasso, Marc Chagall, Wassily Kandinsky and Jackson Pollock. The museum also hosts a series of temporary exhibitions throughout the year, featuring works by established and emerging artists.

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum is an unmissable destination for art and architecture lovers and offers a unique and unforgettable museum experience.

Admission $25 adults – Admission included in New York City Explorer Pass and New York CityPASS
Pay-what-you-want Saturdays from 5:45pm to 7:45pm (last ticket given at 7:15pm).
Official link: www.guggenheim.org

a large white building with a curved roof with Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum in the background

Whitney Museum of American Art

The Whitney Museum of American Art is an American art museum located in New York City. Founded in 1930 by Gertrude Vanderbilt Whitney, a sculptor and patron of American art, the museum was created to celebrate contemporary American art . The Whitney Museum of American Art’s collection includes more than 23,000 works of 20th- and 21st-century American art, including paintings, sculptures, works on paper, photographs, films, videos, and installations.

The museum was originally founded as the Whitney Studio Club, then became the Whitney Studio Galleries, and finally the Whitney Museum of American Art. Over the years, the museum changed locations several times, until the new building opened in Meatpacking in 2015 District of New York. The new building, designed by architect Renzo Piano, was created to offer greater exhibition capacity and a better visitor experience.

Admission $25 adults – Admission included in the New York City Explorer Pass
The museum is open daily except Tuesdays.
Official link: whitney.org

Frick Collection

Are you looking for works by Rembrandt, Vermeer or Hals? This is the gallery you were looking for. The Frick Collection is an art museum located in New York City, founded by Henry Clay Frick, an American industrialist and art collector. The museum is housed within the Frick residence , a Renaissance Revival-style mansion located on Fifth Avenue. The museum’s permanent collection includes European works of art from the 13th to 19th centuries, including paintings, sculptures, furniture, decorative art objects, and drawings.

The museum’s collection includes works by artists such as Bellini, Rembrandt, Vermeer, Gainsborough, Turner, Whistler and Renoir. The artworks are displayed inside Frick’s mansion, which was transformed into a museum after his death in 1919. The mansion has been expanded over the years to house new artworks and to offer a adequate exhibition space. In addition to the permanent collection, the Frick Collection also hosts temporary exhibitions and special events.

Admission: $22 adults. Children under 10 years old are not allowed.
On Sundays you pay what you want from 11.00 to 13.00
Official link: www.frick.org

Brooklyn Museum

The Brooklyn Museum is an art museum located in Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 1895, the museum houses a vast collection of artworks ranging from ancient to contemporary . The museum’s permanent collection includes more than 1.5 million works of art, including paintings, sculptures, decorative art objects, photographs, films, videos and works on paper.

The museum is known for its extensive collection of Egyptian art , which includes artwork and artifacts from ancient Egypt and also houses a large collection of African, Native American, Asian, and Islamic art.

In addition to the permanent collection, the Brooklyn Museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and special events.

Entry $16 adults – Entry included in the New York City Explorer Pass
Free entry on the first Saturday of the month from 5pm to 10pm. The museum is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays
Official link: www.brooklynmuseum.org

Morgan Library and Museum

The Morgan Library & Museum is an art museum and library located in New York City. The museum was founded by banker and art collector Pierpont Morgan in 1906 and is housed within his former private residence. The museum’s permanent collection includes works of art and manuscripts ranging from the Middle Ages to the 20th century .

The museum’s manuscript collection is particularly notable and includes some of the most important and rarest manuscripts in the world. The collection includes medieval manuscripts, prayer books, manuscripts of English and American literature, and musical manuscripts. The museum also houses a large collection of drawings, prints, photographs and rare books.

In addition to the permanent collection, the Morgan Library & Museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and events.

Admission $15 adults and $10 for over 65s, children and students.
Free entry on Fridays from 4pm to 8pm. The museum is closed on Mondays
Official link: www.themorgan.org

Museum of the City of New York

The Museum of the City of New York was founded in 1923 by Henry Collins Brown, a writer of Scottish origin with the vision of a populist approach to the city. The museum was established to preserve and present the history of New York City and its people.

The museum is located at 1220-1227 Fifth Avenue, between 103rd and 104th Street, across from Central Park on the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It houses a collection of more than 3 million objects managed by six curatorial departments, including photographs, paintings, prints and decorative arts. The museum also hosts a series of exhibitions and events that explore the city’s rich history and culture.

Suggested admission $10.
Official link: www.mcny.org

American Folk Art Museum

The American Folk Art Museum is a museum located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. It is dedicated to the collection, exhibition, and study of American folk art and the creative expressions of self-taught contemporary artists from the United States and abroad.

The museum’s collection includes more than 8,000 objects from the 18th century to the present, including quilts, sculptures, paintings and furniture. The museum hosts a variety of exhibitions and programs throughout the year to showcase the diversity and richness of American folk art.

Always free entry.
Official link: folkartmuseum.org