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12 best museums in New York City

From the Met's encyclopedic galleries to the Frick's preserved Gilded Age mansion, New York holds the densest concentration of major museums anywhere in the country.

Updated Apr 2026 · 13 min read · 12 museums ·12 bookable
New York · 12 results

New York’s museum scene divides cleanly into three axes: the Mall of art (Met, MoMA, Whitney, Guggenheim), the Mall of natural and human history (Natural History, Tenement, New-York Historical), and a long tail of specialist institutions that any other city would treat as a centerpiece.

Most are in Manhattan, but the Brooklyn Museum and the Met Cloisters in upper Manhattan are worth their separate trips. NY/NJ/CT residents pay-what-you-wish at the Met, the Natural History Museum, and the Frick — bring ID. Pay-what-you-wish slots elsewhere include MoMA on Friday evenings, the Whitney on Friday evenings, and the New-York Historical on Friday evenings.

If you only have a day, the conventional triangle is the Met, MoMA, and the Natural History Museum — all walkable from the same Central Park entrances. If you have two days, fold in the Cloisters and the Tenement Museum, both of which are different in character from the Manhattan flagships.

The full directory of every New York museum (200+) is at the bottom of this page.

The ranking

  1. Metropolitan Museum of Art

    Metropolitan Museum of Art
    Art · On 5th Ave between 80th and 84th Streets

    The largest art museum in the Western Hemisphere. Plan a full day.

    Pay-what-you-wish (NY/NJ/CT)
    4.8 / 5
    95,483 Google reviews
    $30
    general admission
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  2. Museum of Modern Art

    Museum of Modern Art
    Art · Midtown, between 5th and 6th Ave

    Van Gogh's Starry Night, Picasso's Demoiselles, Dalí's Persistence of Memory.

    Free Fri 4–8 PM
    4.6 / 5
    61,580 Google reviews
    $30
    general admission
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  3. American Museum of Natural History

    American Museum of Natural History
    Natural History · Upper West Side, on Central Park West at 79th

    The dinosaur halls, the blue whale, the Hayden Planetarium — all under one roof.

    Family favoriteNY residents pay-what-you-wish
    4.6 / 5
    27,222 Google reviews
    $28
    general admission
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  4. Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

    Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
    Art · Upper East Side, opposite Central Park

    Frank Lloyd Wright's spiral. Walk to the top, descend through the galleries.

    Pay-what-you-wish Sat 6–8 PM
    4.3 / 5
    27,026 Google reviews
    $25
    general admission
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  5. Whitney Museum of American Art

    Whitney Museum of American Art
    Art · Meatpacking District, foot of the High Line

    Renzo Piano building at the foot of the High Line. Strong American collection.

    Pay-what-you-wish Fri 5–10 PM
    4.5 / 5
    15,311 Google reviews
    $30
    general admission
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  6. The Met Cloisters

    The Met Cloisters
    Art · Fort Tryon Park, far Upper Manhattan

    Medieval Europe at the northern tip of Manhattan. Same ticket as the Met.

    Same ticket as the Met (3 days)
    4.8 / 5
    9,228 Google reviews
    $30
    general admission
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  7. Brooklyn Museum

    Brooklyn Museum
    Art · Prospect Park / Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn

    Strong Egyptian, feminist, and American collections in a McKim Mead & White building.

    First Saturdays free + late
    4.7 / 5
    10,501 Google reviews
    $20
    general admission
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  8. Frick Collection

    Frick Collection
    Art · Upper East Side, 70th and Fifth

    Vermeer, Rembrandt, Bellini in Henry Clay Frick's Gilded Age mansion.

    4.6 / 5
    5,218 Google reviews
    $30
    general admission
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  9. New-York Historical Society

    New-York Historical Society
    History · Upper West Side, opposite the Natural History Museum

    The city's oldest museum. Tiffany lamps, Audubon originals, founding-era documents.

    Pay-what-you-wish Fri 6–9 PM
    4.5 / 5
    806 Google reviews
    $22
    general admission
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  10. Tenement Museum

    Tenement Museum
    History · Lower East Side, 1 block off Delancey

    A Lower East Side tenement preserved as a time capsule. Tour-only entry.

    4.6 / 5
    6,079 Google reviews
    $30
    general admission
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  12. Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

    Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
    Military · Pier 86, Hell's Kitchen waterfront

    Aircraft carrier, Concorde, space shuttle, submarine — all docked in Manhattan.

    Family favorite
    4.7 / 5
    47,758 Google reviews
    $36
    general admission
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