Is New York worth it for art?
For range, few cities compare: one museum on Fifth Avenue takes you from Egyptian tombs to European paintings, and a few blocks away modern art has some of its most important homes. The catch is cost and size. Tickets are expensive for visitors from outside the state, and the big museums cannot be seen in a day, so choose by interest.
Which museums are worth your time?
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
The essential one. For ancient art, the Egyptian wing with the Temple of Dendur, a lesson in Egyptian architecture, and the Greek and Roman galleries are the reason to come; the guide to the Met has a two-hour route through fifteen works. The $30 ticket also covers The Met Cloisters, its medieval branch in northern Manhattan, on the same day. Closed on Wednesdays; open until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays. For now, the modern and contemporary galleries and the ancient West Asian galleries are closed for renovation.
MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art, in Midtown, for painting and sculpture from the late nineteenth century to today. $30 for adults, free for under-16s. It opens every day from 10:30, and on Fridays until 20:30, when New York State residents enter free with a reserved ticket.
The Guggenheim
On Fifth Avenue, with the spiral ramp that is as famous as anything inside it. Exhibitions change, but the Thannhauser Collection keeps Impressionist, Post-Impressionist and early modern French works by Degas, Manet, Van Gogh and others. $30, or pay what you wish on Tuesdays and Sundays from 16:00 to 17:30.
The Brooklyn Museum
Usually less crowded and cheaper ($20 for adults, free up to 19), across the river in Brooklyn, open Wednesday to Sunday. For ancient art it is the natural second stop: its galleries of ancient Egyptian art and of Assyrian art are on view, while the Met’s ancient West Asian galleries are closed.
If you have more time
The Frick Collection shows its old masters in the rooms of a Gilded Age mansion, without wall labels (use the free mobile guide), and admits only children aged 10 and over: $30, closed on Tuesdays, pay what you wish on Wednesday afternoons. The Whitney Museum of American Art covers the art of the United States: $30, free for visitors aged 25 and under, closed on Tuesdays, open until 22:00 on Fridays.
What can you skip?
Skip trying to see all of the Met: follow one route. Skip the Guggenheim if the current exhibition does not interest you; the building alone is not worth $30 to everyone. And skip Wednesdays for the Met, when it is closed.
How many days do you need?
Two days: the Met one day, MoMA the next, with the Guggenheim at its pay-what-you-wish hour if it suits. Three days: add the Brooklyn Museum or the Met Cloisters. For the ancient world in Europe, see London’s free museums and art in Paris.
When should you go?
Any season; the visits are indoors. Weekday mornings are the calmest. Use the evenings: the Met until 21:00 on Fridays and Saturdays, MoMA until 20:30 on Fridays. Most museums close on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
New York in brief
The Met
- Ticket
- $30; pay what you wish for New York State residents and NY, NJ, CT students
- Hours
- 10:00-17:00; Friday and Saturday until 21:00; closed Wednesday
- Free
- Under 12
- Time
- 2 hours for one route; a day for more
MoMA
- Ticket
- $30; over 65 $22; students $17
- Hours
- Daily 10:30-17:30; Friday until 20:30
- Free
- 16 and under; New York State residents on Friday 17:30-20:30, with a reserved ticket
- Time
- 2-3 hours
Guggenheim
- Ticket
- $30; students and over 65 $19
- Booking
- Online in advance recommended
- Hours
- Daily 10:30-17:30, with some special closures
- Free
- Under 12; pay what you wish Tuesday and Sunday 16:00-17:30
- Time
- 1.5 hours
Brooklyn Museum
- Ticket
- $20; over 65 and students $14
- Hours
- Wednesday-Sunday 11:00-18:00; closed Monday and Tuesday
- Free
- 19 and under
- Time
- 2 hours
- Note
- Ancient Egyptian and Assyrian galleries on view
Frick Collection
- Ticket
- $30; over 65 $22
- Booking
- Timed tickets recommended
- Hours
- 10:30-17:30; closed Tuesday; first Friday of the month also 17:30-21:00
- Free
- Pay what you wish on Wednesday 13:30-17:30 (minimum $5 online)
- Time
- 1.5 hours
- Note
- Only children aged 10 and over; no wall labels; photography only in the Garden Court
Whitney Museum of American Art
- Ticket
- $30; seniors and students $24
- Booking
- Advance tickets recommended
- Hours
- 10:30-18:00; Friday until 22:00; closed Tuesday
- Free
- 25 and under; Free Friday Nights and Free Second Sundays
- Time
- 2 hours
- Verified
- October 2026, on the official sites. Prices and hours change: check before you go.
Questions
Met or MoMA?
The Met for ancient and old master art, MoMA for modern art. With one day, choose by period.
Are New York museums free?
Not for most visitors. The Met is pay what you wish only for New York State residents and some students; the Guggenheim has a pay-what-you-wish hour on Tuesdays and Sundays.
Is the Guggenheim worth it?
For the building and the Thannhauser Collection, yes; otherwise check the current exhibition before paying $30.
Sources
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art, MoMA, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Brooklyn Museum: official visiting pages (October 2026).
