The 11 best museums in New York City

New York City is America's capital of the arts – a vibrant hub for fine art, theater, music, dance and a million other forms of human expression. So it should come as no surprise that the city boasts a truly world-class collection of incredible galleries and museums.

The best museums in NYC provide something for every traveler, with intriguing exhibition spaces dotted across boroughs and neighborhoods from Brooklyn to SoHo, Washington Heights, the Upper West Side and beyond.

Year in, year out, going to a museum is one of the top things to do in NYC. Indeed, the choice of museums and galleries is so vast that you'll never be short of ways to pass a rainy day or a snowy winter afternoon.

If you want to gaze at legendary paintings and sculptures, head to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or "The Met" to its friends. To get under the skin of New York's founding story, visit the Tenement Museum. For the East Coast's best collection of dinosaurs, hit the American Museum of Natural History.

From hallowed halls that give an extensive overview of art history to small niche museums devoted to a specific century, region or subject, the Big Apple has you covered. To help you choose, here is our list of the best museums in New York City.

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Metropolitan Museum of Art

Best for late hours

The permanent collection spanning more than two million objects and artworks covering 5000 years of art history is just the beginning at The Met. Visiting exhibitions showcase works from around the globe – in 2026, high-profile exhibitions looked at the work of Raphael, Lee Krasner and Jackson Pollock, while other shows highlighted fashion and Louis XIV's carpets.

It would take a week of constant perusing to fully explore this marvelous museum, sitting on the edge of Central Park on the city's Upper East Side. It's the perfect place to spend a day immersing yourself in art.

The museum opens early and stays open late into the evening on Fridays and Saturdays for those who want to maximize browsing. Plenty of visitors stay all day, taking advantage of the museum's comfy benches and popular cafe.

Getting there: The easiest option is to take the subway to 86th Street station.
Planning tip: The iconic main entrance on 5th Ave gets very busy; to save time, book tickets online, and enter via the 81st St entrance.

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Best for teens

Recognized as one of the most significant modern art museums on the planet, the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an absolute must-visit, and the varied media and contemporary themes of the work on display make this a great stop for teens.

Galleries at this Midtown museum sprawl across multiple levels, and the five-story central atrium offers a bird's-eye balcony view from every floor. Sound installations in the atrium can be heard throughout the museum, creating an atmospherically immersive experience.

Best of all is the outdoor sculpture garden, accessible only from within the museum. Its floor is made of polished marble, and it has a rotating array of sculptures from greats such as Aristide Maillol, Rachel Whiteread, Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.

Getting there: Fifth Avenue/53rd Street Station is just down the road from the museum.
Planning tip: Get more from your visit by downloading the free digital guide onto your phone before you come.

Whitney Museum of American Art

Best for young adults

This excellent museum is perfectly located for an art fix while exploring the West Village, Meatpacking District, High Line and Hudson River Park neighborhoods. The phenomenal permanent art collection here covers American creativity from the late 19th century to the present day, and special "Art + You" sessions invite young adults to engage more deeply with the collection.

You'll find paintings, sculptures, photos and video artworks alongside eclectic multimedia installations from a wide range of artists. The museum prides itself on showcasing living artists, giving the galleries a fresh and ultra-contemporary feel.

Admission is free on Fridays from 5pm to 10pm and all day on the second Sunday of every month, making for a great, inexpensive way to explore the collections. There's no fee at any time for visitors aged 25 or under.

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Getting there: The closest subway stop is at 14th Street/Eighth Avenue.
Planning tip: Check the website for details of the museum's summer opening season, when the galleries are open daily. At other times of year, the Whitney is closed on Tuesday. Book a timed entry slot before you arrive.

The Met Cloisters

Best for adults who like history

For medieval history buffs, the Met Cloisters – fondly referred to simply as the Cloisters – is a treat in the northern Manhattan neighborhood of Washington Heights. The museum has a wonderful assortment of ancient objects on display, including hand-carved wooden altar panels, well-preserved stone sepulchers and elegantly woven tapestries on its walls.

The museum takes in artworks from across Europe, some dating back as far as the Byzantine period, displayed inside a building designed to resemble a medieval European monastery. The museum was founded by John D Rockefeller Jr in the 1930s, originally displaying pieces from the personal collection of sculptor and collector George Grey Barnard.

Getting there: The Met Cloisters is a 10-minute walk from the 190th Street subway station.
Planning tip: While you're here, walk to nearby Fort Tryon Park for gorgeous river views from one of the highest points in the city.

Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art

Best for free admission (donations requested)

This cozy neighborhood gallery in Manhattan’s SoHo is lesser-known but it packs a cultural punch. Covering more than 22,000 works by historic and contemporary LGBTIQ+ artists, its collection is nothing short of legendary.

Items include contributions from iconic queer artists such as Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, David Hockney, Berenice Abbott, and hundreds more. Located on a quiet cobblestoned street, this outwardly unassuming museum is an important community builder and an outstanding collection all in one.

Getting there: The Leslie-Lohman Museum of Art is in the heart of SoHo, close to the Canal Street and Broadway-Lafayette subway stations.
Planning tip: The museum is open Wednesday to Sunday; check the website for upcoming shows, talks and workshops.

The American Museum of Natural History

Best for dinosaurs

This engaging Upper West Side museum has something for anyone with an interest in the natural world, but it's particularly good for families with kids in tow. Adults will marvel right alongside teens and toddlers at the displays of dinosaur skeletons, including reassembled Tyrannosaurus rex, Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus and Triceratops specimens.

You'll find plenty of other natural wonders in this 2-million-sq-ft museum, which also includes a stellar planetarium and an extensive library. Behind the informative displays is a formidable team of 200 scientists, delivering the museum's stated aim to “Discover, interpret, disseminate – through scientific research and education – knowledge about human cultures, the natural world, and the universe.”

Getting there: 81st Street–Museum of Natural History station provides direct access to the museum basement.
Planning tip: Admission is “pay as you wish” for New York, New Jersey and Connecticut residents, which makes a visit very affordable for local families on a budget.

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Best for fun

One of the biggest draws of the Guggenheim is the building itself. Located on the Upper East Side and designed by the famous Art Deco architect Frank Lloyd Wright, the museum’s tiered, funnel-shaped building is one of the most iconic structures in Manhattan, and walking its famous quarter-mile-long spiral ramp is a must-do for architecture fans.

You might recognize the museum from its cameos in the movies Men in Black (1997) and Manhattan (1979). Step inside to see works from Picasso, Monet, Van Gogh and many more, or enjoy the museum's busy program of workshops and events, with some great arty activities for kids over the summer.

Getting there: It's an easy stroll from 86th Street station to the Guggenheim, or you can walk here across Central Park.
Planning tip: See the museum's online calendar for details of summer art camps and weekend workshops for kids.

Tenement Museum

Best for interactive exhibits

At the Tenement Museum, you can step into historically accurate recreations of homes in the New York City tenements in the 1800s and 1900s – a great way to learn about the city's origins. The only way to access the museum is by booking a guided tour, themed to explore the role played by women who lived in the tenements, small businesses run in the tenements and more.

Getting there: Subway trains stop at the Grand Street and Delancey Street/Essex Street stations, both close to the museum.
Planning tip: The museum also offers guided food experiences and walking tours of the Lower East Side; see the website for more information.

Brooklyn Museum

Best neighborhood museum

Whether you’re staying in Brooklyn during your visit, or just want to spend a day exploring New York's second most famous borough, the Brooklyn Museum, located in Prospect Heights, is a can’t-miss attraction for art and history enthusiasts. At 560,000 sq ft, the museum is about a quarter of the size of The Met but still one of the oldest and largest museums in the country.

Opened in 1897, the museum has a wide variety of objects in its vast collection – more than 1.5 million to be exact – from works by local Brooklyn artists to ancient Egyptian artifacts. Visiting is highly educational, with lots of community-focused events.

Getting there: Jump on the subway to Eastern Parkway-Brooklyn Museum station.
Planning tip: Check out their regular afternoon art talks and the pop-up crafts market on Sundays from April to November.

New York Transit Museum

Best for kids who love trains

Even if you have a love-hate relationship with the New York subway, it's worth investigating its long history, and younger kids will have a grand old time roaming the restored platforms and vintage subway cars at the New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn. Housed in an out-of-commission subway station from 1936, the museum offers a glimpse into what New York City public transit was like in its early days, and tickets are a bargain for kids and adults.

Getting there: Trains no longer run directly to the building but the subway stops nearby at the Borough Hall and Hoyt–Schermerhorn Streets stations.
Planning tip: You can't eat inside the museum, but there are restaurants serving pizzas, burgers, bagels and other kid-friendly foods nearby on Court St.

Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Best for design lovers

As part of the extensive Smithsonian museum network, the Cooper Hewitt occupies an Upper East Side mansion built by Andrew Carnegie in the early 20th century. The museum’s exhibits focus solely on historical and contemporary design, featuring a collection of more than 215,000 items spanning 30 centuries of creativity. Plus, you’ll get to roam the halls of the extravagant 64-room Carnegie Mansion – an extraordinary work of design in itself.

Getting there: The Cooper Hewitt is a 15-minute walk from the 86th Street subway station.
Planning tip: Don't miss the Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden – a charming green space where you can relax away from the Manhattan bustle.