The Best Museums in New York for a Cultural Visit (2024)

Best Museums in New York – Few people fail to recognize that New York has one of the best museum offerings in the world. Of the 10 most visited art galleries in the world, at least 2 of them areNew York museums, while the rest are consistently ranked among the best in the world. And that has something to say.

Through a continuous process of acquisitions over the last 200 years of European and international works, the greatmuseums of New Yorkhave managed to make a name for themselves on the world scene. TheMetropolitan Museum of New Yorkor theMoMa, to name a few, have become key voices in talking about works of art, paintings and exhibitions.

Today we bring you a very complete article with7 New York art galleries that we recommend for a cultural visit to New York. There is everything. From museums that cover the whole history like the previously mentioned Met, or the unknown Brooklyn Museum, to museums like the Guggenheim or the MoMa, which for lovers of modern art are an institution.

Table of Contents

7 Best Museums in New York you can’t miss

1. The American Museum of Natural History, one of the most visited museums in New York

American Museum of Natural History (New York)

The first museum stop in this article takes us to the Upper West Side, skirting Central Park to reach theAmerican Museum of Natural History(200 Central Park West), an institution in terms of technological and scientific museums.

Its giganticdinosaur figuresand the life-sizeblue whalein the Milstein room are just the tip of the iceberg of a museum for the whole family, but one that children will especially enjoy.

American Museum of Natural History Prices and Hours:

Prices: Adults are $25, students and seniors 60 and older are $20, and children (2-12 years) pay $14.
Opening hours: Open daily from 10 am to 5:30 pm.
Free day?There is no free schedule or day.

2. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMa)

MoMa(11 W 53rd Street) is an institution when it comes tomodern art. Opened in 1929 by three women (Lillie P. Bliss, Mary Quinn Sullivan and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller), it was considered the only museum dedicated exclusively to modern art. It is incredible how in just over 100 years, a small collection has evolved through acquisitions to become what it is today: amuseum with more than 150,000 pieces.

From Picasso’s paintings, such as LesDemoiselles d’Avignon, to Salvador Dalí and his Persistence of Memory, or paintings by Monet, Boccioni or Andy Warhol. However, the MoMa’s quintessential work is Van Gogh’s highly acclaimedStarry Night .

Something that few people know is thatGuernica, Picasso’s famous work, was kept at the MoMa for more than 30 years. The representation of the horror after the bombing of the city by the Nazi and Italian air forces in the context of the Spanish Civil War and the subsequent victory of Franco meant that the painting did not return to Spain until 1981 despite the ”obstacles” of the New York museum. It is currently in theReina Sofía Museum in Madrid.

MoMa prices and hours:

Prices: Adults pay $30, students $17, and seniors over 65 $22. Children under 16 are free.
Opening hours: Saturday to Thursday from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm and Friday from 10:30 am to 8 pm.
Free day?Yes! Every Friday from 4 pm to 8 pm admission is free.

3. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The Met)

If there is one museum that stands out in New York, it is theMetropolitan Museum of Art(1000 5th Av.), known by its acronym Met. It is located in Central Park, specifically on the Upper East Side. Together with the Guggenheim, which we will talk about later, and small art galleries, they make up what is known as theMuseum Mile.

The Met is the most visited museum inthe United Statesand the fourth in the world. The explanation is clear. Its purchasing policy over the years has turned it into an art gallery with more than 4 million objects. Its collection includes works by Rembrandt, Raphael, Titian and El Greco. One of the most outstanding works is theTemple of Dendur, a gift from Egypt for the help that the United States provided to the conservation of the Temples of Nubia.

It’s a very large museum, soI don’t recommend going there in a rush. The best thing you can do is visit themuseum’s official websiteor Wikipedia and choose which one you want to visit, although the works we recommend above are a good starting point.

The Met is divided intothree locations, the most important of which is on Fifth Avenue. However, since admission to all three is included,The Cloisters, the second most important location, located in Washington Heights, is famous for its cloisters, so if you have time, you can visit that as well.

Metropolitan Museum prices and hours:

Prices: Adults pay $30, students $17 and seniors over 60 have a special rate of $22. Children under 12 are admitted free of charge.
Opening hours: Sunday to Tuesday from 10 am to 5 pm, Friday to Saturday at 10 am to 9 pm and closing on Wednesday.
Free day?No! There was once a “pay what you wish” option, but it was discontinued in 2018.

4. The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

Another of New York’s most famous museums, theGuggenheim (1071 5th Ave.) stands out both on the outside and on the inside. Frank Lloyd Wright‘s construction marked a turning point for the museum, which was exacerbated when it was declareda World Heritage Site by UNESCO, along with 7 other works by the author.

The interior also retains the minimalism of the exterior and the architecture is quite curious. So even if you don’t plan to visit the inside, we recommend that you go. Its collection, quite complete – although it cannot be compared to that of the MoMa – has its foundations in the private collection ofSolomon R. Guggenheim,to which other collections were later added, and which currently includes works by Picasso, Van Gogh, Pissarro, Paul Klee and Kandinsky.

Guggenheim Museum prices and hours:

Prices: Adults pay $30, while there is a reduced rate for students and seniors of $19. Children under 12 enter free.
Opening hours: Open from Friday to Wednesday from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm, closing on Saturdays at 8 pm.
Free day?Yes! Every Saturday from 17:00 am to 20:00 (last entry is at 19:30) there is a “pay what you wish” option, where you pay whatever you want. They recommend around 10 euros, but you can give whatever you want.

5. The Brooklyn Museum

Few people know that the second largest museum in New York is not located in Manhattan but in the neighboring district of Brooklyn, specifically in the museum that bears its name. TheBrooklyn Museum(200 Eastern Parkway) is located in Prospect Park and is perfectly connected by lines 2 and 3 of the New York subway (the Brooklyn Museum station is right outside), so it is quite easy to get to.

Much less visited than the previous ones, theBrooklyn Museumis a great option for those who want to enjoy art in a quieter museum with fewer people. Its collection is very complete and includes Egyptian and African works, works by European painters such as Monet or Van Gogh, and includes some objects from my belovedRapa Nui.

Brooklyn Museum Prices and Hours:

Prices: Adults are $20, students and seniors 65 and older pay $14. Children under 19 are free.
Opening hours: Open from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm.
Free day?No

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6. The Museum of the City of New York

A small museum located north of the Upper East Side, practically attached to East Harlem (El Barrio), theMuseum of the City of New York(1220 5th Ave.) was established with the aim of showing the evolution of the city and its history since it was founded back in the 17th century.

Prices and hours of the Museum of the City of New York:

Prices: Adults pay a fee of $20 and seniors over 65 and students enjoy a reduced rate of $14. Children under 19 are admitted free.
Opening hours: Open every day from 10 am to 5 pm.
Free day?No

7. The National Museum of the American Indian

The National Museum of the American Indian (1 Bowling Green) is one of the Smithsonian’s branches, with the main headquarters located in Washington DC. The art gallery is named afterGeorge Gustav Heye, a collector of pre-Columbian objects and artifacts and the main architect of the museum. It is quite a bit smaller, but the good thing is that admission is completely free, so it never hurts.

Prices and hours of the National Museum of the American Indian :

Prices: Admission is completely free.
Opening hours: Open from 10 am to 5 pm.
Free day?Yes, every day.