The Best NYC Museums We’d Recommend To Any First-Timer (With Our Ratings + What To Skip)

After living in NYC and visiting more than 10 times as tourists, we’ve worked our way through pretty much all of the city’s big-name museums. Overall, New York’s museums impressed us with their variety (it’s not all paintings and sculptures like Paris or Rome) but they didn’t all feel essential for the average visitor. For us, only The Met and the 9/11 Museum sit in that “must-see at all costs” tier, the way the Louvre or Vatican Museums do in Europe.

If you’re really into modern art, MoMA definitely belongs on your list, but we don’t think it will appeal to everyone. And while we enjoyed NYC’s Natural History Museum, we thought London’s was far more impressive (and it had free entry). That said, we absolutely loved the more niche options: the Transit Museum in Brooklyn is a fantastic hidden gem, Ellis Island’s Immigration Museum felt totally unique, and the Intrepid is perfect for families.

Visiting museums in cities around the world is a big part of our job, and we remember feeling so overwhelmed mapping out which museums to see when we moved to the city – this was New York, after all. But honestly, we didn’t need to be. Getting around by subway was easy, there were no major day trips (like Versailles), and we didn’t feel like a guided tour was essential (like the Vatican). Our biggest frustration turned out to be entry fees, which we thought were too high, especially after doing 5+ museums.

In this guide we walk you through the NYC museums we think are worth it and which ones to skip, aimed at the average visitor. Remember, this is one of those massively subjective topics and these are just our opinions, based on our real experiences. Let’s dive in!

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The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Let’s start with what we consider to be the most unmissable museum in New York City for a first-time visitor, The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Met is NYC’s version of the Louvre – massive and overwhelming, but unmissable for anyone who appreciates history or iconic works of art.

The sheer scale of The Met amazed us both times we visited – it’s the largest museum in North America, showcasing 1.5 million works of global art spanning 5,000 years from ancient civilizations to contemporary masters.

We spent 6 hours the first time with a food stop at Eatery on the ground floor, and 4 hours the second time with a food stop at the Great Hall Balcony Cafe – and we still didn’t get close to seeing it all. The food didn’t blow us away and the prices were inflated, but it was convenient and efficient.

What should you look out for? Here’s a small list of our favorites:

• Washington Crossing The Delaware (1851, Emanuel Leutze – Gallery 760)
• Bridge Over a Pond of Water Lillies (1899, Claude Monet – Gallery 819)
• Autumn Rhythm (Number 30) (1950, Jackson Pollock – Gallery 919)
• Self-Portrait With a Straw Hat (1887, Vincent van Gogh – Gallery 825)
• Cow’s Skull: Red, White and Blue (1931, Georgia O’Keeffe – Gallery 757)
• Madame X (1883-84, John Sargent – Gallery 771)
• Aristotle with a Bust of Homer (1653, Rembrandt – Gallery 616)
• Temple of Dendur (completed by 10 B.C. – Gallery 131)
• The Sphinx of Hatshepsut (1479-1458 B.C. – Gallery 131)
• The Astor Chinese Garden Court (17th century – Gallery 217)

One of the biggest mistakes we made during our first visit in early 2021 was not buying tickets in advance. We paid for it with our time because we had to wait in a long line just to buy a ticket, and then another long security line to enter. So we didn’t make the same mistake second time around, instead we pre-book tickets in advance.

Entry fees:

• $30: Adults
• $22: Seniors
• $17: Students
• Free: Under 12’s

Mark’s planning tip: The Met is not included on any attraction pass, so anyone who wants to visit must pay the full entry fee – apart from NY residents or NY, NJ, CT students who can “pay what you wish” (1 cent will get you in).

The ticket price covers all exhibitions and same-day entry to both The Met on Fifth Avenue (main museum) and the Met Cloisters (medieval art in French monastery) way up in Fort Tryon Park. We haven’t made it to the Cloisters yet, but it has amazing reviews and it’s on our list for next time.

To be honest, we think doing both in one day would be a recipe for museum burnout. We’d definitely prioritize the main museum on Fifth Ave if it was our first time, then we’d pay for the Cloisters on a second or third trip.

Opening hours:

• 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Thursday
• 10:00 AM – 9:00 PM: Friday, Saturday
• Closed: Wednesday

Tours:

Official – Free tours run throughout the day at both locations. Head over to The Met tours page, pick your date and see the schedule. They run general 1 hour tours and collection-specific tours. If you’d rather walk around at your own pace, you can follow the free audio guide on your phone with headphones.

Third party – If we wanted a more in-depth experience, we’d book a longer, deeper and more personalized guided tour like this 2.5 hour tour with amazing reviews through Viator or this 3 hour tour with sky high ratings through our favorite tour company called Take Walks.

Our rating – 10/10:

We love The Met. It’s the best “traditional” museum in NYC by a distance. We always recommend it as our top pick to friends, family and clients who book travel planning calls with us. But if you didn’t love the Louvre, Vatican or British Museum, you probably won’t enjoy The Met. It’s that type of museum.

9/11 Museum

We’ve visited hundreds of museums in cities all around the world, and we can honestly say that only Auschwitz in Poland left a bigger impact on us than the 9/11 Museum in Lower Manhattan. The museum itself sits below the memorial – two reflecting pools where the Twin Towers once stood – and it’s a deeply moving experience. We’ve been twice together and Mark did it again with a friend from England, but we’d still definitely visit again in the future.

Can you remember where you were when the attacks happened on September 11th, 2001? Kristen was sitting in a classroom and Mark was playing soccer near his house. Even though we’d seen it on TV and read about it online, nothing prepared us for the emotions we felt walking through the exhibits for the first time.

The museum displays artifacts and personal stories about loss, resilience and hope. Seeing items like Welles Crowther’s red bandana or the recovered FDNY Ladder 3 firetruck was incredibly moving. These objects gave us a small window into what people went through, and hearing their individual stories brought us to tears. For us, the most fascinating part was the detailed timeline of events which explained exactly how the day unfolded – Mark was totally engrossed in it.

Entry fees:

• $36: Adults
• $30: Seniors, students, ages 13-17
• $24: Ages 7-12
• Free: 6 and under

Kristen’s planning tip: We’ve seen some enormous non-ticket lines waiting to get in the 9/11 Museum over the years. It’s not worth losing an hour waiting. Get organized, head over to the official site, select a date and a time slot. If you can’t get a ticket through the official site, book this one through Viator for the same price.

Opening hours:

• 9:00 AM – 7:00 PM: Wednesday to Monday
• Closed: Some Tuesdays (see schedule)

Tours:

Official – You can also buy an entry ticket with a guided tour included. Tour options include just the museum for $60 / adult or the museum and memorial for $85 / adult.

Third party – For a more immersive experience, we’d definitely consider booking this top rated guided tour of Oculus, 9/11 Memorial Pools, 9/11 Museum, and One World Observatory with Viator. It’s the full package.

Our rating – 9/10:

Overall, we think the museum was put together extremely well and it respectfully honors those who lost their lives. We think every first timer should visit, and the only reason we didn’t give it a 10/10 is because we think it might be a bit too harrowing for some people. Our first time we spent a good 3 hours inside and it took us another few hours afterwards to stop feeling upset.

Modern Museum Of Art (MoMA)

Growing up, Kristen’s favorite painting was The Starry Night by Vincent Van Gogh. So when we moved to New York at the end of 2020, the Museum of Modern Art – or MoMA – was one of the very first museums we visited in NYC. Now, we’re happy to admit modern art isn’t really our thing. But there were a few iconic works of art that we knew and couldn’t wait to see:

• The Starry Night (1889, Vincent Van Gogh, Gallery 501)
• Water Lilies (1914-26, Claude Monet, Gallery 515)
• Les Demoiselles d’Avignon (1907, Pablo Picasso, Gallery 502)
• The Persistence of Memory (1931, Salvador Dali, Gallery 517)

Notice how they’re all in a gallery beginning with a 5? That means the 5th floor, which is where pretty much everything we wanted to see was located. We did look around the other floors to see pop art, sculptures and design collections – but for us it was all about those classics on the top floor. That said, if you have any interest in modern art (think Tate Modern in London or Centre Pompidou in Paris), you’ll love every floor of MoMA in NYC.

Entry fees:

• $30: Adults
• $22: Seniors
• $17: Students
• Free: 16 and under

Opening hours:

• 10:30 AM – 5:30 PM: Saturday to Thursday
• 10:30 AM – 8:30 PM: Friday

Our rating – 6/10:

We really enjoyed the 5th floor but the rest of the exhibits didn’t blow us away, and we think it will be the same for most average visitors who don’t have a specific interest in modern art. There are so many amazing things to do in NYC, so our advice would be to skip MoMA unless you love modern art or desperately want to see the likes of The Starry Night and Water Lilies.

Ellis Island National Immigration Museum

Ellis Island is the gateway through which around 12 million immigrants entered the United States between 1892 and 1954. If you’re American, you might even have ancestors who were medically and legally processed through the Great Hall inside what is now the museum. We really enjoyed learning about the immigration process, seeing personal items, reading stories, and searching through manifests. It wasn’t “masterpiece-heavy”, but it was powerful and memorable.

We hopped on the ferry to the Statue of Liberty from Castle Clinton in Battery Park on the southern tip on Manhattan, slowly walked around Liberty Island, got close-up photos with Lady Liberty, and then spent 2 hours exploring the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island. This was back in early 2021 on a freezing cold morning with snow on the ground, not long after covid lockdowns, so it wasn’t too overcrowded with tourists.

Despite the cold, we noticed most people taking the ferry round trip to the Statue of Liberty without bothering to getting off at Ellis Island. In our opinion, that’s a mistake. You don’t pay entry fees to Liberty Island or Ellis Island, you pay for the ferry – and that includes both islands with no extra fees. The only limiting factor is time. If you have enough time on your NYC itinerary, we encourage you not to skip Ellis Island after visiting the Statue of Liberty.

Ferry fees (round trip):

• $26: Adults
• $23: Seniors, military
• $17: Ages 4-12
• Free: 3 and under

Mark’s planning tips: You can board the ferry from Battery Park in New York or Liberty State Park in New Jersey. Almost every visitor to NYC will use Battery Park round trip. Ferry tickets can be bought in person on the day, but lines can be long so we recommend booking online in advance. Most importantly, add-ons like “Pedestal Reserve” and “Crown Reserve” are exceptionally popular and must be booked well in advance.

Operating hours:

• Daily departures every 15 minutes between 9:00 AM – 3:15 PM from both NY and NJ

Tours:

Official – Every ferry ticket comes with audio tour included in the price. You can upgrade to “Pedestal Reserve” and “Crown Reserve” but they’re still self-guided. The only official guided tour is Ellis Island “Hard Hat”, a 90-minute tour of the unrestored hospital complex that costs $81 (ages 13+ only).

Third party – If we wanted an expert-led guided tour of both the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Immigration Museum, we’d 100% book this affordable 4-hour tour with Take Walks which has sky-high ratings. Our backup option would be this highly rated tour through Viator. None of these tours include Pedestal or Crown access.

Our rating – 7/10:

Ellis Island’s Immigration Museum might not be on the same level of The Met or the world’s great art museums, but it’s a unique, moving place that we thought was underrated and a bit of a hidden gem in NYC. It’s not going to blow your socks off, but it’s already included in the ferry ticket price, so the only cost is an hour or two of your time.

Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

The Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum surprised us. It turned out to be so much bigger and more hands-on than we expected. It was the complete opposite to a quiet, relaxing art museum experience. Instead, we enjoyed hands-on activities like sitting in cockpits and flight simulators, walking around real hardware, and Mark’s favorite – going up the same narrow escalator pilots once used to reach the flight deck.

We loved walking through the vast hangar and on top of the flight deck to see fighter jets (even a MiG!) and helicopters, and to learn about the Intrepid’s varied wartime history (WWII, Vietnam, Cold War). It didn’t surprise us one bit to see so many kids excitedly running around – we said to each other during our visit that it’s the perfect NYC museum for families with energetic children.

Strangely, it wasn’t until our millionth time visiting NYC in July 2025 that we finally made it on board the Intrepid. The main reason is because it’s a bit of a trek to reach Pier 86. We walked from Edge in Hudson Yards in the blazing sun and it wasn’t fun, then afterwards we walked along 46th Street (restaurant row) to Broadway in Times Square. There aren’t any nearby subways, so it’s walk or taxi.

Entry fees:

• $38: Adults
• $36: Seniors, students
• $28: Ages 5-12
• Free: 4 and under, military, veteran

Kristen’s planning tip: All entry tickets include Intrepid, Space Shuttle Enterprise, Submarine Growler and all temporary exhibitions. But the 20-minute Concorde Tour is an extra $15 / person, which can be added when buying tickets online – we didn’t do it because we didn’t have time but it would be cool to see the inside. There are also several virtual experiences that can be added online or in person. If for some reason you can’t get tickets through the official site, you can get them for the same price through Viator.

Opening hours:

• 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM: Every day

Tours:

Official – When booking basic entry tickets, we noticed an add-on for a 1-hour “highlights tour” that costs $18 / adult. This would be a great way to learn more about the exhibits and history.

Our rating – 7/10:

We’ll admit we didn’t expect to enjoy Intrepid as much as we did. The hangar had tons of information boards, the massive Space Shuttle Enterprise was awesome to see, and Mark loved taking photos of the fighter jets like Britain’s Harrier jumpjet and the F-14 Tomcat from Top Gun (although he was disappointed not to see an F-15 Eagle). It’s the perfect NYC museum for kids, military buffs and anyone who loves planes, ships or space. We’d give it an 8/10 if it was easier to reach.

New York Transit Museum

We think the NY Transit Museum in Brooklyn is the best hidden gem museum in New York City. We finally got around to doing it in July 2025 and seriously loved it. Not only was it way cheaper than most other museums in NYC, but it was a genuinely interesting and immersive experience. Plus, there were basically no crowds which made a nice change from the popular museums in Manhattan.

Three more reasons we liked it? First, we thought the setting was so cool – a decommissioned 1930’s subway station (Court Street) with tiled walls, vintage signs and actual platforms. Second, we walked through more than 20 restored subway trains from varies periods throughout the 20th century (complete with real ads from those periods). And third, it was fantastic for kids – we took our daughter in her stroller and she loved it.

On the downside, it’s a bit of a pain to reach for most first time visitors who will likely be staying in Manhattan. We walked across the Brooklyn Bridge all the way to the museum which was a lot of effort in the summer heat. Instead, you should hop on a subway to Jay St-Metro Tech or Borough Hall depending on your closest line.

Entry fees:

• $10: Adults
• $5: Ages 2-17, seniors
• Free: Under 2’s

Opening hours:

• 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM: Wednesday to Sunday
• Closed: Monday and Tuesday

Our rating – 8/10:

We paid $10 each, there were no crowds, the old subway trains were super interesting, and it felt like an authentic New York City museum. The only reason we didn’t give it a 9/10 is because it’s well out of the way for the majority of visitors.

American Museum Of Natural History

If we’re being honest, we probably had unfairly high expectations for New York’s American Museum of Natural History (AMNH). We’d visited London’s free natural history museum a few years before and it was amazing, plus we’d seen Night at the Museum – so maybe we built it up too much.

At the risk of sounding negative, we did think AMNH was perfectly excellent from a “learning about science and nature” perspective. We saw dinosaurs, a gigantic suspended blue whale, a planetarium, and interactive zones including a butterfly conservatory and discovery room. It’s also located in Upper West Side next to Central Park, with easy subway access from Manhattan. And we did learn a lot about the Earth, which is the whole point of going.

But we think it has a steep basic entry price (plus add-ons to see the best areas), and it gets too busy on weekends, holidays and during peak tourism months – with lots of kids running around. We also thought it felt a bit more dated and a bit less “wow moment” than we imagined.

Entry fees:

• $37: Adults
• $30: Seniors, students
• $22: Ages 3-12
• Free: 2 and under

Kristen’s planning tip: Similarly to The Met, New York residents can “pay what you wish” for general admission to AMNH. But all visitors must pay for upgrades to ticketed exhibitions (planetarium, dinosaurs, butterfly vivarium, invisible worlds and passport to the universe). That means a non-NY resident will pay $37 general entry, $43 for entry plus one add-on, or $48 for entry plus all add-ons.

Opening hours:

• 10:00 AM – 5:30 PM: Every day

Tours:

Official – One thing we do like at AMNH is that they offer free highlights tours every day at 30 minutes past the hour (10:30 AM – 3:30 PM). The free guided tours last 75 minutes and we’d definitely do it if it was our first time.

Our rating – 7/10:

Overall, we think AMNH is ready-made for families visiting the city with kids and anyone who loves history, science or nature. But for the average visitor, we’re not sure it’s worth the hefty entry fee ($48 if you want to see the best parts). You could use that to pay for one of NYC’s observation decks, or buy your breakfast bagels for the week! We give it a 7/10 because it’s still a top-notch history museum, we just think it needs to be brought into the 2020’s.

Museum Of Broadway

The latest addition to our list of top NYC museums to visit is the Museum of Broadway right there in the heart of Times Square. We did it in July 2025 with our NY Go City Passes and expected it to be over the top and gimmicky, but we were so wrong. It was a fantastic museum – they’ve done such an incredible job of bringing Broadway to life in a fun, interesting and engaging way but without going overkill.

We enjoy Broadway and West End shows like The Lion King, Aladdin, Wicked and Phantom of the Opera as much as the next average person, but we absolutely wouldn’t call ourselves super-fans. That didn’t matter at the Museum of Broadway, it catered to every level of interest in theater.

In essence, we explored three floors (top to bottom) in a chronological order timeline of shows that were released in different eras. The costumes, props and set recreations were fantastic, and we found it to be lively, immersive, modern, and amazing for photo ops. We’d actually consider it a standout experience from our most recent trip to the city.

Entry fees:

• $45: Adults
• $40: Seniors, veterans
• $37: Ages 5-13, students
• Free: 4 and under

Kristen’s planning tip: If there’s 4 or more in your group (up to 9) you can buy a “family pack” for $33.75 per person, which is an $11.25 saving per person. Don’t forget to select the family pack, rather than adding 4+ general entry tickets.

Opening hours:

• 9:30 AM – 4:00 PM: Monday to Wednesday
• 9:30 AM – 6:30 PM: Thursday and Sunday

Our rating – 8/10:

We do think $45 / person is a bit steep, and of course this one won’t be a good fit if you don’t have any interest in Broadway. Otherwise, it’s an absolute winner in our book. They’ve really done well making it appeal to the average person, and not just to theater buffs. We’d recommend it to friends and family.

SPYSCAPE

We want to finish with a bit of a hidden gem that’s not a traditional museum, but more of an interactive spy-themed experience with a museum about spy gadgets and historic artifacts called SPYSCAPE. We only know about it because we used NY attraction passes back in the spring of 2022 to find off the beaten path activities – and honestly it was so much fun.

Look, this one certainly isn’t going to be for anyone who is only interested in classical museums like The Met. But younger couples, groups of friends and especially families with kids will love doing something a bit different to the typical NYC day. We both really enjoyed the change of pace, testing our spy skills and challenging our brains to think outside the box for a few hours.

After arriving, we put on bracelets which tracked our performances across various challenge types (memory games, lie detection, surveillance sims, laser mazes, code-breaking). At the end we discovered our “spy profile” – Kristen was a hacker, Mark was an agent. It felt a bit like a tech-focussed escape room mixed with an immersive video game, but without the countdown timer.

Entry fees:

• $27: SPYGAMES only
• $39: SPYSCAPE only ($34 kids)
• $59: SPYGAMES and SPYSCAPE

Opening hours:

• 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM: Sunday to Thursday
• 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM: Friday and Saturday

Our rating – 7/10:

We found SPYSCAPE to be a refreshing break from traditional museums. There were no paintings and no massive information plaques to read – instead we spent about 2 hours doing something totally different. It was fun, interactive and easy. We know this one won’t suit historians, but it’s perfect for families with older kids.

What To Skip

Okay, what about any museums that we visited but don’t think are essential for first time visitors to NYC? Well, there’s a few for sure.

Guggenheim: Some people might love the Guggenheim Museum but we just didn’t get it. The only thing we liked was looking up at the spiral walkway from the bottom for an amazing photo op. Other than that, we couldn’t get into the exhibits at all. For the same $30 entry fee, we’d choose The Met over the Guggenheim every single time.

The Whitney: At the risk of sounding like we have a thing against art museums (we really don’t!), we also couldn’t get on board with The Whitney Museum. A lot of it was closed when we paid $30 to go in, which we thought was disappointing. Overall, we felt like it was one of those places where you really have to be into modern art or American art to enjoy it.

Madame Tussauds: To be fair, it actually wasn’t as bad as we expected for such a gimmicky tourist trap. But even so, we definitely wouldn’t prioritize it over the other museums in our guide. This is one to do if you have an attractions pass with unlimited attractions and plenty of spare time.

AMNH: We already discussed this earlier, but we wanted to reiterate that we found AMNH to be slightly underwhelming. It felt like an old-school museum that was badly in need of updating, and it has the steepest entry price of all museums in this guide (factoring in the extra exhibits which are the best things to see).

Kristen’s money saving tip: Buy either a CityPASS or Go City Pass to save money by bundling attractions – including many of the museums in our guide. We encourage you to read our comparison of the NY attraction passes to find the perfect pass for your travel plans.

Next Steps

We hope our guide answers your questions about which museums are worth your time in New York City.

If you’d like expert help with planning your trip to NYC, you can talk 1-on-1 with us to get personalized tips, advice and guidance on your itinerary, list of attractions or areas you’re considering staying.

Still researching for your trip?

• Read our 4 days in New York itinerary.
• Don’t miss these top attractions in NYC.
• Here are the best areas to stay in NYC.

Finally, read our ultimate NYC travel guide to get more helpful tips and advice about planning a first time trip to the Big Apple.

Happy travels,

Mark and Kristen

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