15 Museums in New York City, Ranked by What You Get

1.9/11 Memorial & Museum Timed-Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 31,428 reviews · 1 day · from $25Our pick

Use a timed ticket for contactless entry to the 9/11 Memorial Museum, then visit the outdoor memorial, twin reflecting pools, Survivor Tree, and Memorial Glades. Inside, three permanent exhibitions explain the events before, during, and after September 11, 2001, with artifacts, films, photographs, and personal stories. Allow at least two hours, and longer if you read everything.

“A deeply moving experience. Witnessing this immense tragedy through the accounts of survivors and rescuers leaves an overwhelming and lasting impression. The museum is exceptionally well organized, and the staff are professional, helpful, and truly dedicated to ensuring visitors have a meaningful experience.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Empire State Building Tickets – Observatory & Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 25,757 reviews · 45 minutes - 2 hours · from $47

Visit New York’s Empire State Building for the 86th Floor Observatory, optional 102nd Floor windows, and an interactive museum covering construction, Art Deco design, King Kong, and film history. Allow 45 minutes to 2 hours. Choose a standard or Express ticket, and plan for airport-style security and limited access for bags.

“WOW! What a view! I was breathtaken by far one of the best excursions I have booked. I am scared of heights but it really didn’t actually fase me. 1100% recommend to book.”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.American Museum of Natural History Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 15,447 reviews · 1 day · from $37

Explore more than 40 permanent halls at New York’s American Museum of Natural History, including the dinosaur fossils, Milstein Hall of Ocean Life, Rose Center, and new Gilder Center. Choose general admission or add ticketed experiences such as the butterfly vivarium, planetarium show, giant-screen film, or Impact: The End of the Age of Dinosaurs.

“very informative and extremely well presented lots of amenities which made the experience better. Overall a great family experience.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 12,540 reviews · 1 day · from $30

Visit New York’s Museum of Modern Art with a one-day ticket covering the permanent collection, special exhibitions, films, and art-making labs. See Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, Monet’s Water Lilies, Picasso, Matisse, Warhol, Pollock, and contemporary works. Bring a charged phone and headphones for the free multilingual audio guide.

“This is a fantastic museum and art gallery and well worth the visit. Start on Floor 5 and work down for the best chronological order (and the easiest route) finishing in the outdoor sculpture garden for some reflection.”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.9/11 Memorial, Ground Zero Tour with Optional 9/11 Museum Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 6,381 reviews · 2 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $39Top rated

Walk from the Oculus to St. Paul’s Chapel, the FDNY Memorial Wall, and the 9/11 Memorial pools with a small group of up to 15. Guides such as Sean, James, Paul, and Amy share personal stories of loss, heroism, and renewal. Add a self-guided museum ticket or one-hour VIP museum tour when booking.

“Dave was a great your guide! Honestly, I thought I knew everything about 9/11 (I didn't), Dave shared so much more about this event than I could have imagined. Thanks for the eye-opening experience”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.9/11 Memorial Museum Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6,376 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $36

Visit the 9/11 Memorial Museum beneath the Twin Towers’ footprints with a timed mobile ticket. Explore artifacts, first-person accounts, memorial displays, and multimedia exhibits at your own pace. Allow at least two hours, expect airport-style security, and prepare for an emotional visit focused on loss, courage, recovery, and the global impact of September 11.

“A respectful memorial created with heart and concern to remember those lost. It could have more to it however even more footage of personal stories taken from the marvellous documentaries made.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.All-Access 9/11: Ground Zero Tour, Memorial and Museum, One World Observatory

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4,886 reviews · 2 to 5 hours (approx.) · from $109

Start near St. Paul’s Chapel and explore the Oculus, FDNY Memorial Wall, Survivor Tree, and 9/11 Memorial pools with a local guide such as Meghan, Rob, or James. Then visit the museum and One World Observatory. Choose a self-guided museum visit or a one-hour VIP tour.

“Very good. Our tour guide was very friendly and extremely informative. The museum had so many artifacts and memories displayed along with actual footage of 9/11. The World Observatory was pretty awesome and had a great view of the city and Hudson River. This visit made for some great memories. I definitely recommend all three.”

Check availability →Read our full review

8.Intrepid Museum Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 4,687 reviews · 1 day · from $38

Spend a day exploring the USS Intrepid, from its hangar and flight decks to restored crew areas and combat rooms. See the Enterprise space shuttle, 28 aircraft, the Growler submarine, and Apollo artifacts. Your $38 ticket includes museum admission, priority ticket access, and the Space Shuttle Pavilion, but Concorde requires an extra fee.

“Amazing experience especially people who served on the ship and submarine”

Check availability →Read our full review

9.Museum of Ice Cream Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 2,619 reviews · 1h 30m · from $40

Spend about 90 minutes at New York’s Museum of Ice Cream, where colorful rooms, ice cream tastings, a pink subway, a three-story slide, and a giant sprinkle pool turn a museum visit into playtime. You explore at your own pace, with unlimited samples, WiFi, wheelchair access, and a Broadway entrance.

“Great and fun experience. I went with my 11 YO daughter and I also had fun. You get free ice cream to taste and it is just all a fun experience and so glad I took my daughter; she keeps talking about it.”

Check availability →Read our full review

10.Guggenheim Museum Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 2,201 reviews · 1 day · from $30

Spend a full day at New York’s Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, where Frank Lloyd Wright’s spiral building is part of the experience. Your $30 ticket includes all exhibitions, Wi-Fi, and a downloadable audio guide in 11 languages. Plan on about 1 to 2 hours, bring headphones and a charged phone, and enjoy skip-the-ticket-line entry.

“I had a wonderful time. The exhibits were amazing. I love the way the whole building is constructed. Bought a few things at the gift shop and headed across the street for Central Park”

Check availability →Read our full review

11.American Museum of Natural History Admission Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,931 reviews · 3 to 4 hours (approx.) · from $37

Visit the American Museum of Natural History on Manhattan’s Upper West Side at your own pace. Your admission covers more than 40 permanent galleries, the Rose Center for Earth and Space, and the Richard Gilder Center. Plan at least three hours for dinosaurs, Asian elephants, the huge blue whale, fossils, cultures, and the 13-billion-year story of the universe. Extra ticketed attractions cost more.

“Very thorough museum. Staff was so helpful for kids finding iconic characters from night at museum. Good mix of education for adults and children”

Check availability →Read our full review

12.Ground Zero 9/11 Memorial Tour & Optional 9/11 Museum Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 1,584 reviews · 90 - 210 minutes · from $39

Meet your guide by L'Arte del Gelato inside the Oculus, then walk through Ground Zero, St. Paul’s Chapel, and the 9/11 Memorial pools. Guides such as Russell, Ray, James, and Sean bring personal memories and careful storytelling. Add a skip-the-line museum ticket or VIP guided museum tour, then stay as long as you like.

“Excellent tour. The guide Tim M was informative and entertaining . A must tour.”

Check availability →Read our full review

13.Express Highlights Tour of the MET Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 795 reviews · 2 hours · from $69

Spend two focused hours at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art with an English-speaking guide and a group of no more than 15. Expect the Temple of Dendur, Egyptian tombs, Greek sculpture, Van Gogh, Monet, Rodin, and lively stories about art, artists, and museum politics. Private tours are also available.

“It was a great speed round through the museum highlighting all the major pieces of art. Stephane was great and showed us around and took each of our preferences into consideration as he was guiding us through the museum.”

Check availability →Read our full review

14.Mercer Labs Museum of Art and Technology

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 656 reviews · 1 day · from $56

At Mercer Labs, you move through 15 interactive rooms where art, sound, light, video, and touch work together. Draw an animal and watch it appear in 3D, hear omni-directional audio in the 4D Sound gallery, and see Roy Nachum’s work, known from Rihanna’s Anti album. Plan on 60 to 75 minutes at the downtown Church and Dey Street entrance.

“This is the most colourful thing I did in USA. I enjoyed it and the staffs were very helpful. I recommend everyone who is in new york have an experience of this.”

Check availability →Read our full review

15.Metropolitan Museum of Art Highlights Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 625 reviews · 2 hours · from $65

Meet your English-speaking guide inside the Met after security, then spend two focused hours seeing major works from Egyptian, Greek, Roman, European, and modern collections. Guides such as Jett, Alex, Erika, and Kevin are praised for lively storytelling. The route changes with gallery displays, and the Cantor Roof Garden appears only from mid-April through October.

“Alex was an excellent guide. He was enthusiastic, knowledgeable and kind. I enjoyed the tour immensely.”

Check availability →Read our full review