No trip to New York is complete without visiting one of its world-class cultural institutions, and the Mile Museum is the perfect place to start. This stretch of Fifth Avenue, from East 82nd to East 105th Street, claims to be one of the world’s densest concentrations of culture. Museums on the Mile include the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Neue Galerie, Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, National Academy Museum & School, Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum, Jewish Museum, Museum of the City of New York, and El Museo del Barrio.
After moving to the Meatpacking district, the Whitney Museum of American Art continues to present one of the nation’s most prestigious collections of 20th-century American and contemporary masters. On the Upper West Side, the mammoth American Museum of Natural History and the Hayden Planetarium at the Rose Center for Earth and Space have the largest science exhibits. And just a little further south, the city’s oldest museum, the New York Historical Society, underwent a complete renovation and expansion in 2011, introducing the DiMenna Children’s History Museum.
The European masterpieces of the Frick Collection are housed in Henry Clay Frick’s magnificent mansion on Fifth Avenue, and the Museum of Modern Art in Midtown (MoMA) is home to some of the world’s most important contemporary artworks. In Uptown, the Studio Museum in Harlem highlights the work of black artists, while the Cloisters houses an impressive collection of medieval art alongside the museum’s stunning architecture. It also offers lovely gardens and stunning views of the Hudson River. The Brooklyn Museum, one of the largest and oldest art museums in the country, has an extensive collection that spans cultures and art movements in its fine arts house at the north end of Prospect Park.
Good tips
New York is known to be one of the most expensive cities in the world, so you have the option of buying a New York City Pass to save money for your various visits. If you are only going to New York for shopping and maybe to see ONE museum then you can count on the generosity of New York City.
Most museums in New York and its galleries offer a time slot during the week when admission is free. NYC.co.uk has listed the different times at each museum where admission is free, but be aware that many people take advantage of this offer, so it’s best to get to the museum early to be sure to get in.
Free entrance once a month:
- Bronx Museum: the first Friday of the month from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Brooklyn Children’s Museum: the second weekend of the month before 11 a.m.
- Brooklyn Museum: the first Saturday of the month from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- El Museo del Barrio: the third Saturday of the month from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
- Neue Gallerie: the first Friday of the month from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Noguchi Museum: the first Friday of the month (pay what you want)
Free entrance once a week
Free entrance on Monday
- Museum at Eldridge Street
- Yeshiva University Museum
Free entrance on Tuesday
- 9/11 Memorial Museum from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Brooklyn Botanical Garden
- China Institute from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Staten Island Museum from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m.
- Wave Hill from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Free entrance on Wednesday
- Zoo du Bronx (pay what you want)
- Museum of Jewish Heritage from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- New York Botanical Garden all-day
- Queens Botanical Garden from April to October from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Van Cortlandt House Museum
- Yeshiva University Museum from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m.
Free entrance on Thursday
- Brooklyn Children’s Museum from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- China Institute from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Museum of Arts and Design from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (pay what you want)
- Museum of Chinese in America
- New Museum from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Trinity Church from September to May, Concerts at One from 1 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Free entrance on Friday
- International Centre of Photography from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. (pay what you want)
- Japan Society from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Morgan Library & Museum from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m.
- Museum of Modern Art from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.
- Neue Galerie from 6p.m. to 8 p.m.
- New York Historical Society from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. (pay what you want)
- New York Aquarium from 3 p.m. until closing time (pay what you want)
- New York Hall of Science from September to June from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
- Rubin Museum of Art from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- Staten Island Museum from 12 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Whitney Museum of American Art from 7 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
- Yeshiva University Museum
Free entrance on Saturday
- Brooklyn Botanical Garden from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
- Jewish Museum
- New York Botanical Garden from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m.
- Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum from 5:45 p.m. to 7:45 p.m. (pay what you want)
- Wave Hill from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Free entrance on Sunday
- Frick Collection from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. (pay what you want)
- New York Hall of Science from September to June from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
- Queens Botanical Garden from April to October from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m.
- Studio Museum in Harlem
When you find the notion (pay what you want), it is recommended to leave a financial contribution to participate a little in the maintenance. It is not an obligation but the French already have the reputation of never leaving tips, it would be nice to contribute to improving our image with the New Yorkers. For your information, Americans give an average of $16 for an adult and $9 for a child from 2 to 12 years old, and $12 for a student or a senior citizen.
Other museums with free admission or you pay what you want
- American Folk Art Museum
- American Museum of Natural History (pay what you want)
- Bronx Museum (pay what you want)
- Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAMcafé live events
- Brooklyn Museum (pay what you want)
- The Cloisters (pay what you want)
- El Museo del Barrio (pay what you want)
- Godwin-Ternbach Museum at Queens College
- Green-Wood Cemetery
- International Print Center
- Metropolitan Museum of Art (pay what you want)
- Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology
- National Museum of the American Indian—Smithsonian Institution
- New York City Police Museum (pay what you want)
- P.S.1 MoMA (pay what you want)
- Queens Botanical Garden (free from November to March)
- Queens Museum of Art (pay what you want)
- Sculpture Center (pay what you want)
- Socrates Sculpture Park
- Staten Island Museum (pay what you want)
- Storefront for Art & Architecture
- Studio Museum in Harlem (pay what you want)
- Waterfront Museum
Bonjour,
je trouve votre site très interessant mais je ne retrouve pas ces bons plan sur les site officiels des musées par exemple. Ou est il écrit que le MOMA est entrée libre le vendredi soir?
Je vous remercie de votre aide
Tania Grippi
Bonjour Tania,
Je vous remercie pour votre message.
Voici le lien qui dit que l’entrée est libre au MOMA le vendredi soir : https://www.moma.org/visit/
Il faut descendre dans la page et vous verrez au-dessous de “Enfant – Gratuit”.
En revanche, attention car le musé est vraiment bondé lorsque c’est gratuit, si vous aimez l’art et la tranquillité ce n’est pas le meilleur moment.
De précieuses infos pour un grands fan de musées comme moi, merci pour ce récapitulatif très complet!
Bonjour,
Pour le musée d’histoire naturelle on peut donner ce que l’on souhaite !!!! c’est à dire ? comment cela se passe quand on arrive sur place et que l’on demande 3 entrée par exemple ?
Dans l’attente,
Cordialement