Everything here is under a roof and costs nothing. Check the free day on each card: some of these museums are free only at certain hours.
Always free in New York8
Open to everyone, every day they are open. No ticket to buy.
New York Public Library, main branch
Midtown, Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street
Always freeBooking recommendedIndoorGood with kids
The marble library with the two lions out front. Inside is the Treasures exhibition, with a Gutenberg Bible and the original Winnie-the-Pooh toys, and the Rose Main Reading Room.
Free when
Always · Mon and Thu to Sat 10 am to 6 pm, Tue and Wed 10 am to 8 pm, Sun 1 to 5 pm. Last entry to Treasures is 30 minutes before closing.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Free timed tickets for the Treasures exhibition at nypl.org/treasures. The building itself needs no ticket.
Time needed
1h
How to get there
Subway 7 to 5 Av, or B/D/F/M to 42 St-Bryant Park
Worth it? Yes.A good rainy-day hour. Casual visitors can step into the Rose Main Reading Room only from 10 to 11 am, Monday to Saturday, or on a free guided tour, so come at opening.
A working train station with a painted night-sky ceiling over the Main Concourse and a four-faced brass clock above the information booth.
Free when
Always · daily 5:15 am to 2 am. Shops and the food concourse keep their own hours.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
30 min
How to get there
Subway 4/5/6, 7 or S to Grand Central-42 St
Worth it? Yes.Twenty minutes well spent. Stand on the east balcony for the full view, then go down to the arch outside the Oyster Bar, where a whisper into one corner carries to the opposite one.
A Smithsonian museum of Native art and history inside the old US Custom House, a 1907 building with an oval rotunda that is worth the stop by itself.
Free when
Always · daily 10 am to 5 pm. Closed December 25.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed. No tickets.
Time needed
1h
How to get there
Subway 4/5 to Bowling Green, 1 to South Ferry, or R/W to Whitehall St
Worth it? Yes.The easiest free museum in the city: no line, no ticket, three minutes from the Staten Island Ferry. Expect airport-style security at the door.
MoMA's experimental branch, in a former public school. Installations fill old classrooms, stairwells and the boiler room.
Free when
Always · Mon, Thu, Fri and Sun noon to 6 pm, Sat 10 am to 6 pm. Closed Tue and Wed.
Free for whom
Everyone. Admission is now free for all visitors, not only New Yorkers.
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
1.5h
How to get there
Subway E/M to Court Sq-23 St, or 7/G to Court Sq. Two stops from MoMA on the E.
Worth it? Yes.If you cannot get into MoMA for free, come here instead. The art is newer and stranger, so check the current shows first. Do not miss the James Turrell room on the top floor, which opens to the sky.
Quilts, weathervanes, portraits and work by self-taught artists, in a compact space across from Lincoln Center.
Free when
Always · Wed to Sun 11:30 am to 6 pm. Closed Mon and Tue.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
45 min
How to get there
Subway 1 to 66 St-Lincoln Center. The entrance is on Columbus Avenue between 65th and 66th Streets.
Worth it? Yes.A calm 45 minutes and never crowded. Combine it with a look at the Lincoln Center plaza and fountain across the street, then walk two blocks east into Central Park.
New York's second-largest art museum, with a strong Egyptian collection and Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party on permanent view.
Free when
Pay what you wish · Wed to Sun 11 am to 6 pm, general admission only. The suggested price is $20. Closed Mon and Tue. The free First Saturdays evenings have ended for 2026 and the 2027 dates are not announced yet.
Free for whom
Everyone can pay what they can at the admissions desk. Ages 19 and under are free.
Reservation
Do not book online. Online and kiosk tickets charge the full suggested amount; only the staffed admissions desk takes a lower amount. Special exhibitions cost extra.
Time needed
2h
How to get there
Subway 2/3 to Eastern Pkwy-Brooklyn Museum. The station exit is at the front door.
Worth it? Yes.The most generous big-museum policy left in the city, and open to tourists. Walk to the desk, say what you would like to pay, and start on the third floor with the Egyptian galleries.
A contemporary art museum focused on artists from the Bronx and from African, Asian and Latin American backgrounds.
Free when
Always · Wed to Sun 11 am to 6 pm. Closed Mon, Tue and federal holidays. Galleries are closed for installation until the fall shows open on October 9, 2026.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
1h
How to get there
Subway B/D to 167 St, or 4 to 161 St-Yankee Stadium and a ten-minute walk up the Grand Concourse
Worth it? Depends.Small, and half the building is under renovation, so check what is on before making the trip. It works well combined with a walk along the Art Deco apartment blocks of the Grand Concourse.
The fashion museum of the Fashion Institute of Technology, with two or three exhibitions of clothing at a time drawn from a large historic collection.
Free when
Always · Wed to Fri noon to 8 pm, Sat and Sun 10 am to 5 pm. Closed Mon, Tue and legal holidays.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
45 min
How to get there
Subway 1 or R/W to 28 St
Worth it? Depends.Great if you care about clothes, skippable if you do not. Galleries close between shows, so look at the exhibitions page before you go.
Mostly museums. The free window, who it applies to and the booking rule are on each card.
Whitney Museum of American Art
Meatpacking District, Gansevoort Street
Free on certain daysBooking recommendedIndoorGood with kids
Twentieth-century and contemporary American art, including Edward Hopper, in a Renzo Piano building with outdoor terraces over the Hudson and the High Line.
Free when
Free · every Friday 5 to 10 pm, and all day on the second Sunday of each month (10:30 am to 6 pm). The ground-floor gallery is free at all times. Closed Tuesdays.
Free for whom
Everyone on Friday nights and second Sundays. Visitors 25 and under are free on any day.
Reservation
Reserve a free timed ticket on whitney.org before you go. Walk-ups are possible but you may wait.
Time needed
1.5 to 2h
How to get there
Subway A/C/E or L to 14 St/8 Av, then ten minutes on foot. It sits at the south end of the High Line.
Worth it? Yes.The best free museum night open to visitors. Arrive after 7 pm, when the first wave has thinned, and start on the top floor terraces.
The underground museum beneath the Memorial pools, built around the remains of the towers' foundations, with recordings, wreckage and personal objects.
Free when
Free · Mondays 5:30 to 7 pm. Last entrance is at 5:30 pm, so the ticket gives you about 90 minutes inside.
Free for whom
Everyone, while tickets last
Reservation
Tickets are released on the museum website each Monday at 7 am Eastern for that same evening, first come, first served. They are usually gone within the hour.
Time needed
1.5h
How to get there
Subway E to World Trade Center, R/W to Cortlandt St, or 1 to WTC Cortlandt
Worth it? Yes.Set an alarm for 7 am on Monday. Ninety minutes is less than the museum deserves, so go straight down to the historical exhibition and leave the upper levels for last. It is heavy for young children.
J. P. Morgan's private library: three tiers of rare books behind brass grilles, a painted ceiling, and rotating shows of manuscripts and drawings.
Free when
Free · Fridays 5 to 8 pm
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Reservation required. Free tickets are released on themorgan.org one week in advance.
Time needed
1h
How to get there
Subway 6 to 33 St, or a ten-minute walk south from Grand Central
Worth it? Yes.The most beautiful room you can enter for free in New York. Book the moment tickets open the Friday before, and head for Mr. Morgan's Library first, before the line for it builds.
Free on certain daysResidents onlyPay what you wishIndoorGood with kids
Five thousand years of art in one building, from the Egyptian Temple of Dendur to European paintings and the American Wing.
Free when
Pay what you wish · Sun, Mon, Tue and Thu 10 am to 5 pm, Fri and Sat 10 am to 9 pm. Closed Wednesdays. Residents and tri-state students only.
Free for whom
New York State residents, and students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, with ID. The minimum is $0.01. All other adults pay $30. Children 12 and under are free.
Reservation
Not needed. Buy at the desk with a New York ID, library card or bill. Online pay-what-you-wish needs a New York State billing address.
Time needed
3h
How to get there
Subway 4/5/6 to 86 St, then a ten-minute walk west to Fifth Avenue. Bus M1, M2, M3 or M4.
Worth it? Yes.The pay-what-you-wish rule ended for tourists in 2018, and that is still how it works. If you qualify, the same-day ticket also covers The Met Cloisters uptown.
Free on certain daysPay what you wishBooking recommendedIndoor
Old Master paintings hung in the rooms of a Gilded Age mansion: Vermeer, Rembrandt, Holbein and Fragonard, reopened in 2025 after a long renovation.
Free when
Pay what you wish · Wednesdays 1:30 to 5:30 pm
Free for whom
Everyone aged 10 and up. Children under 10 are not admitted.
Reservation
Online reservations need a minimum of $5 per ticket and guarantee entry. To pay less than $5, ask at the museum on Wednesday afternoon; those tickets are limited and not guaranteed.
Time needed
1.5h
How to get there
Subway 6 to 68 St-Hunter College, then a ten-minute walk west
Worth it? Yes.Regular admission is $30, so the $5 online ticket is the smart move: sure entry for the price of a coffee. Walking up for a free ticket is a gamble on a busy afternoon.
Art and ceremonial objects spanning 4,000 years of Jewish culture in a French Gothic mansion, plus strong temporary shows of modern art.
Free when
Free · every Saturday 11 am to 6 pm, and on select holidays. Closed Tue and Wed, and on some Jewish holidays in September and October.
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed
Time needed
1.5h
How to get there
Subway 6 to 96 St or Q to 96 St, then walk west to Fifth Avenue. Bus M1, M2, M3 or M4.
Worth it? Yes.A whole free day rather than a squeezed evening, and no line. Regular admission is $24. Check the calendar in early fall, when holiday closures can land on a Saturday.
Free on certain daysPay what you wishBooking recommendedIndoorGood with kids
Frank Lloyd Wright's white spiral, with one long ramp of temporary exhibitions and a side gallery of Impressionist and early modern paintings.
Free when
Pay what you wish · Tuesdays and Sundays 4 to 5:30 pm. This replaced the old Monday and Saturday slot. The museum is closed Tuesday, November 10, 2026.
Free for whom
Everyone. Children under 12 are free at any time.
Reservation
The museum recommends reserving online in advance. Tickets are also sold at the door, and the last ones are issued about 15 minutes before closing.
Time needed
1 to 1.5h
How to get there
Subway 4/5/6 or Q to 86 St, then walk to Fifth Avenue. Bus M1, M2, M3 or M4.
Worth it? Depends.Ninety minutes is tight but enough, because the building is the main exhibit. Take the elevator up and walk the ramp down. If the rotunda is closed for installation, skip it and keep your money.
Free on certain daysResidents onlyBooking requiredIndoorGood with kids
The Museum of Modern Art: Van Gogh's Starry Night, Monet's Water Lilies, Picasso, Warhol and five more floors.
Free when
Free · Fridays 5:30 to 8:30 pm, New York State residents only
Free for whom
New York State residents with proof of residency. Tourists pay $30. Children 16 and under are free at any time.
Reservation
Free tickets must be reserved in advance on moma.org.
Time needed
2h
How to get there
Subway E/M to 5 Av/53 St, or B/D/F/M to 47-50 Sts-Rockefeller Center
Worth it? Depends.Visitors from out of state cannot use this, despite what older lists say. If you qualify, go to the fifth floor first. If you do not, MoMA PS1 in Queens is free for everyone.
Free on certain daysPay what you wishBooking requiredIndoor
Contemporary art only, by living artists, in a stack of offset white boxes that doubled in size with a new wing in March 2026.
Free when
Pay what you wish · Thursdays 7 to 9 pm
Free for whom
Everyone. Ages 18 and under are free at any time.
Reservation
Reserve a pay-what-you-wish ticket online in advance. A few more are offered at the door, with no guarantee.
Time needed
1.5h
How to get there
Subway F to 2 Av, J/Z to Bowery, or 6 to Spring St
Worth it? Depends.The shows change completely every few months, so read what is on before you commit a Thursday night. Regular admission is $28, and the surrounding blocks are good for a cheap dinner afterwards.
Free on certain daysPay what you wishIndoorGood with kids
The city's oldest museum, telling the story of New York and the country through Tiffany lamps, Audubon's bird watercolors and changing history exhibitions.
Free when
Pay what you wish · Fridays 5 to 8 pm
Free for whom
Everyone
Reservation
Not needed. Pay what you like at the admissions desk.
Time needed
1.5h
How to get there
Subway B/C to 81 St-Museum of Natural History, or 1 to 79 St
Worth it? Depends.Best for people who like American history; others will get more from the Whitney on the same evening. Go straight to the fourth floor for the room of glowing Tiffany lamps.
If you spend on one thing in New York, make it this.
Top of the Rock at sunset
No free viewpoint puts you above Midtown with Central Park on one side and the Empire State Building on the other. The ferry and the bridges show you the skyline from outside; this is the one place that shows it from the middle. Book a slot about 45 minutes before sunset and stay until the lights come on.
Everything above is free. This is the only paid pick on the page, chosen because no free option replaces it.
