MoMA New York Tickets: how to buy, prices and schedules

Spending an afternoon at the MoMa is a great plan: here's how to get tickets and the works you can't miss inside the museum.

Isabel Catalán

Isabel Catalán

8 min read

MoMA New York Tickets: how to buy, prices and schedules

Van Gogh's Starry Night at MoMa | ©Hellotickets

The MoMA of New York is the most important museum of modern art in the world and one of the essential visits in the Big Apple. It has an extensive collection of 200,000 pieces, including Picasso, Dali, Van Gogh and Andy Warhol, among many others.

The MoMA in New York (Museum of Modern Art) is incredibly popular. It is not surprising, therefore, that it is one of the most visited and has long queues. Here's how to avoid them:

The best option

The Museum of Modern Art Admission Tickets

Secure your early entrance to MoMa

Perfect if you want to visit this museum without having to waste time waiting at the ticket office and visit the exhibits at your own pace.

MoMA offers a complete experience dedicated to modern art suitable for all ages. If you buy this skip-the-line ticket to MoMA, you will get immediate access to the MoMA Museum in New York to see the world's most famous collection of modern and contemporary art. MoMA houses such iconic works as Picasso's "Les Demoiselles d'Avignon", Miro's "Dutch Interior" and Warhol's "Campbell's Soup Cans".

The repertoire also includes architecture, photography, film, design, performance art and media. Plus, with this skip-the-line ticket to MoMA you'll also have access to MoMA PS1, Long Island City's contemporary art center, for 14 days following your visit to the Manhattan venue to soak up even more art.

Buy your tickets for MoMA in New York City


MoMA ticket prices

The exterior of the MoMA| ©Wikimedia
The exterior of the MoMA| ©Wikimedia

In Hellotickets you can buy your tickets to the MoMa online in advance for 20 ¤ (standard single ticket). It is best to avoid buying them at the box office, as there are usually long queues and after a long time waiting at the door, you will enter the museum already tired.

If you are a minor or belong to a certain group (student, over 65, etc.) you can opt for special rates.

Ticket prices at the ticket office

If, despite the queues, buying tickets at the ticket office is your option, please note that these are the rates you will find:

  • Adults: $25
  • Seniors over 65 with ID: $18
  • Disabled visitors: $18
  • Students with ID: $14
  • Children under 16: free

Buy your tickets for MoMA New York

MoMA New York opening hours

MoMA is open from 10:30 am to 5:30 pm daily (Fridays from 10:30 am to 8 pm). Regarding closing days, MoMA is closed on Thanksgiving and Christmas. MoMA PS1 is also closed on New Year's Day.

However, if you are thinking of completing the experience by having a drink in one of its cafes or restaurants or even visiting its design stores, you can check here all the MoMA opening hours to make sure you organize your visit smoothly.

Buy your tickets for the MoMA in New York City

Where it is and how to get there

MoMA's location on the map of New York City
MoMA's location on the map of New York City

MoMA is located on 53rd Street between 5th and 6th Avenue. To reach MoMa by public transportation, the nearest subway station is the 5th Avenue and 53rd Street stop on the E and V lines. By bus, you can get there on the M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5 lines.

The good thing about being located in the heart of Midtown is that it makes it a perfect spot on the map from which to organize other visits or tours. So, if you have time, it is always a good option to walk there (it is not far from Times Square, Central Park or even the Flatiron Building.

Buy your tickets for the MoMA in New York City

Tourist cards that include MoMA

The MoMA Garden| ©Wikimedia
The MoMA Garden| ©Wikimedia

To get the most out of your trip to New York, the best idea is to buy a tourist card. Why? If you make the most of it, you'll save money and time by not having to buy individual tickets and even in some cases, you won't have to wait in line to get in. I recommend:

  • New York Pass: the New York Pass is a pass that works for days and you pay depending on the number of days you choose. This tourist card is highly recommended if you like to see many things in one day and make the most of your trip. It includes skip-the-line access to over 100 top New York attractions and activities such as MoMA, Statue of Liberty, Empire State Building, 9/11 Museum, Top of the Rock, Manhattan sightseeing bus.... You can read more details here: New York Pass.
  • New York City Explorer Pass: if during your trip to New York you are very clear about the tourist attractions you want to see, the New York City Explorer Pass is ideal to customize your visit to the maximum as you can choose attractions and you will pay according to the amount you choose. From the moment you activate the pass, you have a whole month to use it, so you can take your trip at your leisure. You can choose from over 100 activities and attractions, and you will have queue-free entry to some attractions. You can read more details here: New York Explorer Pass.
  • New York Sightseeing Pass: the New York Sightseeing Pass: it works for days and each day is valid from activation until midnight. This tourist card is the most recommended if you want to see the tourist attractions at your own pace. It includes skip-the-line access to over 100 attractions and activities and credit to spend at the attractions, exciting discounts throughout the city and a free meal at a restaurant of your choice from a list of popular New York sites. You can read more details here: New York Sightseeing Pass.

Buy your tickets for MoMA in New York City

What to see at MoMA

One of the galleries| ©Wikimedia
One of the galleries| ©Wikimedia

From the eight canvases and one drawing with which the MoMA began in 1929, its collection has grown to more than one hundred thousand pieces including paintings, prints, sculpture, photography, drawings, design, film, architecture and prints. To this must be added the annexation of MoMa PS1 in Queens, a cultural space that focuses especially on contemporary art. All this makes MoMA one of the best museums in New York.

The vast collection of MoMA is spread over 6 floors, although the bulk is distributed between floors 2, 3, 4 and 5, as the first is used as a lobby (store, lockers, art lab, restaurant, etc.) and the sixth is reserved for special exhibitions. Here are the most important things to see at MoMA.

Buy your tickets for the MoMA in New York City

Museum Collections

Inside the MoMA| ©MoMa
Inside the MoMA| ©MoMa

Hall

During your visit to MoMa New York you can take the opportunity to have a coffee and relax in the museum's Sculpture Garden, an oasis in the middle of the city, designed by Philip Johnson in the 1950s.

Floor 2: 1970s - Present Collection

The second floor of MoMA New York is devoted to prints, illustrated books and audiovisual media. There is a café here as well.

Floor 3

The third floor of the museum is devoted to collections of architecture, graphic and industrial design, drawing and photography.

Floor 4: 1940s - 1970s Collection

Here you can find the work of artists such as Roy Lichtenstein, Andy Warhol, Japer Johns, Jackson Pollock, Yayoi Kusama, Robert Rauschenberg or Mark Rothko.

Floor 5: 1880s - 1940s Collection

On the fifth floor of MoMA you can contemplate the paintings of artists such as Frida Kahlo, Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dalí, Claude Monet, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Cézanne, Henri Matisse or Piet Mondrian.

Floor 6

The sixth floor is dedicated to special exhibitions. From the large windows on the top floor there are amazing views of Midtown Manhattan where important buildings such as Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick's Cathedral and Grand Central Station are located.

Isabel's traveller tip

For a short visit to MoMA, focus on the fourth and fifth floors, where the works of famous artists such as Warhol, Pollock, Matisse and Cézanne are displayed.

Where to eat near MoMA

Eating near the MoMa| ©Brett Jordan
Eating near the MoMa| ©Brett Jordan

If so much art has given you an appetite or you are just in the area during your sightseeing day and you feel like eating something, here is a guide to the best places to eat near the MoMa. In general, you are in luck because it is an area with many offices and influx of people, both tourists and office workers who work in the surrounding area.

Finding a good American burger, a plate of pasta or even a place to make a quick stop for a good fast food menu won't be difficult.

A brief history of MoMa

The entrance to MoMa| ©Wikimedia
The entrance to MoMa| ©Wikimedia

Located in the heart of Manhattan, right next to Central Park, is the MoMA Museum of Modern Art (Museum of Modern Art), the most important museum of modern art in the world. It opened in 1929 at the initiative of three philanthropists named Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, Mary Quinn Sullivan and Lillie P. Bliss in order to help others understand and enjoy modern visual arts.

When MoMA opened its doors, she began exhibiting her first works in a modest facility. However, it was so well received by the public that in the following years the museum had to move several times to other larger locations until it finally settled in its current home in 1939.

Today it is considered a temple of modern and contemporary art in the West and has even undertaken a new expansion to get more space for new exhibitions.

The MoMa Shop

Interior of the MoMa store| ©Bianca Porcar
Interior of the MoMa store| ©Bianca Porcar

He who warns is not a traitor: if you enter the museum store you will want to take everything. You may think that buying souvenirs in museums is a gimmick to exploit tourists, but the products in the official MoMA Design Store are worth at least a look. Design lovers will find unique items ranging from books, furniture and decorative pieces to mugs and souvenirs of New York.

The New York museum store has its own website and attracts hundreds of visitors every day whether they are MoMA visitors or not. It is located right in front of the museum, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, and is open every day of the week.

Other museums that may interest you

If you want to complete your visit to New York with some other museum, I can not fail to recommend the Museum of Natural History, one of the most impressed me the first time I visited it. I tell you all about my experience in the article about Museum of Natural History New York Tickets: how to buy and prices.

Buy your tickets for the MoMA in New York City