Explore These Must-See Museums in New York City

• Published December 4, 2023
• 10 min read
• It’s no stretch to say that New York City is the greatest arts destination in the States. The Big Apple is packed with cultural institutions, from the hallowed halls of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), the city’s premier modern art museum, to the Museum of Broadway which celebrates New York’s theatre scene.
• The hard part is knowing where to begin. This is the city that never sleeps, after all, and you’d need endless hours in the day to tick off all of New York’s world-class arts and cultural institutes. To set you on the right track, here are five museums to kick off an interesting and thought-provoking escape.

The Museum of Modern Art

A veteran of New York City’s creative scene, MoMA has been showcasing the world’s finest modern and contemporary works for almost a century, having opened back in 1929. Fast forward to today and the institution’s evolving collection contains 200,000 works from around the world, including painting, sculpture, printmaking, drawing, photography, architecture, design, film, media and performance art.

Highlights of the collection include Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, whose swirling, midnight-toned strokes were inspired by the artist’s view from his window at Saint-Paul-de-Mausole asylum in southern France. Other big hitters are Andy Warhol’s striking Gold Marilyn Monroe and his famous Campbell’s Soup Cans, a classic slice of Americana. moma.org

Top tip: While in the area, head over to the Top of the Rock, whose three levels of indoor and outdoor observation decks reveal a variety of Manhattan’s iconic landmarks, including the Empire State Building and the Chrysler Building.

9/11 Memorial and Museum

The harrowing events of 11 September 2001 left a permanent scar on the American psyche, and this poignant museum reflects on the tragedy and memorialises its victims. Visitors will view a series of affecting artefacts, from personal items such as the wallets and shoes of survivors to moving family photographs belonging to the deceased. Larger items include a crumbling staircase salvaged from the World Trade Center site and a wrecked fire truck — each a stark reminder of the devastation. Most moving of all is the Memorial Exhibition: a photo wall that honours the 2,977 people killed in the 9/11 attacks, and the six individuals who lost their lives in a separate bombing of the World Trade Center in 1993.

Outside the museum is the striking and sombre National September 11 Memorial. Taking over the footprints of the destroyed towers, two giant pools catch cascades of water and panels are inscribed with the names of the fallen. 911memorial.org

Whitney Museum of Modern Art

A dramatically asymmetrical structure, with a teetering, cantilevered entryway, this temple to American art impresses before you even enter the door.

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