One of the most treasured museums in New York City, if not the world, is the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
As a local tour guide and native New Yorker, I've been to the Met dozens of times throughout my life and plan to keep going for years to come!
With a massive collection of over 2 million works of art and artifacts spanning more than 5,000 years, it is impossible to get bored at the Met.
Find out why from our post Highlights of the Met collection.
Below I share with you details about how to get skip-the-line tickets for the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the best ways to save money on admission.
Not many people know, but the Met has a small but wonderful satellite museum in Upper Manhattan called The Cloisters.
Your ticket gives you admission to both locations as long as you visit on the same day.
And in this video, Katie, a fellow tour guide with us, Tours by Foot NYC, gives tips on visiting the museum.
Or, just read on for the text version.
In addition, your ticket includes tours offered by the museum.
Don't worry if you aren't able to get a spot for one of the Met's tours.
There are some excellent independently run tours of the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Museum Hours
Main Museum as of Jan 2025:
- 10 am - 5 pm | Sunday - Tuesday, Thursday
- 10 am - 9 pm | Friday and Saturday
- The museum is closed on Wednesday
- Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, January 1, and the first Monday in May.
The Cloisters as of Jan 2025:
- 10 am–4:30 pm | Thursday - Tuesday
- Closed Wednesday
Tickets
No matter how you buy them, you must reserve tickets to the Metropolitan Museum of Art online.
Timed tickets are now required to enter the museum. I appreciate this since it spreads out the crowds.
Here are the prices for skip-the-line tickets. Check our deals section for more ways to save on admission.
- $30/Adults
- $22/Seniors
- $17/Students
- Free for Kids Under 12
- Free cancellation with 24-hour notice
- $22/guests with Disabilities. This ticket must be purchased in person. The accompanying caregiver enters for free.
Purchase skip-the-line tickets to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
12 Deals
This section covers the best opportunities to save money on tickets to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Some of the deals are not currently available but might be again in the future.
You may have heard that the Met had a pay-what-you-wish admission for all visitors. That policy changed a few years ago.
Now only New York State residents and students in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut are eligible for this deal.
Read more on it below.
1. Use a Tourist Pass
This was one of the easiest ways to get a good deal on tickets to the Metropolitan Museum of Art, especially if you’re planning to visit more than one major attraction in New York City.
Every major tourist pass used to include admission to the Met and depending on how you use them, you could easily save 50% or more.
Here are a few more attractions you might want to visit that are commonly included with New York tourist passes:
- Empire State Building
- One World Observatory
- Edge Observatory
- Top of the Rock
- Statue of Liberty
- Madame Tussauds
- Museum of Modern Art
- American Museum of Natural History
- Central Park Bike Tour/Rental
- Ripley’s Believe it or Not!
- And more!
If you plan to visit at least 4-5 of these attractions, a tourist pass will almost certainly save you some money on general admission prices.
Tourist Passes that used to include admission to the Met and may again in the future:
- Explorer Pass – Choose 3, 5, 7, or 10 attractions in NYC.
- Sightseeing Pass – Choose a 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7-day pass.
- FlexPass – Purchase 2, 3, 5, 7, or 10 attractions.
- CityPASS – See six attractions – including the Met – within 9 days.
- New York Pass – Gain access to 80 popular attractions over increments of 1 to 7 days.
For more detailed information on these passes, see our comparison of New York City Attraction Passes.
2. Pay-What-You-Want Admission for Locals
For New York State residents and students at schools in New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut, admission is practically free.
You can pay whatever you want but the minimum is one cent. Seriously!
I give $1 and have no qualms about it. The Met receives millions in endowments every year.
It also receives guaranteed funding from NYC taxpayer money. Well, I pay my taxes so I don't feel bad giving a buck!
Note that you still need to make reservations online and you’ll be required to present a valid ID at the admissions desk.
Check the Met website to see what IDs are acceptable.
You won’t be able to skip the ticket line, but that's a small price to pay (literally) to see the finest art in the world!
3. Free for Children
Kids under the age of 12 are always granted free admission to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Anyone over this age must pay for admission, but if you’re coming with your family, this is one of the easiest ways to save money on tickets.
Check our post covering how to get into the Met for free if you're looking for more opportunities to avoid paying for admission.
4. Become a Member
If you purchase a membership for the Metropolitan Museum of Art, you’ll be granted free admission to the museum for you and 1 to 4 additional guests.
Membership starts at $110 a year, so if you plan to visit the Met at least four times in a year, this is a good deal.
Considering how much there is to see at this museum, it’s pretty easy to go several times and always see something new.
Museum members also get private access to exhibitions outside of public hours and discounts at the museum store and restaurants.
The museum store is one of the best I've been to at any museum in the world. I highly recommend you pop in.
5. Senior Offers
Seniors only have to pay $22 for skip-the-line tickets, which is $8 off the general admission price.
If you’re over the age of 65, this is a great way to save money on tickets.
6. Student Offers
If you’re a student at any American or international school, university, or college, you’re eligible for the student ticket price of $17.
This is $13 off the general admission price, which is over 50% off.
Although students at any school around the world can get the student offer, anyone attending the following institutions is eligible for free admission:
- Barnard College
- Columbia University
- Bard Graduate Center
- NYU Institute of Fine Arts
- Macaulay Honors College – CUNY
- New York City High School students
- NYU Institute for the Study of the Ancient World
7. Use a Promo Site
Tickets for the Metropolitan Museum of Art have been included on websites such as Groupon and LivingSocial in the past, and they may be included again in the future.
Both of these sites routinely offer additional promo codes on local activities which could save you an extra 10% - 20% off admission.
8. Military Offers
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is a Blue Star Museum.
This means that from the middle of May to Labor Day, all members of the military are granted free admission for themselves and up to 5 family members.
All you have to do is present a valid military ID to receive free admission.
In addition, members of the military, veterans, and NYC first responders pay what they wish during the year.
Family members are not included in this offer.
You can learn more about this option and similar opportunities in our post covering how to get free admission to the Met.
9. Bank of America Member Offer
If you have a bank account with Bank of America, you can use your card to get free admission on the first full weekend of every month as part of their Museums On Us program.
For even more opportunities to get in without paying a dime, check our post about how to get into the Met for free!
10. Group Offers
Group prices are not currently available from the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but that may change in the future.
If you’re planning to visit with at least 10 other people, check their site for more information.
11. Free Days/Nights
The Metropolitan Museum of Art takes part in two annual programs offering free admission.
The first is Teens Take The Met when teenagers between 13-18 are granted free admission.
The second is the fantastic Museum Mile Festival held for one night every June between 6 pm and 9 pm.
Along with free admission to the Met, you'll also get free entry to seven other top museums on a stretch of Fifth Avenue near the Met on the Upper East Side.
For more details about these and other deals, read our post on 5 ways to get into the Met for free.
12. AAA Offer
Although AAA typically offers its customers offers at popular attractions across the world, it is not currently offering any deals on tickets for the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
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