The Met vs. MoMA in NYC: Which Art Museum is Better?
New York City is home to many art museums, with the most famous two being the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met) and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Both are amazing museums but if you can only visit one, you may wonder which museum you should add to your New York City itinerary.
I happen to have visited both within a week of each other recently, so I will share with you the similarities and differences between the two museums, and my own observations and feelings towards them to help you figure out which one you should visit.
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MoMA vs. The Met: The Similarities
Before I get into details on the differences, let me just go over the similarities since there isn’t a lot!
Both Met and MoMA are large world class art museums in New York City and they both draw tourists from all over the world.
MoMA is obviously dedicated to modern art whereas the Met includes many different types of art, including modern art. There are some small overlaps in the modern art collection, as I saw art work from Monet, Picasso, van Gogh, Jackson Pollock, Marc Chagall, Umberto Boccioni, and Piet Mondrian at both museums.
In fact there were paintings from different series of artworks on display at both museums. For example, both the Met and MoMA have on display several pieces from Claude Monet’s water lilies series.
This is all the similarities between the two museums that I can think of, so now moving onto how they are different.
The Met or MoMA: Locations & Ease of Getting to
The Met Location
- Address: 1000 5th Ave, New York, NY 10028
- Neighborhood: Upper East Side (right next to Central Park)
- Closest Subway Station: 86 St (4, 5, 6 trains)
- Time it takes to get to from Times Square: ~30 minutes by train and/or bus
MoMA Location
- Address: 11 W 53rd St, New York, NY 10019
- Neighborhood: Midtown (Between 5th and 6th Avenue)
- Closest Subway Station: 5 Av/ 53st (E, M train)
- Time it takes to get to from Times Square: ~11 minutes by train/ bus or walking
In the map above, you can visually see the locations of both museums, as well as Times Square. MoMA is more centrally located since it’s in Midtown. It’s a lot easier to get to, with convenient access to buses and subway stations within a couple of blocks. There are also many other things to do near MoMA (which I can discuss later)
The Met is further up in the Upper East Side and is 3 avenues away from the closest subway station. It’s very inconvenient to get to from Lower Manhattan and the west side of Manhattan. The major advantage is that you can explore Central Park easily after the Met (if you are not tired from walking/ standing), but there are fewer attractions in the UES compared to Midtown.
MoMA or the Met: Ticket prices, free days, discounts
Both the MoMA and the Met charges $30 for general admissions tickets, $22 for seniors (65 and over) and $17 for students with student IDs. However, here are the differences.
The Met
- Pay as you wish for NY State residents (online) & NJ/ CT students (in person)
- Not included in New York City attraction passes
- Free for children under 12
- Included on the Culture Pass (requires a NYC library card and advanced booking)
- Free with a Bank of America card on the first full weekend of every month
- Free for corporate members
- Free for students of certain colleges
MoMA
- No pay as you wish
- Free with a New York City attraction pass
- Included on the Culture Pass (requires a NYC library card and advanced booking)
- Free for youth 16 and under
- Free for corporate members
- Free for NYC residents on the first Friday of every month from 4-8pm (tickets needs to be reserved online)
The Met vs. MoMA: Size & Time You need
The Met is the larger of the two museums by far and will need a lot more time to explore compared to MoMA.
MoMA has 5 stories with an additional basement MoMA store and Met has 2 main floors but each floor is super large, with a ton of different exhibits.
Even though MoMA has 5 stories, most people will be spending their time on the 5th floor, which houses some of the most famous paintings. Personally I spent at least an hour on the 5th floor and another hour walking through the other floors (so total about 2 hours at MoMA).
The Met’s two floors cover so many different exhibits and rooms, so I actually spent 1.5 hours on each floor (so total a little bit over 3 hours at the Met) and I didn’t manage to see everything and I also couldn’t see everything super carefully.
Therefore, if you are short on time, I would recommend visiting the MoMA and if you have more time to spare, definitely go for the Met.
MoMA vs. the Met: Art Collections
MoMA Collections
As the name implies, MoMA specializes in modern art. Therefore within the 5 floors, you will see all types of modern art, including paintings, designs, furniture, photographs, and other types of modern art.
MoMA’s most famous 5th floor houses paintings from Pablo Picasso, Claude Monet, Salvador Dalí, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Matisse, etc. The other floors of MoMA have other modern artists such as Joan Mitchell, Ken Okiish and others that I am not too familiar with.
You may recognize some of these famous art works such as The Starry Night (by van Gogh), Dance (I) by Matisse, Water Lilies by Monet, The Persistence of Time by Salvador Dalí. You can read my complete guide on what to see at MoMA.
The Met Art Collections
Unlike MoMA, the Met doesn’t only have one particular emphasis, but instead it has a little bit of everything from all over the world.
While the Met does have a lot of paintings (including the art works from the artists I mentioned above) and some modern arts (a very small section), there are just so much else on display at the Met:
- Egyptian Art including tombs, temples, artifacts, etc
- American Art including decorations, portraits, furnitures
- Medieval Art including jewelry, artifacts, paintings, architecture
- African Art including sculptures, artifacts, clothings pieces, instruments
- Asian Art including gardens, pottery, books, painting, pottery, and many others
- Green, Roman Art, cultures, European paintings, Islamic Art, photographs, Native American art, etc.
In fact the Met houses almost half a million pieces of art works from all over the world across 5000 years of history. Therefore you can imagine how much there is to see at the Met.
Personally I absolutely loved the collections at the Met, I felt the Met itself was a piece of art. Different areas had completely different architectural styles and it completely made me feel like I was transported to another era. The medieval section looked like a cloister and the Islamic section had architecture that reminded me of the Alhambra in Spain.
The Met has an impressive collection of Claude Monet’s work, where I saw many other pieces of his Water Lilies (MoMA has a couple too). In fact there are many artworks that are from the same series (or similar eras) by the same artists at both MoMA and the Met from artists like Jackson Pollock and Piet Mondrian. So if you were to visit both museums, I would recommend going to MoMA first then finding the same artists at the Met, making it a fun scavenger hunt!
In terms of sheer number of art works and diversity, the Met is definitely the better of the two museums. But if your interest is modern art, then you can’t go wrong with MoMA.
MoMA or the Met: Outdoor space
Did you know that both the Met and MoMA have their own outdoor space for you to enjoy some fresh air, food/ drinks and the view of the city?
The Met has a not-so-secret rooftop terrace on its 5th floor (you can take the elevator up or walk up). This terrace has a sweeping view of Midtown Manhattan as well as part of Central Park and is included in your admission ticket.
There are usually sculpture (or other) art installations on this rooftop and there is also a bar that sells alcoholic drinks and small snacks.
MoMA doesn’t have a rooftop terrace but it has a free outdoor sculpture garden. There is also seating on one side of the garden and a stand that sells alcoholic drinks, snacks and ice cream. Unfortunately when I visited the sculpture garden was closed as they were moving sculptures around, but I could still sit on the chairs at the Garden bar and enjoy the view.
In addition, MoMA has a terrace cafe called Terrace 5 Bar with the view of the garden from above. Unfortunately it was closed when I visited due to the heat.
MoMA vs. the Met: Which One is More Kids Friendly?
Both museums are not really known as “kids” museums but both museums do offer some kids activities.
MoMA has an audio kids playlist that encourages kids to look at art works more closely and there are also scavenger hunts, drawing and writing activities on certain floors. In addition there is a Crown Creativity Lab and a Family Art Lab that let kids do projects and create art works.
The Met offers a few Family Guides with activities and things to look out for and find in different areas of the museum. The Met also has storytime, children classes and other activities on certain days during the week.
Personally I think both museums are better for older kids (older than 5) and younger kids may find the museums boring. But obviously it depends on the kid and I do know some younger kids that enjoyed visiting the Met.
If you are looking for a kids friendly museum in New York City, then I would recommend visiting the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of Mathematics, The Transit Museum and the Intrepid Museum instead (most of these museums are also included in the New York City passes).
MoMA vs. the Met: Things to do nearby
If this is the first time you are visiting New York City and trying to create the most efficient itinerary, it may help to take into consideration what other things you can do near the Met or MoMA to maximize your time.
Things to do near the Met
Located in the upper east side, there aren’t THAT many touristy things to do there compared to midtown, but there are a few nice spots to check out if you are there!
- Central Park: THE world famous public park in New York City. Since the Met is on the east side of the park, you can take another hour or two just to walk through Central Park, row a boat, check out Belvedere Castle, Bethesda Terrace and Wollman Rink. If you are visiting in March or April, be sure to check out my comprehensive guide on where to see cherry blossoms and magnolias.
- Guggenheim Museum: A few blocks up from the Met is Guggenheim, another modern art museum in New York City. The architecture is unique and how it differs from MoMA is that there aren’t many paintings, but rather special exhibitions.
- Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum: If you are into design and aesthetics, then you can’t miss this museum. The building itself is historical and the designs are very interesting.
- Albertine: If you are into books (especially French books) and aesthetics, then be sure to visit Albertine. The second floor has a beautiful constellation design that attracts many influencers and photographers.
- Madison Avenue: This portion of Madison Avenue in the Upper East side is known for its designer stores such as Hermes, MaxMara, Ralph Lauren (go in the winter to get their coffee)!
Things to do near MoMA
MoMA is located near Fifth Avenue in Midtown, where many of the attractions are at. So you can find a ton of things to do near MoMA or nearby (within 5-10 minutes of subway ride).
- Fifth Avenue: If you like to shop (or just window shop), you have to walk on Fifth Avenue. During the Christmas holiday time, Saks Fifth Avenue puts up an amazing design and light show that draws millions all over the world.
- St. Patrick’s Cathedral: A famous cathedral on Fifth Avenue is St. Patrick’s Cathedral. You don’t need to pay to enter and you are free to attend a mass or just check out the beautiful interior. A tour is included in a NYC attraction pass.
- Top of the Rock: If there is only one observation deck you can visit, I would say it’s Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. It has the most direct view of Central Park and the Empire State Building. There is also a “beam” photo opportunity at the Top of the Rock to recreate the iconic photo. Tickets (besides the Beam) are included in a NYC attraction pass.
- Times Square: Only a few blocks away from MoMA, Times Square is a favorite for all first time NYC visitors. Known for its flashing LED screens and dazzling lights, Times Square also has a ton of stores and restaurants (although I would never recommend eating there).
- Central Park: You can walk north a few blocks to reach the south side of Central Park, the most popular area of Central Park.
Conclusion: The Met or MoMA, which one is better?
If you only have time to visit one art museum in New York City, I personally would recommend the Met because it is just super impressive both with its art collection and its diversity and architecture. You will need to budget at least 3-4 hours to see the Met, therefore, if you are short on time, then maybe MoMA would be a better choice.
MoMA would be the obvious choice if you love modern art and want to be closer to other attractions in the city. You can go through MoMA in 2 hours (or even less if you just want to see the paintings).