New York museum and memorial tickets

The short answer

Start with the museum you most want, then check the option, because three of these products hide a second museum or a guided visit inside one option. For art, the choice is between the Met, MoMA, the Guggenheim and the Whitney; for natural and American history, the American Museum of Natural History and the New York Historical Society; for September 11, a museum ticket, a guided walk or a museum-and-cruise combination; and for Manhattan's two great cathedrals, two self-guided visits.

Art: the Met, MoMA, the Guggenheim and the Whitney

The NYC Metropolitan Museum of Art: Guided or Self-Guided Tour is more than an entry ticket. Its two options are a Small Group Guided Tour (English), which SkyGate limits to 15 people per guide, and a Self-Guided Tour with 30-minute introduction (English), after which you explore alone until closing.[1] SkyGate's listing names the Temple of Dendur and Greek and Roman art among the highlights, says galleries may change with closures or loans, and says both Met locations are closed on Wednesdays; XTOUR could not read the Met's own site to confirm the days. The options do not state the exact meeting spot inside the museum.[1] See the Metropolitan Museum of Art page on XTOUR.

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Admission has three options: standard Admission, a Student Admission for students 17 and over with valid ID, and a combo that adds the American Museum of Natural History. SkyGate's listing says the ticket includes free access to MoMA PS1 in Queens within 14 days of your MoMA visit, and that under-17s are free with a child ticket collected at the desk.[2] See the Museum of Modern Art page on XTOUR.

The Guggenheim ticket has one option, admission to the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions; SkyGate sells adult tickets from 13 and senior tickets from 65, with no child ticket type.[5] See the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum page on XTOUR.

The Whitney Museum Of American Art Ticket has an Admission option and a Students option for students over 25 with ID.[6] The Whitney itself says visitors 25 and under are free, admission is free on Friday nights and the second Sunday of each month, and the museum is closed on Tuesdays.[7] In XTOUR's reading this ticket is for adults 26 and over. See the Whitney Museum of American Art page on XTOUR.

Natural and American history: AMNH and the New York Historical Society

The American Museum of Natural History Ticket has three options: General Admission to the permanent halls, the Gilder Center and the Rose Center for Earth and Space; General Admission + 1 Exhibition, which adds one ticketed special exhibition, the Butterfly Vivarium or the Hayden Planetarium Space Show; and the MoMA combo. SkyGate says you choose the extra exhibit when you arrive.[3]

The COMBO: American Museum of Natural History + The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Tickets product sells only that combination.[4] Its page copy also mentions the Metropolitan Museum of Art, but the option itself names MoMA only, so XTOUR treats it as an AMNH and MoMA combo. In XTOUR's reading the three ways of buying the combo are interchangeable; pick whichever has your date. See the American Museum of Natural History page on XTOUR.

The New York Historical Society ticket is a single admission option. SkyGate's listing names the Center for Women's History and the DiMenna Children's History Museum, and says children under 5 are free; it also mentions free guided tours, which XTOUR has not verified with the museum.[8] See the New York Historical Society page on XTOUR.

September 11: museum, walk or cruise

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum gives its address as 180 Greenwich Street, says the Memorial is free and open daily, and says the Museum requires advance tickets.[10] Three SkyGate products cover the Museum in different ways.

The 9/11 Memorial Museum ticket is plain admission to all Museum exhibitions, according to SkyGate. One option is general admission with child, adult and senior tickets; the other, Young Adult Admission, is for visitors aged 13 to 17.[9]

The 9/11 Memorial & Wall Street Walking Tour + Optional 9/11 Museum Admission is a guided walk from outside Starbucks at 24 State Street past the Charging Bull, Wall Street, Federal Hall and St Paul's Chapel to the Memorial pools and the Survivor Tree.[11] Those are stops on the walk. Only the Guided Tour + Museum Admission option adds Museum entry; the Guided Tour option does not. SkyGate says the walk covers about 0.6 miles (1 km) and runs in all weather.[11]

The NYC: 9/11 Memorial Museum & Statue of Liberty Cruise pairs a timed Museum ticket with a same-day harbour cruise that, according to SkyGate, passes close to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island but does not land. One option adds One World Observatory entry, valid up to 7 days after your tour date; the other is museum and cruise only.[12] SkyGate names Pier 36 for the cruise in one option and does not name the cruise company. See the National September 11 Memorial & Museum page on XTOUR.

Cathedrals: St. Patrick's and St. John the Divine

The St. Patrick's Cathedral Self-Guided Audio Tour includes admission and an audio guide narrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan, covering over 30 points of interest. SkyGate's listing says visitors pass airport-style security, shoulders and knees must be covered, tours are not permitted during services, and the children's audio version is in English only.[13] XTOUR could not read the cathedral's own site, so it does not know whether the cathedral can also be entered without this ticket. See the St. Patrick's Cathedral page on XTOUR.

The Cathedral of Saint John the Divine: Self-Guided Tour is admission for an unguided visit using the cathedral's digital guides and brochures, according to SkyGate. Its listing says children under 12 are free with a paying adult, food and drink are not allowed, and photography is not permitted during services.[14] See the Cathedral of St. John the Divine page on XTOUR.

How to choose

• With a guide inside a museum: the Met product's guided option.[1]
• Two big museums in one booking: any of the AMNH and MoMA combo routes.[3][2][4]
• The planetarium or butterflies at AMNH: General Admission + 1 Exhibition.[3]
• Context on September 11 with Lower Manhattan history: the walking tour, with or without the Museum.[11]

Before you book

• The Whitney is closed on Tuesdays.[7]
• At the 9/11 Museum, book the Young Adult option for ages 13 to 17.[9]
• At St. Patrick's, cover shoulders and knees.[13]