What to do in New York City on a rainy day

These are the indoor stops that hold up for two to four hours, sit near a subway line, and stay open when it pours. Prices are 2026 estimates for one adult; children, students and seniors usually pay less. Check each operator's site for current hours before you go.

Order matters on a wet day. Start with the one place you most want, at opening, then move to something lighter nearby so you are not queueing in the rain twice.

Most of these sit along two subway spines: the 4/5/6 on the Upper East Side (Met, Guggenheim) and the B/C on the Upper West Side (AMNH). Midtown clusters around 42 St–Bryant Park and 5 Av–53 St (library, MoMA, Grand Central). Downtown is the E line to World Trade Center and the F to Delancey for the Lower East Side.

Coordinates below are approximate, at the building entrance or the nearest station exit.

Buy timed tickets online the day before, especially for the Met, AMNH and the 9/11 Memorial Museum. Walk-up lines on wet weekends can cost you an hour standing outside. If a museum sells out, the library, Grand Central and Chelsea Market need no ticket.

Dress for wet pavement, not just rain: waterproof shoes matter more than an umbrella in Manhattan, where puddles at crossings are deep. A folded umbrella is fine for light rain; wind off the avenues breaks cheap ones, so a hooded rain shell is the better buy.

Use the subway rather than taxis in heavy rain. Street traffic slows to a crawl and fares climb while you sit still. OMNY tap-to-pay works on turnstiles and buses; a single ride is a flat fare regardless of distance.

Eat indoors near your museum rather than crossing town: museum cafés, Grand Central's food hall and Chelsea Market all keep you dry. Tipping is expected at sit-down places, 18–22%.

New York gets rain in every month, so a wet day is a planning problem, not a season. Summer storms are often short and warm, so a museum morning can turn into a park afternoon. Late autumn and winter rain is cold and can turn to sleet, which makes indoor plans the safer choice.

Weekday mornings are the calmest time inside the big museums. Weekends and school holidays fill them, and a rainy Saturday is the worst combination. If your trip is flexible, save the indoor day for a weekday and keep the park, ferry and walking days for the clearest forecast.

For a first visit, four to five nights gives you room to move one indoor day around the weather. See the New York City travel guide for how to split the days.