Museum tickets used to be a small line in a travel budget. Not anymore.
In January 2026, the Louvre raised its standard ticket for most visitors from outside Europe from 22 to 32 euros. A general admission ticket to the Metropolitan Museum of Art is 30 dollars for visitors from outside New York State. A family of four doing three museums on a city break can easily spend more on tickets than on dinner.
The good news: there are a lot of ways to pay less, and some of the world's best museums cost nothing at all. Here's how to find them.
Start with museums that are always free
Some countries and cities have made free museums a policy.
The UK's national museums don't charge for general admission. In London alone that includes the British Museum, the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum, the Science Museum, the V&A and Tate Modern. Special exhibitions usually cost extra.
The Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C. are free too, including the National Air and Space Museum and the National Museum of Natural History. Some need a free timed pass at busy times.
Our guide to free museums in Europe covers many more.
Look for free hours and free days
Plenty of paid museums have free windows.
- Free hours. The Museo del Prado in Madrid has free entry to the collection for the last two hours of most days. Expect a queue.
- Free days. Many museums are free on one day or evening a month, or on national holidays and special days.
- Pay what you wish. Some museums let certain visitors pay any amount. At the Met, New York State residents and students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut can pay what they wish.
The catch with free windows: they're the busiest times of the month. If you want quiet galleries, it can be worth paying. Our guide to the best time to visit a museum has more on avoiding crowds.
Check who gets in free anyway
Many museums let whole groups in free or at a discount, all the time. Common ones:
- Children and teenagers. Under-18s get in free at a lot of museums, including the Louvre.
- Students, usually with a valid student card. Some discounts only apply to local or regional students.
- Seniors, teachers, people with disabilities and their companions, and the unemployed at many museums.
- Residents. More museums are moving to two-tier pricing, with lower prices for locals or residents of a region. Bring proof of address if you might qualify.
Always check the museum's own ticket page. These rules vary a lot and change often.
Use your bank card or library card
In the US, Bank of America's Museums on Us programme gives its cardholders free general admission at participating museums on the first full weekend of every month. You show your card and a photo ID. It covers one admission per cardholder.
Many public libraries run museum pass programmes too, lending free or discounted passes to local museums. Ask at your library.
Do the maths on city passes
Many cities sell museum passes that cover entry to a set of museums for a fixed number of days. They can save money. They can also cost you money.
A pass is worth it when:
- You'll visit enough museums in the window to beat the cost of single tickets. Add up the actual prices.
- The museums you want are actually included. Check the list carefully.
- You won't be rushing to "use it up". Three museums a day is a recipe for museum fatigue.
A pass is not worth it when the city's best museums are already free, or when you only want to see one or two places properly.
Memberships, and the reciprocal trick
If you visit one museum several times a year, a membership often pays for itself. Members typically get free entry, free or early access to exhibitions and shop discounts.
The hidden bonus is reciprocal programmes. In North America, the North American Reciprocal Museum Association (NARM) links over a thousand museums, gardens and zoos. A membership at the right level at one participating museum can get you free or member entry at the others. Not every membership level qualifies, and some museums exclude members who live nearby, so check the details.
For a frequent traveller, one well-chosen membership can unlock free entry in dozens of cities.
Small savings that add up
- Book online. Some museums charge more at the door than online.
- Skip the extras you don't need. Audio guide rentals and exhibition add-ons add up.
- Check combined tickets. Some museums in the same area sell joint tickets.
- Bring your own water and snacks for the bench outside. Museum cafés are lovely, but they're not cheap.
The short version
- Start with the free museums. There are more than you think.
- Check free hours and days, but expect crowds.
- See if you qualify for a free category.
- Use bank, library and reciprocal programmes.
- Only buy a city pass if the numbers add up.
For the rest of your trip planning, see the complete guide to planning a museum visit. Mooseum's museum pages show admission information where we have verified it and link to each museum's official ticket page.
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