The Met Cloisters
The Met's medieval branch — reassembled European monastery cloisters in a hilltop park overlooking the Hudson.
The call
Worth it if you are watching the budget and you only have one day.
Why
- 01
The Met's medieval collection housed inside actual reassembled European cloisters, with herb gardens and Hudson views from Fort Tryon Park.
Our read - 02
What rewards the deliberate half-day is the sequence and the quiet: arrive at opening on a weekday before the tour groups, and the cloister gardens are nearly silent — birdsong and the smell of the Bonnefont herb garden, a genuine world away from Midtown.
Our read
Is it a fit?
Go if
You are watching the budget
On a budget, The Met Cloisters still earns its price.
You only have one day
Even on a tight schedule, The Met Cloisters earns the hours.
You are traveling as a couple
As a couple, The Met Cloisters works.
You are traveling solo
Solo, The Met Cloisters works.
Think twice if
You are traveling with kids
With kids, it depends on the day.
You want the trip to feel easy
For relaxation, The Met Cloisters is hit or miss.
Plan it well
- Cost
- ~$30 (included with Met admission)
- Timing
- Weekday for quiet galleries; spring or summer for the herb gardens in bloom.
- Booking
- Same ticket as the main Met; reserve timed entry online.
- Allow
- 2–3 hrs (plus travel)
- Accessibility
- Accessible via elevator, though the hilltop park approach involves some slopes.
- Getting there
- A train to 190th St, then a short walk or the M4 bus through Fort Tryon Park.
Consider instead
Sources and method (1)
- The Met's medieval branch in Fort Tryon Park opened May 10, 1938; admission is included with Met general admission and a ticket is valid at the Fifth Avenue Met the same day. metmuseum.org ↗
- Houses the famed Unicorn Tapestries, donated by John D. Rockefeller Jr., among over 5,000 medieval works. metmuseum.org ↗