New York Transit Museum in
Brooklyn (NY)

Passed this location many times but wasn't inspired to go inside. This museum was recommended by a friend and did not disappoint. A wealth of historical information abounds about the NYC transit system. It's an inexpensive journey into history, highly recommended!

Lovely visit to the New York Transit Museum (Downtown Brooklyn) on a Saturday morning in the winter. $10 Adults/$5 Children/Seniors. Although street parking can be tough, it is manageable , especially on weekends in the Cobble Hill and Manhattan Bridge areas. Entrance via the "subway" steps on Boerum Place and Schermerhorn Street. Once down there, you can buy tickets at the ticketbooth although they recommend ticket purchase in advance online. You then navigate through the museum which includes lots of interesting and fun facts about New York Subway System...its origin, design, construction, and updates and maintenance over the last 120+ years. There are lots of interesting exhibits such as the evolution of the subway payment methods and turnstiles. A lovely exhibit pays tribute to the Metrocard and how it reolutionized the payment process. There are different machines on display as well as all of the "Special Edition" Metrocards throughout the years. Downstairs, on the tracks, there various train cars dating back 100+ years. You can see how each update fit the purpose of their time...given technological limitations of course. It was interesting reading a bit about each one. Finally, there is the Gift Shop with all kinds of interesting gift options...maps, magnets, toys, shirts, posters and other collectibles. Overall, I had a great time at the New York Transit Museum. Despite being a native New Yorker who has used its public transportation system since the 90's...it was very interesting learning all about it. I gained a new appreciation not of the system itself...but the employees who work hard to keep the system up and running. It was busy but not overcrowded....likely more crowds when the temperature warms up. I took about two (2) hours and was able to read most of the exhibits...I would allow around three (3) hours if you want to read everything. If you are ONLY interested in seeing the displays without reading...you can likely get through it in an hour. All staff throughout the museum were very friendly and helpful.

One of the top things we did during this latest visit to NYC. Admission price was super reasonable, and the museum was much larger than expected. We loved exploring the old subway cars.

Came here with a friend last week and it was great! We did the whole museum, including the MetroCard exhibit in around 2 hours! The best part is definitely walking around the old train cars!

The New York Transit Museum is a cleverly designed and beautifully curated museum. Set in an old subway station, you start your journey in a small cramped hallway dedicated to the history of how the subway was constructed. You can begin to imagine how cramped and strenuous the conditions the men who built the subway system were under. The museum does a great job to honor the workers and tell their stories. It is unbelievable what they accomplished. Next the museum opens up into a grand large room (that looks just like your subway stop) dedicated to the history, art, people, technology, and engineering of the New York Transportation Authority. It celebrates all of the wins of the last century; showcases art, advertisements, and psas that have graced past subway cars; displays vintage turnstiles, ticket machines, buses, and more… I especially loved the room dedicated to the metro card, may she rest in peace. Take a walk downstairs to the train platform to see the highlight of the museum, the collection of vintage train cars. You can explore train cars from the early 1900s all the way to the present day. Climb aboard, take a seat, giggle at the vintage advertisements. It is a true journey through time! I highly recommend spending 2+ hours here to have enough time to soak everything in. What a beautiful love letter to New York! Best public transportation in the country :)

By far, our favorite museum that we have ever visited in the New York City area. This place is huge and well organized. Going downstairs into the train station and seeing all the old train cars was the best part. This is super kid friendly, and I even saw stroller parking. I have zero complaints and will definitely be bringing my children next time we visit New York City with them! I recommend buying tickets ahead of time because we did have to wait a little bit since we just walked in but the wait was only about 10 minutes.

Stepping into this experience felt like traveling back in time—walking through the very history of how the New York City subway was built. Moving through the decommissioned subway cars, you can almost hear the echoes of conversations, the footsteps, and the restless hustle of a city in motion. Each car holds stories of another era, moments of daily life quietly preserved in steel and glass. It’s a place where history comes alive, captivating both children and adults alike.

What a great way to spend a snowy day for New Yorkers young and old. The old cars are such a treat to explore and see the old train ads. We jumped into a guided tour and our docent, Jess, was a real pro. Will definitely bring back friends who love the train!

Surprisingly fun and educational for the entire family. Everyone really enjoyed walking through history. It is very kid friendly. Our children loved walking through the different subway cars, sitting in the seats, pulling the emergency brake, holding the ceiling handles. They drove the NYC Bus and did arts and craft in the back. 10/10 experience, if you’re thinking of going, definitely book the ticket ahead of time!

Well worth the $10. I went on a day the school kids had off so it was a madhouse, but that's not on the museum. If they give you a wait time after you buy your 🎟 (for instance, if you buy the 🎟 at 11am and they say you can go in at noon) DON'T LEAVE! I bought a ticket at 10:20 and they said come back at 11:00. I went to the gift shop and they made an announcement at 10:35 that the 11:00 people could go in. I'm a slow reader so it took me almost four hours to see the whole place from top to bottom. The old trains are super dope. It was worth the $10 bucks alone to walk through those old trains.

Great experience, explores the history of NYC's public transportation (buses, subways, commuter railroads) through vast collections of vintage subway cars you can board, historic artifacts like turnstiles and tokens, construction tools, and exhibits on technology, labor, and culture, offering a tangible look at how the city's transit system evolved from the 1900s to today.

A great little museum, the train cars at platform level are great to walk though and spend time in. Upstairs the museum is overall quite dark in places with information on exhibits varying between in depth and non existent. Overall a worthwhile visit for any transport fanatic.

Might seem small, but if you do enjoy reading the details, it takes a while to get through. Remember to check out the bottom floor, it’s filled with real old train carts! For a very affordable price, I really enjoyed it. Remember to pre-book it, it ran out around 2pm on the weekend!

It was wonderful to travel back in time and see how the subway in New York was being built—an amazing journey into the past. The old subway cars are true works of art. I highly recommend visiting this place :) Bawiłam się tam superowo :)

This museum is awesome! We spent ~2 hours wandering around. My favorite part of it was the vintage train cars. It was super cool to see all of the train cars, some prototypes, dating back all the way to the early 1900s. I also thought all of the old ads on the subway cars were hilarious! You can easily spend more time here if you want to read all the signs, but I would pay $10 just to see those vintage train cars alone. We also liked the Farewell MetroCard exhibit with all the different limited edition MetroCards. It is very sad to see it go :( Definitely stop by if you’re in the area and if you love trains/public transit!

Ok so whilst this is aimed at kids it’s a must see for anyone into trains. Good history of building the subway and lots of old rolling stock so you can see the progress through the ages. Loved this place is in an old subway station and still has live rail availability. Only shame was there weren’t any adult sized t-shirts in the shop.

Highly recommend. Great place to visit, interesting exhibits for all ages. Really great that they were able to convert an abandoned subway station into a museum and use the actual tracks to display actual subway cars from years past. The kids loved getting photos "driving" the buses and train on the mezzanine level.

Don’t really consider myself a museum person, but NY Transit Museum absolutely won me over. So fascinating to see the history of the train system we use every day throughout all of NYC! Loved walking through all the trains underground and feeling like you’re stepping back in time.

This museum is a treat in downtown Brooklyn. I didn't realize there was another one in mid-town Manhattan until now. My wife and I visited this museum and didn't know what to expect . As you enter its as if you are going into the subway system but back in time . We entered train cars from the past and noticed that people seemed smaller back then or they just squeezed people in more. A great learning experience.

This museum is awesome and an affordable thing to do in NYC. I really can’t believe it’s only $10 for an adult - I would pay much more just to see the old trains alone! We loved looking at them and the old advertisements. The museum is huge. We spent about two hours there but could have spent more if we stopped to read all the signs. It is family friendly but also great for just adults. I would recommend this to anyone!

What a gem of a museum in Brooklyn. It’s as you can imagine a nostalgic walk down memory lane. You can walk in and out of old subway cars with their decade accurate advertisements on the walls. The gift shop had some decent mugs and magnets! Def recommend for a fun afternoon during the weekend.

Absolutely fantastic! This museum is a nostalgic journey through NYC's transit history. Seeing the collection of vintage subway cars and buses on the lower level is the highlight—you can walk right through them! It’s a beautifully preserved piece of New York’s backbone. Strongly recommend for anyone interested in urban history or cool engineering. Pro Tip: Go on a weekday morning to avoid the crowds and have more time to explore the old train interiors!

Sooo cool!!! Had so much fun as a little solo trip. I underestimated how long it would take to go through. The walk through exhibit is upstairs and you can go down to see all the previous subway carts downstairs. I especially love the bluebird from the 1960s. FYI, hold on to your things tight, because it's easy to lose in the cracks! I accidentally dropped my umbrella and the workers were super nice and helpful getting it back for me! I think my ticket was around $10

Such a great museum, incredibly underrated. For only $10~ you get the entire history of the subways, bus system and much more. On a moderate summer day it was still comfortable below ground even without AC in parts of the museum. The original subway cars are so unique to walk through, and reading the placards on the amount of work that went into the tunnel construction is wild. Recommended!

Very educational and informative. There's plenty of pictures and descriptions to read about each item. Even a big timeline of the transit system displayed too. There's also decommissioned trains from each era where you can go in and see all of the old ads from back then. There's a bit of everything for anyone including the labeling of the inner parts of the train for people to see. It's very spacious and has good ventilation. Recommend booking a time slot in advanced (we booked ours an hour before we got there since we were already eating breakfast nearby)

Wow! So much fun. I have no idea why I waited so long to visit this trip down nostalgia. Well... Sort of, I'm not that old to remember everything. Lol. The setting in a real subway station just adds to the look and feel of the place. The stories and blurbs bring the history to life. These were real people who dug with the sweat of their brow so real people could go to work, look for work or just live their lives in historical NY. I especially love the advertisements, as they speak volumes about the time period(s). Highly recommend. Mechanics and engineers will love the engines, traffic lights and other parts that keep the trains moving.

The New York Transit Museum is a hidden gem and one of our favorite places to visit! My kids absolutely love exploring the old trains and learning how everything works, they’re always so fascinated by the history and hands-on exhibits. We’ve been here multiple times, both on school trips and on our own as a family, and every visit has been just as fun and educational as the last. There’s something really special about walking through the vintage subway cars and seeing how transit has evolved over the years. The museum is well-organized, staff is friendly, and it’s a great place for kids (and adults!) to learn while having fun. Highly recommend it for families or anyone interested in NYC history it’s always a good trip!