86th Street (Lexington)

86th Street on the Lexington Avenue line is the primary subway access point for the Museum Mile - the stretch of 5th Avenue from 82nd to 110th Street lined with some of the greatest art institutions in the world. The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Guggenheim, the Jewish Museum, the Cooper Hewitt, the Neue Galerie and more are all within walking distance of this station, making it one of the most culturally valuable subway stops in New York for first-time visitors.

The surrounding Carnegie Hill neighbourhood - stretching between 86th and 98th Streets on the east side of Central Park - is one of Manhattan's most elegant residential areas, with a high concentration of early 20th-century apartment buildings and townhouses. The streets between Lexington and 5th Avenue are pleasant to walk at any time, and the park's eastern edge is a quieter alternative to the more heavily visited west side.

Station Overview

86th Street (Lexington) sits in Zone 1 and opened in 1918. Three lines stop here: the 4, 5 and 6. The 4 and 5 are express services. The station is fully accessible. Facilities include toilets, shops and an information booth.

Lines and Connectivity

The 4 and 5 express trains skip several local stops, making the journey between 86th Street and Grand Central (42nd Street) about six minutes. The 6 local train serves all intermediate stations and is useful for shorter hops between Upper East Side stops. Heading south, the 4 and 5 reach Fulton Street and the Financial District in about 15 minutes. Heading north, the 6 continues to the Upper East Side's 90s and into the Bronx via Pelham Bay.

Station Layout and Facilities

The station is entirely underground, with exits on both sides of Lexington Avenue at 86th Street. It is a busy commuter station and can get crowded during rush hours and when the museums are at peak attendance. Toilets and a staffed booth are available. Note that this station does not have in-platform Wi-Fi in all sections. From the 86th Street exit, it is a roughly 10-minute walk west across the residential grid to 5th Avenue and the Met.

Travel Tips

• The Metropolitan Museum of Art is suggested-admission - you pay what you can as a New York State resident, or the full suggested price otherwise. It is open until 9pm on Fridays and Saturdays, which makes those evenings less crowded than weekend afternoons.
• The Guggenheim on 5th Avenue at 89th Street requires timed entry tickets booked online - the building itself (Frank Lloyd Wright's 1959 spiral) is as much the attraction as the collection.
• The Neue Galerie on 86th and 5th has an outstanding collection of German and Austrian early 20th-century art, including Gustav Klimt's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer. Smaller and less crowded than the big museums.
• Museum Mile is best done on foot - the walk along 5th Avenue from 82nd to 96th Street passes multiple institutions and the park wall of Central Park simultaneously.

Nearby Attractions

Metropolitan Museum of Art - 10 minutes on foot west. The largest art museum in the Western Hemisphere spans five floors and 300,000 square feet of galleries. The rooftop sculpture garden (open May to October) has outstanding Central Park and skyline views.

Guggenheim Museum - 6 minutes on foot northwest. Frank Lloyd Wright's spiralling white concrete building at 89th and 5th is one of the most distinctive pieces of architecture in New York. Book timed entry tickets online.

Neue Galerie - directly at 86th and 5th. The small but outstanding museum of German and Austrian art includes Klimt's Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer and an excellent Viennese cafe on the ground floor.

Central Park East Side - 10 minutes on foot west. The east side of the park between 72nd and 96th Streets is noticeably calmer than the Midtown end, with the Reservoir running path offering some of the best jogging in Manhattan.

Timings and Best Time to Travel

The 4, 5 and 6 trains run 24 hours a day. The station is busiest during weekday rush hours and on weekend afternoons when museum attendance peaks. For museum visits, Friday evenings (many institutions have late hours) and weekday mornings are the quietest times. The 4 and 5 express trains run less frequently on weekends - the 6 local is often the more reliable option on Saturdays and Sundays.