Madison Square Garden Tickets and Tours

Madison Square Garden, nicknamed "The World's Most Famous Arena," is a huge indoor stadium in the heart of Midtown Manhattan known as the home of the New York Knicks (NBA) and the New York Rangers (NHL). Want to experience the magic of the legendary MSG?

You have two options for seeing the inside of the stadium:

Take a tour of Madison Square Garden

By booking a guided tour, you will have access to Madison Square Garden and see its facilities from the inside and all areas. You can purchase tickets at the stadium's souvenir shop (Chase Square Team Store) located in the MSG lobby.

Please note that if you purchased any of the New York tourist cards, this tour is included for free. Therefore, I recommend purchasing a tourist card if it is within your means, as it will allow you to visit many other attractions in New York.

Purchase tickets for the Knicks (NBA) or the Rangers (NHL)

Purchase a ticket to a Knicks or Rangers game to experience the atmosphere and excitement of the best sport on the East Coast. This will allow you to access the stadium and visit many of its sections, as well as enjoy watching a top-level game.

The guided tour of MSG begins in the perimeter ring, which features numerous photographs of the history of this stadium, which was built in 1874 and has been demolished and rebuilt several times. The current arena is the fourth MSG and was inaugurated in 1968.

This part of the tour is very informative because, with the help of images, interactive screens and a brief overview, it allows us to learn about iconic scenes from the world of sport, music and social events that have taken place here.

Continuing with the tour, I really liked the giant panels on display because, in addition to telling you about the highlighted event, they also show objects related to that specific moment. From Patrick Ewing's kit on the night of "The Dunk" to photographs and invitations from J.F. Kennedy's birthday party where Marilyn Monroe sang Happy Birthday to him.

Next, we visit the box seats area, where we have the opportunity to see what these VIP spaces for millionaires, artists and politicians are like inside. Nothing is missing! A bar, comfortable seats, a buffet and privileged views of the court.

Although one of the areas I liked most about Madison Square Garden is The Bridge Level, at the top of the stadium, which was created in 2011 and has views that are not suitable for those who are afraid of heights. The feeling of being above the court is incredible.

From there, the group headed to the lower part of the stadium where the changing rooms are located. If you're lucky, you'll be able to visit them, as they are not available on match days. It's very interesting because you can go backstage with the teams and see what most people never get to see. The guide explained that the crests change depending on which team is playing and that, as a superstition, neither the players nor visitors are allowed to step on them.

Don't worry if your visit coincides with a game day because the guide will show you one of the dressing rooms where music stars get ready before going on stage. It's also very exciting to see and hear some anecdotes.

Tours are usually held every day from 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. and when the Knicks are playing from 12:15 p.m. to 3 p.m., but before booking a tour of Madison Square Garden, I recommend checking to see if there are any events scheduled for the day you plan to take the tour.

Visits are offered on a first-come, first-served basis and are subject to availability, as there may be changes without prior notice due to events. It is recommended that you arrive 10 to 15 minutes before the time of your visit to Madison Square Garden. Please note that the Madison Square Garden tour will be closed from 28 February to 14 March.

Before the tour ends, they also show you the court. Sometimes it's a basketball court, other times an ice hockey rink or a stage under construction. There's always an element of surprise! However, you're not allowed to step on it, although you can see it perfectly from the side.

In addition, during the Madison Square Garden tour, there's a really cool experience where you can use virtual reality glasses to see live shows held in this stadium and all the work involved in transforming the basketball court into an ice rink or stage.

The Madison Square Garden tour ends where they all do: at the gift shop. Take the opportunity to pick up a T-shirt or cap from your favourite team so you can wear it when you return to watch an NBA or NHL game.

To buy tickets for the Knicks or Rangers, you have two options:

Buy them in advance online

If you are passionate about sports and have included an NBA or NHL game in your trip to New York, my advice is to buy your tickets online before you travel.

To get the best seats at the cheapest price, the key is to buy them as early as possible. Demand for ice hockey and especially basketball games is extremely high, so tickets tend to sell out in a flash.

In general, prices increase as the date of the game approaches and supply decreases, just like with flights, for example. Therefore, if you wait too long to buy them, you run the risk of not getting any tickets or having to pay a lot for a seat with a worse view. Another advantage of buying tickets online is that you can choose the seat you like best at Madison Square Garden.

At the stadium box office

In my experience, this is not the most advisable option. Here's why: first of all, buying tickets for the Knicks or the Rangers once you arrive in New York means that you will have to adapt to the box office hours, travel to the stadium and wait in a very long queue to buy them. This means that you will waste a lot of your trip's time queuing at the gates of Madison Square Garden.

What's more, if you buy your tickets at the Madison Square Garden box office, you'll be doing so months after you could have bought them at home, so there will be fewer options available and they may even be sold at a premium. Or they may simply be sold out due to the high demand for NBA or NHL tickets.

Obviously, it will depend on your budget, as ticket prices tend to depend directly on how close you are to the court. The cheapest seats are the ones furthest away and highest up, as well as those in the corners and next to the wall, while the closer you get to the court, the higher the price.

At Madison Square Garden, the best section par excellence is on the sides, almost at court level, where you can watch the game and the players almost as if you were part of the team, although these are the most expensive seats. There are also some very attractive prices behind the baskets or goals, if you want to see the NBA or NHL stars up close without paying VIP prices.

In any case, when purchasing tickets online, an image is usually displayed with the views from the section you have selected at Madison Square Garden to give you a better idea of which seat to choose.

The tickets will be electronic and will be sent to your email address so that you can access them when you need them. The only thing you need to know is that, for security reasons, tickets in the United States are usually issued a few days before the match, so it may take a while for you to receive them (but don't worry, this is normal and they always arrive on time).

Do I have to print them?

Read the instructions you receive carefully, as it is not usually necessary to print them. However, if you have received your tickets in PDF format and would prefer to print them but are away from home, don't worry. Your hotel will usually help you to print them, or you can find a Staples (stationery shop) or Copy Centre (Google Maps will be your ally) to print them near your hotel or the stadium.

What if I don't have internet access? How can I access my tickets?

If you don't have a stable connection or don't have any data during your trip, don't worry. You can always download them at your hotel (or at your local Starbucks) so you have them ready when you arrive at the stadium.

When the Knicks or Rangers play at Madison Square Garden, the city takes on a special atmosphere. You can feel it in the air, and there are more people than usual bustling about the streets of New York.

Many walk or rent a bicycle to get to the stadium in the heart of Manhattan and take the opportunity to explore the surrounding area. Others arrive by public transport, so it's important to take traffic and rush hour into account if you want to get to Madison Square Garden on time.

On game day, I recommend arriving at least an hour early to go through security, find your seats, soak up the pre-game atmosphere with music and cheerleaders, listen to the American national anthem before the game starts, and watch the players enter the court. It's a spectacle in itself!

According to Madison Square Garden's official recommendations, bringing backpacks or large, unnecessary bags to the stadium is discouraged. Not only is the space in the seats limited, but you will also have to pass all bags through security, which will undoubtedly slow down your access to the stadium.

Sport is a very family-friendly spectacle that many parents attend with their children, but when it comes to the question of whether children pay for admission, the truth is that Madison Square Garden's policy states that children over the age of two must have their own ticket.

If you are going to the stadium with children under the age of two, bring proof of their age with you in case you are asked for it at the entrance. Valid forms of identification are a birth certificate or passport.

People go to New York to have fun, and even if you're not into sports, specifically the NBA or NHL, the truth is that watching a basketball or ice hockey game in the United States is a real spectacle of music, dancing, partying and, of course, sport. It's a great opportunity to experience the atmosphere of high-level competition that you can't miss at Madison Square Garden.

With a capacity of over 20,000 people and five floors, this is one of the city's main multi-purpose venues. Madison Square Garden is a benchmark for sport on the east coast of the country, as both the New York Knicks (NBA) and the New York Rangers (NHL) play their home games here.

This venue is living American sports history and a New York icon. For decades, it was the mecca of boxing, with legends such as Muhammad Ali, Mike Tyson, Joe Frazier and Rocky Marciano fighting in its ring. Although boxing matches are still held there today, the most important ones take place in Las Vegas at hotels such as the MGM Grand.

However, the history of Madison Square Garden is also linked to major musical events, as throughout its history it has hosted concerts by such popular artists as Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, John Lennon, Madonna, Michael Jackson, The Rolling Stones and Queen, among many others.

Its facilities have even been used for political gatherings (such as the Republican Party convention in 2004) and religious events (such as the great homily given by Pope Francis in 2015).

If you're thinking of attending an NBA game in New York, which I highly recommend, check the game schedule for your trip in advance. If you are in the Big Apple between October and April, you will most likely be able to catch a Knicks or Brooklyn Nets game.

So, if you want the full experience, in addition to exploring Madison Square Garden, you can also visit the Barclays Centre, home of the Brooklyn Nets, and watch them play.

Finally, I can't help but recommend other teams that lead the way in New York sports and that, when you see them live, will make you feel like you're in a typical American film. These are the New York Giants, who play American football at MetLife Stadium, and baseball stars such as the legendary New York Yankees, at their stadium in northern Manhattan.