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The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York guide

Consult our complete guide to the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, including ticketing information and more

Written by
Howard Halle
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The Metropolitan Museum of Art may not be NYC's oldest museum, but it is certainly the largest among Gotham’s art institutions.

Opened in 1880, the massive museum takes up 11.5 acres within Central Park along Fifth Avenue, across two million square feet and receives more than 4 million visitors annually. Its collection, which spans 5,000 years of art history from pre-history to the present, boasts 36,000 objects, including 2,500 European Old Master, Impressionist and Post-Impressionist paintings, as well as the greatest collection of Egyptian art and artifacts outside Cairo—among them, the full-scale Temple of Dendur.

Other major attractions include The Met’s American and Lehmann Wings; The Costume Institute; the Rooftop Garden, which offers spectacular views of the Park and the Midtown skyline; and, of course, its 29 amazing period rooms.

The Met no longer offers pay-what-wish admission to anyone who isn’t a New York State resident, but even so, a stroll through the museum’s multitude of treasures is one of the greatest pleasures of being in New York.

Where is the Metropolitan Museum of Art?

The museum is at 1000 Fifth Avenue on the Upper East Side.

When can I visit the Met?

The museum is open six days a week, Sunday-Tuesday and Thursday, 10am–5pm; Friday and Saturday, 10am–9pm. It's closed on Wednesdays.

How do I get tickets to the museum?

Tickets can be purchased online at the Met website or at the museum entrance.Buy Tickets

What’s the best way to get to the Met?

Take the 4, 5, 6 to 86th St.

See a map of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York

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