The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the largest and most visited art museums in the world, home to more than two million works spanning 5,000 years of human creativity across its Fifth Avenue building. Highlights include the Temple of Dendur, an ancient Egyptian temple reassembled inside a glass-walled gallery, the Arms and Armor Hall, the American Wing’s period rooms, and an Impressionist and Post-Impressionist collection featuring Monet, Van Gogh, and Degas.
The Egyptian Art galleries alone hold over 26,000 artifacts, including mummies displayed alongside the Temple of Dendur, while the European Paintings wing showcases masterworks by Manet, Cézanne, and other 19th-century greats. First-time visitors are encouraged to pick one or two collections to focus on rather than attempt the entire museum in a single visit.
Hours run 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Sunday, extending to 9 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with the museum closed Wednesdays. Most visitors spend three to five hours seeing the highlights, though art lovers often set aside half a day or more.