Culture / Museum / Upper East Side

8.9 / 10

The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Two million works and some genuinely magnificent rooms — go off-peak or the crowd wins.

MUSEENYC · August 18, 2026

Where
1000 5th Ave, Upper East SideOpen in Google Maps ↗
Price
$$
Get
The Temple of Dendur · The American Wing · The roof garden in season
Go when
Weekday mornings, or Friday evening
Good for
A whole day · Rain · Free for NY State
Website
www.metmuseum.org

Going? Tell them MUSEENYC sent you. It's not a discount and there's nothing to redeem — we just want them to know where you heard it.

The encyclopedic one. Egyptian temples, arms and armour, the European paintings, the American Wing — any one of them is a full visit, and trying to do the building in a day is how people end up remembering nothing. There are rooms in here that are genuinely magnificent, worth the trip on their own.

What to know

The only real problem is the crowd. Go during off-peak hours and it becomes a visceral experience rather than a shuffle. Admission is pay-what-you-wish for New York State residents and students from NY, NJ and CT with ID; everyone else pays a set price. The roof garden opens seasonally, and the Met Cloisters uptown is included on the same ticket for three days.

1000 5th Ave, Upper East Side. Directions in Google Maps ↗