The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York: history, what to see, how to get there, hours and tickets

The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York, The Met, stands at 1000 Fifth Avenue on Manhattan's Upper East Side, on the edge of Central Park. Its two-million-square-foot building shows tens of thousands of objects at any time, covering 5,000 years of art. People come for an Egyptian temple, European paintings, the American Wing and the arms and armor. Below: its history, what to see, tours in Russian, how to get there, hours and tickets.

The Met's history

The idea came up in Paris in 1866, when a group of Americans agreed to create a "national institution and gallery of art." The lawyer John Jay proposed it, and back home the Union League Club, under his presidency, rallied collectors, artists, businessmen and philanthropists.

The museum was incorporated on April 13, 1870, and opened in the Dodworth Building at 681 Fifth Avenue. Its first object, a Roman sarcophagus, arrived that November 20. In 1871, 174 European paintings came in, including works by Van Dyck, Poussin and Tiepolo.

After a short stay in the Douglas Mansion on West 14th Street, the museum opened on its current site at Fifth Avenue and 82nd Street on March 30, 1880. Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould designed the first Ruskinian Gothic building; its west facade is still visible inside the Robert Lehman Wing. Additions, begun as early as 1888, now surround it completely.

The Beaux-Arts Fifth Avenue facade and the Great Hall, by architect and founding trustee Richard Morris Hunt, opened in December 1902. In 1910 The Met became the first public institution in the world to acquire a work by Henri Matisse.

A master plan by Kevin Roche John Dinkeloo and Associates, approved in 1971 and completed in 1991, added the Robert Lehman Wing (1975), the wing for the Temple of Dendur (1978), the American Wing (1980), the Michael C. Rockefeller Wing (1982), the Lila Acheson Wallace Wing for modern art (1987) and the Henry R. Kravis Wing (1991). In 2007 the Greek and Roman galleries reopened after a 15-year renovation.

The Met has two locations. The second, The Met Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park, opened in 1938 and shows about 2,000 works of medieval European art.

What to see at The Met

You will not see it all in one day, so pick two or three departments. Gallery numbers are from the museum's collection pages.

• Temple of Dendur, Gallery 131. A small Egyptian temple built about 15 B.C. in Nubia, on the west bank of the Nile, honoring Isis and two deified sons of a local Nubian ruler. The "pharaoh" in the reliefs is the Roman emperor Augustus. Egypt gave it to the United States in 1965; it was awarded to The Met in 1967, and its own wing opened in 1978.
• Egyptian art. Almost all of the museum's 30,000 ancient Egyptian objects are on display. Look for "William," the hippopotamus statuette that is the unofficial mascot; it entered the collection in 1917.
• Washington Crossing the Delaware, Gallery 760. Emanuel Leutze's 1851 painting, 149 by 255 inches, a highlight of the American Wing, a gift of John Stewart Kennedy in 1897.
• European paintings. About 2,500 of them. By 1979 The Met owned five of the fewer than 35 known paintings by Vermeer.
• The American Wing. The world's most comprehensive collection of American paintings, sculpture and decorative arts, with 25 period rooms.

Some galleries close for renovation from time to time, so check the list of closed galleries on the Plan Your Visit page before you go.

Tours in Russian

The Met's free tour calendar includes "Museum Highlights in Russian." It is free with admission, starts at the Vélez Blanco Patio in Gallery 534, and space is first come, first served. Days and times change, so check the free tours page before you go.

How to get to The Met

The museum's own directions:

• Subway from the East Side: the 4, 5 or 6 train to 86th Street, then three blocks west to Fifth Avenue, about half a mile or 10 minutes.
• Bus: M1, M2, M3 or M4, along Fifth Avenue from uptown to 82nd Street, or along Madison Avenue from downtown to 83rd Street.
• From the West Side: the 1 train to 86th Street and the M86 crosstown bus, or the C train to 81st Street and the M79 bus across Central Park.
• From Penn Station: the M4 bus to 83rd Street and Madison Avenue.
• By car: the museum's parking garage is entered from Fifth Avenue at 80th Street.

Met hours and tickets

Also closed on Thanksgiving Day, December 25, January 1 and the first Monday in May.

Hours and prices checked on November 4, 2026 at metmuseum.org.

A ticket covers exhibitions and same-day entry to both locations, Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters, for the date printed on it. Advance tickets are not required, but with an online ticket you can go straight to any gallery entrance. Buying pay-what-you-wish online needs a New York State billing address; New Jersey and Connecticut students buy in person with a student ID. Accepted proof includes a New York State driver's license or ID, IDNYC, a bill with a New York State address, a student ID or a New York library card. Membership starts at $90 a year. Groups of 10 or more must register in advance.

Bags, security and other rules

• Everyone, members included, goes through a security check; plan for lines.
• Small backpacks are allowed if worn on your front or carried. Large bags and luggage are not allowed, not even at coat check.
• Only water in a secure bottle; no food, glass or aerosols.
• Non-flash photos and video for personal use are allowed in most galleries. No selfie sticks, tripods or drones.
• Children 12 and under must stay with an adult.
• Keep your ticket; you may be asked to show it again when re-entering galleries. Tickets cannot be refunded or transferred.

New to the city? Start with our New York city page and see more places to visit in New York. Central Park starts right behind the museum.

Questions people ask

Is The Met free for New York residents?

Not free, but pay what you wish. New York State residents and students from New York, New Jersey and Connecticut choose the amount, with a minimum of 1 cent per ticket. Online you need a New York State billing address; New Jersey and Connecticut students buy in person with a student ID.

How much is a ticket to The Met for visitors?

An adult ticket costs $30, seniors 65 and over pay $22, students $17, and children 12 and under are free. The ticket is valid on the date printed on it and covers both The Met Fifth Avenue and The Met Cloisters. Prices were checked on November 4, 2026.

What day is The Met closed?

The Met Fifth Avenue is closed on Wednesdays, Thanksgiving Day, December 25, January 1 and the first Monday in May. Other days it is open 10 am to 5 pm, and until 9 pm on Fridays and Saturdays. The Met Cloisters is also closed on Wednesdays.

Does The Met have tours in Russian?

Yes. The Met's free tour calendar lists "Museum Highlights in Russian," free with admission, starting at the Vélez Blanco Patio in Gallery 534 on a first come, first served basis. Days and times change, so check the museum's tours page before your visit.

Can I bring a backpack to The Met?

A small backpack is fine if you wear it on your front or carry it. Large bags, luggage, food and any drink other than water in a secure bottle are not allowed in the building or at coat check. Every visitor passes a security check at the entrance.