Met Museum Guide

The most iconic single object in The Met and one of the most extraordinary experiences in any museum in the world. This complete ancient Egyptian temple, dating to approximately 15 BC, was built during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus and originally stood on the banks of the Nile in Nubia (southern Egypt). When the construction of the Aswan High Dam in the 1960s threatened to submerge it permanently, the Egyptian government gifted the temple to the United States in 1965 in recognition of American contributions to the international UNESCO campaign to save Nubian monuments. The temple was painstakingly dismantled stone by stone, shipped across the Atlantic, and reassembled inside The Met's Sackler Wing, which was custom-built to house it. The gallery features a dramatic floor-to-ceiling glass wall overlooking Central Park, a reflecting pool that evokes the Nile, and the temple itself — its sandstone walls carved with hieroglyphic inscriptions and relief sculptures of the pharaoh making offerings to the gods Isis and Osiris. Standing before a 2,000-year-old Egyptian temple in the middle of Manhattan, with Central Park visible through the glass, is one of New York City's most surreal and unforgettable moments.

The Met's collection of European paintings is one of the finest in the world, spanning from the 13th to the early 20th century across dozens of galleries on the museum's second floor. The collection includes approximately 2,500 works and reads like a roll call of art history's greatest names: Vermeer's "Young Woman with a Water Pitcher" and "A Maid Asleep," Rembrandt's extraordinary self-portraits and "Aristotle with a Bust of Homer," El Greco's luminous "View of Toledo," Caravaggio's dramatic "The Denial of Saint Peter," Velázquez's magisterial "Juan de Pareja," and Bruegel the Elder's detailed "The Harvesters." The Impressionist and Post-Impressionist galleries are equally stunning — Monet's "Water Lilies," Renoir's "Madame Charpentier and Her Children," Van Gogh's "Wheat Field with Cypresses" and "Self-Portrait with a Straw Hat," Cézanne's "The Card Players," and Degas's bronze sculptures of dancers. The galleries flow chronologically, allowing you to trace the evolution of Western painting from medieval altarpieces to the threshold of modern art. Plan at least 1-2 hours for this department alone.

The Met's American Wing is the most comprehensive collection of American art in the world, housed in a stunning glass-enclosed courtyard featuring the facade of the old Branch Bank of the United States (1822) and a beautiful garden with fountains and classical sculpture. The collection spans four centuries of American creativity, from colonial-era silver and furniture to 20th-century photography. The painting galleries are magnificent: Emanuel Leutze's enormous "Washington Crossing the Delaware" (one of the most recognizable paintings in American history), Albert Bierstadt's luminous Rocky Mountain landscapes, John Singer Sargent's controversial "Madame X," Winslow Homer's powerful seascapes, and the jewel-toned stained glass of Louis Comfort Tiffany. The period rooms are extraordinary — fully reconstructed interiors from different eras of American life, from a 17th-century New England parlor to a Frank Lloyd Wright living room. The Charles Engelhard Court, with its glass ceiling flooding the space with natural light, is one of the most beautiful gallery spaces in any museum anywhere.

The Met's Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden is one of New York City's best-kept secrets and one of the finest places to experience the Manhattan skyline. Open from approximately May through October (weather permitting), the rooftop features rotating contemporary art installations set against a breathtaking panorama of Central Park, the Manhattan skyline, and the surrounding Upper East Side townhouses. Past installations have included works by Jeff Koons, Cornelia Parker, Héctor Zamora, and Petrit Halilaj — the combination of cutting-edge contemporary art and the timeless Central Park landscape is extraordinary. The Cantor Rooftop Bar serves cocktails, wine, beer, and light snacks ($15-22 for cocktails) in what is arguably the most beautiful outdoor bar setting in Manhattan. On clear evenings, the sunset over Central Park from the rooftop is genuinely spectacular. The rooftop is included with museum admission — no additional ticket required. Arrive early on weekend afternoons when the bar can have 20-30 minute waits.