The Metropolitan Museum of Art: Private 2-hour MET Guided Tour

The Metropolitan Museum of Art - known to locals simply as The Met - is one of the world's largest and most famous art museums, with a permanent collection of over two million works of art. With over 5 million visitors each year, there's no better way to experience this legendary institution than with an expert private guide.

On your private tour, you will:

• Enjoy a guided tour of the MET - the world’s third most-visited art museum;
• Learn about the MET'S fascinating history, the building itself and how the collections were acquired;
• See renowned paintings by Botticelli, Da Vinci, Degas, Monet, Picasso, David & Van Gogh;
• Explore the extensive collection of sculptures from the Ancient Greco-Roman era to Canova and Rodin; 
• Enjoy the Egyptian art and architecture including the ancient Temple of Dendur;
• Learn all about the iconic MET Gala - a major fundraising ball hosted by Vogue each year;
• Finish your tour inside the museum, where you can continue to explore at your leisure. 

Explore New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art – colloquially referred to as ‘the Met’ with an expert private guide on this fascinating 2-hour tour of the largest museum in the Americas, with one of the most extensive collections of art and historic artefacts in the world: around two million works from over 5000 years of history.

The Met was founded in the late 19th century by locals who felt the city lacked an adequate art scene. Since then, it has become one of the 50 largest charities in the United States.

On your private tour, your guide will take you through several museum highlights. See the Temple of Dendur, recovered from Egypt in the 1960s, and the Sphinx of Hatshepsut, which dates back to the 15th century BC.

The MET also houses an incredible collection of art from the Renaissance maestros, the Dutch Golden Age, the French Romantics, the Impressionists, and the post-impressionists and more. You will see some of the world’s most famous paintings, and your guide will tell you the life stories of some of the artists - as well as the meanings behind the works of art.

You'll see truly iconic works by Raphael, Titian, and Caravaggio and Rembrandt's Aristotle with a bust of Homer. The MET also has an enviable collection of Impressionists - including Monet's Waterlilies, Van Gogh's Self Portrait with a Straw Hat, Mary Cassatt's 'Young Mother Sewing', and Degas' ballet dancers. There is also a portrait of Gertrude Stein by Picasso - famous for being the wealthy patroness of the so-called 'Lost Generation' in Paris.

As well as exquisite sculptures from Ancient Greece and Rome, you will see work by the incomparable Gian Lorenzo Bernini the Italian Baroque genius, magnificent work including Perseus with the Head of Medusa by neo-classical maestro Canova and Rodin's 'Burghers of Calais". The whole MET experience is truly breathtaking - the architecture of the building is as beautiful as the work it houses.

It is clear why this has become such an iconic place and why it has starred in so many movies over the years - not least films about expensive art heists like the Thomas Crown Affair!

End the tour inside to continue at your own leisure. 

Tour duration
2 hours

Type of tour
Walking tour: no transportation is included

Attractions along this route:

MET Museum
Is the largest art museum in the United States with a permanent collection of over two million works.

The temple of Dendur
Ancient Egyptian temple dating from 15BC was built by the Roman governor of Egypt, Petronius.

European paintings
See the work of the best-known artists inside these galleries.

Greek and Roman art
Immerse yourself in the ancient cultures and admire the best pieces of art.

Charles Engelhard Court
Located in the American Wing this glass courtyard holds large-scale American sculptures, the facade of the Branch Bank of the United States, and many other architectural elements.