The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Art museum · Central Park ·
World-class art museum with encyclopedic collections spanning millennia.
World-class art museum with encyclopedic collections spanning millennia.
"Likewise, winter offers rare elbow room in the vast collections, making an unhurried visit especially rewarding." - Lauren Dana Ellman Lauren Dana Ellman Lauren Dana Ellman is a New York-based writer and editor who specializes in travel, lifestyle, food, and shopping content. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines
"Inside the museum I was struck by the full-scale Man Ray: When Objects Dream show, where Man Ray’s cameraless rayographs are contextualized among 60 rayographs and about 100 paintings, prints, and photographs (including his iconic Le violon d’Ingres); the exhibition runs September 14, 2025–February 1, 2026. The Met also stages a delightfully eclectic mix elsewhere in the building: Baseball Cards from the Collection of Jefferson R. Burdick presents 30,000 trading cards through January 20, 2026, Casa Susanna displays photography and publications created by a community of cross-dressers who met in New York City and the Catskills, and Allegory and Abstraction: Selections from the Department of Drawings and Prints (with a new rotation of rare items) runs through December 9." - Charlie Hobbs
"When I take visitors to The Met I avoid trying to see everything and instead highlight a few famous permanent works — Monet, van Gogh, and O’Keeffe — and rotate special exhibitions so the visit feels memorable rather than rushed." - Hannah Towey
"A sweeping dining revamp is on the horizon at the museum’s Fifth Avenue flagship, where Rita Sodi and Jody Williams will partner with Restaurant Associates to reimagine food and drink, rolling out a mix of casual cafes and full-service lunch-and-dinner restaurants beginning in 2027 as part of a larger renovation of the 83rd Street and Fifth Avenue entrance and its dining and retail spaces; the plan is to reinvigorate existing offerings with the creativity and dynamism their restaurants are known for, aiming to serve the Met’s six million annual visitors." - Melissa McCart
"Just six minutes from the Mark’s entrance, the Met can be experienced privately through the hotel’s concierge: guests can book a fully private, after-hours tour tailored to their interests (American art, Islamic art, family-focused highlights, etc.), with the Met’s VIP services pairing a specialized docent to create a bespoke visit outside public hours—48–72 hours’ notice is typical and private access starts at $550 per person; the result, Wittorp says, is that the museum “becomes their museum for the night,” with the silence and space making it unforgettable." - John Wogan