Met Museum Highlights Tour by City Wonders, Entry Ticket Included

City Wonders built this tour for visitors who have two hours and want the Met's best-known works in a sensible order. An English-speaking local guide leads a group of 20 people or fewer, and your entry ticket to the museum is part of the booking. Like everyone else, you still pass the security check at the door. It starts in the Great Hall, where the guide sets out how the museum came to be and why it matters to New York, then heads for the Egyptian Wing and the Temple of Dendur, built around 15-10 BC under Augustus, when Egypt was a Roman province. From there the route crosses to the American Wing for 'Washington Crossing the Delaware', and sets those American paintings against European masters: Velázquez, Rembrandt, Van Gogh. The last part looks at modern art, with Pollock, Warhol and Picasso. Two things can change the route on the day. The museum does not guarantee that every gallery is open on a given day, and the Temple of Dendur's gallery has been temporarily closed at times, so check the Met's website if the temple is a priority. The modern and contemporary galleries are also being rebuilt as the new Tang Wing, due in 2030, so which modern pieces are on view varies. Practical points: be at the meeting point 15 minutes before departure, because late arrivals cannot join and missed tours are not refunded. The Met does not allow bags larger than a backpack, and if you bring one you will be asked to carry it in your hands. The tour is wheelchair accessible and strollers are fine.