A massive museum, with a plethora of art to soak in, from sculpture, to paintings, to costumes and textiles. I loved the Egyptian art, and the curators were very knowledgeable and friendly. They also host a series of concerts and lectures on occasion. Its proximity to Central Park makes for a great day trip! My friends and I thoroughly enjoyed ourselves, but it can be tiring and overwhelming!

Huge, so prepare to get lost. Bring your own snack food if you're on a budget -- the museum cafes are extremely expensive. There's lots of fantastic art, from the Renaissance to modern, and ancient artifacts, including a remake of an ancient Egyptian pyramid.

Found at Fifth Avenue and E 82nd street the Metropolitan Museum of Art is the single most visited attraction in New York City and more frequently goes under the pseudonym of ‘the Met.’ It was the museum used to film the external scenes in the recent remake of The Thomas Crown Affair although, sadly, the Monet featured in the film is not on display.

Thankfully floor plans in a variety of languages are available inside the great hall, before you enter the main museum proper. This means that you can grab a plan and decide what you want to see before being swept up with the masses of visitors and believe me you will want to do this. The museum is a maze of smaller galleries and annexes and if you do not have a definite plan in mind you could end up walking around the medieval galleries in perpetuity.

Although the $15.00 entrance fee is labelled as a voluntary donation everybody simply queues up, asks for their tickets and hands over the money, but you don’t have to pay the full $15.00 if you would rather not. There are a couple of free cloakrooms available but the queues for these are obscene so, if you know you are going to visit the museum, leave that heavy coat and your backpack at the hotel.

Notable exhibits include the Temple of Dendur. The temple is displayed in its entirety, as it would have been in ancient Egypt. It was a reward to the USA for the money and assistance they donated helping the Egyptian government to rescue numerous temples from the rising waters of the newly formed Lake Nasser after the construction of the Aswan High Dam.

If the evolution of weapons is your thing spend some time in the Armoury. The Japanese collection of armour and swords is exquisite. There is a very impressive display of armour from Tudor times, most of which were manufactured in Greenwich, London at the height of King Henry VIII’s reign.

Also of note are the Islamic galleries. Pieces include one of the oldest surviving chess sets, missing only a single pawn and some excellent pottery and textiles from Persia.

Finally, if you have the time, take a look at the impressionist works in the late 19th and early 20th century galleries on the second floor. The museum houses an unrivalled collection of art from this period.

The museum is very hard work but the effort is definitely worth it. Don’t visit any other museums on the same day, you will not survive the information overload!

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is one of the most renowed cultural institutions in the United States with world-class collections of antiquities, Impressionist paintings and musical instruments, among other exhibits.

The beautiful thing about a trip to the Met is that it can be as short or as long as you want it to be, and as inexpensive or posh as you wish. If you want to take in one exhibit and then go to the adjecent Cental Park you may, if you want to make it the focal point of your trip to New York and visit every day for four days you can do that too. Food options range from reasonably priced snacks to gourmet cafe dining requiring reservations.

Guided tours are available in English, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. There are also recorded audio tours for $5 rental. The museum is wheelchair and stroller accessible. General admission is suggested at $10 but if you really can't afford it you may offer them less.

The stairs in front of the Met are perhaps the most famous stairs from New York photos and postcards. On the edge of Central Park in a beautiful old neighborhood, the Museum is an architectural gem. In the great hallway, past security which is very pleasant and re-assuring, be sure to pick up a floor plan, and proceed to the ticket counter -- once you hook on your M badge (which serves as a ticket, and must be displayed on clothing at all times) you are free to roam the museum as much as you want.

I usually start out in the Egyptian section which is to the right of the entrance, but that would only be my personal preference. The museum has two large floors open to the public, a roof garden that works during summer months and has some of the most stunning views of Central Park, a basement exhibition, and an amazing gift shop where you can find museum memorabilia, posters of paintings and statues, excellent books, postcards, even jewelry and scarves. To the left of the great hallway lie the restaurant and cafeteria which feature an excellent combination of fine foods and fine prices.

Be sure to devote enough time to the Museum, since the hallways sometimes seem to be never-ending, and the next room is always more interesting than the one you are in right now.