When we entered the Met, we entered with the "masses." But was I was amazed at was the beautiful staircase directly in front of me. It looked to be white marble and seemed to go up forever. However, before you can go up the stairs, you must purchase a pass. The cost when I went was $12. It may differ, I am not 100% sure. As you roam through the museum, you see all the greats... Rembrandt, Vermeer, Poussin. And you can also catch some great exhibits like I did. I was able to get to see the Van Gogh exhibit. It had a great selection of his early sketches, later paintings, and the great self-portrait. Be warned though that it can be manic at some times. But it is well worth it if you are an art/history fan.

This museum is a must-do. It has some wonderful pieces and is just part of the New York culture. I would recommend spending about 2 hours here because there is so much else to see.

The Met has a little bit of everything and is very "standardized". Nothing really special or unusual. The Matisse exibit was going on, and so was Chanel. I suggest taking advantage of any special exhibition that's going on while you're there. I have been to The Boston Museum of Fine Art and thought the exhibits and layouts were better than the Met. I did enjoy the American Gallery, as they showcased lots of historical artifacts and paintings from the Revolutionary War era. If you are into modern art, I would check out the MoMA instead.

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!