K–12 School Groups

Guided tours offer amazing opportunities for your students to make the most of their encounters with great works of art at The Met! Museum educators and trained volunteers engage students in lively, inquiry-based conversations that strengthen curriculum connections and encourage important skills like critical thinking and evidence-based reasoning. Guided tours last 60 minutes; feel free to continue exploring the galleries with your students on your own after the tour!

See a list of guided-visit topics at The Met Fifth Avenue (PDF).

Guided tours at The Met Breuer are offered for select exhibitions, with one exhibition featured per tour.

View current and upcoming exhibitions at The Met Breuer.

Works of art at The Met are rich, primary-resource texts. While every conversational tour is inherently unique, our guided visits align with a range of state and national learning standards, including the following Common Core Anchor Standards:

• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.R.1: Read closely to determine what the text says explicitly and to make logical inferences from it; cite specific textual evidence when writing or speaking to support conclusions drawn from the text.
• CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1: Prepare for and participate effectively in a range of conversations and collaborations with diverse partners, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly and persuasively.

Guided visits are offered and recommended for all K–12 students. Groups are free to explore the Museum on their own after the tour. Due to the high demand for weekday morning guided tours, individual schools are limited to three weekday morning guided visits per semester.

Group Size
Guided tours at The Met Fifth Avenue may have no fewer than 10 students and no more than 50 students, with one chaperone required for every 10 students. The Museum reserves the right to limit the number of adult chaperones participating in school group guided visits.

Guided tours at The Met Breuer may have no more than 25 students, with one chaperone required for every 10 students.

Group Fee
All fees are waived for schools located within the five boroughs of New York City due to the generous support of Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman. Schools outside New York City pay the following group rates:

• Students: $16 each
• Required adult chaperones (one for every ten students): $16 each
• One teacher per reservation receives complimentary admission.
• Any additional adults: $31 each
• Groups of 15 or fewer: $240 flat fee

Membership and other discounts do not apply to group admission. Qualified tour operators are eligible for discounted rates.

Visit Schedule
Guided visits at The Met Fifth Avenue are conducted Monday through Friday, 9:45 am–3:30 pm, with some weekend availability.

Guided visits at The Met Breuer are conducted Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, 10:15 am–3 pm; and Friday and Saturday, 10:15 am–6 pm.

Resource for Students on the Autism Spectrum
A social narrative (PDF) prepares students on the autism spectrum for a guided school visit.

Think like an artist!

This special program pairs a 60-minute guided visit in the galleries with a 45-minute art-making experience in the Uris Center for Education's Art Studio. After exploring and discussing different sculptures in the galleries, students take over the Art Studio to create their own unique sculptures to take home. Creative challenges encourage material exploration, creative thinking, and problem-solving.

• K–12 Studio Art Workshops can accommodate a maximum of 30 students
• Workshops are available Tuesday and Wednesday mornings from 10:30 am to 12:30 pm
• $400 flat fee per reservation (including New York City schools)
• Students may stay to eat their own brown bag lunches for up to 30 minutes afterward (optional)

Teachers and their students may explore the Museum's collection and special exhibitions independently. Please note that self-guided visits also require appointments. All teachers who participate in a K–12 educator program offered by the Museum receive priority registration for self-guided visits to the Museum. Please note that lecturing is not always permitted in The Met Fifth Avenue's special exhibitions due to gallery space constraints.

Group Size
Self-guided groups at The Met Fifth Avenue may have no fewer than 10 students and no more than 50 students, with one chaperone required for every 10 students. Each school is limited to one group of up to 50 students per day at The Met Fifth Avenue. Groups larger than 25 will be asked to split into smaller groups before entering the galleries.

Self-guided groups at The Met Breuer may have no more than 25 students, with one chaperone required for every 10 students. Each school is limited to one group of up to 25 students per day at The Met Breuer.

Advance reservations are required for all groups of 10 or more students, and for any third-party guided tours regardless of size.

Group Fee
All fees are waived for schools located within the five boroughs of New York City due to the generous support of Lewis B. and Dorothy Cullman. Schools outside New York City pay the following group rates:

• Students: $10 each
• Required adult chaperones (one for every 10 students): $10 each
• One teacher per reservation receives complimentary admission.
• Any additional adults: $22 each

Membership and other discounts do not apply to group admission. Qualified tour operators are eligible for discounted rates.

Visit Schedule
At The Met Fifth Avenue, self-guided appointments are available seven days a week (Sunday through Thursday, 9:30 am–4:15 pm, and Friday and Saturday, 9:30 am–7:45 pm).

At The Met Breuer, self-guided appointments are available Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, and Sunday, 10:15 am–3 pm; and Friday and Saturday, 10:15 am–6 pm.

The Museum cannot guarantee access to all galleries at all times.

Audio Guides
Get the whole story! Audio Guides are available free of charge for New York City high school students who attend public schools, thanks to the generosity of the Rudin Family Foundation. All others groups of 15 or more can reserve Audio Guides for $4 each.

Teacher Resources
Use the links below to selected pre-visit guides that will help you prepare for your self-guided visit with your students.

• American Art (School Group Self-Guide to Art of The American Wing)
• Ancient Near Eastern Art (School Group Self-Guide to Art of the Ancient Near East)
• Arms and Armor
• Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia (School Group Self-Guide to Art of the Arab Lands, Turkey, Iran, Central Asia, and Later South Asia)
• Arts of Africa (School Group Self-Guide to the Art of Africa)
• Arts of the Ancient Americas (School Group Self-Guide to Art of the Americas)
• Asian Art (School Group Self-Guide to the Art of China; School Group Self-Guide to the Arts of Japan)
• Egyptian Art (School Group Self-Guide to Art of Ancient Egypt)
• European Decorative Arts
• European Paintings (School Group Self-Guide to European Paintings)
• Greek and Roman Art (School Group Self-Guide to the Art of Ancient Greece and Rome)
• Medieval Art (School Group Self-Guide to the Art of Medieval Europe)
• Modern Art (School Group Self-Guide to Modern and Contemporary Art)
• Musical Instruments
• Nineteenth-Century European Art (School Group Self-Guide to Nineteenth-Century European Painting)
• Oceanic Art

Trip Tips for Educators
Glean tips for leading self-guided class trips to the Met in this short video.

I'm ready. How do I book a youth group visit?
Appointments are required for all groups visiting the Museum. To request an appointment, please fill out the School Group Visit Request Form for K–12 school groups or the Camp and Community Youth Group Visit Request Form for summer camps and community youth organizations.

Qualified tour operators are eligible for discounted rates.

Do you have lunchroom facilities? May we eat in the public cafeteria?
Unfortunately the Museum does not have indoor lunchroom facilities. Bag lunches can be stored while you are in the galleries, but please plan to eat outside or on the bus. We encourage groups to picnic in neighboring Central Park before or after your visit (weather permitting).

My group includes children with special needs. Should I use the online request form?
Yes. The Museum welcomes children of all abilities. When requesting your youth group visit, please let us know what accommodations we can provide in order to meet your needs. You can also reference a social narrative (PDF; best viewed in Chrome, Safari, or Firefox) that prepares children on the autism spectrum for a guided visit.

We have a guided visit scheduled, but we have additional chaperones that want to attend. Is this okay?
Please notify us as soon as possible at schoolvisits@metmuseum.org so that we can assess the feasibility of your request. We typically permit only three chaperones per assigned guide and may not be able to accommodate the additional adults. If this is the case, the additional adults are more than welcome to do a self-guided visit and meet up with the group afterward.

How do I reschedule or cancel a confirmed youth group appointment?
All requests to change or cancel existing appointments must be made via email to schoolvisits@metmuseum.org. Please include your name, telephone number, confirmation number, name of organization, and date and time of your visit. If you need to reschedule or cancel a guided visit, we kindly ask for as much advance notice as possible so that we can assign your guides to another group.

Do you have a place for buses or large vans to park at the Museum?
There is no school or charter bus parking in the vicinity of the Museum. We recommend referencing the New York City Department of Transportation website for bus layover locations.

Our parking garage can accommodate smaller vans. The clearance is six feet, six inches (6' 6"). Designated spaces are available in the parking garage for visitors with disabilities. Alternate arrangements can be made in advance for visitors with disabilities traveling in oversized vehicles. Please call 212-650-2010, between 9 am and 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

If we schedule a guided visit for a specific time, may we arrive earlier and look around on our own?
Due to the number of groups scheduled throughout the day, we ask that you arrive at your scheduled time. Your group is more than welcome to explore the rest of the Museum after your scheduled visit.

I have a guided visit scheduled and want to speak with the guides prior to the tour. Is this possible?
Of course. Our guides will contact you seven to ten days prior to your visit to discuss your tour in more detail. They usually write to the email address you provided when you requested your visit, so be sure to check your email a week or so prior to your visit.

Can we pay upon arrival or do we need to pay in advance?
Payment is expected upon arrival for self-guided visits. Payment is due one week in advance for guided tours. Groups can pay in advance by check, credit card, or purchase order. Checks should be mailed to:

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Attn: Visitor Services
1000 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10028

Please send a copy of the confirmation letter with your check. Credit card payments may be made by calling 212-570-3711. Purchase orders referencing your confirmation number may be emailed to schoolvisits@metmuseum.org or faxed to 212-570-3825. Please note that refunds are not provided for overpayments.

How should I prepare for my youth group visit?
We encourage you to familiarize yourself with the Met before bringing your group to the Museum. There are a range of resources for you, including:

• Lesson Plans
  Search for lesson plans with keywords, or sort them by age, subject area, collection area, and theme.
• Curriculum Resources
  These comprehensive and fully illustrated guides provide useful background information and ideas for engaging children.
• K–12 Educator Workshops
  The Museum offers a variety of programs designed for K–12 educators that explore objects in the Museum's collections, interdisciplinary curriculum integration, and methods for teaching with objects.
• Museum Map
  The Museum's fully interactive map allows you to learn more about the building's layout and the artworks currently on view.
• Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History
  The Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History presents The Met collection via a chronological, geographical, and thematic exploration of global art history.
• Curatorial Departments
  Read about the Museum's seventeen curatorial departments and how they study, exhibit, and care for the objects in the collections.

Please also review the Group Guidelines below before bringing your group to the Museum.

I have another question that's not answered here.
We are happy to help. Please email schoolvisits@metmuseum.org or call 212-570-3711. You may also continue to check this page for the most up-to-date information.

We are pleased that your group will be visiting the Museum. In order to assure the best Museum experience, please read the following list of guidelines and share them with your group prior to the visit:

General Guidelines

• Advance reservations are required for all groups of 10 or more, and for any third-party guided tours, regardless of size.
• A Museum-issued badge is required for all lecturing. Lecturer badges are available for any group that has made a reservation with the Museum in advance.
• Any group arriving more than 30 minutes late cannot be guaranteed its scheduled guided program.
• Groups of over 25 people must break into smaller groups.
• Groups cannot join public Museum guided tours. The Member and Visitor Services department can arrange private guided tours with advance notice.
• The Museum cannot guarantee access to all galleries at all times. For up-to-date gallery closings, please call 212-570-3711. There may be lines for admittance into certain exhibition galleries.

Conduct in the Galleries

• In order to preserve the collection, please do not touch the artworks.
• Visitors may take photographs for personal use; however, flash and video are prohibited. No selfie sticks.
• Backpacks must be carried on your front or side. Coat check facilities are available. Large umbrellas are not allowed in the galleries. Please note that luggage and musical instruments are not permitted in the museum and will not be accepted at the coat check.
• Food, beverages, and gum cannot be consumed in the galleries.
• Only pencils are allowed for sketching or note-taking in the galleries.
• Running and rough play are prohibited, for the safety of the collection and other visitors.
• Please keep your voices low and be mindful of others. Cellphones should be put on vibrate or silent.
• Please be mindful of keeping doorways and hallways accessible to other visitors.
• Museum staff lecturing in the galleries have priority. Please yield to Museum-led tours and programs.

Please follow the instructions of security officers in the galleries. The Museum reserves the right to refuse or dismiss any group for misconduct.