The Metropolitan Opera, a landmark institution and cultural hub in the city, is housed at the Lincoln Center for the Arts on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. The performance hall contains 3,800 seats within 6 seating tiers, and features a scalloped ceiling covered in 23-karat gold leaf as well as star-shaped crystal chandeliers that ascend just before each performance.
The Met offers tours during the performance season, September to May, on weekdays at 3pm and Sundays at 10:30am and 1:30pm. Visitors receive exclusive access to areas not available to the general public, and learn little-known facts about the building’s architecture, chandeliers, elegant staircases, and murals by renowned artist Marc Chagall.