Boasting one of the world's largest art collections and spread over a whopping 17 acres (7 ha), The Met can be overwhelming. Scope out the best pieces in the museum's galleries with an expert guide, getting special insight into the stories behind the art on this small-group tour.

Walk up the hallowed steps of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a New York icon since its founding in 1870. This world-renowned institution boasts a collection of more than 2 million objects, from Roman artifacts to 19th-century paintings. Your guide leads you by models of Egyptian tombs to the Temple of Dendur, which dates to 15 BC.

Cross over to Tudor-era England to check out King Henry VIII's suit of armor, and hear the legends that surround the Antioch Chalice—believed to be the Holy Grail. Meander through the Greek and Roman statuary, absorbing the sense of history as you admire ancient frescoes and the busts of emperors past.

Watch the sunlight filter through Art Nouveau stained-glass windows by Louis Comfort Tiffany, and ponder a bronze cast of Rodin's The Thinker. Admire the brushstrokes in landscapes painted by Monet and Van Gogh, and study moody works by Rembrandt and Vermeer.

Listen to the story that inspired David's Death of Socrates, hear about the scandal behind John Singer Sargent's Madame X, and stand before Leutze's Washington Crossing the Delaware. Weather dependent, your tour ends at the rooftop sculpture garden for sweeping views over Central Park and the city skyline.