The Statue of Liberty on Ellis Island is an iconic image that greets you when as you enter the Big Apple via Hudson River. The copper statue is a gift from French to American people, designed by Frederic Auguste Bartholdi and built by Gustave Eiffel and it represents the Roman Goddess of Liberty. It was dedicated in 1886 and is now an international symbol of freedom and democracy. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (or lovingly called The Met from New Yorkers) is the largest museum in the United States, the second most visited art museum in the world and the fifth most visited museum of any kind worldwide. The museum was founded in 1870 and nowadays it is a permanent home to more than 5000 pieces of art. It is open seven days a week, open late Friday and Saturday evenings. We would highly recommend joining one of the guided tours in more than 15 languages that come free with your admission ticket. The museum is very large and there is absolutely no way you can see everything in one visit. The must-sees we recommend are the Temple of Dendur, the Paar room, the space designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, the Moroccan courtyard, the artwork called ‘Between Heaven and Earth’ by African designer El Anatsui, the first painting by Johannes Vermeer to enter the United States ‘Young Woman with a Water Pitcher’, the Modern art pieces by Andy Warhol and Georgia O’Keefe, the ‘Kuoros’ sculpture by Isamu Noguchi, the Velez Blanco Patio and the Astor court.No trip to New York is completed without going to the Observation desk at Empire State Building. The building is 443.2 metres tall, designed by Shreve, Lamb and Harmon architects and, once the tallest in the world is now the 28th tallest building in the world. Most people visit not only because of its impressive Art-Deco style or because of the permanent exhibitions showing the engineering and construction of the building, but because of the unparalleled views of New York from the Observation desk. Beware that the queues are always long, unless you go early in the morning, or late at night.

Times Square is also in our list of must-sees not only because it makes an excellent picture spot. It is known as ‘The heart of Manhattan’, ‘The Crossroads of the World’ and many more. It’s one of the world busiest pedestrian areas and one of the world’s most visited tourist attractions. It’s the hub of the Broadway Theatre District and a major New York entertainment centre. The dazzling lights from the abundance of billboards, the colourful costumes of the street artists dressed as Minnie Mouse or the Statue of Liberty, the beggars, the dancers and the masses of picture-taking tourist all contribute to the vibrant urban atmosphere. There is a lot more we recommend seeing in New York, providing you have the time. From a world-renowned Museum collection – we recommend the American Museum of Natural History, The Museum of Modern Art, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, the Tenement Museum and the Museum of the city of New York, through to walking along the trendy up and coming neighbourhoods of Williamsburg, St Marks Place and South Street Seaport to the well-known Brooklyn Bridge, World Trade centre, Broadway, Wall Street, Little Italy, China town, Central Park, Madison Square Garden and the Brooklyn Botanical Garden. We also recommend visiting the Union Square Market, the Brooklyn Heights Promenade, The High Line, Chelsea Market and the Strand bookstore.