Time is precious in the city that never sleeps. Travel Editor Gemma O'Doherty has just flown back from the great shopping metropolis of Manhattan and gives her top 20 tips to make the most of your pre-Christmas visit

Arrive after dark

In the peak season leading up to Christmas, the city's airports are packed to the brim. Kennedy can feel more like Ellis Island on a bad day and the queues at immigration are often a nightmare. Don't be surprised if it takes 90 minutes to get from the plane to the luggage carousel. If you arrive on a late flight -- Aer Lingus has one from Dublin that gets in about 7pm local time -- you won't miss out on valuable shopping time and will arrive in the city just in time for dinner. It's also easier on the jet lag as you can settle down for the night a few hours after arrival.

Catch an airport cab

Unless you have no luggage and all day to spare, take a taxi to Manhattan. A recent survey showed it is by far the fastest way in from the airport, even faster than helicopter and, after the trauma of the immigration wait, it's low stress and reliable. Line up at the main taxi stand, where a uniformed attendant will direct you to a cab. From JFK, a flat rate of $45 (€31) applies. Add on a 10-15 per cent tip. Allow at least 45 minutes into the city. A new free service called Hitchers.com matches up travellers looking to share a cab to or from the airport. If you don't have lots of luggage and time is not an issue, a cheaper alternative is Airtrain, which runs from Newark and JFK airports, linking passengers with the New York subway.

Be wary of the NYC Explorer Pass

This credit card-sized smartcard claims to come loaded with admission to many of New York's must-see attractions. It lets you choose any five sights for $109 (€75) -- $69 (€47) for children under 12 -- but gives the impression that holders can cut queues, which is not always the case. For example, it will allow you to skip the ticket line for the ferry at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island -- which you can do anyway by buying online and printing out your tickets -- but you still have to stand in all the other lines when you arrive. According to Newyorkology.com, the city's superb online tourist guide, the Explorer does not include a free monument pass, which is the only way to get into the Statue of Liberty Museum and onto its pedestal.

Climb to the Top of the Rock

If you get to the top of only one skyscraper, the Rockefeller Center should be it. The city's newest skyline observation point, which looms 70 floors above midtown Manhattan, has been completely refurbished. The vertigo-inducing viewing platform is surrounded by a layer of crystal clear safety glass so there is nothing between you and the Empire State, Central Park and the Statue of Liberty. Get there before sunset and watch the city light up as night falls. Entry to the top floor is $17.50 (€12) and it's open from 8am to midnight every day.

If you have time, take a twirl on the ice rink in the plaza below, which will be lit with a 90 foot tall Norway Spruce on November 28. Skaters pay between $10 (€6.90) and $14 (€9.70) per hour. Skate rental costs $8 (€5.50). (Rockefeller Center, entrance on West 50th St, 001 212 698 2000, www.topoftherocknyc.com.)

Do the museums after hours

In the city that never sleeps, New York's museums come to life after dark, often with free admission, live music and cocktails. MOMA -- the Museum of Modern Art -- is the place to be seen on Friday nights, when it stays open until 8.30pm. MOMA, along with the Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met), the Guggenheim and the American Museum of Natural History (famous for its life-size dinosaurs and planetarium) are New York's four must-see museums, but there are hundreds more. For a complete list, check out www.ny.com/museums.

Speed it up

New York is not a city for slow coaches. Locals despise tourists who slow them up and disobey street etiquette. Walk fast if you can, stay to the right on sidewalks, stairs and escalators, and never go more than two abreast. When you feel the urge to gawk up at a skyscraper, which you will 24/7 in New York, keep out of the traffic flow and tuck yourself in beside a trash can or telephone. In the subway, have your MetroCard -- $10 (€6.90) for six rides -- ready before you reach the turnstile. When booking a discounted Broadway show at the TKTS window off Times Square, know which one you want to see before you stand in line. New Yorkers will bend over backwards to help you if you get lost -- it's the one city in the world where more often than not they will take you to your destination -- but they do get irritated if you don't have the exact address and are imprecise.

Visit Ground Zero at the start of your trip

If you haven't been before, a visit to the site of the former World Trade Center, where 2,750 people lost their lives, takes its toll on the emotions. Most visitors to the city feel the need to travel to the tip of the island and see the gaping hole in the ground that has been left at Ground Zero. But, while New York will never forget the most devastating event in its history, New Yorkers have moved on and no longer feel the need to dwell on it. So go there early in your stay, spend an hour or so in the neighbouring chapel of St Paul and brace yourself for tears when you see the numerous Irish flags remembering all of the Irish-American firefighters who lost their lives rescuing others.

You won't see much of the Twin Towers site itself due to the construction of its replacement, the new 1,776-foot Freedom Tower which opens in 2011, but it's fascinating to watch other tourists trying to find cracks in the mesh to take a picture of the rubble below.

Sail early to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

A great way to spoil your trip is to arrive at New York's iconic landmark too late in the day and discover you can't pay homage to the city's First Lady. Since September 2001, access to the top of the Statue of Liberty is no longer allowed and you need a special timed entry pass to get inside the 305 foot bronze monument, the museum and the observation deck. This can be reserved for free online at www.nps.gov/stli. Otherwise, you are limited to the grounds of the island. The recently restored Ellis Island leaves visitors with a fascinating insight into what life was like for the millions of immigrants who arrived in the New World from here. It's best to allow a full day for both sights, which are accessed by ferry from Battery Park. Sit on the right side of the boat for the best views. A ferry ticket costs $12 (€8), which includes entry to both sites.

Shop sensibly

With the dive of the dollar, the chances are you have come to New York to shop. For the next six weeks until Christmas, the city's stores will be unbearably crowded, but it would be a sin to miss out on those amazing bargains. You can get more out of your shopping time by going midweek (Saturdays are a nightmare downtown), starting early and going alone. You could spend a week at Macys (151, West 34th St at Sixth Ave, 001 212 695 4400), the world's biggest department store, and that's before you even get beyond the handbag section on the ground floor. But make sure your first stop is on Floor 1.5, where you can pick up a visitors' discount card. This entitles you to 11 per cent off every purchase, so it's well worth waiting in the fast moving queue. All you need is a form of ID with your address. The store opens from 10am to 9.30pm Monday to Saturday and 11am to 8.30pm on Sundays. If you're there for Thanksgiving, watch out for the store's spectacular annual parade on November 22 (www.macysparade.com), as much a part of America's biggest holiday as turkey and cranberry sauce.

Another store adored by cash-conscious design-lovers is Century 21 (22 Cortlandt St; 001 212 227 9092; www.c21.com), exactly opposite the former World Trade Center.

But don't treat New York like a giant discount mall for everyday clothes you can buy back home. The real bargains are to be found in high-end designer brands.

If time is against you, a super way to track them down is to take a shopping tour, such as the appropriately-named Elegant Tightwad (www.theeleganttightwad.com, 001 631 841 2111), where Noo Yoik style guru Pamela Parisi will find you the best discounted designer goods in the city. Her undercover signature tour of Manhattan's secret outlets costs $75 (€52), and includes treasures like La Boutique (1045 Madison Ave, www.laboutiqueresale.com) and Designer Resale (324 East 81st St, www.designerclothingconsignment.com), where you can pick up Chanel, Prada, Fendi and Armani pieces for less than $100 (€70).

The subterranean Apple Store on Fifth Ave, 001 212 336 1440, www.apple.com/retail/fifthavenue) is the place to pick up eye-wateringly cheap iPods. New Yorkers are still queuing for the much-hyped iPhone, which won't be available here until February 2008. It costs $399 (€276) -- but be wary as it is configured to work with American mobile subscribers.

Spend a night at the Four Seasons

After a hard day of retail therapy, there's no place better to call home in Manhattan than the Four Seasons (57 East 57th St, 001 212 758 5700, www.fourseasons.com) invariably voted the city's favourite luxury hotel. Sandwiched between Park and Madison Aves, it's also the city's tallest hotel, and nearly all of the 368 spacious guestrooms have fantastic views of New York's playground, Central Park. The rooms are soundproofed -- a blessing in the world's noisiest town -- with giant windows that look over the Manhattan skyline. Just don't leave the bathroom when you're running your giant tub. It fills in less than 60 seconds. Need a reservation at Nobu? Want a ticket to the Yankees? If the concierge at the Four Seasons can't pull it off, then nobody can. Standard rooms start at $675 (€468).

A cheaper alternative is the perennial Irish favourite, Fitzpatricks (www.fitzpatrickhotels.com, 1850 644 464). Their Grand Central Hotel is right at the heart of the action in midtown Manhattan and you can pick up a room for $400 (€277) at this time of year.

Don't pay full price on Broadway

Chicago, A Chorus Line, Mamma Mia, Mary Poppins, Pygmalion and Grease are among the most hyped shows on Broadway this autumn.

The cheapest tickets can be picked up the afternoon of a performance from the TKTS window on Times Square, which has moved temporarily to the entrance of the Marriott Hotel. Expect to pay (with cash or travellers' cheques only) about half price here -- which works out at around $50 (€34) a ticket. For a full listing of Broadway and off Broadway shows, visit www.broadway.com. At nearby Radio City Music Hall (001 212 541 8457, www.radiocity.com) the spectacular Christmas Extravaganza began yesterday with snow, fireworks and the high-kicking Rockettes.

Pick up the new Zagat Guide

Every newsagent in Manhattan has the Zagat 2008 guide to New York's restaurants on its counter right now. Fresh off the press, it costs $15.95 (€52) and, whether it's breakfast, brunch or barbeque you're looking for, it will lead you to the best food Manhattan has to offer. We tried lunch in the restaurant voted New York's most popular by the Guide, the gorgeous Union Square Café (between 5th Ave and Union Sq, 001 212 243 4020, www.unionsquarecafe.com), and it proved a worthy winner.

Other Zagat favourites for 2008 include the king of American cuisine, the Gramercy Tavern (42 East 20th St between Broadway and Park Ave, 001 212 477 0777, www.gramercytavern.com), the French and pricey Le Benardin (155 West 51st St, between 5th and 6th Aves), 001 212 554 1515, www.le-benardin.com) and the Japanese-Peruvian jewel Nobu (105 Hudson St), 001 212 219 0500, www.nobu.com) . Try the Omakase (aka let-the-chef-decide) tasting menu -- an exquisite selection of delicious sushi, tempura shrimp and exquisite sashimi. Expect to pay a minimum of $300 (€208) for two. For New York's best burger, try the secret diner in Le Parker Meridien. The best pizza is served at Lombardis in what is left of Little Italy.

Get to know Grand Central

Anyone who loves architecture, trains and people will love the Terminal, the technically correct name for Grand Central, which is the end of the line for the commuter railways that bring hundreds of thousands of people to work in Manhattan every day. But it is so much more than a train station. It's packed with fabulous bookstores, a huge dining concourse -- the menu at the Oyster Bar is mind-boggling -- and an amazing food market. But the best thing about it is the building itself, lovingly restored to its original condition a decade ago and transformed into the most beautiful indoor space in the city. Take a free walking tour if you have time. For details visit www.grandcentralterminal.com.

Remember New York's police are still on high alert

New York has every right to be paranoid about security, which you'll see in full force at every tourist attraction. Expect airport-like X-ray machines when you visit the Statue of Liberty, the Top of the Rock and the Empire State. You're asking for trouble if you leave your new suitcase down during a shopping trip for even a second. The NYPD will sniff it out and dispose of it no matter what the contents.

Take a trip to Woodbury Common

The world's most upmarket designers sell off last season's designs (and some of this season's if you're lucky) at breathtakingly cheap prices in this giant mall an hour's drive upstate from New York in Orange County. Catch the earliest Shortline bus from the Port Authority bus terminal at 8.15am to avoid the crowds -- they leave and return approximately every hour. A return fare costs $40 (€27), which includes a book of discount coupons picked up at the information booth when you arrive at Woodbury. If you visit their website -- www.premiumoutlets.com -- you can register in their VIP club for free and get further reductions when you arrive. It's also a good idea to download a map of the centre before you go, which you can study on the flight to make sure you don't miss any of your favourite brands. Last week, I spotted a Calvin Klein leather jacket (winter 2008) for $100 (€70) in Woodbury -- a saving of about $300 (€208).

Other essential stores to visit are the Ralph Lauren outlet for men's jumpers and Polo tops, Jimmy Choo for dramatically reduced stilettos-to-die-for, Carters for great value children's wear, and Nike for sports gear.

The last coach leaves at 9.26pm, 26 minutes after the last shop closes. At this time of year there are long queues, but extra buses are always laid on.

Don't expect to eat well at Woodbury -- the food is fast and greasy, though there are two sit-down restaurants. Wear flat shoes and book a locker at the start of your visit to lighten your load during the day. If you are visiting over Thanksgiving, the centre opens at midnight on Thursday November 22 for its biggest sale of the year. Avoid weekends at all costs.

Get outta town

If you have more than four days in Manhattan, it's well worth taking a breather from the chaos and heading into the great outdoors for a night. A visit to the crisp mountains of upstate New York can be easily combined with a trip to Woodbury Common, in the heart of the Hudson Valley and close to some fascinating historic sights such as the West Point Military Academy and 1960's mecca Woodstock.

One of the nicest places to stay in this area is an hour's drive from Woodbury up the New York Thruway, the Emerson Resort and Spa (001 877 688 2828, www.emersonresort.com) in the Catskills Mountains, home to the state's only four star Mobil spa outside Manhattan. Guestrooms consist of fabulous two-storey suites with balconies, fires and Jacuzzis, but the real beauty is the feeling that you are in the heart of rural America even though the bright lights of the Big Apple are only an hour or so away.

Esopus Creek runs through the resort and is an idyllic place to go fly-fishing under the auburn glow of the New York 'fall', or you could go 'tubing' down it in a big fat inner tyre. And, if you're suffering from retail withdrawal, there's the Emerson Country Store next door, an American version of Avoca in a lovely 19th century barn. Children will love the world's largest kaleidoscope which lives here and has a listing in the Guinness Book of World Records. Rooms start at $195 (€135) and you can have a massage and facial for less than $150 (€104). The easiest way to get here is to hire a car at the Hertz Outlet near Woodbury -- expect to pay about $50 (€34) a day, though it's cheaper at weekends -- and take the Thruway to exit 19, then head west onto Route 28. It's a very easy drive through the mountains, with lots of interesting places to stop on the way.

Get lost in Central Park

An easy thing to do in this vast oasis of green that stretches from 59th St to 110th St, but you'll always find your way out by looking at the lampposts, which have signs showing the number of the nearest cross street. The further north you go in Central Park (001 212 360 3444, www.centralparknyc.org), the more peaceful it gets. Watch out for the 90-something joggers, Fifth Avenue women walking their Armani-clad pooches and spoilt WASP children picnicking with their nannies. At this time of year, you can go skating in the Wollman Rink.

Cross Brooklyn Bridge

New York's beloved rust bridge stretches less than a mile in length over the turbulent East River. For the full effect, take a cab across from Manhattan and walk back from the Brooklyn side, crossing the boardwalk-like promenade between the bridge's supporting steel cables. Stop halfway and look down on the river for a stunning view of the skyline.

Take the Staten Island ferry

For a taste of real New York life, ride the Staten Island ferry (001 718 815 2628, www.siferry.com) at sunset. It's free and offers great views of Downtown, the Statue of Liberty and the workers of New York. A round trip takes about an hour; ferries depart from the Whitehall Terminal by Battery Park.

Fly home on business class

Break the bank, remortgage the house, beg for an upgrade. Aer Lingus's (www.aerlingus.com, 0818 365 000) spanking new premier service across the Atlantic is as good as it gets at 40,000 feet. It starts with a glass of chilled champagne or two, followed by a delicious three course dinner or lunch depending on the time of your flight. You could quite easily spend the seven hour trip to or from New York playing with the controls on your push button seat, which turns into a surprisingly comfortable bed. The impressive entertainment system holds a comprehensive range of CDs if you get tired of the on demand movies, TV programmes and interactive games. The stewards do their best to make sure you rest, rehydrate and relax. You'll never even know that there are 300 poor souls behind you in economy.

- Gemma O'Doherty