Manhattan has one of the most photographed skylines in the world but the catch is that you can't actually see the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, et al. when you're in them.

We've compiled a list of the best places to see New York on high - from uptown and downtown, from the ones available to any traveller to those reserved for deep pockets or members of the club. For more information about visiting New York, go to www.nycvisit.com

1. Ty Warner Penthouse, Four Seasons, 57 East 57th Street (001 212 758 5700) - The lobby at the Four Seasons epitomises Gotham chic, with soaring flower arrangements, sleek surfaces and people who spend more on shoelaces than you earn all year. You may be unlikely to book into the mind-boggling $30,000-a-night penthouse suite designed by IM Pei, Peter Marino and owner Ty Warner. So we had a look around for you: there's a library with piano, a Zen room for private treatments, a personal waterfall, and four balconies cantilevered 800 feet up over nothing by air. www.fourseasons.com/newyorkfs

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2. Rise Bar, Ritz Carlton Battery Park, Two West Street (001 212 344 0800) – The Rise Bar is tailormade for those proper social engagements that require highly glossed tables, starched service and cocktails at grown-up prices. From the 14th floor bar, named as one of the best in the city by Zagat, you can cast your eyes over the bustle of New York Harbour and New Jersey, with martini and a mini-burger in hand. www.ritzcarlton.com

Watch the Rise Bar video

3. The Iris and B. Gerald Cantor Roof Garden, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street (001 212 535 7710) - Drink in culture while tossing back cocktails or nibbling a sandwich on the roof deck of the Metropolitan museum and you'll also be treating yourself to the perhaps the best view of Central Park, sculpture installations included. www.metmuseum.org

Watch the Metropolitan Museum roof garden video

4. Top of the Rock, 30 Rockefeller Plaza (001 212 698 2000) – The experience at Top of the Rock encompasses a walk-through history lesson, with tales from old New York, vintage postcards and pictures, a scale model of the building and a “Beam Walk” where visitors can take a simulated walk across a girder beam against a backdrop of the skyline. Upstairs, light and sound follows visitors’ movements around the room in the “Target Breezeway”, and indoor and outdoor terraces provide views in good weather and bad. http://www.topoftherocknyc.com

Watch the Top of the Rock video

5. Brooklyn Bridge - Stroll across the pedestrian walkway on the bridge to see views up and down the East River, over the South Street Seaport and out to the boats and ships coming and going.

Watch the Brooklyn Bridge video

6. Helicopter tours – Every oligarch and his brother owns a jet these days. Ho-hum. Jump a helicopter instead for a swing round the end of Manhattan. Trips are quick – the shortest just 5 minutes, the longest, 17. The flights are run like a well-oiled machine with security screenings, safety briefings, picture taking, take offs and landings and a photo to buy as a souvenir. You’ll be back on the ground in time for happy hour. To book visit www.dosomethingdifferent.com or call 020 8090 3790.

Watch the helicopter tour video

7. Asiate, Mandarin Oriental Hotel, 80 Columbus Circle (001 212 805 8881) - Every seat in the house at this Asian-inspired restaurant has a view over the high-rises surrounding Central Park. Step up to the window to see the park and the traffic coursing around Columbus Circle. The views from the Lobby Lounge next door are practically the same, except for the two exposures, the cosy booths and the wall of wine to choose from. www.mandarinoriental.com/newyork/dining/asiate/

Watch the Asiate video

8. Gramercy Park Hotel, 2 Lexington Avenue (001 212 920 3300) - This chic hotel by Ian Schrager and Julian Schnabel has Andy Warhol artwork in every room, toiletries curated by the editor of Allure magazine and an enclosed penthouse club where the people watching outweighs the scenes of the genteel buildings that snuggle up to this exclusive private square. www.gramercyparkhotel.com

Watch the Gramercy Park Hotel video

9. Hotel on Rivington, 107 Rivington Street (001 212 475 2600) - You'll hop over crumbling sidewalks and walk past graffiti to get to this hotel in downtown hipster central, the Lower East Side. Book into the split-level penthouse for double-height windows, a bathtub with a view, and a rooftop hot tub that lets you listen to the bustle of cool kids far below. For something more modestly priced, reserve one of the other rooms - all of them have floor-to-ceiling windows, even in the bathrooms. www.hotelonrivington.com

Watch the Hotel on Rivington video

10. Hotel Gansevoort, 18th Ninth Avenue (001 212 206 6700) – The meatpacking district on the west side of Manhattan has become a hip enclave for trendy restaurants, hot bars and this hotel. It has a heated pool-with-a-view and a retractable roof for open-air cocktails overlooking the Hudson River. www.hotelgansevoort.com

Watch the Hotel Gansevoort video

PLUS, a few newcomers:

* Six Columbus - The newest addition to Thompson Hotels recently opened on Columbus Circle, with a Sixties modernist-inspired vibe and a rooftop members bar, accessed with a card. 6 Columbus Circle (001 212 204 3000) www.sixcolumbus.com

* Salon de Ning, Peninsula Hotel - This newly opened bar and lounge draws its inspiration from 1930s Shanghai. it has views over Fifth Avenue as well as Chinese-style day beds and Asian-inspired light fare. 700 Fifth Avenue (001 212 956 2888) www.salondening.com

* Rare View, Rare Bar & Grill - Popular Murray Hill eatery Rare Bar & Grill, inside the Shelburne hotel, re-opens its 16th floor rooftop bar this summer. It has view of the Empire State and Chrysler buildings, along with lights strung overhead, food and beds to relax on. Shelburne Murray Hill, 303 Lexington Avenue (001 212 481 1999). www.rarebarandgrill.com

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