Must Visit Tourist Destinations in New York State
The city offers a complete package for you regardless of the type of explorer you are. For example, you can visit the National Metropolitan Museum of Art if history, art, and culture fascinate you. On the other hand, you get a vibe of busy city life and modern lifestyle at Times Square. Broadway can be of interest to you if you love exploring plays, musical theatres, and more.
Let’s get into details about how your tour to New York State with a USA travel visa can be a journey to remember.
Planning your itinerary for NYC
Before you come to New York City, you must plan for your journey. Planning a detailed tour with sites to visit will help you to better optimize the days you will spend in the city.
Take a stroll on the city street and look around the city. If possible, become a part of a walking tour organized by any walking tour organizers. They can answer all the questions that you might have about the city.
Planning for an itinerary is also important as you will need it when you apply for a USA travel visa.
Suitable time to visit NYC
If you are traveling from the UK, you can visit NYC between March and May or from September to November. The first session marks the spring in the USA when the weather is agreeable. On the other hand, in the latter season between September and November, you get similar weather conditions.
New York is the most visited state among all the states in the USA. When you visit the city during the mentioned time frame, you get to experience all the amusement and fun the city has to offer to you.
USA visa and relevant documents
You need a USA travel visa to come from the United Kingdom. Let’s see the process of getting a visa for the USA.
Apply for the visa
You must have a valid passport for you to apply for the USA travel visa. That excludes your previous stay in the United States. You can apply from several reliable online platforms to apply for a USA visa from the UK.
Required documents
You need to have two copies of passport-size photos along with other necessary documents. These documents may include supporting documents for your visit to the USA, your intent to leave the country, and others.
Interview with consular officer
Schedule an interview date with the consular officer after you submit all the documents. The officer will review your purpose of visiting the country.
Collect your passport
Upon a satisfactory answer to your purpose of visiting the country, you can collect your visa. Remember there are two types of nonimmigrant visas – B1 for business purposes and B2 for tourism. You should apply for the B2 visa.
Flights from the UK to the USA
If you want to book a flight to NYC keep in mind that several flight booking platforms offer cheap flights at a discounted rate. You just need to do a bit of research and comparison among all the booking platforms.
See if you can get more discounts on booking two-way flight tickets. It should not be a problem for you to select the return date if you have a planned itinerary.
Travel insurance for the USA
You can visit the country without insurance. It’s not mandatory to have a travel visa.
The UK Government also suggests that you should buy appropriate travel insurance before you visit any foreign country. It will cover any accidental cost or medical emergency cost.
Places to explore
Now, let’s get into the details of places that you must explore during your trip to the USA.
Statue of Liberty
Background
Needless to say, it is the most iconic tourist attraction in New York City. France gifted the Statue of Liberty to commemorate the alliance between the USA and France at the time of the American Revolution.
Why the place is a must-visit
The statue stands tall on Liberty Island and you can see its majestic view from the nearest Ellis Island. Thousands of people visit there every day to experience its historical legacy.
Transportation
You can access ferry service from New York Harbor to reach Ellis Island. Remember that you cannot go on a private boat and dock on Ellis Island.
The best time to visit
Except on Thanksgiving and Christmas, you are free to visit any other day. It remains open for you to visit from 9 A.M to 5:45 P.M.
9/11 Memorial and Museum
Background
The Museum and Memorial honors the memory of terror attacks on the World Trade Center in 1993 and 2001. Now you can see two waterfalls that mark the places where the two buildings of WTC once stood.
Why the place is a must-visit
You can see artifacts of the 9/11 tragedy upon visiting the Museum and Memorial. You’ll understand how painful and moving the incident was for the relatives of the victims while hearing stories related to the incident.
Transportation
To reach the 9/11 Memorial and Museum you have mainly four options – Metro, Bus, Path train, and Ferry. From the metro stations like Chambers Street, Park Place, Fulton Street, etc. you can reach your destination within 10 minutes by foot.
M55 Southbound and Northbound, M20 Southbound, and M22 Southbound are some of the buses that you can take to reach the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.
For train routes, any train that connects WTC will do, while you can get ferry service from Manhattan, New Jersey, Queens, and other places connecting you to the destination.
The best time to visit
The Memorial remains open from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM and the Museum remains open from Wednesday to Monday 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
Times Square
Background
Want to explore the nightlife of New York City? You might not want to miss Times Square. The bustling crowd of the city along with its large electronic billboards make the place a tourist attraction.
Why the place is a must-visit
Branded outlasts of many international brands make the place a must-visit for shoppers. The spectacular show at midnight, called Midnight Moment, showcases iconic art from around the world. Since 2012, Midnight Moment has showcased the works of over 100 artists around the world.
Transportation
Train, bus, taxi, and private transportation services are available to take you to the famous spot.
The best time to visit
Midnight is the best time to visit Times Square where you can view the bright light of the city along with the 3-minute art show from 11:57 PM to 12:00 AM.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Background
The Museum was the result of an initiative of a group of art enthusiast Americans in 1866 gathering in Paris. They decided to bring and preserve art in the USA. The museum was opened to the public on March 30 1880 after support from several parties.
Why the place is a must-visit
The place is a monument of worship for art and history lovers. The place houses pieces of art and artifacts from historical times and places.
Transportation
Similar to the transportation services available to reach other tourist places in the city, you can use the bus, ferry, and subway or walk your way to the destination.
The best time to visit
The place is open for most of the days but remains closed on Thanksgiving, 25th December, and 1st January.
Niagara Falls
Background
The naturally occurring waterfalls carry down approximately 3,000 tons of water each second.
Why the place is a must-visit
The beautiful and majestic waterfall shows you the true beauty of nature. I feel somehow enchanted by the beauty of the place. To get the best experience of Niagara Falls go on a boat tour that takes you to the base of the waterfalls.
Transportation
You can get a bus, car, or train to reach the destination.
The best time to visit
Being a nature lover you would want to visit the place when the weather is agreeable. You can choose any time from mid-May to mid-September to visit the waterfalls. At this time the weather is also agreeable.
Essential things to keep in your backpack
- Mini first-aid kit
- Passport holder
- Portable charger
- Hand sanitizer
- Waterproof phone case
- Torchlight
Things to keep in mind while traveling
While traveling to USA, keep the following things in mind:
- Reserve transportation if possible
- Museums may also need a reservation
- Talk with people in a friendly manner but don’t bring politics to the table
- Don’t plan for a long tour in NYC
- Try to be punctual if you have made a reservation
Ready to Visit New York with a USA Travel Visa?
If you’re planning to go to the USA, plan it wisely. The city has multiple places to visit, if you don’t plan your stay accordingly, you may fail to utilize your days in the States. Keep all the documents with you, such as the USA visa from the UK, all the time to avoid legal harassment.
If everything is set up accordingly, you’ll have a great day in New York City.