Top of the Rock: Tickets and How to Visit
Skip the line at the Empire State Building and come here instead. Top of the Rock, the 70th-floor observation deck at Rockefeller Center, beats it on the one thing an observation deck actually sells: the view, because from up here the Empire State Building itself is right there in your photo, which its own deck obviously cannot show you. Tickets run $42-60 for adults depending on date and time slot, and the whole visit, security line included, takes about an hour.
Top of the Rock at a glance
| Price | Adult $42-60 (dynamic pricing), senior $40, child 6-12 $36; Skylift and Beam add-ons +$15 each |
| Hours | Daily, 8am-midnight, last entry around 11pm; closed Christmas Day |
| Time needed | 45-60 minutes including the security line and elevator queue |
| Booking lead | Book a timed slot online; walk-up is not guaranteed at peak hours or sunset |
Book a timed slot on Viator before you land, sunset and weekend evening slots go first.
What you actually get for the ticket
Three open-air levels stacked at the top of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, with unobstructed 360-degree views north over Central Park, south down the spine of Manhattan, and straight across at the Empire State Building, close enough that it dominates the frame rather than looking like a distant spike. The deck is glass-railed rather than caged, which is the other reason people rate the photos here above the Empire State’s own observatory.
Is Top of the Rock better than the Empire State Building? For the view, yes, since the Empire State itself becomes part of your photo instead of the thing you’re standing on. For bragging rights about height or history, the Empire State still wins, it’s the taller, older, more famous building. Pick Top of the Rock if the photo is the point.
Summit One Vanderbilt, a few blocks away, is the newer mirrored, art-installation-driven alternative starting around $54, with sunset slots running $12-13 more. It’s a different kind of visit, more art installation than skyline photo op, and worth comparing before you commit to one deck over the two others.
Getting there and timing it right
The entrance sits at 45 Rockefeller Plaza, a short walk from the B, D, F, and M trains at 47-50th Sts-Rockefeller Center. Go right at opening or in the last hour before close for the thinnest crowds; midday and the hour around sunset are consistently the busiest, and sunset slots are the first to sell out days in advance. Full current pricing and time-slot availability are on the official Rockefeller Center site .
Do I need to book Top of the Rock ahead of time? For a sunset slot, yes, those sell out days ahead in peak season. For a random weekday midday visit, walk-up tickets are sometimes available, but you’re gambling with an hour of your trip if they’re not, book the timed slot regardless.
Only book one observation deck per trip. Between security, the elevator wait, and the deck itself, each one realistically eats 90 minutes to two hours, and the skyline doesn’t change enough between the Empire State, Top of the Rock, and Summit One Vanderbilt to justify doing two in a single day. If you’re building a full day around Midtown, our New York City guide covers what to pair it with.