Top of the Rock Observation Deck New York City: Tips

At the top of the GE Building, the main tower of Rockefeller Center, sits one of the most famous observation decks in New York: the Top of the Rock.

It's one of the city's most visited attractions, and for good reason. From its terraces you get the best views of Central Park, the Empire State Building, and the new One Vanderbilt, the skyscraper next to Grand Central Terminal.

What the Top of the Rock is like

From the Observation Deck you used to see all of Central Park stretched out below. Today you see it in pieces, through the towers of Billionaires' Row.

You can actually take in Manhattan a full 360 degrees from the different terraces up here. The best part: you get to see the Empire State from above and face to face at the same time (the photos are great!).

And it isn't just Manhattan's classic buildings. You also get flawless views of other skyscrapers that now have observatories of their own, like Summit in the new One Vanderbilt Building, just steps from Rockefeller Center.

That's another tower worth visiting if you can, but buy your tickets well ahead of time because they sell out fast while it's still the new thing. At Summit, along with the views, there are interactive art installations, cocktails, and music.

For visitor safety, panes of glass enclose the deck, but they were installed so well that they don't get in the way of the panorama, unlike the annoying mesh fencing at the Empire State observatory or the thick glass at One World Observatory that muddies the view.

Best time to visit the Rockefeller Center observation deck

The move is to go up shortly before sunset so you can enjoy the views in daylight for a while, then wait for the real show when night falls.

From Rockefeller Center you're right in the middle of the most famous skyscrapers in Midtown Manhattan, and their lights will make you feel like you're inside a movie, in the heart of this incredible city.

After visiting every observation deck in New York, my conclusion is that if you can only do one, make it the Top of the Rock. Up there you don't just see New York, you hear it 🙂

You'll ride up to the Rockefeller Center observatory in seriously fast elevators. On the way you'll feel the pressure in your ears and catch a short introduction to the building projected on the ceiling screen above you.

In the waiting area before the elevators there's a photo exhibition about the construction of Rockefeller Center, a treat for anyone who appreciates the history of how the city was built, especially the magnificent skyscrapers of Manhattan.

There you'll see a huge blowup of one of the most iconic photos ever taken in New York (Lunch atop a Skyscraper).

The photo was taken in 1932 during the construction of Rockefeller Center. In it, 11 workers eat lunch calmly on a steel beam, hundreds of feet up and with no safety gear at all.

If you want more stories about the buildings that made New York famous, I recommend visiting the Skyscraper Museum.

The Beam experience at the Top of the Rock

To draw more visitors, the Top of the Rock opened The Beam, a steel girder that lifts you about 12 feet above the deck, recreating exactly what those workers did in the famous 1932 photo.

Now you can recreate that moment with friends or family, with safety harnesses of course, for $25 each 💰.

Tips for visiting the Top of the Rock

The Rockefeller Center observation deck is one of the most visited attractions in New York, and the entry lines and the wait to reach the deck are genuinely impressive. But you'll see it's worth every minute once you get up there.

When popular spots like this are on your list, one of the discount tourist passes makes even more sense, not only because you save on the ticket price, but because with a pass you skip the longest line of all, the one at the ticket windows.

When you get to the entrance, look carefully for the line for pass holders. It's a shorter line to redeem your tickets.

Those tickets come with a specific entry time. In high season it's very likely you'll be given a slot one or two hours later, but once you have the tickets in hand you can explore other corners of Rockefeller Center and come back when it's your turn.

The Rockefeller family

If the story of the powerful Rockefeller family and its deep ties to New York interests you, you have to explore Rockefeller Center. And if you have more time, go to Kykuit, the Rockefeller family mansion in the little town of Sleepy Hollow, 50 minutes from New York. Fantastic day trip, you'll thank me 😉

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Address

To go up to the Rockefeller Center observatory, head to the entrance at 30 Rockefeller Plaza.

Hours

Open year round from 8 a.m. to midnight, though the last elevator goes up at 11 p.m.

Top of the Rock ticket prices

👩‍🦰 Top of the Rock tickets, ages 13 and up: $46

👦🏽 Top of the Rock tickets, kids 6 to 12: $38

👴🏼 Top of the Rock tickets, seniors 62 and up: $42

🍼 Kids under 6 get in free.

Admission to The Beam experience costs an extra $25.

To save time, lock in your time slot, and skip the box office line (the lines in high season are brutal), it's worth buying your Top of the Rock tickets online, with no extra booking fee.

Admission to the Top of the Rock is included in the New York CityPASS and also in Go City New York, a solid saving of both time and money.