Jess and I have been up three of New York’s five observation decks across multiple trips to the city. I’ve stood on the Empire State Building’s 86th floor at least three times now, we’ve done Top of the Rock and One World Observatory together, and I’ve spent a fair chunk of my working life as a professional travel photographer pointing a camera at the Manhattan skyline.
We haven’t been up The Edge or SUMMIT One Vanderbilt yet. Instead of pretending otherwise, I’ve covered both below from research and from what I know about how this city photographs, and I’ve said so clearly in each case.
In our opinion, for most first-time visitors, Top of the Rock is the best observation deck in New York. It’s the only deck where the Empire State Building is in your view rather than under your feet, Central Park stretches out to the north, and the top level has nothing at all between you and the city. No glass, no netting.
The Empire State Building is the pick if standing on the icon matters more than photographing it. The Edge is the outdoor thrill, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is the mirror maze with a view, and One World Observatory wins for downtown, the harbour and the Statue of Liberty, but you will be fighting reflections in your photos.
The longer answer depends on your time, your budget, who you’re with, and whether a pass makes sense for your trip. That last question is the one that really needed sitting down with a calculator, so we did the sums.
Table of Contents:
The Five Decks at a Glance
All five decks use timed tickets with dynamic pricing, so treat these as “from” prices for a standard adult entry. Booking fees are listed where the operator adds one at checkout.
| Deck | Tickets from | Open air? | Best for | Our take |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Top of the Rock | $52 | Yes, glass-free top level | First visits, photography, Central Park | The best all-round view in the city |
| Empire State Building | $44 + $5 fee | Yes, 86th floor | Standing on the icon itself | Do it once, go early or late |
| One World Observatory | $44 + $3.50 fee | No, fully enclosed | Downtown, the harbour, 9/11 context | The highest deck in NYC, behind glass |
| The Edge | $42 + $2 fee | Yes, with angled glass | Thrill seekers, the glass floor | Highest outdoor deck in the Western Hemisphere |
| SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | $44 + $3 fee | No, glass and mirrors | Art, photos of each other | An experience first, a viewpoint second |
How to Pick Your Deck
Five decks, all charging within a few dollars of each other, all claiming the best view in New York. This is how I’d route it:
- If you’re doing one deck on a first visit, do Top of the Rock.
- If standing on the world’s most famous building is your goal, do the Empire State Building.
- If you want the best photographs, do Top of the Rock, and add an early Empire State Building slot if you can stretch to two decks.
- If you’re after a thrill, or travelling with teenagers who need a glass floor, do The Edge.
- If the photos you want are of each other rather than the skyline, do SUMMIT One Vanderbilt.
- If your day is built around downtown and the 9/11 Memorial, do One World Observatory.
- If sunset is the priority, do Top of the Rock, and read the sunset section below before booking.
- If you’re doing a longer list of attractions on a pass, start from the pass maths next, because it changes which decks make sense.
Do You Need a Pass for the Observation Decks?
Three passes matter in 2026: New York CityPASS at $164 for adults, Go City New York (the Explorer version from $89, the All-Inclusive from $169), and The New York Pass, which works the same all-you-can-visit way as Go City’s All-Inclusive. We compare them all in detail in our NYC attraction passes guide; here we’ll just do the deck maths.
One housekeeping note first. The Sightseeing Pass, which used to be a fourth option, shut down in June 2025, and existing passes stopped being honoured overnight. If you see it recommended anywhere, treat the rest of that page’s pricing as out of date too.
Here’s which passes cover which decks:
| Deck | New York CityPASS | Go City | The New York Pass |
|---|---|---|---|
| Empire State Building | Yes (fixed inclusion) | Yes | Yes |
| Top of the Rock | Yes (a “choose 3” option) | Yes | Yes |
| One World Observatory | No | Yes | Yes |
| The Edge | No | Yes | Yes |
| SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | No | No | No |
Notice the last row. SUMMIT is on no pass at all, so if SUMMIT is your deck, you’re paying for it separately no matter what you buy. Leave it out of every pass calculation.
Now the sums, for six kinds of trip.
One Deck Only
With fees, a single deck runs from $44 (The Edge) to $52 (Top of the Rock), so the whole spread is about eight dollars. The one real saving is The Edge’s advance saver ticket: book two weeks ahead and it comes down to $36.
Pick on the view, not the price. Our pick is Top of the Rock, and yes, it’s the most expensive of the five. It’s also the best.
The Classic Pair: Empire State Building and Top of the Rock
Booked direct, the pair costs $101 ($49 for the Empire State Building with its fee, $52 for Top of the Rock). New York CityPASS is $164 and includes both, plus the American Museum of Natural History and two more picks from its list. So the pass costs $63 more and hands you three extra attractions, roughly $21 each.
If you’d visit them anyway, that’s the best deal in this article. If you just want the decks, buy the two tickets and keep your $63.
The Deck Collector: Four Decks
The Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, One World and The Edge booked individually come to just under $200 with fees. Go City’s All-Inclusive covers all four from $169, but that starting price is the one-day pass, and four decks in one day is possible on paper and miserable in practice.
Price the two-day version against your $200 when you book; it’s usually pretty close, and the pass throws in the non-deck attractions. SUMMIT stays out of pocket either way, so add $47.
The Photographer
Book direct and skip the passes. You want specific slots: the Empire State Building not long after opening, while the 86th floor is calm, and Top of the Rock in the hour before sunset.
Passes are built around standard entry, and the sunset window at Top of the Rock is sold as its own pricier ticket. Budget just over $100 for the pair, plus whatever the sunset premium is running that week.
Sunset for Two
Two sunset slots at Top of the Rock will cost a bit over $110, since sunset pricing floats above the $52 base and moves with the season. Book the moment your dates are fixed; those slots go first, especially at weekends. No pass helps here. If the budget stretches, the Beam photo combo at $82 a head turns it into a proper occasion.
A Week of Everything
The passes cover more than observation decks. So if you are planning on seeing more in New York than an observation deck or two, then a pass might make sense anyway.
We’d suggest running your sightseeing list through our passes guide instead of trusting the “save up to 50%” marketing. And whichever pass you land on, SUMMIT still costs extra.
Top of the Rock
Top of the Rock is the observation deck at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, spread across levels 67, 69 and 70, with the top level 850 feet above midtown. Tickets start at $52.
It’s the lowest of the five decks, and it has the best view in New York. Those two facts are related. From here the Empire State Building sits dead ahead to the south, close enough to fill a frame, with downtown rising behind it. Turn around and Central Park runs all the way to the horizon. No other deck shows you the whole park like this.
The 70th floor is why photographers go on about this place. The two lower levels have glass panels, but the top level is set back from the building’s edge, so there’s no glass and no barrier at eye level. Of the five decks, it’s the only one that manages it. You can shoot with a polariser, at night, straight into the sun, and there’s no reflection to fight.
If you can only manage one deck slot on your whole trip, make it this one, about an hour before sunset. There’s also the Beam combo at $82, which sits you on a replica of the 1932 skyscraper-lunch girder for a photo. Touristy? Completely. It also works.
You can book Top of the Rock tickets here, or check slots on the official Rockefeller Center site. Sunset entries cost more than the base price and sell out days ahead in summer.
Empire State Building
The Empire State Building has two decks: the open-air 86th floor observatory at 1,050 feet, and the enclosed 102nd floor Top Deck at 1,250 feet. Standard 86th floor tickets are $44 plus a $5 booking fee.
I’ve been up at least three times across our trips to New York, and I’d go again. Standing on this building as the city lights up in every direction survives the crowds and the gift shop, and I’d happily queue for it a fourth time. And the crowds are real. This is the deck everyone has heard of, so the queues build from mid-morning. Go early, or go late.
The 86th floor wraps all four sides of the building, open to the air behind a steel safety fence. For photography, that fence is the trade-off: you shoot over it or through the gaps, and the one skyline shot you can’t take from here is, of course, the famous one, because you’re standing on it. The Chrysler Building to the northeast is a fine consolation prize, especially with a longer lens.
Of the ticket tiers, standard 86th floor entry does the job for most people. The $79 Top Deck combo adds another 200 feet and a pane of glass, the $64 Flex ticket lets you skip committing to a time, and there’s a $135 sunrise ticket with coffee and pastries, for which the light is lovely and so, frankly, is sleep.
You can book Empire State Building tickets here, or go direct via the official site. We’ve also written a full Empire State Building guide covering the ticket tiers, the museum floors and how the decks compare floor by floor.
One World Observatory
One World Observatory fills floors 100 to 102 of One World Trade Center, which at 1,776 feet is the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. Its deck is the highest in New York at 1,268 feet. It’s also entirely behind glass.
That last part matters, but so does the view, and down here it’s the water that wins: the Statue of Liberty, the bridges, the ferries drawing lines across the harbour, and Manhattan tapering away beneath you. If your New York is the downtown one, this is your deck, and it sits directly above the 9/11 Memorial, which gives the whole visit a weight the midtown decks don’t carry.
For photographs, the glass is the battle. Put the lens right against it, wear something dark, and shoot before the interior lights come up in the evening. I’ve got shots from up here I’m happy with, but I worked quite a bit harder for them than I did at Top of the Rock.
The lift deserves a mention: the ride to the 100th floor plays a time-lapse of Manhattan building itself around you, and it’s over in well under a minute. I won’t spoil what happens when the doors open.
Standard entry is $44 plus a $3.50 fee. Of the upgrades, the $64 all-inclusive tier is the one worth considering, and entry after 8pm drops to half price, which is probably the best deck deal in the city. You can book One World Observatory tickets here or via the official site.
The Edge
The Edge is the outdoor sky deck at 30 Hudson Yards, jutting out of the building’s 100th floor at 1,131 feet. It’s the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere, a title it holds because One World’s higher deck is indoors. General admission is $42 plus a $2 fee. Book at least two weeks out and the advance saver ticket drops the base to $34, which makes it the cheapest way onto a deck in New York.
We haven’t been up this one yet, so what follows is research rather than experience. The deck sticks out from the tower with glass walls that lean outward and a glass floor panel looking straight down. On paper, that makes it the photographer-friendly one among the glassed decks: angled panes catch fewer reflections than vertical ones, and there’s open sky above the parapet.
The position is the really interesting bit. The Edge sits on Manhattan’s west side, so at sunset the sun is behind you and the whole midtown skyline catches the last light. Every other deck has you shooting into that sun or across it. If I were picking a deck purely on where the light falls at golden hour, this is where I’d gamble, and I’ll test that theory on our next trip.
There’s also City Climb, from around $185, which puts you in a harness and walks you up the outside of the building to an apex at 1,271 feet. It books out regularly, so someone’s enjoying it.
You can book Edge tickets here or via the official site.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt runs across floors 91 to 93 of One Vanderbilt, the tower next to Grand Central Terminal, with the main level around 1,020 feet up. It’s less an observation deck than an art installation with a skyline attached. Tickets are $44 plus a $3 fee, and New York City and Long Island residents pay $39.
We haven’t been up SUMMIT yet either, and it’s the deck where research gets you closest to the truth, because the whole experience is designed to be photographed. The AIR installation wraps the floors in mirrors so the city repeats around you in every direction, the Levitation boxes are glass ledges hanging off the side of the building, and the Ascent lift climbs the outside in a glass box to 1,210 feet.
Two things to know before you book. It’s an enclosed, glass-and-mirror experience with no open-air terrace, whatever the promotional photos imply. And your photos will mostly be of the room and of each other, not the skyline, which is either the whole point or the dealbreaker, depending on who you’re travelling with.
It’s also the only deck of the five that’s on no city pass at all, so it’s a separate line in the budget whatever else you buy. Sunset slots cost more, and weekends run above weekdays. You can book SUMMIT tickets here or via the official site.
Which Deck Is Best for Sunset?
Top of the Rock, and it isn’t close. At sunset the light falls on the Empire State Building and the skyline behind it while you watch from a glass-free deck, and as the sky fades, the city lights come up. You walk out with both shots. Book the slot that starts 45 minutes to an hour before the listed sunset time.
Two caveats. Sunset slots carry a premium over the base price and they disappear first, so book as soon as your dates firm up. And everyone else has read the same advice, so the south side fills up pretty early. Claim your spot and hold it politely.
The research pick I’d hedge with is The Edge at golden hour, for the light reasons above. The Empire State Building at dusk is its own answer: you give up the skyline’s main character in exchange for standing inside it as the lights come on. And if you’re out late anyway, One World after 8pm is half price.
How Many Decks Do You Actually Need?
One, for most people. A deck visit with security, lifts and a decent amount of time at the top takes two to three hours, and at these prices they aren’t collectables.
The exception is the classic pair: the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock, ideally on different days, one early and one at sunset. Each deck is the other one’s best subject, which is why photographers keep buying both.
Three or more, and it stops being about the city and starts being about the decks. If that’s you, no judgement, but do the Go City sums in the pass section before you pay at three separate gates.
Our Verdict
Top of the Rock is the best observation deck in New York for a first visit: it’s the view with the Empire State Building in it, the top level is glass-free, and Central Park runs end to end out of the north side. The Empire State Building is the one to stand on, One World Observatory is the one for the harbour and downtown, The Edge is the outdoor thrill, and SUMMIT is the art piece.
Buy individual tickets for one or two decks. Bring a pass into it only when the decks sit inside a longer attraction list, and remember that SUMMIT sits outside every pass.
Planning the Rest of Your NYC Trip
If a deck is going into a first New York trip, our 2-day New York itinerary and 3-day New York itinerary already have slots for it, and our guide to getting around New York will get you between them without losing an afternoon to the subway map.
For the bigger decisions, we’ve also covered where to stay in NYC, and the attraction passes guide goes deeper on every pass mentioned here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which observation deck in New York is best?
Top of the Rock, for most people. It’s the only deck with the Empire State Building in the view, the top level has no glass, and you can see the whole of Central Park to the north. If you’re doing one deck on a first visit, do this one.
Different priorities change the answer: the Empire State Building if you want to stand on the icon, The Edge for the outdoor thrill, SUMMIT One Vanderbilt for the mirror rooms, One World Observatory for downtown and the harbour.
Is Top of the Rock better than the Empire State Building?
For the view, yes. Top of the Rock looks at the Empire State Building, has a glass-free top deck, and shows you Central Park, which the Empire State Building can’t do nearly as well.
For the experience, it depends what you’re after, since only one of them is the most famous building on earth. Photographers should do both: each one is the other’s best subject.
Which NYC observation deck is best for sunset?
Top of the Rock. The sunset light falls on the Empire State Building and the skyline while you shoot with no glass in the way, and the city lights come up as you leave. Book early though, sunset slots cost more and they go fast!
The Edge is the interesting alternative: it sits west of the skyline, so the buildings catch the last light instead of silhouetting against it.
Are the New York observation decks included in the city passes?
Partly. New York CityPASS ($164) includes the Empire State Building and can include Top of the Rock as one of its choices. Go City and The New York Pass include the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, One World Observatory and The Edge.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is on no pass at all. And The Sightseeing Pass shut down in 2025, so skip any guide still recommending it.
What is the highest observation deck in NYC?
One World Observatory, at 1,268 feet, but it’s fully enclosed. The Edge, at 1,131 feet, is the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere.
For the record, the Empire State Building’s decks sit at 1,050 and 1,250 feet, SUMMIT’s main level is around 1,020 feet, and Top of the Rock is the lowest at 850 feet. Height and view quality are two very different rankings.
How much do the NYC observation decks cost in 2026?
Base adult tickets run from $42 to $52, plus booking fees of $2 to $5. All five use dynamic pricing, so sunset and weekend slots cost more.
Upgrades range from the Empire State Building’s $79 two-deck combo to The Edge’s City Climb at around $185. On a tight budget, The Edge’s advance saver ticket is $36 all in when booked two weeks ahead, and One World Observatory is half price after 8pm.
How many observation decks should I do in one trip?
One is enough for most trips, two if you’re keen on photography, and the pair to do is the Empire State Building plus Top of the Rock on separate days.
Each visit takes two to three hours with security and queues, so a three-deck day is mostly spent in lifts and lines. If you do want several, run the pass maths first!
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