By Nora Lindqvist · Updated · Affiliate links, explained in my disclosure
Empire State Building Observation Deck
NYC Empire State Building - Observation Deck & Museum Ticket
4.7 (29,182) · from $50.08
Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock comes down to this: I’d book the Empire State Building if you want the higher deck and the most reviewed ticket, and Top of the Rock if you want the skyline with the Empire State Building in it. The standard tickets cost $50.08 against $45.73, and the decks stand at 369 m against 260 m. If you only have one evening, I’d choose Top of the Rock for the photo and the Empire State Building for the climb.
| Tour | From | Rating | Length | Free cancellation | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| NYC Empire State Building - Observation Deck & Museum Ticket | $50.08 | ★ 4.7 (29,182) | 24-hour ticket | Yes | Check availability |
| Top of the Rock Observation Deck Ticket | $45.73 | ★ 4.6 (22,735) | 2 hours | Yes | Check availability |
| NYC: Empire State & Flatiron Tour with Optional 102nd Floor | $99 | ★ 4.6 (24) | 2 hours | Yes | Check availability |
| NYC: 5th Avenue Icons & Top of the Rock with Optional Beam | $69 | ★ 4.8 (10) | 2 hours | Yes | Check availability |
Both decks are in Midtown Manhattan, so the Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock question is really about what you want in the frame. Every price, rating and inclusion here comes from the GetYourGuide listings I checked in October 2026, in US dollars. Links open GetYourGuide in a new tab, and I earn a commission if you book, at no extra cost to you. The full ticket lists are on my Empire State Building tickets and Top of the Rock tickets pages.
| Empire State Building | Top of the Rock | |
|---|---|---|
| Deck height | 369 m, per Wikipedia | 850 ft (260 m), per Wikipedia |
| Floors | 86th (open-air) and 102nd (enclosed) | 67th, 69th and 70th, with open-air space at the top |
| Standard ticket from | $50.08 | $45.73 |
| Top ticket rating | 4.73 from 29,182 reviews | 4.58 from 22,735 reviews |
| Google Maps rating | 4.7 from 130,587 reviews | 4.7 from 93,042 reviews |
| Hours (Google Maps) | 9 AM to 11 PM | 8 AM to 12 AM |
| Time to allow | Self-paced on the standard ticket | About 2 hours on the standard ticket |
| In the view | Central Park, the Hudson and the harbour; not itself | The Empire State Building, Central Park to the north |
Height favours the Empire State Building. At 369 m it stands 109 m above the Top of the Rock deck, and the horizon distance from its deck is 68.6 km against 57.6 km, using the standard horizon formula. That is a gain you will notice on a clear day, but not one that changes what you see: both decks look at the same Midtown skyline.
In the Top of the Rock vs Empire State Building view contest, the better frame belongs to Top of the Rock. The Empire State Building sits in the middle of the skyline when you look south from 30 Rockefeller Plaza, and Central Park opens out to the north. From the Empire State Building you look at the same city without its most famous tower. If you take photos for a living or for a feed, that decides it for me; if you want the 86th floor open-air deck and the museum galleries, the Empire State Building wins.
The Empire State Building was the world's tallest building until the North Tower of the World Trade Center was topped out in 1970
Top of the Rock is cheaper by $4.35 on the standard ticket: $45.73 against $50.08. In the Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock price contest the gap is small, so I’d let the view decide and not the price. The Empire State Building ticket adds the museum galleries and the Art Deco lobby to the 86th floor, and the 102nd floor is available on some options. Top of the Rock covers all three of its levels.
Empire State Building Observation Deck
My pick: The Empire State Building default: $50.08, 4.73 stars from 29,182 reviews, with the museum and the open-air 86th floor.
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$50.08
Rockefeller Center
My pick: The Top of the Rock default: $45.73 from the operator, Rockefeller Center, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
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$45.73
If you want some context first, each deck has a guided option. The City Wonders walk for the Empire State Building costs $99 and takes 2 hours, with an optional 102nd floor. The Fifth Avenue walk for Top of the Rock costs $69, and its itinerary also ends at the Empire State Building, so a single booking reaches both skylines. It is rated 4.84, but from only 10 reviews, so I treat that as a signal rather than a verdict.
City Wonders Ltd. USA
My pick: A 2-hour Flatiron walk ending with 86th floor entry for $99; only 24 reviews, so buy it for the guide.
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$99
City Wonders Ltd. USA
My pick: A 2-hour Fifth Avenue walk with deck entry for $69 that also stops at the Empire State Building; 4.84 stars from 10 reviews.
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$69
Calculator
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from per person, before any child or group discount
Prices are the lowest per-person prices on GetYourGuide when I last checked; the final price depends on the date, time slot and age.
I have no live queue data, so I can’t tell you which line is shorter. Both sell tickets for a chosen date, and reviewers of Top of the Rock mention long lines at sunset even with a ticket. The Empire State Building has the bigger review count, which tells me its tickets are what most people choose.
For Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock timing, sunset is within a minute at both decks, according to the 2025 data from Open-Meteo: about 16:29 in December and 20:29 in June. I’d arrive 45 to 60 minutes before sunset at either. The clearest months were August and October, at about 41 to 42 percent cloud cover, and May was the cloudiest at 74 percent.
| Month | Sunset (New York time) | Cloud cover | Sunshine a day | Rainy days |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | 16:53 | 53% | 7.4 h | 7 |
| Feb | 17:31 | 69% | 6.9 h | 9 |
| Mar | 19:03 | 54% | 8.8 h | 7 |
| Apr | 19:35 | 70% | 8.2 h | 10 |
| May | 20:06 | 74% | 8.4 h | 16 |
| Jun | 20:29 | 65% | 9.9 h | 12 |
| Jul | 20:25 | 55% | 12 h | 15 |
| Augclearest | 19:53 | 41% | 11.1 h | 6 |
| Sepclearest | 19:04 | 52% | 9.6 h | 8 |
| Octclearest | 18:15 | 41% | 8.4 h | 9 |
| Nov | 16:37 | 57% | 6.7 h | 10 |
| Dec | 16:29 | 64% | 5.9 h | 8 |
Sunset planner
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book this entry time (50 min before sunset)
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sunset, New York time
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typical cloud cover that week
Sunset and cloud cover for the same dates in 2025 at the deck (Open-Meteo historical weather (ERA5), 2025); sunset moves by about a minute between years.
Both decks have open air, so the Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock choice does not turn on whether you can feel the wind. The Empire State Building has its open-air deck on the 86th floor and an enclosed top deck on the 102nd, per the ticket listings. Top of the Rock spreads three levels across the 67th, 69th and 70th floors, with the open-air space at the top. If rain or cloud is forecast, the Empire State Building’s enclosed 102nd floor gives you a sheltered vantage point, though it is an add-on on some tickets, so check the price for your date.
Weather matters more than a few metres of height. In the 2025 Open-Meteo data, the Empire State Building area had 41 percent cloud cover in August and October and 74 percent in May, and Top of the Rock was within a point of those figures. Pick the day, then the deck, and use free cancellation, available up to 24 hours before on the standard tickets, to move your slot if the forecast turns.
The Empire State Building ticket is a package: skip-the-line entry, the 86th floor open-air deck, twelve museum galleries on the construction, King Kong and the building’s history, and the Art Deco lobby. If you like the story behind a landmark, that is real value for $50.08, and it explains the 4.73 rating from 29,182 reviews. Wikipedia credits the architects Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and dates the building to 1930 and 1931.
The Top of the Rock ticket is simpler and cheaper: it is sold by the operator, Rockefeller Center, covers three levels with terraces facing all four directions, and has tax and free WiFi included, per its listing. Wikipedia dates the deck to 1933. An option adds The Beam, a ticketed extra at the top. In short, the Empire State Building sells you more building, and Top of the Rock sells you a cleaner view.
Yes, and many visitors do. By Google Maps coordinates the two are 1.32 km (0.82 miles) apart in a straight line, so you can walk between them through Midtown. I’d go up Top of the Rock first, in daylight, for the layout of the city, and then the Empire State Building at dusk so you are looking at lights. If the Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock choice is hard, doing both costs $95.81 for the two standard tickets.
Whichever order you choose for Top of the Rock vs the Empire State Building, book a slot for each, check the official Empire State Building site and the Rockefeller Center page for holiday hours, and keep the Top of the Rock vs Empire State Building decision for the day the sky is clearest.
In the Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock contest, I’d call it for the Empire State Building on a first visit, because of the open-air 86th floor, the museum and the sheer weight of reviews behind its ticket. I’d call it for Top of the Rock on a return trip, when you have already seen the icon and want it in your picture. Either way, you are paying within about $4 of the other, so book the one whose view you want to remember.
For a first visit I'd book the Empire State Building: its standard ticket has 29,182 reviews at 4.73 stars and the deck is higher, at 369 m against 260 m. Top of the Rock is cheaper at $45.73 against $50.08 and has the better photo, because the Empire State Building is in the frame. Both are rated 4.7 on Google Maps.
The Empire State Building is the taller deck, with an open-air 86th floor and an enclosed 102nd floor, while Top of the Rock has three levels on the 67th, 69th and 70th floors, with open-air space at the top. Top of the Rock looks down Midtown at the Empire State Building and toward Central Park. The Empire State Building cannot show you itself.
I think so. Google Maps rates it 4.7 from 93,042 reviews, and the standard ticket scores 4.58 from 22,735 on GetYourGuide for $45.73. The tickets are for a chosen time and include free cancellation up to 24 hours before. It is also the cheaper of the two standard tickets, by $4.35.
Yes, for the first visit it's the one I'd choose. The $50.08 Observation Deck and Museum ticket includes the 86th floor open-air deck, the museum galleries and the lobby, rated 4.73 from 29,182 reviews. The 102nd floor is an option on some tickets, so compare the price gap for your date before choosing.
I have no queue-time data for either, so I can't name a winner. What the listings show is that both sell tickets for a chosen date and time, and the Empire State Building has the larger review count, at 29,182 against 22,735 for the standard tickets. Booking a slot before you arrive is the safest way to avoid the walk-up line.
Yes. They are 1.32 km (0.82 miles) apart by straight line, a short walk through Midtown. I'd see one at sunset and the other in daylight or after dark. The City Wonders walking tour at $69 even includes Top of the Rock entry and a stop at the Empire State Building.