By Nora Lindqvist · Updated · Affiliate links, explained in my disclosure
GetYourGuide Tours & Tickets GmbH
Burj Khalifa Levels 124 & 125 Entry Ticket + Options
4.3 (92,742) · from $51.46
The highest observation deck in the world is on the Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at 585 m (1,919 ft), according to the Wikipedia list of public observation decks. The Shanghai Tower is next at 562 m, tied with the Ping An Finance Centre in Shenzhen. Of the highest observation decks you can book from this site, I’d go to the Burj Khalifa first, then the Shanghai Tower, then the Lotte World Tower in Seoul.
| Rank | Deck | City | Deck height m (ft) | Building height m (ft) | Opened | Page |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burj Khalifa | Dubai, UAE | 585 (1919) | 829.8 (2722) | 2010 | ticket guide |
| 2 | Shanghai Tower | Shanghai, China | 562 (1844) | 632 (2073) | 2014 | ticket guide |
| 2 | Ping An Finance Centre | Shenzhen, China | 562 (1844) | 599.1 (1966) | 2017 | none |
| 4 | Merdeka 118 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 510 (1673) | 678.9 (2227) | 2022 | none |
| 5 | Canton Tower | Guangzhou, China | 488 (1601) | 604 (1982) | 2010 | none |
| 6 | Lotte World Tower | Seoul, South Korea | 486 (1594) | 555.7 (1823) | 2017 | ticket guide |
| 6 | Abraj Al Bait | Mecca, Saudi Arabia | 486 (1594) | 601 (1972) | 2011 | none |
| 8 | Shanghai World Financial Center | Shanghai, China | 474 (1555) | 492.3 (1615) | 2008 | none |
| 9 | Tokyo Skytree | Tokyo, Japan | 451.2 (1480) | 634 (2080) | 2012 | ticket guide |
| 10 | Taipei 101 | Taipei, Taiwan | 449.2 (1474) | 508 (1667) | 2005 | ticket guide |
| 11 | CN Tower | Toronto, Canada | 446.7 (1466) | 553.3 (1815) | 1976 | ticket guide |
| 12 | Willis Tower | Chicago, US | 412.7 (1354) | 442.1 (1450) | 1973 | ticket guide |
| 13 | Sky100 (International Commerce Centre) | Hong Kong | 393 (1289) | 484 (1588) | 2011 | none |
| 14 | One World Observatory | New York City, US | 386.6 (1268) | 541.3 (1776) | 2014 | ticket guide |
| 15 | Autograph Tower | Jakarta, Indonesia | 382.9 (1256) | 382.9 (1256) | 2025 | none |
| 16 | Landmark 81 | Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam | 382 (1253) | 461 (1512) | 2019 | none |
| 17 | Petronas Towers | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | 370 (1214) | 452 (1483) | 1999 | ticket guide |
| 18 | Empire State Building | New York City, US | 369 (1211) | 443.2 (1454) | 1931 | ticket guide |
| 19 | Iconic Tower | New Administrative Capital, Egypt | 360 (1181) | 394 (1293) | 2023 | none |
| 20 | Lakhta Center | Saint Petersburg, Russia | 357 (1171) | 462 (1516) | 2021 | none |
| below 20 | Victoria Peak (summit) | Hong Kong | 428 (1404) | - | - | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Sugarloaf Mountain (summit) | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 396 (1299) | - | - | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Oriental Pearl Tower | Shanghai, China | 351 (1152) | 468 (1535) | 1998 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Edge NYC | New York City, US | 340 (1115) | 395 (1296) | 2020 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Mahanakhon SkyWalk | Bangkok, Thailand | 314 (1030) | - | 2018 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | 360 Chicago | Chicago, US | 313.8 (1030) | 343.5 (1127) | 1969 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Summit One Vanderbilt | New York City, US | 310 (1017) | 427 (1401) | 2020 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Abeno Harukas | Osaka, Japan | 288 (945) | 300 (984) | 2014 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Eureka Skydeck | Melbourne, Australia | 285 (935) | 297.3 (975) | 2006 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Eiffel Tower | Paris, France | 276.1 (906) | 330 (1083) | 1889 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Sky View Observatory | Seattle, US | 275 (902) | 294.8 (967) | 1985 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Sydney Tower | Sydney, Australia | 268 (879) | 306 (1004) | 1981 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Sky Costanera | Santiago, Chile | 261 (856) | 300 (984) | 2013 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | The STRAT SkyPod | Las Vegas, US | 261 (856) | 350 (1148) | 1996 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Top of the Rock | New York City, US | 260 (853) | 259 (850) | 1933 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Tokyo Tower | Tokyo, Japan | 250 (820) | 332.6 (1091) | 1958 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | The Shard | London, UK | 244.8 (803) | 306 (1004) | 2013 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | The View at The Palm | Dubai, UAE | 240 (787) | - | - | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Shibuya Sky | Tokyo, Japan | 229.7 (754) | 229.7 (754) | 2019 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Tokyo City View | Tokyo, Japan | 229.3 (752) | 238 (781) | 2003 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Sky Tower | Auckland, New Zealand | 220 (722) | 328 (1076) | 1997 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Berlin TV Tower | Berlin, Germany | 203 (666) | 368 (1207) | 1969 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Marina Bay Sands SkyPark | Singapore | 200 (656) | - | - | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Tower of the Americas | San Antonio, US | 176 (577) | - | 1968 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | N Seoul Tower | Seoul, South Korea | 168.3 (552) | 236.8 (777) | 1980 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Vancouver Lookout | Vancouver, Canada | 168 (551) | 169 (554) | 1977 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Torre Latinoamericana | Mexico City, Mexico | 166 (545) | - | - | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Space Needle | Seattle, US | 158.5 (520) | 184 (604) | 1962 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Calgary Tower | Calgary, Canada | 157.5 (517) | - | 1968 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Dubai Frame | Dubai, UAE | 150 (492) | 150 (492) | 2018 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Danube Tower | Vienna, Austria | 150 (492) | 252 (827) | 1964 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Fukuoka Tower | Fukuoka, Japan | 123 (404) | 234 (768) | 1989 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Palace of Culture and Science | Warsaw, Poland | 114 (374) | 230 (755) | 1955 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Spinnaker Tower | Portsmouth, UK | 110 (361) | 170 (558) | 2005 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | A’DAM Lookout | Amsterdam, Netherlands | 100 (328) | - | - | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Statue of Liberty | New York City, US | 91 (299) | 93 (305) | 1886 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Sapporo TV Tower | Sapporo, Japan | 90 (295) | - | - | ticket guide |
| below 20 | ArcelorMittal Orbit | London, UK | 80 (262) | - | 2012 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Skyviews Miami | Miami, US | 61 (200) | - | - | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Giralda | Seville, Spain | 60.45 (198) | 104 (341) | 1198 | ticket guide |
| below 20 | Galata Tower | Istanbul, Turkey | 51.65 (169) | 62.6 (205) | 1349 | ticket guide |
I rank by the height of the highest public deck, not by the height of the building, so a tall tower with a lower deck can rank below a shorter building with a higher one. Numbers for the decks I have a ticket page for come from that deck’s own data (Wikipedia, Wikidata or the official site, as noted). Everything else comes from the Wikipedia list, fetched in October 2026. Where the two differ, I used my deck page and say so in the entry. Prices are US dollars from GetYourGuide, checked in October 2026.
Most of the top 20 have no ticket data on this site, so they appear as plain text with no link. Ties share a rank, which is why there is no number 3 and no number 7. Several towers have more than one deck. The number I use is always the highest one open to the public, because that is the figure that counts for the highest observation deck in the world.
The Burj Khalifa has the highest observation deck in the world at 585 m (1,919 ft), on floors 152 to 154, which opened in 2019. Wikipedia adds that the older deck on floor 148, at 555 m, was the world’s highest when it opened in 2014, and that floors 124 and 125 sit at 452 m. The tower is 828 m by Wikidata and 829.8 m on the list.
GetYourGuide Tours & Tickets GmbH
My pick: My pick for the Burj Khalifa: the Levels 124 and 125 ticket at $51.46, rated 4.31 from 92,742 reviews. Read the option list if you want a higher level.
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$51.46
The Shanghai Tower deck is at 562 m (1,844 ft) on the 121st floor, with further decks on the 118th and 119th floors, per Wikipedia. The building is 632 m. The 118th-floor ticket starts at $34.62, so the second highest observation deck in the world costs less than the standard Burj Khalifa ticket.
PANDA144 experience
My pick: The standard admission at $34.62, rated 4.53 from 555 reviews. I'd book it about an hour before sunset on a clear day.
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$34.62
The Ping An Finance Centre in Shenzhen shares second place with the Shanghai Tower at 562 m (1,844 ft). Wikipedia says the deck is on the 115th floor and opened on February 10, 2018. The tower is 599.1 m tall. I have no ticket data for it.
Merdeka 118 has a deck at 510 m (1,673 ft) in a 678.9 m building, completed in 2022. That is fourth place on Wikipedia’s list and the highest deck in Malaysia. I have no ticket data for it.
The Canton Tower is a steel tower, 604 m tall, completed in 2010, with a public deck at 488 m (1,601 ft). It is the highest deck in the top five that sits on a tower rather than a skyscraper. I have no ticket data for it.
Lotte World Tower has a deck at 486 m (1,594 ft) in a 555.7 m building that opened in 2017, tied for sixth with Abraj Al Bait. The Seoul Sky Observatory ticket on GetYourGuide is only $24.72, rated 4.65 from 604 reviews. That makes it one of the highest observation decks in the world that I can sell a ticket for.
BeMyGuest
My pick: The Seoul Sky Observatory ticket at $24.72, rated 4.65. It is the cheapest ticket of the three highest decks I sell, so it is where I'd go on a budget.
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$24.72
Abraj Al Bait in Mecca has a public deck at 486 m (1,594 ft) in a 601 m tower completed in 2011, the same deck height as Lotte World Tower. I have no ticket data for it.
The Shanghai World Financial Center has its main deck on the 100th floor at 474 m (1,555 ft), with more decks on levels 94 and 97, according to Wikipedia. The building is 492.3 m and was completed in 2008. I have no ticket data for it.
Tokyo Skytree is the highest observation deck in Japan and the ninth highest observation deck in the world, at 451.2 m (1,480 ft), on a 634 m tower that opened in 2012. Wikipedia lists three more decks at 340, 345 and 350 m.
The Taipei 101 deck is at 449.2 m (1,474 ft) on a 508 m building that opened in 2005. Wikipedia notes that the indoor and outdoor rooftop deck on the 101st floor opened to the public on June 14, 2019.
The CN Tower’s top deck is at 446.7 m (1,466 ft), in a 553.3 m concrete tower that opened in 1976. Wikipedia lists two lower decks at 342 m (outdoor) and 346 m (indoor).
The Willis Tower deck on the 103rd floor is 412.7 m (1,354 ft) up, and Wikipedia calls it the highest observation deck in the United States, which makes it the twelfth highest observation deck in the world. The building is 442.1 m by my deck data (the list has 527.3 m) and opened in 1973.
Sky100 is the indoor, 360-degree deck on the 100th floor of the International Commerce Centre, at 393 m (1,289 ft). The building is 484 m and was completed in 2011. I have no ticket data for it.
One World Observatory is the highest deck in New York at 386.6 m (1,268 ft), in a 541.3 m building that opened in 2014. It is the second highest in the United States on Wikipedia’s list, behind the Willis Tower, and the 14th highest observation deck in the world.
The Autograph Tower in Jakarta was completed in 2025, and its deck at 382.9 m (1,256 ft) is the newest entry in the top 20. Wikipedia gives the same figure for the whole tower, 382.9 m. I have no ticket data for it.
Landmark 81 has a deck at 382 m (1,253 ft) in a 461 m building completed in 2019. It is the highest deck in Vietnam on this list. I have no ticket data for it.
The Petronas Towers sky bridge deck is at 370 m (1,214 ft), in towers that are 452 m tall and opened in 1999. The Wikipedia list shows the tower height as 451.9 m.
The Empire State Building’s top deck is 369 m (1,211 ft) up, in a building that opened in 1931 and is 443.2 m with its antenna. It is the oldest building in the top 20.
The Iconic Tower in Egypt’s New Administrative Capital has a deck at 360 m (1,181 ft) in a 394 m tower completed in 2023. I have no ticket data for it.
The Lakhta Center, completed in 2021, has a deck at 357 m (1,171 ft) in a 462 m tower. I have no ticket data for it.
Below the top 20, the table lists every other deck on this site that has a deck height in my data, so you can compare them with the highest observation deck in the world. The next group is the Oriental Pearl Tower at 351 m, Edge NYC at 340 m, then the Mahanakhon SkyWalk at 314 m, 360 Chicago at 313.8 m and Summit One Vanderbilt at 310 m. The figure for Mahanakhon comes from the official site, where Wikipedia has a different number. For The STRAT SkyPod I use 261 m from my deck page, because the list gives the whole tower, 350 m. Victoria Peak at 428 m and Sugarloaf Mountain at 396 m are marked as summits, because the height is the hilltop and not a building, so I keep them out of the ranking.
The Eiffel Tower is 276.1 m, Tokyo Tower 250 m from its official site, The Shard 244.8 m and the Space Needle 158.5 m. A few decks on this site have no deck height I can cite, such as the Sky Garden and View Boston, so they are not in the ranking.
China has the most of the highest observation decks in the world: the Shanghai Tower, Ping An, Canton Tower and the Shanghai World Financial Center are all in the top eight. The United States has the Willis Tower first, then One World Observatory, then the Empire State Building. Japan’s best is Tokyo Skytree. For your own city, see my guides to Dubai, Shanghai, Seoul, Tokyo, New York and Chicago.
If you would rather ride than climb, the tallest Ferris wheels in the world top out at 250 m, well under the highest observation decks in the world. For decks with a glass floor, see my glass floor observation decks guide.
If the record matters, book the Burj Khalifa, though I’d read the ticket options first, because the lower levels are cheaper and the higher ones cost more. For value, I’d choose the Lotte World Tower: it ties for sixth place among the highest observation decks in the world and its ticket costs less than half of the standard Burj Khalifa one. If you want a skyline at its widest, the Shanghai Tower has the second highest observation deck in the world and starts at $34.62.
Height alone does not make a good view. The highest observation deck in the world can sit in cloud at 585 m, and a lower deck like the Eiffel Tower at 276.1 m can show you more of the city streets. Whichever you choose, pick a clear day, and keep the booking cancellable when you can.
By deck height it is the Willis Tower in Chicago at 412.7 m (1,354 ft), which Wikipedia calls the highest observation deck in the United States. One World Observatory in New York is next at 386.6 m, then the Empire State Building at 369 m.
Yes. One World Observatory is the observation deck of One World Trade Center in New York City. Its deck is at 386.6 m (1,268 ft) on Wikipedia's list, which makes it the second highest in the United States and 14th in the world.
The CN Tower deck is at 446.7 m and the Space Needle deck at 158.5 m, so the CN Tower deck is about 288 m higher. By building height it is 553.3 m against 184 m, a gap of about 369 m.
Tokyo Skytree, at 451.2 m (1,480 ft) according to Wikipedia. It is the highest deck in Japan. Shibuya Sky is at 229.7 m, Tokyo City View at 229.3 m and Tokyo Tower at 250 m on its official site.
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at 585 m (1,919 ft) on floors 152 to 154, according to the Wikipedia list. The Shanghai Tower and the Ping An Finance Centre share second place at 562 m.
Tokyo Tower is slightly taller as a structure, 332.6 m against 330 m on Wikipedia's list. The Eiffel Tower has the higher deck: 276.1 m against 250 m at Tokyo Tower from its official site.
The Eiffel Tower, by a wide margin: 330 m against about 93 m for the Statue of Liberty. The Eiffel Tower deck is at 276.1 m and the Statue of Liberty crown deck at 91 m.