Patrimoine

Empire State Building

#5sur 10 lieux à visiter à New York CityNew York City, New York State, United States

Aussi appelé ESB

L'essentiel

Horaires d'ouverture : 09:00–10:00 and 22:00–23:00. Entrée : $44. Comptez 1.5 hrs. Meilleure période : Within the first hour of opening.

Mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026 · Rédigé par Traveliac, avec assistance IA · 4 min de lecture

ItinéraireSite officiel

Photo: Sam Valadi / Wikimedia Commons, Public domain

Horaires d'ouverture: 09:00–23:00; Daily, typically opening 09:00-10:00 and closing 22:00-23:00 depending on the season, with last entry roughly one hour before closing
Prix d'entrée: $44; Billet à partir de
Durée nécessaire: 1.5 hrs
Meilleur moment de la journée: Within the first hour of opening
Meilleurs mois: Apr – May, Sep – Oct
Adresse: 20 W 34th Street, New York, NY 10001

À propos de Empire State Building

The Empire State Building rises 443 metres including its antenna from a site at Fifth Avenue and 34th Street, completed in 1931 as the tallest building in the world, a title it held for nearly 40 years until 1 World Trade Center surpassed it in 1970. The Art Deco tower's limestone-and-granite facade and stainless-steel spandrels were assembled in just 410 days, a construction pace enabled by prefabricated steel sections delivered on a strict daily schedule and roughly 3,400 workers on site at peak. Two public observation decks sit near the top: an open-air deck on the 86th floor at 320 metres, and an enclosed deck on the 102nd floor at 373 metres.

Meilleur moment de la journée : Within the first hour of opening. Or the last entry slot before closing for night skyline views. Both windows carry shorter elevator queues than the midday-to-sunset block.

Horaires de Empire State Building

Empire State Building est ouvert 09:00–10:00 and 22:00–23:00. Ces horaires valent aussi le samedi et le dimanche.

Horaires d'ouverture: 09:00–23:00; Mon–Sun 09:00–10:00 and 22:00–23:00; Daily, typically opening 09:00-10:00 and closing 22:00-23:00 depending on the season, with last entry roughly one hour before closing
Fermé le: Ouvert tous les jours

Mon–Sun	09:00–10:00 and 22:00–23:00

Bon à savoir : Hours shift several times a year; exact daily opening/closing times are posted on the official hours page and should be checked for the specific visit date.

Horaires d'ouverture établis à partir de esbnyc.com et de sources publiques, mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Prix d'entrée de Empire State Building

Entry fees for Empire State Building
Billet	Prix
Billet standard	$44
Tarif réduit (étudiant / senior)	$44
Enfants	$44

86th-floor main deck tickets start around $44.00 per person with dynamic, date/time-based pricing plus a $5 booking fee; adding the 102nd-floor deck costs roughly $35-$38 more depending on date, as of 2026. Children 5 and under enter free with a paying adult. Pricing varies significantly by day and time slot - verify exact current fares at esbnyc.com before booking.

Tarifs établis à partir de esbnyc.com et de sources publiques, mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Ils peuvent changer sans préavis — vérifiez avant de partir. Comment nous rédigeons ces guides

Meilleure période pour visiter Empire State Building

Quiet
Busy
Very busy

09:00 - 10:30
Opening WindowBest time to go
Shortest elevator queues of the day; clear morning light gives long-range visibility over New Jersey and Queens.
Quiet
12:00 - 16:00
Midday
Steady tour-group and day-tripper volume keeps both decks busy through the afternoon.
Busy
Sunset window (varies by season)
Golden Hour
The single most-booked slot of the day; sunset tickets often sell out days in advance and the 86th-floor deck reaches its highest density of the day.
Very busy
21:00 - closing
Night Skyline
Crowds thin substantially after full dark; the illuminated city grid view from both decks is a different, less crowded experience than the daytime visit.
Quiet

Histoire de Empire State Building

Construction began in March 1930 on the site of the original Waldorf-Astoria Hotel, commissioned by a group led by former New York governor Al Smith and financed principally by John J. Raskob of General Motors, reportedly in part to outdo Walter Chrysler's newly completed Chrysler Building a few blocks away. Architects Shreve, Lamb & Harmon designed the building's setback Art Deco form to comply with the 1916 Zoning Resolution, which required upper floors to step back from the street to preserve sunlight and air at ground level.

The building opened on May 1, 1931, with President Herbert Hoover ceremonially switching on its lights by remote button from Washington, D.C. The Great Depression left much of the tower vacant for years afterward, earning it the nickname the 'Empty State Building' among contemporaries, and it did not turn a consistent profit until the 1950s. On July 28, 1945, a U.S. Army B-25 bomber crashed into the 79th floor in heavy fog, killing 14 people; the building reopened for business the following Monday. A major renovation completed in 2019 upgraded the observatory experience, adding a two-floor museum on the 2nd floor covering the building's design and construction.

Règles et étiquette à Empire State Building

Airport-style security screening applies to all visitors, and large bags, luggage, and tripods over a certain size are barred; there is no baggage storage on-site, so travelling light avoids a return trip. All tickets are for a specific timed entry window and a reserved elevator slot booked at checkout - arriving without a reservation risks long stand-by queues, particularly on weekends.

The 86th-floor deck is open-air and wire-mesh-enclosed for safety, so weather (wind, rain, extreme cold) is a factor; the 102nd-floor deck is fully enclosed and climate-controlled. Selfie sticks are permitted but monopods and tripods are generally restricted on the crowded 86th-floor deck during peak hours.

Conseils pour visiter Empire State Building

1
Buy the combined 86th + 102nd floor ticket rather than the 86th-floor-only option if budget allows - the 102nd floor is a smaller, quieter space with a notably different, more vertiginous view and shorter typical dwell time due to its size, so it doesn't add much time to the visit. Sunset and the hour after are the single most popular booking slots and sell out first; if flexible, an early-morning or late-evening slot gives comparable skyline views with a fraction of the crowd.
2
The 2nd-floor museum, included with admission, covers the building's 410-day construction schedule and Art Deco design in enough depth to fill 20-30 minutes before heading up - worth doing on arrival while waiting for the timed elevator window rather than skipping it. For a classic photograph of the building itself rather than the view from it, the rooftop bars in nearby Koreatown (a few blocks south on 32nd Street) offer unobstructed sightlines north to the full illuminated tower after dark.

Comment se rendre à Empire State Building

20 W 34th Street, New York, NY 10001Itinéraire sur Google Maps

Depuis 34th Street-Herald Square subway station
0.1 km · 1-2 min
$2.90 subway (OMNY/MetroCard)
Depuis Penn Station (Amtrak/LIRR/NJ Transit)
0.9 km · 10-12 min walk
Free (walking distance)
Depuis LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
13 km · 40-55 min combined
$2.90 total (single OMNY/MetroCard fare covers the transfer)

Aéroport le plus proche

Depuis LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

approximately 13 km, 30-45 minutes by road depending on traffic.

Gare la plus proche

Depuis 34th Street-Herald Square (subway lines B, D, F, M, N, Q, R, W)

directly across the street.

FAQ — Empire State Building

Which is better, the 86th floor or 102nd floor observation deck?

The 86th floor is the classic open-air deck with wraparound views and the more spacious, photogenic experience; the 102nd floor, an additional $35-$38 as of 2026, is fully enclosed, higher, and gives a more vertiginous straight-down view but is a smaller space with less dwell time. Most first-time visitors are satisfied with the 86th floor alone.

Do you need timed-entry tickets for the Empire State Building?

Yes, every ticket is booked for a specific entry window and elevator slot. Walk-up, same-day visits are possible but risk long stand-by waits, especially on weekends and during the popular sunset hour.

Is the Empire State Building open at night?

Yes, it stays open until 22:00-23:00 depending on the season, with last entry about an hour before closing. Night visits see noticeably shorter queues than the sunset slot and offer illuminated skyline views.

How long should you budget for a visit to the Empire State Building?

About 90 minutes total, including the 2nd-floor museum, security screening, and time on the observation deck(s). Add extra time during the sunset slot, when elevator queues run longest.

Rédigé avec l'assistance de l'IA à partir de sources officielles et de registres publics, et publié seulement après les vérifications décrites dans Comment nous rédigeons ces guides. Personne chez Traveliac ne s'est rendu sur place. Mis à jour le 18 septembre 2026. Comment nous classons et vérifions les lieux