Heritage

Top of the Rock

#7of 10 places to visit in New York CityNew York City, New York State, United States

Also known as Top of the Rock Observation Deck · 30 Rockefeller Plaza Observatory

Quick answer

Opening hours: 08:00–24:00. Entry: $45. Allow 1.5 hrs.

Updated 18 September 2026 · Compiled by Traveliac, AI-assisted · 4 min read

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Photo: Daniel Schwen / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0

Opening hours: 08:00–24:00; Daily, 08:00 - 24:00 (last elevator typically around 23:00)
Entry fee: $45; Ticket from
Time needed: 1.5 hrs
Best months: Apr – May, Sep – Oct
Address: 45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111 (entrance on West 50th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)

About Top of the Rock

Top of the Rock occupies the 67th, 69th, and 70th floors of 30 Rockefeller Plaza, the Art Deco limestone tower at the center of the Rockefeller Center complex completed in 1933. The three-tiered open-air observation deck sits at 259 metres and was designed with a distinctive advantage over its Empire State Building rival a mile south: no wire mesh or floor-to-ceiling glass barriers block the topmost tier's view, using setback glass walls angled outward instead, which gives unobstructed sightlines and includes a clear view of the Empire State Building itself in the skyline.

Top of the Rock timings

Top of the Rock opens at 08:00 and closes at 24:00. Those hours hold on Saturday and Sunday too.

Opening hours: 08:00–24:00; Mon–Sun 08:00–24:00; Daily, 08:00 - 24:00 (last elevator typically around 23:00)
Closed on: Open every day

Mon–Sun	08:00–24:00

Good to know: Holiday season sees extended crowds around the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree and ice rink directly below; book earlier time slots to avoid the heaviest ground-level congestion in December.

Opening hours compiled from rockefellercenter.com and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Top of the Rock ticket price

Entry fees for Top of the Rock
Ticket	Price
Standard ticket	$45
Concession (student / senior)	$45
Children	$45

General admission starts around $45.00 per person as of 2026, with dynamic pricing that rises with demand and can reach $55-60 for peak sunset slots; third-party resellers list a wide range of prices, so book only through rockefellercenter.com. Children under 5 enter free with a paying adult. Combination tickets bundling Top of the Rock with MoMA admission or 'The Beam' photo experience cost more - verify current tiers at the official site before booking.

Prices compiled from rockefellercenter.com and public records, last updated 18 September 2026. They change without notice — confirm before you travel. How we write these guides

Best time to visit Top of the Rock

Quiet
Busy
Very busy

08:00 - 10:00
Opening WindowBest time to go
Shortest elevator queues of the day and the clearest long-distance visibility before midday haze builds.
Quiet
12:00 - 16:00
Midday
Steady tour-group volume across all three tiers; the 70th-floor open-air deck is the busiest single point.
Busy
Sunset window (varies by season)
Golden Hour
The most heavily booked and most expensive slot under dynamic pricing; arrive at the start of the window to claim rail space before it fills.
Very busy
21:00 - 24:00
Late Night
Crowds thin substantially in the final hours before the last elevator; illuminated skyline views with minimal queueing.
Quiet

History of Top of the Rock

John D. Rockefeller Jr. leased the site from Columbia University in 1928, initially planning a new Metropolitan Opera House before the 1929 stock market crash forced a pivot to a commercial office complex; Rockefeller personally guaranteed the project's financing, one of the largest private construction undertakings of the Depression era, employing an estimated 40,000 workers over nine years. The 70-story tower, then known as the RCA Building after its anchor tenant, opened in 1933 with an observation deck that operated until the 1980s before closing for decades.

A $75 million renovation reopened the observation deck in November 2005 as 'Top of the Rock,' rebuilt with the tiered, glass-walled design and modern elevators capable of the full ascent in under a minute. The surrounding plaza's annual Christmas tree tradition dates to 1933, when construction workers on the site informally decorated a tree with cranberries and tin cans; the lighting ceremony has run every year since and now draws television broadcast crowds each late November.

Rules & etiquette at Top of the Rock

All visitors pass through security screening before the elevator lobby; large bags and tripods above a certain size are restricted, though small camera bags are generally permitted. Every ticket carries a specific timed entry slot booked at purchase - arriving outside the booked window can mean rebooking for a later, possibly sold-out time.

The open-air tiers mean weather is a factor, particularly wind at the 70th-floor level; the deck does not close for light rain but does restrict access during severe weather or lightning. 'The Beam,' a suspended-photo-illusion experience recreating the 1932 'Lunch Atop a Skyscraper' photograph, costs extra and requires a separate timed booking within the visit window.

Tips for visiting Top of the Rock

1
Book the RockMoMA combination ticket if a MoMA visit is also planned - it bundles both and costs less than buying each separately, and MoMA sits an easy eight-minute walk from Rockefeller Plaza. Sunset slots sell out first and cost the most under the venue's dynamic pricing; a 90-minutes-before-sunset booking captures both daylight and dusk skyline views without paying the absolute peak rate.
2
Unlike the Empire State Building's 86th-floor deck, Top of the Rock's open-air tiers have no wire mesh, which makes it the stronger choice for unobstructed photography - and it includes a clean view of the Empire State Building itself, something the Empire State Building's own deck obviously cannot offer of itself. Visit the ice rink and Christmas tree at street level (November-January) either before ascending or after descending; both experiences share the same plaza but require separate tickets or queues.

How to reach Top of the Rock

45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111 (entrance on West 50th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues)Directions in Google Maps

From 47-50 Streets-Rockefeller Center subway station
0.1 km · 2-3 min
$2.90 subway (OMNY/MetroCard)
From Grand Central Terminal
1.1 km · 14-16 min walk or 5 min subway (S/4 min/5 min/6 min to B/D/F/M)
$2.90 subway (OMNY/MetroCard)
From LaGuardia Airport (LGA)
12 km · 35-50 min combined
$2.90 total (single OMNY/MetroCard fare covers the transfer)

Nearest airport

From LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

approximately 12 km, 30-45 minutes by road depending on traffic.

Nearest station

From 47-50 Streets-Rockefeller Center (subway lines B, D, F, M)

directly beneath the complex.

Top of the Rock FAQs

Is Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building better?

Top of the Rock's open-air deck has no wire mesh, giving clearer photography, and it includes the Empire State Building in its skyline view - something the Empire State Building's own deck cannot show. The Empire State Building, in turn, is the more historic and instantly recognizable building to photograph from outside. Many visitors choose based on which skyline element they want in their photos.

How much are Top of the Rock tickets?

General admission starts around $45.00 per adult as of 2026, rising to $55-60 for peak sunset time slots under the venue's dynamic pricing. Book only through the official rockefellercenter.com site, since third-party resellers list inconsistent prices.

Do you need a reservation for Top of the Rock?

Yes, every ticket is for a specific timed entry slot selected at booking. Sunset slots sell out first, often days ahead in busy seasons.

What is 'The Beam' at Top of the Rock?

A suspended photo experience recreating the 1932 'Lunch Atop a Skyscraper' image, where visitors sit on a raised steel beam replica for a harnessed photo. It costs extra beyond general admission and requires its own timed booking within the visit.

Compiled with AI assistance from official sources and public records, and published only after the checks in How we write these guides. Nobody from Traveliac has visited this place. Last updated 18 September 2026. How we rank and check places