Looking for amazing views of the New York City skyline and trying to decide whether to visit the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock (aka the top of Rockefeller Center)?
After visiting both of NYC’s two most iconic observation decks, we can confirm that Top of the Rock and the Empire State Building both have something incredible to offer (in other words, touristy doesn’t translate to overrated here).
Choosing between them is not an easy decision!
Both viewpoints offer major pros and cons, and odds are that your New York travel plans don’t allow time or money to visit both (and even if they did, there are so many other ways to treat yourself in New York than visiting both buildings in one trip, right?).
We’ve got you covered here!
This guide covers everything you need to know to decide whether Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building is the right viewpoint for you, plus a very quick overview of some of New York’s other popular observation decks.
Table of Contents
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Choose the Empire State Building if…
- … you want the most classic New York skyline experience.
- … you want the best views of Lower Manhattan and the Financial District.
- … having the highest of the two views is important to you.
- … you’re interested in the history of the Empire State Building itself.
- … You’re buying a New York City Pass and want AM/PM access to an observation deck.
- Choose Top of the Rock if…
- Bottom Line: Is the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock better?
- Tips for Visiting the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock
- Where are the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock?
- The Other Top Observation Decks in NYC
- Read More About Visiting NYC (and Beyond)
Choose the Empire State Building if…
… you want the most classic New York skyline experience.
Let’s face it: if your trip to New York is all about hunting down the truly iconic experiences, the Top of the Rock–while wonderful–just can’t beat the icon status of the Empire State Building.
Whether you’re an Art Deco architecture nerd, a King Kong fan, or just someone who knows the Empire State Building as the (once) tallest building in the world, it’s probably an iconic piece of New York to you in some way!
I love visiting the Empire State Building for its history as much as its views, and the building goes a long way to share its past: the waiting areas scattered around before you approach the view offer glimpses of the building’s history in an immersive way (think a well-done waiting area for a Disney ride, but for a building).
… you want the best views of Lower Manhattan and the Financial District.
Looking south from the top of the Empire State Building gives amazing context to the sheer density of Manhattan.
From the (relatively) shorter buildings of Midtown and Lower Manhattan (the Village and Chinatown included), all the way to the eruption of height at the southern tip of the island in the Financial District, the view is iconic and unforgettable.
Can you make out the Flatiron Building and the Statute of Liberty below?
… having the highest of the two views is important to you.
The 86th-floor observation deck of the Empire State Building stands at 1,050 feet, and the 102nd-floor observation deck at a towering 1,250 feet.
By contrast, the Top of the Rock’s observation deck standing at a mere 850 feet sounds downright unimpressive! (It isn’t, though, I promise.)
… you’re interested in the history of the Empire State Building itself.
The former tallest building in the world. An Art Deco masterpiece. A building that has been featured on 250+ movies and TV shows. A symbol of the reach-for-the-sky attitude of the roaring 1920s.
Arguably the most iconic building in New York City.
If your choice between the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock isn’t just about the views but also about the location’s history, well–the Empire State Building is hard to beat.
… You’re buying a New York City Pass and want AM/PM access to an observation deck.
Unlike many city passes around the world, the New York City Pass is truly an excellent deal–and it includes two chances to access the Empire State Building!
Thanks to my brother and his now-wife visiting, we used this pass when living in NYC and can heartily recommend it to first-time visitors hoping to cover some of the city’s most famous attractions.
For the Empire State Building, though, the biggest benefit is that you can visit the observation deck twice in one day: once during the day, and once at night, which gives you a chance to see two sides of the city without choosing between them!
Grab your New York City Pass or pick up Empire State Building tickets today!
Bruno_53, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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Choose Top of the Rock if…
… you want the Empire State Building in your photos.
Sounds obvious, but it’s worth keeping in mind!
Since the Empire State Building is such an iconic part of the New York skyline, you might be more interested in having it in your photos than taking photos from it!
One of the best features of the views from the Top of the Rock is the Empire State Building dominating the view from what feels like–when you’re up in the air, anyway–right next door.
… having wiring in front of the view distracts you.
While the Empire State Building has crisscrossing wiring installed on the observation deck in order to keep visitors safe, Top of the Rock has opted for large, open-air windows as a barrier instead.
The barriers can distort the view a tiny bit–if you want crystal-clear photos of the skyline, you’ll likely need to situate your lens in the small breaks between the barriers–but they offer a much less interrupted view to the naked eye.
… having epic views of Central Park is a high point for you.
The views from the Empire State Building have a lot going for them, including clearer views of Lower Manhattan and the Statue of Liberty, but when it comes to staring down at the green lung of the city that is Central Park, Top of the Rock’s views are far superior.
… you want to dodge (some of) the crowds.
With an estimated 4 million visitors a year at the Empire State Building vs. Top of the Rock’s 2.5 million visitors, you’ll be likely to share the view with slightly fewer people at Top of the Rock as opposed to the Empire State Building.
Don’t kid yourself, though–the Top of the Rock is still extremely popular!
2.5 million equals just under an average of 7,000 visitors a day if they were evenly distributed across each day of the year, which of course they aren’t–summer will certainly see larger numbers of daily visitors.
Bottom Line: Is the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock better?
It truly depends on what you are looking for!
We were honestly blown away by both views when we visited, and have returned to the Empire State Building since our first visit.
When we first chose between Top of the Rock and the Empire State Building, we opted for Top of the Rock, mostly because we wanted the Empire State Building in our photos and were intimidated by the idea of denser crowds at the Empire State Building.
However, having now visited both, I’d have to say that if we absolutely had to pick a favorite, the Empire State Building has a slight edge over Top of the Rock.
The incredible views looking toward Lower Manhattan manage to so clearly capture the essence of the New York City skyline, and there’s something about being on top of such an iconic structure that just adds an extra layer of joy to the experience.
That being said, there is truly no wrong answer here–it’s all about your priorities and which view looks more interesting to you!
Tips for Visiting the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock
Buy tickets in advance, especially during the high season.
I can’t emphasize this enough: with limited time in New York City, purchasing a timed-entry ticket in advance is practically essential to have a good experience at either the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock.
Though these buildings are perhaps a bit less crowded than they used to be (they have great crowd control and new competition on the scene–more on that below), they can get extremely crowded, and the lines and security measures are intense, especially at the Empire State Building.
If you have your heart set on watching the sunset from the top of one of these buildings, it’s even more essential to plan ahead, as those tickets are generally the first to go.
Book your tickets to visit the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock today!
Wait for a clear day.
Clouds, rain, fog–all of these can be the difference in a “this-is-so-amazing” experience as opposed to “why-do-people-think-this-is-worth-the-money-and-crowds” one.
If you know you want to visit either the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock during your trip to New York, I recommend checking the weather on your first day in the city and opting for the first clear, sunny day available to do your climb.
Consider visiting early in the morning to avoid the crowds.
Both the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock open at 8:00 AM, and if you can be there right when they open, you’ll stand the best chance of avoiding the worst of the lines and being part of one of the first groups to make it up the elevators–which means that you’ll be able to have more elbow room on the observation decks.
If there’s a sunny morning forecast during your visit, these viewpoints are worth pulling yourself out of bed early for!
Don’t forget to account for the wind and colder weather at the top.
Even if it’s a pleasant day on the ground, the wind and colder weather at the top of each skyscraper will be sure to take its toll.
Ladies, learn from my mistakes and consider not wearing a short, flowy dress with a tendency to fly up like I did when visiting Top of the Rock for the first time, and for everyone visiting outside of the height of summer, consider bringing a jacket.
If you want to watch the sunset, be sure to plan ahead.
Watching the sunset from the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock (or even visiting at night!) is a long-dreamed of experience for many New York visitors, but if you have it in mind for your visit, well… remember that it’s a long dreamed-of experience for many New York visitors if you know what I mean (read: so many crowds).
Be sure to plan ahead by looking up the sunset time in advance, and plan to be on the observation deck at least half an hour beforehand depending on how long you want to enjoy the view and how many photos you want to take (golden hour right before sunset is an amazing time to take photos).
We absolutely recommend purchasing tickets in advance if you want to prioritize the sunset!
If you want to visit the Empire State Building at sunset, definitely consider a New York City Pass to get the best of both worlds!
Book your tickets to visit the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock today!
Where are the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock?
First things first: where exactly are the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock anyway?
Despite the fairly different views from their observation decks, the two buildings are located fairly close together, in Manhattan terms.
Both buildings are located in Midtown, with Rockefeller Center being set a bit further north than the Empire State Building.
Empire State Building Address: 20 W 34th St, New York, NY 10001, USA
Top of the Rock Address: 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112, USA
We’ve included a map below that shows the locations of the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock in Manhattan.
It also highlights a few of the iconic New York locations that you can observe from the two buildings to give you a better idea of what you’ll be looking at in each place.
Map of the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock
Take This Map With You! Click each highlight to pull up the name of the destination. To save this map to “Your Places” on Google Maps, click the star to the right of the title. You’ll then be able to find it under the Maps tab of your Google Maps account! To open the map in a new window, click the button on the top right of the map.
The Other Top Observation Decks in NYC
While the Empire State Building vs Top of the Rock debate has been going on for nearly a century (since the 1930s, minus a break when the Top of the Rock was closed), other newer, trendier decks have stolen the show a bit over the last decade!
This section could truly be its own blog post (and probably will be one day), but I’ll try to keep things brief here.
While I’m personally always a fan of the classics (NYC history is fascinating, and the Empire State Building is just so cool), I have to admit that these options are all amazing as well…
The Edge (Hudson Yards)
Featuring a (relatively small section of) glass flooring and sweeping 360-degree views, the Edge is NYC’s highest observation deck as of 2025 and the self-described highest observation deck in the Western Hemisphere.
There is a small bar on-site here, as well as bleacher-style seating that encourages visitors to relax and stay awhile.
Summit ONE Vanderbilt (Midtown/Grand Central)
Located right by Grand Central Terminal (you can actually access the tower from the subway without going outside, as we learned when we visited on a rainy night), Summit ONE Vanderbilt is more of a multi-room interactive art installation than a traditional observation deck… but it does offer great views!
This is also where you’ll find NYC’s version of the skyboxes that allow you to take photos in (what appears like) midair, though note that the crowd control is extreme here–our group was only allowed to stay for a minute or so.
The boxes do have a great view of the Empire State Building, though!
One World Observatory (Financial District)
The 102nd-floor observatory of the One World Trade Center is essentially a mirror image of the Empire State Building view: instead of looking toward Lower Manhattan, you’re peering from the Financial District up toward Midtown and Upper Manhattan!
You can also enjoy great views of the water and some of NYC’s islands, including Liberty Island and Ellis Island, from here.
Read More About Visiting NYC (and Beyond)
If you found this blog post about NYC’s observation decks helpful, we’d love to continue to be part of your travel planning here on Our Escape Clause!
You can check out our 100+ blog posts about the USA here, or browse these guides:
- The (Massive) Ultimate 4 Days in New York Itinerary
- 31 of the Most Romantic Getaways in the USA
- 3 Days in Philly: The Perfect Weekend in Philadelphia Itinerary
- 25 Best Christmas Vacations in the USA
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