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Empire State Building Observatory

See stunning 360-degree interior and exterior views from the famous 86th Floor Observatory. Upgrade your visit with a trip to the 102nd Floor Observatory, or skip the lines with the Express Ticket for an additional fee. See why travelers voted this icon the Travelers’ Choice Best of the Best Award: #1 Attraction in the World.

Travelers Choice 2022-2024

New York CityPASS includes:

AM/PM Experience – Entry includes the 86th Floor Observatory and 2nd Floor Museum, plus bonus same-night general admission.

New York C3 includes:

86th Floor Observatory Admission During Non-Sunset Hours – Entry includes the 2nd Floor Museum.

New York C-All includes:

86th Floor Observatory Admission During Non-Sunset Hours – Entry includes the 2nd Floor Museum.

Highlights

  1. 01.

    Walk through the entrance and take in the grand staircase featuring a two-story, built-to-scale architectural model of the building, and get a glimpse of the high-tech LED exhibit that celebrates lighting ceremonies performed by famous celebrity guests.

  2. 02.

    Don't miss the immersive exhibit galleries on the second floor. Watch the New York City streets of the late 1920s come to life in full color; see highlights of ESB’s starring role in pop culture through the decades; experience a close encounter with King Kong (you can even step into his hands!), and more.

  3. 03.

    Take in panoramic views of up to six states from the 86th floor’s 360-degree open-air promenade (heated for comfort) or from climate-controlled viewing galleries; high-powered binoculars are available free of charge.

Visit Empire State Building Observatory with CityPASS®

CityPASS® tickets offer multiple great ways to see Empire State Building Observatory. No matter which you choose, you'll save.

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Advice for Visitors

Tips

Best Time to Visit

The least busy time is usually the few hours before sunset.

During busy times, you may encounter a line outside the front door. For comfort and security, there’s a limit on the number of people waiting inside at one time. Once inside, you may skip the regular Empire State Building ticket lines and proceed directly to the high speed elevator line.

Visitors to the observatory can enjoy free wifi onsite.

Please note that rainchecks are not available due to inclement weather once your CityPASS reservation barcode has been scanned. To check current views before visiting, click here.

Learn more on the CityPASS Blog about what you'll experience at the Empire State Building Observatory.

Attraction Features

Accessibility

The Empire State Building is fully ADA compliant, with handicapped restrooms on the 86th Floor Observatory and lowered viewing walls and binoculars. Service dogs are allowed throughout the building. Motorized and non-motorized wheelchairs are permitted. The 86th floor has ramps to make getting around easier and lowered viewing walls so that visitors in chairs can still take in the view.

Parking/Transportation

Get information on public transportation and directions.

Offers & Upgrades

15% off Your Purchase

15% off at Showtime Pictures and The Official Empire State Building Store.

102nd Floor Observatory

Venture up the Empire State Building’s mast in a glass elevator as you approach the newly-renovated 102nd Floor Observation Deck, featuring 360-degree views through floor-to-ceiling glass windows. Purchase onsite from 86th floor kiosks. Cost: $35-$38 depending on date and time of visit.

Express Pass

Get to the top faster with an Express Pass! Purchase from an official Empire State Building employee at the onsite ticket office on the day of arrival to move to the front of each line. Cost for CityPASS guests: $41. Please note: Street sales agents outside of the building are not employed by the Empire State Building Observatory and are not authorized to sell Express upgrades.

Sunset Upgrade

Add sunset peak hours to your Empire State Building experience! Upgrade on-site at a kiosk. Does not apply to New York CityPASS tickets, which include sunset hours.

Contact Information & Hours

  • Empire State Building Observation Deck
  • 20 West 34th Street
  • New York, NY 10118
  • Empire State Building Observatory 20 West 34th Street New York
  • Dec 19-22: 9am-1am
  • Dec 23-28: 8am-1am
  • Dec 29-30: 9am-1am
  • Dec 31: 9am-11pm
  • Jan 1-3: 8am-1am
  • Jan 4-5: 9am-11pm
  • Jan 6-Feb 12: 10am-9pm
  • Feb 13-Mar 5: 10am-10pm
  • Mar 6-27: 9am-10pm
  • Mar 28-31: 9am-midnight

New York CityPASS tickets include a same-night bonus visit during the final three hours of operation.

Last entry is 45 minutes prior to closing.

Hours vary; check the schedule when planning your visit.

Read reviews from CityPASS® travelers.

New York CityPASS
Lovin' the Big Apple
This was our first time using a CityPASS. We were planning our trip when we saw several activity passes for New York. This was the best option for us since we were only staying for 5 days. When we got to the various attractions, we compared prices. We saved a lot! I've now recommended this pass to friends who plan a trip to the Big Apple. We would definitely buy one again when we visit another big city.
New York CityPASS
A great way to view the wonderful city of New York on a budget! My partner and I thoroughly enjoyed all of our days out on this pass and were impressed with the amount we saved, leaving me more money to shop with!!
5 Star Experience!
My family just returned from our wonderful trip in New York City and this pass made it able to see all of the famous attractions in little time and for a wonderful price. I would DEFINITELY recommend this pass to anyone who wants to see more... For less!
New York CityPASS
Totally worth it! Saved us a lot of time and energy! In the city that never sleeps, every minute counts!!!
Great buy!
We loved the city pass! It allowed for flexibility in our days as well as allowed us to feel like we got our money's worth, without the pressure of feeling like we needed to stay in each museum or landmark all day. I will definitely continue to use CityPASS for the cities where available.
New York CityPASS is rated 4.5 out of 5 by 19038.
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Very good service We bought city pass for a trip in May. The service is fast and intuitive, we've been able to book all the attractions easily. Very good experience!
Date published: 2026-02-14
Rated 4 out of 5 by from Looking forward to my trip I bought a CityPASS for an upcoming trip for July 2026. This offer seems better both affordability and easy than trying to do individual attractions. As I make reservations, some attractions do not have availability for my dates so I continue to check.
Date published: 2026-02-13
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Trip of a lifetime! My friend and I bought CityPASS for our trip to New York and once we worked out how to fit everything in it was easy. We visited the American Museum of Natural History and Empire State Building as standard and then chose Top of the Rock, 9/11 museum and Intrepid museum as the 3 optional experiences. We did the Statue of Liberty separately because they still had tickets to the Crown with it being early February so we picked the Intrepid Museum as our final choice. The CityPASS app made it easy to choose times and access tickets and the attractions themselves were incredible and were very well priced considering how good each of them were. The Empire State Building was amazing with a good combination of views at the top plus the museum at the bottom, and the fact that we were able to return with CityPASS later on the same evening allowed us to see the amazing views in the daytime along with the stunning New York lights at night. And visiting in February meant that it was fairly quiet on both visits. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum was an eye opener for us considering that we were too young to remember 9/11. We paid extra for an audio tour (which is a must-do) and it was emotional seeing how they described the tragedy combining artefacts and art with personal stories. We arrived at 2pm and had to leave at closing time and we still hadn’t gone through some of the sections, so try to dedicate more time to seeing it fully if you get the chance. The American Museum of Natural History was an interesting attraction that did well to balance fun with learning. We chose the Planetarium for the ticketed exhibition included with CityPass and it was a good 25 minute experience. Later that day we did Top of the Rock at 3:30pm whilst it didn’t have the prestige that Empire State had I still highly recommend it. Arriving mid afternoon allowed us to take in the views on another perfect day and we also decided to have a drink on the outdoor bar and waited until sunset which was unforgettable. The best part about Top of the Rock is that you can see both ESB and Central Park, whilst the only downsides were that they seemed too pushy with their Beam upsell. On the final day we went to Intrepid Museum without knowing what to expect. I assume that most people here will choose the flashier attractions but Intrepid filled our time nicely. Based on a retired Warship with views of the Hudson River and glimpses of the Empire State Building you get to see old aircraft, the workings of the ship itself, a NASA prototype spacecraft and go on an old submarine , all of which were included and the latter were nice surprises. Overall CityPASS was incredible value for money and I would definitely check out their other experiences in other cities. Do it.
Date published: 2026-02-11
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great!!! Pratico e eficaz! Mais barato do que comprar separadamente.
Date published: 2026-02-04
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Very convenient Purchasing CityPASS was really convenient as the experiences they offer are incredible. Just consider that if you’re going to visit the Statue of Liberty and you want to go to the crown, you may want to buy those tickets directly from the Statue’s website.
Date published: 2026-02-03
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All images courtesy of Empire State Realty Trust