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.
Visiting with CityPASS® tickets
CityPASS offers 3 great ways to see Empire State Building Observatory: New York CityPASS, New York C3 or New York C-All. No matter which one you choose, you’ll save.
- One simple purchase gives you admission to multiple attractions. And with 9 days to use your tickets, you’ll have plenty of time to spend at each attraction.
- Save time researching. Only the best attractions, like Empire State Building Observatory, are included in CityPASS tickets. Rest assured you’re going to see the best New York City has to offer.
- Admission to Empire State Building Observatory:New York CityPASS: AM/PM Experience – Entry includes the 86th Floor Observatory and 2nd Floor Museum, plus bonus same-night general admission.New York C3: 86th Floor Observatory Admission During Non-Sunset Hours – Entry includes the 2nd Floor Museum.New York C-All: 86th Floor Observatory Admission During Non-Sunset Hours – Entry includes the 2nd Floor Museum.
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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
out of
5 by
19036.
Rated 5 out of
5
by
NathanNTFC 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
Juliana from
Great!!!
Pratico e eficaz! Mais barato do que comprar separadamente.
Date published: 2026-02-04
Rated 5 out of
5
by
HerrMtz 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
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Littletraveler21 from
CityPASS = success
CityPASS is very functional, i really like it. Is my first time in NYC and it was a success.
Date published: 2026-01-30
Rated 1 out of
5
by
Alessandra from
I regret that I bought 3 CityPass and couldn’t use
I bought CityPass tickets for me and my daughters but because of the weather I threw my money away buying the tickets and couldn’t use them all. Because of my flight I tried to transfer the tickets to Orlando because I have one more week here than I leave the country. Cannot use them. I tried to contact and they said cannot solve the problem. I’m very disappointed with CityPass. Won’t buy it again. I’m regretting buying them.
Date published: 2026-01-29
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All images courtesy of Empire State Realty Trust