The Top of the Rock observatory, at Rockefeller Center

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Top of the Rock is a viewpoint located at the Rockefeller Center, and it’s my favorite observatory in New York in a building.

With hardly any lines, mainly due to a good organization, it offers you the best aerial views of New York and Manhattan, especially of the Central Park and Midtown area. The photo that is made of him from the Empire State has already become an icon of New York and an essential memory of your visit to the Big Apple.

Contenido

The experience in the Top of the Rock

After waiting for our turn in the lift to the observatory watching a documentary about the history of Rockefeller Center, we take the elevator that goes up to the upper floors of the Rockefeller Plaza, where we have an excellent view of Central Park and Harlem on one side, and the most iconic buildings in Midtown on the other, such as the Bank of America at Bryant Park or the Chrysler Building, with the Brooklyn Bridge, One World Observatory and the Statue of Liberty in the background. The view over the Empire State Building has special charm, although on the other hand this building prevents you to have a better visibility of Downtown and Financial District.

Sunset from Top of the Rock

Recommendations

To go up to the Top of the Rock I recommend you to take the tickets or exchange the coupon of the tourist card the same day in advance at the ticket offices, there is an express queue for holders of tourist cards, or in the kiosks that you find in the Rockefeller Center Plaza, to ensure the best time and conditions to go up. It is especially recommended to go upstairs with a good camera, a couple of batteries just in case, and go up late in the afternoon to enjoy both the day and night views of the city, although from this year, you have to pay an extra to go up at sunset time of $10.

Views from the Top of the Rock

Here we put a video where you can see the views that you can have from the Top of the Rock both day and night:

Top of the Rock hours of operation

Open 365 days of the year from 8 AM to 12 PM. The last elevator goes up at 11 PM

Fares (year 2019)

Adult: $ 38
Greater than 62 years: $ 36
Child (between 6 and 12 years): $ 32
Child under 6 years: Free
Sun & Stars (Go up twice in a day to see the day and night view): $ 18 more per ticket.

To climb at dusk, you have to pay an extra $ 10 per ticket, which you only have to pay if you do not enter with a tourist card. To know all the tourist cards that exist, I recommend you read our article with recommendations and tips to choose the best tourist card for your trip to New York.