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Your Guide to Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center

If you’ve been following along on our blog, you also probably know that we visit New York City frequently but we’ve always been too busy stuffing our faces with food. This happens to be the one city where food is more important than photos for us.

One of the things I’ve always wanted to do, but has been on the backburner, is see the dreamy city views from Top of the Rock. Touristy, I know, but it’s one of those things you have to do New York! You get a beautiful view of the Empire State building and Central Park.

Amazing NYC Views from the Top of the Rock // localadventurer.com

A big thank you to Rockefeller Center for giving us a tour of Top of the Rock. All opinions are always our own. Read our full disclosure for more info. Thank you for supporting the brands that make Local Adventurer possible.

Last Updated: August 16, 2020

Your Guide to Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center

Our Experience

Last month when we were in town for the Swiffer event, we were determined to go to at least one iconic New York photo spot, and we picked Top of the Rock. We heard it was much less crowded than Empire State Building, but the views are just as beautiful if not better.

If you’ve never been, here’s our Top of the Rock Virtual Tour. How can you not love this view?

Amazing NYC Views from the Top of the Rock // localadventurer.com
Top of the Rock Building - Rockefeller Center NYC // localadventurer.com
Beautiful Top of the Rock NYC View New York // localadventurer.com
Observation Deck Top of the Rock NYC // localadventurer.com
Amazing Views from the Top of the Rockefeller Center - Top of Rock NYC // localadventurer.com
Gorgeous Aerial shot of Central Park from Top of the Rock New York - Rock Top // localadventurer.com
Rockefeller Center Observation Deck New York Top Rock // localadventurer.com

The Top of the Rock height is 850 feet from base to the top of the antennas. On the 70th floor, you’ll be 850 feet, on the 69th floor you’re at 840 feet, and on the 67th floor it’s 820 feet.

Lovely Views of New York from the Rockefeller Observation Deck // localadventurer.com
Amazing NYC Views from the Top of the Rock NYC Observation Deck // localadventurer.com
Seeing the Best Views of New York from the Observation Deck Rockefeller Center // localadventurer.com
Central Park from T op of the Rock // localadventurer.com

Be sure to walk around the entire observation deck and observatory to take in views of the whole city.

Our Favorite Top of the Rock Pictures // localadventurer.com
Classic Top of the Rock Photos // localadventurer.com
View from Top of the Rock Observation Deck // localadventurer.com
View from Top of the Rock Manhattan New York // localadventurer.com

Also, how crazy is it that while we were there, we randomly ran into our friend, Katie, who we went on the Philippines mission trip with! Big city but small world.

New York Top of the Rock // localadventurer.com

Since we didn’t get to go at sunset, I gave it a little extra glow in my edit.

View of Empire State Building from Top of the Rock Observation Deck // localadventurer.com

These sunglasses make everything look like sunset. 😍Pin

View from Top of the Rock NYC - Rockfeller Center // localadventurer.com
The Top of the Rock NYC - Rockefeller Centre - NY See Through // localadventurer.com

The Current View

The first time was in the middle of a sunny day in August, where it was so crowded. The second time we went was on a rainy morning in February with an umbrella in hand. We arrived at 7:50 am and were the first ones there. It was relatively empty for the first hour before people started slowly trickling in. We stayed until 10 am, and comparably there still weren’t that many people.

You don’t get a golden glow, but the visibility wasn’t bad and the views were much more enjoyable without the crowds. We were, however, disappointed to find that the Central Park side is now obstructed by construction (as of Feb 27, 2018).

Tips for Visiting the Top of the Rock - The View' // Local Adventurer
Tips for Visiting the Rockefeller Center Top of the Rock // Local Adventurer

Top of the Rock Hours

They open from 8 AM to midnight with the exception of holiday hours. The first elevator goes up at 8 AM and the last one at 11:15 PM.

Top of the Rock Rockefeller Center Address:
30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10112, map

Ticket Prices

Top of the Rock tickets are all for a specific time and date. If you’re unsure of when you want to go, you can buy an unscheduled ticket, but those have to exchange for timed tickets at the Box Office before you can enter. It’s also not guaranteed when open slots will be available, so it’s best to figure out when you want to go before purchasing tickets.

Top of the Rock Price:

  • Adults $34
  • Children (6-12) $28
  • Senior (62+) $32
  • VIP Access $65 (avoid lines and get immediate entry)
  • Sun & Stars Upgrade $15 per ticket (allows access twice within 24 hours)

Directions

The entrance is easy to find. Get onto 50th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues, then look for the big red carpet under the “Observation Deck” sign. If you get there before it opens and don’t want to wait outside, head down to the Concourse level and there is an entrance there as well.

There are 3 levels of observation decks (67, 69, 70). Don’t waste your time on the bottom two and head straight to the 70th floor for an unobstructed view. The bottom two have safety glass surrounding it. If you want photos of yourself, the middle level was the least crowded.

Photography Tips + When to Visit

  • No tripods or professional video cameras are allowed.
  • Best Time for Photos: Sunset is the best for photography, but it is also the most crowded. Get there at least an hour before to get your prime photo spot. Early morning could also be a great option, but since they open at 8, you’ll never actually get sunrise. If you go in the winter, the latest sunrise this year was 730 am. Don’t forget to layer up! The Central Park side doesn’t look as pretty in the winter with all the dead trees, though.
  • Lenses: We shot all our photos with a 16-35mm on a Mark III (full frame).

More Tips for Visiting Top of the Rock NYC

  • To Avoid Lines: Along with going on weekdays and right when it opens, buy tickets online, so you don’t have to wait in line at ticketing. If you really want to avoid all the lines, pick up a VIP Access ticket. It gets you immediate entry when you arrive, priority elevator access, and expedited security screening.
  • Visiting Multiple NYC Attractions? We highly recommend you get the CityPASS. It saves you 40%. We previously did it for Atlanta and also here, and it saved us a lot of money. Just make sure you have enough time to visit them all within 9 consecutive days.
  • Top of the Rock Restaurant NYC: The Rainbow Room is the rooftop cocktail lounge and restaurant.
  • Download the APP to get real-time information about the city’s architecture, history, and more.
  • ALSO READ: 9 Amazing Things to Do in Rockefeller Center + 21 Things You Should Know Before Visiting New York

Nearby

  • Radio City Music Hall (0.2 mi / 2 min walk)
  • MoMa (0.4 / 7 min walk)
  • Broadway Theater District (0.4 / 7 min walk)
  • Times Square (0.4 mi / 8 min walk)
  • New York Public Library (0.5 mi / 11 min walk / 9 min by train)
  • Central Park (0.6 mi / 12 min walk / 11 min by train)

It’s a shame that we haven’t visited many of the touristy spots. I know a lot of travelers like to turn their nose up at anything touristy (I don’t like crowds either. It’s even worse when you’re short like me because you get no fresh air!), but some attractions are worth visiting and are crowded for good reason. It’s good to experience it first hand.

We’re usually okay as long as the reality and our expectations aren’t too off (like the time we went to Iceland and thought we’d be enjoying nature in solitude). We went to TOTR in the daytime, which wasn’t bad at all. Next time we’re there in the winter, we’d love to do either sunrise or sunset. We also need to go ice skating at the rink of Rockefeller! All someday things

Have you been to Top of the Rock? What did you think? Was the view worth it? If you haven’t visited NYC, what’s a touristy spot that you wouldn’t mind checking out? Also, I’ll take any suggestions on hidden gems too!

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Esther + Jacob

Esther and Jacob are the founders of Local Adventurer, which is one of the top 5 travel blogs in the US. They believe that adventure can be found both near and far and hope to inspire others to explore locally. They explore a new city in depth every year and currently base themselves in Las Vegas.

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