Having been to all five observation decks in New York City, I am most fond of Top of the Rock, the observation deck at Rockefeller Center.
What I am not fond of is paying full price for tickets so I am always on the lookout for ways to save.
Below I go over the cost of tickets and discounted admission opportunities.
Before reading on, watch Katie, my fellow tour guide here at New York Tours by Foot, going over ticket tips and what you can expect from your visit.
TICKET PRICES
One attractive feature of Top of the Rock is that tickets are issued in time slots so you are less likely to encounter crowds and long waits.
I am generally flexible with my time when I book tickets for attractions, so I appreciate being able to pick a time that many other guests won't be interested in.
But even if you go at peak hours, the timed reservation system keeps the flow of people well-paced.
Another great feature is that Top of the Rock is included for free with the major NYC tourist attraction discount passes. Other passes offer discounted entry. Read more below.
Below are the full-priced ticket choices, but before making your purchase, I encourage you to look through all the ticket discount options further down in this post.
Prices
- Adults $40 + tax
- Seniors (62+ with ID) $38 + tax
- Children (6-12) $34 + tax
- Children 5 and under are free
- Add $10 per ticket to visit during sunset hours
TIP: If you don't want to get locked into a day or time I recommend you purchase a flexible ticket for no extra cost.
You can cancel up to 24 hours before your date/time and get a full refund. Plus, it's a skip-the-line ticket so you'll save time.
The only downside to buying a flexible ticket is that you cannot select peak sunset hours. Any other time slots are fine.
Read reviews of the flexible ticket to see how much people enjoyed the benefits of this type of ticket.
Hours
Top of the Rock is open daily from 9:00 am to midnight. The last entry is at 11:10 pm so pick a time that gives you a chance to go to both decks and see the cool exhibits inside.
10 WAYS TO GET DISCOUNTED TICKETS TO TOP OF THE ROCK
My fellow tour guides and I love saving money, and I imagine you do too!
We often discuss money-saving opportunities for popular attractions and activities in NYC.
Here I'm passing on to you our pooled knowledge of nearly a dozen ticket discounts to Top of the Rock.
(1) Tourist Attraction Discount Passes
You can go to Top of the Rock for free or at a discount when purchasing any of these tourist attraction discount passes.
These passes work by bundling popular NYC attractions and tours, such as Top of the Rock, and charging one low price.
Most passes include dozens, if not hundreds, of attractions and activities. Here are a handful of them.
- Empire State Building
- One World Observatory
- Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tour
- Statue of Liberty Ferry
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Rockefeller Center Tour
- Radio City Music Hall Tour
- Circle Line Cruises
- Madame Tussauds
- and many more
With good planning and advanced calculations, you can save up to 55% off each attraction's cost.
Better still, you can save time at some attractions with skip-the-line privileges.
If you'd like to see how these passes work and how to maximize your savings, read our detailed breakdown of these tourist passes.
Even though I am a New Yorker, I have purchased tourist passes a few times when overseas friends visit and each time we saved a lot.
In our tourist pass post, read how my friends and I made the most of using these passes.
(2) Rock Pass
This pass is issued by Rockefeller Center and includes a Top of the Rock ticket and a Rockefeller Center Tour (a $27 value).
This pass costs $56 per person, regardless of age.
If you bought each attraction separately you would end up paying a total of $67 for an adult and $61 for a child.
With the Rock Pass, you will save $11 per adult and $5 per child. Not bad!
(3) Combo Packages
Combo packages are a great way to save money on several attractions.
Here are two standout Top of the Rock combos:
RockMoMA - a combination ticket for Top of the Rock and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The price is 10% off what you would pay if you purchased tickets for each separately.
MoMA and Top of the Rock are about a 5-minute walk from each other so you can visit both in one day!
Top of the Rock + St. Patrick’s Cathedral Audio Tour visit both these attractions and save 11% off what you would pay if you purchased tickets for each separately.
Find out about more Top of the Rock combo tickets here.
(4) Trusted Tours Discount
When you purchase your tickets through Trusted Tours, you get 10% off each ticket.
With these tickets, you do not need to reserve a time slot. Instead, you go to the box office to exchange your vouchers for a timed ticket.
Keep in mind that because you don’t have a reservation, you will be assigned the next available time from the time of your arrival. This could mean you have to wait a bit.
With these tickets, you have to present a printed version of the voucher you receive via email and the name must match your ID.
A big plus: you can use your ticket on any date within 6 months of the purchase date.
(5) CitySights Discount
Get up to 10% off tickets when you buy your tickets through CitySights.
(6) Military Discount
You won't find this substantial discount mentioned on Top of the Rock's website.
Active members of the military pay just $20 + tax with a valid military ID.
Even better, a member can bring up to four additional people at this same amazing price!
The catch is that these tickets must be purchased at the box office so you may have to wait in line.
But getting 50% off tickets is worth the time!
Before heading over, I recommend you call Top of the Rock to confirm. The number is 212-698-2000.
(7) AAA Discount
Triple-A members get $3 off tickets. You must present a valid AAA card when purchasing at the box office.
While this isn't as much as the Trusted Tours discount, there's no commitment since you don't buy your tickets online in advance.
(8) Discount Websites
You might want to check Groupon and LivingSocial which frequently offer special discounted rates on Top of the Rock tickets.
Often, there are special sales where you can get a deeper discount!
(9) Group Discount
If you plan to visit with a large group, this is a good way to save money as Top of the Rock offers special discounted pricing for groups of 20 or more guests.
Contact the box office at 212-698-2000.
(10) Promo Codes
There aren't any promo codes currently for Top of the Rock, but some pop up from time to time.
(11) Student Discount
Sadly, I have yet to find a student discount even after calling the box office.
But based on typical student discounts offered at other attractions, you wouldn't save more than a few dollars.
So consider the Trusted Tours discount or CitySights discount instead!
(12) Bar 65
Some of you may have heard about this bar on the 65th floor of Rockefeller Center, just two floors below the observation deck.
It was a good way to pay less for the view while enjoying a cocktail.
Unfortunately, it is no longer open to the public and is for private events only.
Tips From Locals and Travelers
When it comes to purchasing tickets for Top of the Rock, our New York Travel Tips group on Facebook provides reliable excellent advice.
Here are a few examples of the type of suggestions you can expect to find.
If you're wondering whether or not you need to pay the extra cost for a flexible date or skip-the-line ticket, these two group members both indicate general admission is good enough.
Both note that when they went to Top of the Rock, they were allowed in immediately and went to the top right away.
Sometimes big attractions try to upsell you on specialty tickets, but it seems most locals and travelers feel the regular ticket options are the best.
When asked about visiting at sunset, Lisa notes that you can check when the sunset will happen on a weather app or website.
She also indicates that you'll need at least 15 minutes to go through the line and get to the viewing area.
So if sunset is scheduled for 4:42, you should get a ticket for 4:15 to ensure enough time to get to the observation deck.
If you want to enjoy a few activities in one day, consider what times you choose to visit each attraction.
Below, Shannon asked the group if it would be possible to go to Top of the Rock at sunset and make it in time to a Broadway show afterward.
Karolina replies that it's easier to pull off in the winter than in summer since the winter sunsets are typically well before 7 pm, leaving enough time to get to Broadway in time since it's about 10 blocks away depending on the theater
Here, group member Phillip suggests that if you are going in the colder months, wear a jacket or coat so you can enjoy the outer viewing decks without being uncomfortably cold.
Speaking of wearing warm clothes, below is a picture of me in a light coat in the fall sitting in a window frame that many people like to pose in.
While the weather wasn't the best I had hoped for, the views from Top of the Rock were incredible and any time of the year is the right time!
Check our New York Travel Tips Facebook group for more tips from locals and recent visitors. You don't have to join the group to post a question yourself!
