Rockefeller Center

What it is

Rockefeller Center is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st Streets in Midtown Manhattan. The 14 original Art Deco buildings were commissioned by the Rockefeller family and run from Fifth Avenue to Sixth Avenue, split by a large sunken square and a private street called Rockefeller Plaza. The complex became a New York City designated landmark in 1985 and a National Historic Landmark in 1987. Its centrepiece is 30 Rockefeller Plaza, completed in 1933 to Raymond Hood's design, 850 feet tall, known for decades as the RCA Building and later the GE Building, and still the home of NBC's New York studios. Top of the Rock is the observation deck at its top. It opened in July 1933 at forty cents a head, closed in 1986 when an expansion of the Rainbow Room severed the deck's only lift access, and reopened in November 2005 after a renovation by Gabellini Sheppard Associates. The complex is also a collection of public art, of which Paul Manship's 1934 Prometheus above the sunken plaza and Lee Lawrie's Atlas facing Fifth Avenue are the two most photographed pieces. What a visitor buys today is therefore two things at once: a walk through a 1930s office campus that is still an office campus, and a lift ride to a deck that looks down on it.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

What's inside

The observation experience spans three floors, the 67th, 69th and 70th. The operator describes the 70th floor as sitting 850 feet above Midtown, and it is the open-air level, an unglazed terrace with sightlines north over Central Park and south towards the Empire State Building and Lower Manhattan. The 67th floor holds the Weather Room Cafe and Bar, which serves drinks and light fare beside the same view. Restrooms are one floor below on the 66th, reached by lift from the 67th. Before the lifts, the Welcome Gallery holds a large three-dimensional model of Rockefeller Center, and an immersive theatre covers the history of the complex. Two paid add-ons sit on the deck itself. The Beam, on the southeast side of the second deck level, is a 180-degree rotating beam that rises about 12 feet above the deck, staged after the 1932 photograph Lunch Atop a Skyscraper, and it carries up to seven people at a time. SKYLIFT, on the west side of the 70th floor, is an open-air rotating glass platform that rises a further 30 feet, holds up to 13 guests with an attendant, and lasts about five minutes. At ground level the complex adds the sunken plaza, the Channel Gardens, the underground concourse and the winter ice rink.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

How long to spend

The operator publishes two different figures. Its general answer says to plan 60 to 90 minutes at Top of the Rock, while its family guidance says most visits last 45 minutes to an hour, lift ride included. Both appear on rockefellercenter.com, and neither is wrong, because the deck imposes no time limit and the length of a visit is decided by the visitor and by the queue. This guide records 90 minutes, and that figure is editorial judgement rather than an operator number. Ninety minutes covers the security line, the Welcome Gallery and theatre, unhurried time on all three deck levels, and a stop in the Weather Room. It does not cover the plaza below. Add another 30 to 45 minutes if the sunken plaza, the Channel Gardens and the concourse belong to the same outing, which for most visitors they do, since the deck entrance stands a few steps from all of them. The paid add-ons cost time as well as money: SKYLIFT itself lasts about five minutes, but it and The Beam each have their own queue up on the deck. A visitor holding a fixed dinner reservation should treat 90 minutes as a floor rather than a ceiling.

Checked 2026-08-26

Season and crowds

Top of the Rock is open every day from 8am to midnight, with last entry at 11.10pm. That is a longer day than most New York observation decks offer, and it is the reason the deck can be fitted around a schedule rather than built into one. The operator names sunset as the most popular time to visit, and says that morning and afternoon visits offer different lighting and often clearer long-distance views. Its family guidance is blunter still: go soon after the 8am opening for the shortest lines, because sunset draws the biggest crowds of the day. Take that seriously. A timed admission ticket fixes the entry slot, so the choice is made at purchase rather than at the door. Weather decides more here than season does, because the 70th floor is open air. The operator states that the deck is open daily year-round, that guests are told the weather and visibility conditions before entry, and that parts of the deck may close temporarily for safety. Tickets are not refundable on account of weather, but they can be rescheduled. One seasonal expectation is worth correcting in advance: the operator confirms that the Christmas tree and the ice rink cannot be seen from the observation decks. Both sit at ground level, and both are passed on the way out.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

Tickets

Prices are charged per person, and the operator publishes them as starting figures because the final amount depends on the date and time chosen at checkout. Timed Admission, the plain three-floor deck ticket, starts at $42. Adding one experience raises that: The Beam with admission and SKYLIFT with admission both start at $57. The All-Inclusive Pass, which bundles admission with The Beam and SKYLIFT together, starts at $72. Skip-the-line Admission, the same deck with faster entry, starts at $82, which is more than the bundle, so a visitor who wants both should compare the two rather than assume. The VIP Pass, a guided visit with priority access, lounge entry, a private Beam ride, SKYLIFT, a photo pass and a champagne toast, starts at $185. Children aged five and under are admitted free. Advance purchase is not required, since tickets are sold on site subject to availability, but the operator recommends it, and a timed slot is the only way to control which hour is spent up there. NY Pass and Explorer Pass must be redeemed in person at the box office, where holders take the next available slot or choose a future one. New York CityPASS holders may redeem online before arriving. Groups of ten or more are handled separately.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

Getting there

No car is needed, and bringing one is a liability. The entrance to Top of the Rock is at 30 Rockefeller Plaza on 50th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, marked by a red carpet on the south side of the street. The subway puts a visitor within a block of it. The B, D, F and M stop at 47-50th Streets-Rockefeller Center, directly underneath the complex. The 6 stops at 51st Street, from where the walk runs west along 50th Street. The 1 stops at 50th Street, from where the walk runs east. The N, Q and R stop at 49th Street, again a short walk east. By bus, the M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5 run down Fifth Avenue and up Madison Avenue to 50th Street, the M50 runs crosstown on 49th Street, and the M7 runs on Broadway. Citi Bike docks sit on 51st Street and on 48th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. Driving is possible: the operator names a garage at 53 West 48th Street on the north side between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, and sells discounted parking to Top of the Rock guests in advance. Midtown traffic and garage cost still make it the worst option for anyone not already in a car.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

What to watch out for

Every visitor passes a security checkpoint, so budget time for it. Bags may not exceed 16 by 16 by 8 inches, large duffle bags and suitcases are refused, and there is no bag storage or lockers on site, so arrive carrying only what fits, because there is nowhere to leave the rest. Outside food and drink are not permitted. Weapons of any kind are prohibited, and the operator's list includes glass bottles, lighters, flammable substances and knives of every sort down to a pen knife. Tripods are not allowed either. Re-entry is the rule that catches people out: once a visitor exits the observation decks, the same ticket will not get them back in. Arrival timing is policed as well, since the operator asks visitors to arrive no more than ten minutes before their booked slot, and admits latecomers without extending their session. The Beam sets firm limits. Riders must be at least 52 inches tall to ride alone, those between 42 and 52 inches must be accompanied by an adult, and anyone under 42 inches is refused. Maximum weight is 300 pounds. No personal items at all go on The Beam, phones and medical devices included, and wheelchairs are not permitted on it. SKYLIFT refuses strollers, carriers and service animals.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

Photography

The deck is built to be photographed, and the operator makes it straightforward. The 70th floor is open air with no glass in the way, which is the single strongest reason to prefer it to a glazed deck. The lower levels are enclosed, so shoot from the top when the barrier matters. Personal phones and small hand-held cameras are welcome. Tripods, monopods and selfie sticks are not, since tripods sit on the general prohibited list and SKYLIFT refuses selfie sticks and additional camera equipment outright, so leave the stick at the hotel rather than argue at the checkpoint. The Beam is the exception that surprises people: no phones, cameras or recording devices ride on it at all, and every belonging goes into the cubbies beside its entrance. Companions may photograph a rider from the deck, and professional shots of the ride are sold afterwards. SKYLIFT does allow phones and small cameras, and after dark its platform is lit by 636 metres of LED. On light, the classic frame is south over the Empire State Building, which means shooting into the sun in the middle of the day and with the sun behind the camera in late afternoon. North over Central Park stays evenly lit all day. Sunset is the busiest hour on the deck, not the easiest to work in.

Checked 2026-08-26 · Source

Where it is

Nearby

External links

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