New York · Visitor Guide

Empire State Building
Tickets 2026

It closes at two in the morning, and almost nobody uses that. The building everyone visits at four in the afternoon is a different, better place at midnight.

🌃 Open until 2am
✓ 86th floor open air
✓ 102nd floor enclosed
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1931
Completed
86 / 102
Observatory floors
2am
Last entry area
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Empire State Tickets & Tours

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Before You Book

Two Floors, One Obvious Choice

🌬️
86th floor, open air
The classic deck. Outdoors, wind in your face, the skyline at eye level. This is the one in every film and the one worth the ticket.
🪟
102nd floor, behind glass
Higher and quieter, but enclosed. Worth the supplement only if you want the altitude — the open-air experience is on 86.
🌙
Late night is the secret
Queues collapse after about ten in the evening and the city is fully lit. Same ticket, a fraction of the crowd.
Empire State Tickets — Visitor Guide

What to Know Before You Go

A skyscraper that had to prove itself

Finished in 1931 in barely more than a year, it stood as the tallest building in the world for four decades. For much of the Depression it was largely empty, earning the nickname "the Empty State Building", and it survived on observatory tickets — which is to say the thing you are buying kept the building alive long before its offices did.

The observatories, and which to take

The 86th floor deck is open air, wraps the whole building and is the one people picture. The 102nd floor, added later and refurbished in 2019, is fully enclosed and higher. If you buy one, buy 86. The supplement to 102 is worth it only if altitude matters more to you than standing in the wind.

Go at night, seriously

The observatory stays open until two in the morning, and after roughly ten the queues thin out dramatically. The city is fully lit, the air is usually clearer, and you can stand at the railing without negotiating for space. It is the same ticket price as the middle of a crowded afternoon.

How it compares

Top of the Rock has the advantage of putting the Empire State Building in your photograph, which this one cannot. Summit is a mirrored art installation with a view attached rather than a straightforward observatory. If you want the classic New York skyline experience from the building itself, this is it; if you want the picture of the building, go elsewhere.

Expert Advice

Visiting Empire State — What to Know

Timing

Late evening is best — after ten, queues thin and the city is lit.
Sunrise slots are limited — and sold separately when available.
Avoid mid-afternoon — the busiest window of the day.
Clear days matter less at night — lights beat haze.

Choosing

86th floor first — open air, and the classic experience.
102nd only for altitude — it is behind glass.
Top of the Rock instead — if you want the building in your photo.
Allow 1.5 hours — including security and lifts.
FAQ

Empire State Tickets — Questions Answered

The 86th. It is the open-air deck that wraps the building and it is the experience people come for. The 102nd is higher but fully enclosed behind glass — worth the extra only if raw altitude appeals to you more than standing outdoors above Manhattan.
Late evening. The observatory stays open until two in the morning, and after about ten the queues shrink while the city is at its most spectacular. It is the same ticket as a crowded afternoon slot, for a considerably better visit.
Top of the Rock looks at the Empire State Building, which this one obviously cannot. If your priority is a photograph containing the famous silhouette, go there. If you want to stand on the building itself, in the open air, at the height that defined the New York skyline, come here.
It is sensible, particularly for evening slots and in summer, and it usually costs less than the walk-up price. Unlike some attractions it rarely sells out entirely, but timed entry saves you a queue you did not need to join.
The second-floor museum added in the refurbishment is genuinely good — the construction story, the Depression years, the building in film. It is included with the observatory ticket and most visitors walk straight past it on the way to the lifts.
About ninety minutes, including security screening, the lifts and time actually spent at the railing. Longer if you take in the museum properly, which you should.
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