Empire State Building Tickets: The 15 Best Options

1.Empire State Building Tickets – Observatory & Museum

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 25,757 reviews · 45 minutes - 2 hours · from $47Our pick

Visit the Empire State Building’s 86th Floor Observatory, explore its interactive museum, and add the 102nd Floor for wider views through floor-to-ceiling windows. Allow 45 minutes to 2 hours. Choose a regular or Express ticket, with wheelchair access and free entry for children under six.

“We were lucky to have booked on a clear night with almost no queues. Booking process was easy and the staff were so helpful and friendly. A great experience for us all.”

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2.NYC Empire State Building Observation Deck Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 6,916 reviews · 45 minutes to 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $47

Visit the Empire State Building on your own schedule, explore exhibits on construction and pop culture, then take in 360-degree views from the 86th floor. Upgrade to the 102nd floor for glass-walled views across up to six states, or add skip-the-line access for a faster visit.

“Great experience. I would recommend if you are visiting New York. Well organised and something to tick off your bucket list”

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3.New York Pass: 100+ Things To Do including Empire State Building

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,329 reviews · 1 to 5 days (approx.) · from $169

Use a mobile New York Pass for 1 to 5 consecutive calendar days and visit more than 100 attractions. Plan around timed reservations for the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Edge, and selected museums, then use the app to build an efficient sightseeing route.

“Viator making me miss out on a fully paid 3 day pass because they only sent me a qr code for one day. Had to be on the phone for over an hour trying to get them to email me the rest of the passes. Kept saying they were there, they could see them. Good for you, how does that help me? Almost $600 for 2 passes that we got to spend about $200 with. Waste of time and money.”

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4.Empire State Building Express Tickets – Skip the Line

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 604 reviews · 45 min · from $92

Enter at 20 West 34th Street and follow the red carpet to the Empire State Building Observatory. Your Express ticket takes you past the main queues, through exhibits on construction and pop culture, and up to the 86th floor. Select the 102nd floor for enclosed, floor-to-ceiling views.

“The skip the line was so worth the extra money. Saves so much time. The whole experience was amazing and we loved going up to 102nd floor.. what a view! I did however lose my brand new Knicks hat at security but when I went back it had gone..”

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5.Empire State, Statue of Liberty, & Hop-on Hop-off (Save 25%)

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 209 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $135

Use a mobile ticket for Big Bus downtown and uptown routes, roundtrip ferry service to Liberty and Ellis Islands, and the Empire State Building observation deck. You will need to redeem vouchers and reserve an Empire State time, so plan these popular stops before boarding.

“We were disappointed in the lack of direction when the driver stopped very far from the line for Statute of Liberty ferry and failed to indicate in which direction we were to walk. Also I would like to know why were paid (in advance) twice the price offered on the street?!”

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6.Statue of Liberty, Empire State, and Hop-on Hop-off Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 163 reviews · 2 days · from $135

Use a 48-hour Big Bus pass on Downtown and Uptown routes, visit the Empire State Building, and take a ferry to Liberty and Ellis Islands. You choose the order, but reserve your Empire State time early and plan the ferry between 9 AM and 3 PM.

“Empire State Building was ok. As for the Statue of Liberty I was unable to go as it said it was all sold out by the time I was given to book a slot so I lost out on that experience so the bundle wasn’t really worth it very disappointing”

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7.NYC Bundle: Empire State, Big Bus Tour, & Circle Line Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 106 reviews · 2 days · from $99

See New York from three angles: the Empire State Building’s 86th-floor deck, a 48-hour Big Bus route through Midtown, Uptown, and Downtown, and a Circle Line cruise past the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge. Use the attractions over two days, at your own pace.

“Em relação ao big bus, Gostei da possibilidade de descer nos locais de interesse. Não gostei do áudio-guia. Em alguns veículos não funcionava, estava estragado. Quando funcionava, estava atrasado ou adiantado em relação ao local por onde estávamos passando. Não faria novamente. O Empire State também é uma atração mediana. Demorei para agendar e ficamos num horário horrível, à noite. Gostei bastante do cruzeiro, fizemos o de 90 minutos. Este valeu a pena!”

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8.Empire State Building Sunrise Experience Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.8 · 68 reviews · 1 day · from $146

Meet an Empire State Building Greeting Host early Saturday at the 34th Street entrance. Ride up to the 86th Floor Observatory for sunrise views, Starbucks Reserve coffee, and Princi pastries, then explore the museum galleries and two-story building model at your own pace.

“le levé du soleil etait magnifique tres belle expérience et le petit déjeuner servi par starbucks etait tres bon”

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9.Midtown, Empire State Building & Top of the Rock Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 24 reviews · 2h 30m · from $59

Spend 150 minutes with an English-speaking guide exploring Midtown, Bryant Park, the New York Public Library, and Rockefeller Center, then visit Top of the Rock or the Empire State Building. Mike is one named guide praised for his helpful approach. Choose one observatory or tickets to both.

“Top of the Rock = super Midtown avec le guide = visite très moyenne. Pas besoin de guide au vu de ce que l'on a fait. Sommes passé à 2 pas de la Cathédrale St Patrick même pas un moment pour photo même pas pu rentrer à l'intérieur par contre restés 10 mn devant un chantier en travaux... ?”

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10.Empire State Building & Manhattan Walking Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 18 reviews · 5 hours · from $120

Start at Federal Hall with an English-speaking local guide, walk from Wall Street through Chinatown and Little Italy, then continue independently to the Empire State Building. The $120 experience lasts about five hours and includes the 86th-floor observatory, with a 102nd-floor upgrade available.

“Andrew war ein toller Guide, er hat uns viele Hintergründe zu New York erzählt”

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11.Empire State Building & Optional Top of the Rock Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 12 reviews · 2h 30m · from $76

Start early at the Empire State Building, visit the 80th-floor Dare to Dream exhibit, and see Manhattan from the 86th-floor observatory. Your English-speaking guide adds context before leading you past Bryant Park and Rockefeller Center. Choose the Top of the Rock add-on for another view.

“The tour was excellent. Our guide was very good, nothing was too much trouble and his knowledge was excellent too.”

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12.NYC Empire State Horse Carriage Ride in Central Park(45mins)

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 12 reviews · 45 min

Ride through Central Park in a private horse-drawn carriage for up to four adults, with stops at Bethesda Fountain and Cherry Hill. Your English-speaking driver points out sights including Strawberry Fields, the Boathouse, Balto, and Tavern on the Green. Oliver and Ali are among the drivers praised for friendly service.

“Oliver and Bobbie weed awesome! Gorgeous horse, friendly driver, knowledgeable about the history of Central Park. The view was gorgeous and Oliver was kind enough to take our picture and stop for beautiful views and to rest and feed his horse. Thank you!”

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13.Top 30 Sights Tour and Empire State Building 86th Floor

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 10 reviews · 7 hours · from $142

Cover Wall Street, Chinatown, Little Italy, Times Square, Grand Central, Rockefeller Center, and more with an English-speaking guide such as Andrew or Max. After the long city walk, enter the Empire State Building’s 86th-floor observatory for sweeping New York views.

“It was a long and very informative tour. We utterly enjoyed it. Pity about a stuck up mother-daughter duo who had more interest in their smartphone than in anything our brilliant guide Andrew had to say but luckily for everybody else in the tour they left after half an hour.”

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14.Top of the Rock & Optional Empire State Building Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 8 reviews · 2h 30m · from $59

Meet your English-speaking City Wonders guide near the MLB Flagship Store, then visit Top of the Rock and walk through Rockefeller Center, Bryant Park, the New York Public Library, and 5th Avenue. Add the Empire State Building for its Dare to Dream exhibit and 86th-floor observatory.

“John was very informative and I couldn’t fault the job he did. Clear and precise. Was able to answer pretty much any question we threw his way. My only qualm is with the misselling of this product. In the description it said we would spend 45 minutes at the top of the rock. We didn’t. We got 20 minutes, which was still an okay amount of time but was a little disappointing. The tour also mentioned the Empire State Building, which we didn’t go near. As far as I was aware, we had selected that tour to see the building. Apparently not. That being said, we did see some unexpected…”

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15.Half-Day Luxury Bus Tour with Empire State Access

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4 reviews · from $60Top rated

Start near Times Square and ride with an English-speaking guide through Central Park, Fifth Avenue, SoHo, Wall Street, and more. You’ll make four photo stops, hear stories from guides such as Garret, and finish beside the Empire State Building, with observatory entry available as an option.

“Garret our tour guide was amazing. Never stopped talking! Very informative, loads of knowledge and funny. A great taster to do before we discovered places ourselves. He was fantastic 🙂👍”

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