Ride the Sky Shuttle to the 67th Floor
Your visit begins underground, in the heart of Rockefeller Center, where you step into a glass elevator known as the Sky Shuttle. The ride lifts you 850 feet (260 m) in 43 seconds, and the doors open onto the 67th floor. Before you reach the open air, you pass through the Welcome Gallery, which holds a 10-foot model of the Rockefeller Center campus, a multimedia exhibition on the complex's history and its founder John D. Rockefeller, and short films about the ten-year construction project carried out during the Great Depression. It is a quiet, dim, museum-like prelude. Then you step outside, and the city opens up around you.
Walk Three Decks and Look Every Direction
Top of the Rock is not a single platform but three observation decks, indoor and outdoor, spread across 55,000 square feet. From them you get unobstructed 360-degree views. To the north lies Central Park, a green rectangle cutting through the grid. To the west, the Hudson River and, on a clear day, Connecticut. To the south, the Empire State Building, the Chrysler Building, One World Trade Center, and the Statue of Liberty. To the east, the George Washington and Brooklyn Bridges. One thing you can do here that you cannot do from the Empire State Building itself: look at the Empire State Building. The view back at that landmark, framed by the city around it, is the reason many visitors choose this deck over the other.
Eat, Drink, and Take Your Time at the Top
You do not have to rush back down. The on-site terrace cafe, The Weather Room, serves sandwiches, mezze, pastries, coffee, and cocktails, so you can sit with the skyline in front of you rather than photographing it and leaving. There is a small shop and a restaurant on site as well, and free WiFi throughout. Plan for up to two hours if you want to see all three decks and spend time at the cafe. Note that outside food and drink are not permitted inside, though there are plenty of dining options at Rockefeller Center at street level when you come back down.
Add the Beam or the Skylift, and Time Your Visit
Two add-on experiences sit outside standard admission. The Beam recreates the 1930s ironworkers' photo, with Central Park as your backdrop. SKYLIFT is a rotating glass platform that lifts you for a 360-degree view. If you want the shortest waits, aim for 10AM to 2PM. Booking is required and can be done up to 10 days in advance; cancellations or amendments must be made at least five minutes before your scheduled slot. The site is wheelchair accessible, including the Rockefeller Center Tours, with accessible restrooms, and licensed service dogs are welcome. A Top of the Rock app works as a skyline guide and audio tour. Guided tours are not included in standard admission.
Come in Winter for the Tree, and Know the Neighborhood
The holiday season brings a Christmas tree to the plaza below, ranging from 18 to 30 meters tall and covered with over 50,000 LED lights, topped by a Swarovski-crystal star that first appeared in 2004 and measures nearly 3 meters in diameter. At street level, over 200 flagpoles line the plaza, displaying flags of UN member countries, US states and territories, or seasonal motifs; on national and state holidays, all poles carry the US flag. Before or after your visit, you can eat at Jupiter, Del Frisco's Grille, Bill's Bar & Burger, Chip City, or Fieldtrip, and shop at FAO Schwarz, Nintendo, Kate Spade, the NBC Store, LEGO, Mulberry, Cole Haan, or Michael Kors. Rockefeller Center was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987, and the building beneath your feet is its centerpiece.
Start planning your trip by booking a slot in the 10AM to 2PM window, when waits are shortest, and give yourself a full two hours at the top. Whether you come for the winter tree and the flags on the plaza or for a clear-day view that stretches to Connecticut, the ride up the Sky Shuttle and the walk across three decks will show you New York in a way that stays with you.