EMPIRE STATE BUILDING TICKETS · OCTOBER 2026
The basic Empire State Building ticket covers the open-air 86th floor and costs from $46 on the building's ticket page in October 2026; adding the glassed-in 102nd floor takes it to from $81. Both prices change with the date and time slot. Viator sells the same ticket and a set of guided walks that end at the building; to weigh it against the other towers, see the NYC observation decks compared.
How to choose
The building sells several tickets, all timed, with "from" prices on its ticket page that change by date and time slot (October 2026). The 86th Floor ticket is from $46 and includes the museum galleries on the 2nd and 80th floors. The 102nd & 86th ticket is from $81; the 102nd floor is an add-on, reached by a glass elevator from the 86th. The Flex Ticket (from $66) lets a guest arrive at any time on the chosen day, and the AM/PM Experience (from $67) allows two visits to the 86th on the same day, once in daylight and again at night. Express passes skip the exhibits and the elevator lines: from $87 for the 86th and from $122 with the 102nd.
NYC Empire State Building Observation Deck Ticket is the most reviewed product on this page, at 4.46 from 7,840 reviews and from $50 on Viator in October 2026. One listing carries the 86th, the 86th and 102nd, and an Express pass for either. Weather, lines and waits do not qualify for a refund, and the listing suggests arriving about two hours after opening.
Empire State Observatory and Grand Central Tour (from $79, 4.90 from 10 reviews) starts in Grand Central, passes Bryant Park, then goes up to the 86th with priority access, in groups of up to 12. Empire State & Flatiron District with Optional 102nd Floor Access (from $99, 4.86 from 22 reviews) starts at the Tiffany clock on Fifth Avenue and walks through Koreatown and Herald Square; one option adds the 102nd. The Grand Central Terminal Tour with Optional Empire State Access starts from $32 on Viator in October 2026 for the tour alone; the 86th-floor ticket is a separate option at a higher price.
NYC Private Midtown Tour Plus Empire State Building Observatory (from $270 on Viator in October 2026, 5.0 from 27 reviews) is a 90-minute private walk that ends half a block from the building with an 86th-floor ticket; the guide does not go up. For a guide on both decks, Express Pass VIP Private Tour of the Empire State Building (from $489, 5.0 from 2 reviews) uses Express passes to the 86th and 102nd, in 2 to 3.5 hours. The Big Bus combos pair the deck with a hop-on hop-off bus ticket that stays valid for 48 hours after first use; the listings give 1.5 hours as the length of the tour itself. One adds a 2-hour guided night tour (from $105, 3.31 from 99 reviews), the other the Statue of Liberty ferry, without pedestal or museum access (from $135, 3.37 from 215 reviews).
Visiting
Hours change every few weeks. From October 16 to November 1, 2026 the observatory opens 9 am to 11 pm, with the entry door closing at 10 pm; from November 2 to 5 it opens 10 am to 10 pm, and from November 6 to 8, 9 am to 10 pm, with the entry door closing at 9 pm on both. For later dates, check the building's hours page. It is open 365 days a year, rain or shine.
The 86th floor is open-air at 1,050 feet, with heaters in winter. The 102nd is enclosed behind floor-to-ceiling glass at 1,250 feet, and on a clear day the view reaches up to 80 miles. The one building missing from the view is the Empire State itself; for a skyline with it in the frame, see Top of the Rock or SUMMIT One Vanderbilt. What the Empire State adds is two decks in one visit: the open-air 86th and, at 1,250 feet, the 102nd, level with One World Observatory as the highest deck in the city.
Every visit needs a timed reservation, and tickets are non-refundable; the date, time and ticket type can be changed in Manage My Booking, and moving to a sunset slot may cost extra (October 2026). Tripods, large bags, suitcases, glass, alcohol and outside food are not allowed, and there are no lockers. Children under 6 enter free. The entrance is at 20 West 34th Street.
City passes
The building is in the main New York passes in October 2026. In New York CityPASS it is one of the choices, as the AM/PM Experience: the 86th floor and the 2nd-floor museum, with a return the same night; a reservation is still required. Go City's Essentials, Explorer and All-Inclusive passes include the Empire State Building Observation Deck, and the New York Pass lists it too.
Not every deck is in every pass: SUMMIT is in neither, and One World Observatory is in Go City but not CityPASS (October 2026). See CityPASS vs Go City and the New York Explorer Pass; for the other towers, Edge and One World Observatory.
Every one on Viator
Most reviewed first, with prices read on 25 October 2026. The filters narrow the list to the ticket alone, tours with a guide, private tours, small groups, skip-the-line products, or tours by length.
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Skip the line · Free cancellation
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Small group (up to 12) · Skip the line · Free cancellation
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Private · Hotel pickup · Skip the line · Free cancellation
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Small group (up to 12) · Free cancellation
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Private · Hotel pickup · Skip the line · Free cancellation
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Check availability →FAQ
From $46 for the 86th floor and from $81 for the 86th and 102nd floors on the building's ticket page in October 2026, with prices that change by date and time slot. The same ticket costs from $50 on Viator, and a small-group Grand Central walk that ends on the 86th costs from $79.
It adds 200 feet and an indoor view: the 102nd is enclosed at 1,250 feet, against 1,050 feet on the open-air 86th. In October 2026 the combined ticket costs from $81 on the building's ticket page, $35 more than the 86th alone, with prices that change by date and time slot, and the 102nd is reached by a glass elevator from the 86th.
Yes, every visit needs a timed reservation (October 2026). Tickets are non-refundable, but the date, time and ticket type can be changed in Manage My Booking. The Flex Ticket, from $66, allows arrival at any time on the chosen day.
For day and night in one visit, the AM/PM Experience (from $67 in October 2026) allows a second trip to the 86th the same evening. Sunset slots may cost extra. The Viator ticket page suggests arriving about two hours after opening, and a sunrise visit with Starbucks Reserve coffee costs from $147 on Viator in October 2026.
Plan on 45 minutes to 1.5 hours for the ticket alone, the length the Viator listing gives in October 2026. The guided walks named on this page run 1.5 to 3.5 hours; the Manhattan walks with a deck ticket run 4 to 6 hours.
Hours change every few weeks: from October 16 to November 1, 2026 the observatory opens 9 am to 11 pm, with the entry door closing at 10 pm. November 2 to 5 runs 10 am to 10 pm and November 6 to 8 runs 9 am to 10 pm, with the entry door closing at 9 pm. For later dates, check the building's hours page. The building is open 365 days a year.
Yes, as one of the choices in New York CityPASS, in the form of the AM/PM Experience (October 2026). Go City's Essentials, Explorer and All-Inclusive passes include it too. See CityPASS vs Go City.