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The skyscrapers might be the best thing about New York.
Whether you are flying towards New York or approaching Manhattan by car, you see the metropolis towering up in front of you. The highest building reaches 541 metres (1,775ft) into the sky between the Hudson and the East River.
For visitors, seeing New York from on high is a tourist must – but where to go for the best view? The competition is fierce among the handful of skyscrapers that offer dizzying highlights.
The prices are breathtakingly high too.

The history of viewing platforms in New York begins around 1850. The iron-braced wooden Latting Observatory in Midtown Manhattan looked like a cross between an oil rig and the Eiffel Tower.
At almost 100 metres high, it was the tallest building in the city at the time – long before giants like the Empire State Building rose into the sky. And it was built to give visitors and residents an unrivalled view of the city.
Today New York is full of towers, with new skyscrapers constantly springing up like pretty perfume bottles. Earning big with unrivalled views is in the DNA of a city which caters to some 60 million visitors every year.
A day trip with a museum, meal, attraction and a Broadway show can easily cost US$300 – and just as much again for the hotel.
Those operating some high-rise buildings also want a piece of that pie – and they have pushed their offerings beyond a mere view. Instead, platforms sell experiences that combine the skyline with atmosphere or even thrills – costing US$100 and more.
So what are some of the options?

1. The Empire State Building (443.2 metres)
Like an oversized rocket, the Empire State Building has been a feature of New York for 95 years. The jewel in the crown of the viewing platforms – famous for the annual stair climb to the 86th floor, among other things – was completely renovated in 2019.
An elaborate exhibition focuses on the history of the art deco building. If you pay US$79 instead of US$44, you can even climb to the comparatively tiny top of the tower on the 102nd floor at 381 metres.
There, visitors feel like they are in a lighthouse – in good weather the view stretches over 100km.

2. 30 Hudson Yards (390 metres)
One of the new, young and wild skyscrapers focuses on adrenaline. 30 Hudson Yards looks like a chicken from the ground; its “beak” is a large viewing terrace on the 100th floor called the Edge.
Visitors not only have a marvellous view in all directions of New York for US$44 – the more daring can also look straight down through a glass floor.
“I think it’s the most breathtaking thing I’ve seen in a long time,” says German holidaymaker Mayko Kahlen, who is enjoying the sunset on the Edge with his friend. “Perfect time, it’s just gorgeous,” he says.
If you want to take it to the extreme, you can even take part in a secured climbing tour, City Climb at Edge, for just under US$200.

3. One World Trade Centre (541 metres)
It is not only the tallest building in the city, but also the Western world. The main building of the rebuilt World Trade Centre, also known as One WTC, measures 541 metres with its mast.
Visitors in Lower Manhattan can climb to 387 metres and have a view that is quite different from the platforms in Midtown Manhattan.
Speeding up to the viewing platform, you see spectacular video installations and a lift that simulates a journey through time from New York’s beginnings to the present day. The cost of the basic ticket is US$44.

4. The Rockefeller Centre (259 metres)
Do you remember the photo “Lunch break on a skyscraper”, which shows workers perched on a steel beam above New York?
New York would not be New York if you could not recreate the photo somewhere.
At the Rockefeller Centre’s observation deck, you can do just that yourself. A replica steel girder, with room for several people, awaits.
Once seated, you will be hydraulically lifted a few metres into the air and gently rotated, offering a picture-perfect view of the skyline.
The view of the Empire State Building and One World Trade Centre is, of course, still available – starting at US$40.

5. One Vanderbilt (427 metres)
For those who have no problem with sensory overload, we recommend the viewing platform with the most bells and whistles.
One Vanderbilt is the name of the building right next to Grand Central Terminal, where visitors can immerse themselves in a parallel world 330 metres above the ground for just under US$60.
Inside the Summit, almost everything is mirrored and flooded with light – it is not quite clear where your own existence ends and the New York skyline begins.
Silver spheres float through the air like bubbles, adding to the surreal scene. It is a made-for-Instagram wonderland – and if you are feeling fancy, champagne is available.

See the skyline without buying a ticket
If you do not have the money or do not want to spend it, you have options – the skyline is also beautiful when viewed from ground level, for example from the Brooklyn waterfront in Transmitter Park or from the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood.
Otherwise, there are several rooftop bars in Manhattan or Brooklyn where the view is also magnificent. But you may wind up paying an extra charge here too, as drinks do not come cheap.


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Tourism

5 New York skyscraper experiences worth the high price of admission for the thrills

New York is famous for its skyline, and some of its tallest buildings offer a range of high-altitude tourist experiences. Photo: Shutterstock

Skyscrapers and high-rise buildings in New York. Photo: Shutterstock

The Empire State Building was New York’s tallest building for decades. Photo: Shutterstock

The Hudson Yards complex in New York. Photo: Shutterstock

One World Trade Centre stands tall in downtown Manhattan, New York City. Photo: Shutterstock

The Rockefeller Centre in Manhattan, New York. Photo: Shutterstock

The floating silver balloons at the Summit, One Vanderbilt, in New York. Photo: Shutterstock

Brownstone houses in the Brooklyn Heights neighbourhood, which offers a great view of the Manhattan skyline. Photo: Shutterstock

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People visit Patuxay Park in Vientiane. Photo: Xinhua

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The Hotel Chelsea in 1947. It has stood at 222 W. 23rd Street, New York since its completion in 1884. Photo: Museum of the City of New York/Getty Images

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Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Some of New York’s tallest buildings are offering tourist experiences including exhibitions, simulations and adventures


Some of New York’s tallest buildings are offering tourist experiences including exhibitions, simulations and adventures.


Travel Destinations

United States

5 New York skyscraper experiences worth the high price of admission for the thrills

Some of New York’s tallest buildings are offering tourist experiences including exhibitions, simulations and adventures

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