Skip the Line: Empire State Building Observatory Ticket
Head to the 86th floor observatory of the Empire State Building for amazing views of the Big Apple. See the sun set over NYC and check out the Statue of Liberty from up high. With the Express Pass, skip the line and whoosh to the top in a New York minute!
Highlights:
Skip the line to the Empire State Building and save up to an hour of waiting time
Get 360 degree panoramas of NYC for amazing views of Central Park and Times Square
Zip to the top of the 86th floor observatory in a high-speed elevator
Time your visit to suit the weather; your ticket is completely flexible
Availability:
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from US$ 25.00
(per person) Check availability »
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Express Pass
Go directly to the front of every line at the observatory so you can spend your time taking in New York's spectacular views instead of waiting in line.
Live guide: English
Duration: 2 hours, Skip the Line / Fast Track Entry
Starts at meeting point (More details, Show on map)
from US$ 47.00
(per person) Check availability »
Your ticket is flexible, so you can ride the high-speed elevator to the top whenever you like. Wait for a clear day to see the sun rise over the Statue of Liberty, or see the sun set over Times Square. You can even check out NYC's glittering skyline until 2 in the morning; the Empire State Building observatory is open until the early hours.
The Empire State Building's 86th Floor Observation Deck has a glass-enclosed pavilion and an unforgettable open-air promenade for 360 degree views of the Big Apple. Relive cinematic moments from movies such as King Kong and Sleepless in Seattle while you're at the top!
The lines to the Empire State Building observatories are almost as famous as the building itself. Spend your time in New York soaking up the big city buzz and less time waiting on the sidewalk. For a New York holiday to make you smile, skip all 5 lines to the 86th Floor Observation Deck with the Express Pass option.
What's Included:
• Access to 86th Floor Observation Deck
• Priority access with the Express Pass, if this option is chosen at checkout
What's Not Included:
• Skip the Line is only available if the General Admission option is chosen at checkout
• Audio Tour is available for purchase
Good to Know:
The Empire State Building is open from 08:00 - 02:00. daily. The last entrance is at 01:15 in the morning.
While an Express Pass guarantees you access to the front of every line, during the off season when lines are shorter, it may not be necessary to purchase one to enjoy speedy access to the observatory.
Times at the Empire State Building, where an Express Pass may not be needed are: January through May in addition to October and November. Peak entrance times are between 11:00 and 14:00 and 1 hour before and after sunset.
If you wish to purchase an Express Pass, please choose this option during checkout. The Express Pass may not be needed during off peak times at the Empire State Building.
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“Great in the evening”
Reviewed by a GetYourGuide Customer from , Switzerland on February 12th, 2013 We went up during nighttime and got rewarded with stunning views over Manhattan. No long queues and platform wasn’t crowed, very enjoyable evening activity in NYC!
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“Very good!”
Reviewed by a GetYourGuide Customer from Sarnen, Switzerland on November 22nd, 2012 Very good, using the voucher to avoid waiting in line worked out
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“Nice, but not necessary”
Reviewed by Nicola from , Germany on October 18th, 2012 One of my good friends gifted me the ticket, and I enjoyed it immensely. This kind of voucher is a lot of fun. I was 'only' on the bottom platform, but that was totally fine. Do I think you need to get a ticket with the 'no waiting in line' option? Depends on the situation. In my case there weren't any long lines anyway, so I didn't end up saving any time. However I've driven past the ESB a few times and seen tons of people there. I've also heard that sometimes the 'no waiting' line is just as long as the regular one :) It's DEFINITELY worth it to visit the ESB!
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“All in all a successful day”
Reviewed by Ilona from Deisslingen, Germany on August 28th, 2012 We got to the Empire State Building at around 10 and everything went very quickly. We didn't wait any longer than about 15 mins for the lifts.
I've booked several things with GetYourGuide before and have always been very pleased. Will definitely book here again.
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“All fantastic, without any long queues”
Reviewed by Petra from Laatzen, Germany on August 12th, 2012 All fantastic, without any long queues
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“Great experience”
Reviewed by a GetYourGuide Customer from lisburn, United Kingdom on July 30th, 2012 Go early to avoid queues
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“All went brilliantly”
Reviewed by Martin from Langen, Germany on July 27th, 2012 All went brilliantly: in the morning we went to the Empire State Building, the tickets were handed over immediately and we could get up to the viewing platform without any queuing.
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“well worth the queue jump!”
Reviewed by Lee from Pulheim, Germany on June 19th, 2012 jumped the queues with Fast Pass well worth it
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“no waiting, great!”
Reviewed by a GetYourGuide Customer from Berlin, Germany on June 5th, 2012 The others had to wait in line for about 3.5 hrs, while we were up on the platform within minutes, able to enjoy the view. Going down is also the "exclusive" way, highly recommendable.
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“Everything worked well, we were satisfied and the view was wow.”
Reviewed by Jeannine from Bern, Switzerland on May 25th, 2012 This excursion is well worth it. The view is fantastic and everything worked well with the tickets from GetYourGuide. I can only recommend it.
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“One of the real highlights of my New York trip.”
Reviewed by Gabriele from Berlin, Germany on May 22nd, 2012 Thank you for the very important advice to book the tickets online. So we had no waiting time and could concentrate to the wonderful event. We visited the ESB in the evening. It was a great impression.
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“Waiting time was reduced, but not eliminated”
Reviewed by Hans M. from Frankfurt am Main, Germany on May 18th, 2012 We were able to skip the first queue for tickets, but not the actual one for the lift. Was still worth it though - nice service.
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“Impressive despite the problems at the beginning.”
Reviewed by Stine from Bielefeld, Germany on May 15th, 2012 Sadly one of the Empire State employees didn't recognize out voucher, as it supposedly lacked a barcode. After calling customer service and very motivated employee took care of our problem, so that we were able to visit the Empire State Building on the following day. The view at night is breath-taking. All in all we were very satisfied.
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“Great view!”
Reviewed by a GetYourGuide Customer from Kiel, Germany on May 14th, 2012 The view from the Empire State Building is great. But the speedy thing didn't work too well, as you only get the ticket after passing through security and the staff was a bit overwhelmed with the voucher and I ended up not being able to go through the fast-track lane. Thankfully, when I was there the lines were not too crazy, so it was ok.
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“Didn't get to skip the line”
Reviewed by a GetYourGuide Customer from Aurora, Canada on May 7th, 2012 I still had to line up at the ticket purchase line to redeem my voucher for an entrance ticket. There were no problems with acknowledging my voucher, but there should really be a separate (express) line for people with prepaid vouchers!
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“Stunning.”
Reviewed by Peter from Berlin, Germany on May 2nd, 2012 Indescribable unless you've experienced it.
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“Super service”
Reviewed by a GetYourGuide Customer from Berlin, Germany on February 22nd, 2012 I booked a gift certificate for some friends, but unfortunately misspelled some of the names. I called the customer hotline and the lady on the other end was very friendly and helpful. Everything also went very well once we had arrived and my friends were very happy.
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“Fantastic Views”
Reviewed by K from Las Vegas, United States on January 28th, 2012 We had a great, clear morning at the Empire State Building. The voucher allowed us to go into a different line, which made the experience stress free. We went at about 10 am in the middle of January and there were very few people there. If you go in the winter make sure you dress for it. It is cold up there but the cold air makes the view crystal clear! Definitely worth it!
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“Express access not needed”
Reviewed by Birgit from Ginsheim-Gustavsburg, Germany on December 6th, 2011 Although we arrived on site shortly after dawn on the second weekend of Advent, there was no line up. Buying the express option turned out to be not worth it.
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“Everything went well”
Reviewed by Hans Jürgen from Hamburg, Germany on November 8th, 2011 There were no more wait times once I'd exchanged my vouchers for tickets at the kiosk.
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“Average”
Reviewed by a GetYourGuide Customer from Heiligkreuz, Switzerland on October 17th, 2011 There was no way of getting around security with just the voucher. Only after reaching the kiosk did I receive the express ticket, which let me save a couple of minutes wait-time getting into places. Recommended: Visit the Empire State Building early in the morning before 9:00 a.m.
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“Great views, fast access, Express Ticket was unnecessary”
Reviewed by a GetYourGuide Customer from Wolfenbüttel, Germany on October 15th, 2011 We booked for a Thursday morning in October, so a regular instead of an express ticket would have sufficed.
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“Perfect”
Reviewed by Prof. Dr. Juergen H from Berlin, Germany on October 6th, 2011 Saves a lot of time. The staff was very friendly and helpful.
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“Excellent, would definitely do it again”
Reviewed by Rudolf from Duisburg, Germany on August 30th, 2011 I was able to bypass the waiting line, as promised. Time savings of almost an hour.
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“The express pass was not necessary at 9:00 a.m.”
Reviewed by Sabine from Osnabrück, Germany on July 21st, 2011 Empire State Building: a must!
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“The express pass was the best choice we could have made”
Reviewed by a GetYourGuide Customer from Berlin, Germany on July 12th, 2011 At booking, all you get is a voucher. Once you arrive, you need to exchange this voucher for tickets, but this is the only lineup you have to stand in. At the actual attractions, you get ushered to the front of the line, but every time, you need to tell the staff that you have an express ticket. The express ticket doesn't only help in getting you to the top faster, but it also gets you back down in a snap, since there are lineups for that too. Again, make sure the staff knows you have an express ticket. I would definitely recommend the express ticket. Whoever's got the money for trip to New York definitely shouldn't be skimping on this!
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“It was awesome to bypass the waiting lines”
Reviewed by Christiane from Herbolzheim, Germany on July 4th, 2011 Everyone else had to wait at least 1.5 hours in line, but with the express ticket, you get to bypass them all. As commented by the guy beside me, "it's good to be king!" The only problem is the price. If you'd rather pay less and are ok with waiting, the express ticket is probably not for you.
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“Everything went very well”
Reviewed by Leopold from Wien, Austria on June 29th, 2011 Our group tour went very well according to our expectations.
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