Empire State Building, New York

A photograph of Empire State Building — Photograph · wilford peloquin · CC BY 2.0

Open today, 09:00 – 17:00

Today: Open today, 09:00 – 17:00
Visit duration: 1 hr 30 min Reviewed and set by an editor
Accessibility: Step-free
Price: $0.00 per person
Standing: Must see · Heritage site
Rank: Rank 4 of 13,079

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Plan your visit.

Opening hours

Monday	09:00 – 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 – 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 – 17:00
Thursday	09:00 – 17:00
Friday	09:00 – 17:00
Saturday	09:00 – 17:00
Sunday	09:00 – 17:00

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Admission

Per person	$0.00

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Access and facilities

Accessible toilets · Available
Pushchair access · Available
Step-free access · Available
Toilets · Available

Read from the OpenStreetMap access tags; anything not listed has no tag recorded.

Set the group type to family in the planner and the day window contracts to about three quarters of a solo day.

About Empire State Building

The Empire State Building stands at 20 West 34th Street in Midtown Manhattan, and what a visitor buys a ticket for is the observatory inside a working office tower, not the tower itself. It was designed by William F. Lamb, built during the Great Depression and finished in 1931, when it was the tallest building in the world; the limestone and granite facade and the Art Deco detailing throughout its halls date from that construction. The rest of the building is offices and is not open to ticket holders. The observatory occupies two levels. Open daily on a date-specific schedule, commonly from 09:00 until late evening; last elevator is before closing. Step-free entrances or public approaches, lifts where required, and accessible toilets serve principal visitor areas. Open daily on a date-specific schedule, commonly from 09:00 until late evening; last elevator is before closing. Standard 86th-floor adult admission starts around USD 44; 102nd-floor and express upgrades cost more. Step-free entrances or public approaches, lifts where required, and accessible toilets serve principal visitor areas. Subway B/D/F/M/N/Q/R/W or PATH to 34th Street-Herald Square. Yes. Weather, events, maintenance and security can change ordinary access. No. Special tours, exhibitions and upgrades use separate tickets. Open daily on a date-specific schedule, commonly from 09:00 until late evening; last elevator is before closing. Standard 86th-floor adult admission starts around USD 44; 102nd-floor and express upgrades cost more. Step-free entrances or public approaches, lifts where required, and accessible toilets serve principal visitor areas. Subway B/D/F/M/N/Q/R/W or PATH

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

What's inside

A ticket admits the holder to the exhibits on the 2nd and 80th floors as well as the decks, and those galleries are where the time goes. The sequence starts with The Site in the 1920s, a black-and-white panorama of the original Waldorf-Astoria plot with viewfinders that bring the surrounding streets up in colour, and moves into Construction, staged around life-size bronzes of four ironworkers and three copper models showing the tower at different stages of its rise. Opening Day puts a newsboy on a 1930s street corner. Modern Marvel covers the deep energy retrofit. Standard 86th-floor adult admission starts around USD 44; 102nd-floor and express upgrades cost more. Subway B/D/F/M/N/Q/R/W or PATH to 34th Street-Herald Square.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

How long to spend

The operator puts the average visit at between one and two hours, and says the length depends on how much time a visitor wants to give the decks against the museum. Ninety minutes is the figure this guide records, and it is the middle of that published range rather than an estimate of its own. Step-free entrances or public approaches, lifts where required, and accessible toilets serve principal visitor areas.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Season and crowds

Open daily on a date-specific schedule, commonly from 09:00 until late evening; last elevator is before closing. Dated closures, ceremonies, performances, weather or security notices from the operator take priority over ordinary hours. Arrive early enough to complete the public route before final admission. Follow staff directions on arrival.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Tickets

Standard 86th-floor adult admission starts around USD 44; 102nd-floor and express upgrades cost more. The base amount and currency follow the operator tariff; premium products and separate institutions remain excluded unless named. Yes. Weather, events, maintenance and security can change ordinary access.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Getting there

Subway B/D/F/M/N/Q/R/W or PATH to 34th Street-Herald Square. Use the named entrance and station because security, separate exits and large complexes can change the practical route. Allow extra time for screening and the final walk. Follow staff directions on arrival. Follow staff directions on arrival.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

What to watch out for

Step-free entrances or public approaches, lifts where required, and accessible toilets serve principal visitor areas. Open daily on a date-specific schedule, commonly from 09:00 until late evening; last elevator is before closing. Standard 86th-floor adult admission starts around USD 44; 102nd-floor and express upgrades cost more. Step-free entrances or public approaches, lifts where required, and accessible toilets serve principal visitor areas. Historic surfaces, crowds and security remain relevant.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Photography

The two decks photograph completely differently and it is worth knowing which one a visitor is paying for. The 86th floor is open to the air, so there is no glass between camera and city and no reflection to fight; the trade is wind, and a phone held over the parapet in a gust is a phone that is gone. The 102nd floor is behind floor-to-ceiling windows, which means clean, still, warm shooting and a reflection problem that is solved by putting the lens flat against the glass and shading it with a hand. Standard 86th-floor adult admission starts around USD 44; 102nd-floor and express upgrades cost more.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Place details and sources

Address: 5th Avenue, 350, 10118, New York, NY OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Wheelchair access: Available OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Short name: ESB OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Building: Office building OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Heritage grade: Grade 2 OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Type of place: Attraction OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Elevation: 15 m OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Established: 1931 Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Heritage designation: National Historic Landmark Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Architectural style: Art Deco architecture Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Material: steel Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Height: 453 m Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Opened: 1931 Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Architect: Shreve, Lamb & Harmon Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Wikipedia article: Empire State Building Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09

Official site Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
+1-212-736-3100 OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
View on Wikidata

Common questions

What are the regular hours?

Open daily on a date-specific schedule, commonly from 09:00 until late evening; last elevator is before closing.

What is base admission?

Standard 86th-floor adult admission starts around USD 44; 102nd-floor and express upgrades cost more.

Is the complete route step-free?

Step-free entrances or public approaches, lifts where required, and accessible toilets serve principal visitor areas.

Which public transport is named?

Subway B/D/F/M/N/Q/R/W or PATH to 34th Street-Herald Square.

Can operations alter access?

Yes. Weather, events, maintenance and security can change ordinary access.

Are premium products included?

No. Special tours, exhibitions and upgrades use separate tickets.

Where it is

Open directions in Google Maps

Nearby

Within 8 min on foot

1 hr 30 min
5 min walk
The Morgan Library & Museum
- Notable · Heritage site
- Museum
1 hour
8 min walk
Bryant Park
- Must see · Heritage site
- Nature site
45 min
8 min walk
New York Public Library Main Branch
- Must see · Heritage site
- Historic monument