SUMMIT vs Edge vs Top of the Rock: Which Deck to Pick
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, Edge, Top of the Rock, the Empire State Building and One World Observatory compared on height, view, price and ratings.
Pick SUMMIT for the mirror rooms and glass ledges, Top of the Rock for the open-air view with the Empire State Building in it, Edge for the highest open-air deck and its glass floor, and One World Observatory if price matters most: it starts at $30 on GetYourGuide (checked October 2026). They are five different visits, not five versions of the same one.
| Deck | Where | Height | Outdoors | From | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | Midtown, by Grand Central | floors 91 to 93; ledges at 1,100 ft | terrace | $48 | 4.7 (61,390) |
| Edge | Hudson Yards | 100th floor, about 1,100 ft | yes, glass walls and floor | $43 | 4.6 (23,619) |
| Top of the Rock | Rockefeller Center | floors 67 to 70, about 850 ft | yes, fully open top deck | $46 | 4.6 (22,759) |
| Empire State Building | Midtown | 86th floor; 102nd as an upgrade | yes, 86th floor | $50 | 4.8 (6,002) |
| One World Observatory | World Trade Center | 102nd floor | indoors | $30 | 4.6 (6,380) |
Prices are GetYourGuide’s lowest per-person fares and ratings its review scores, all checked October 2026.
SUMMIT or Edge?
Both have glass underfoot and both are about 1,100 ft up, so the difference is the rest of the visit. SUMMIT is an indoor art route with a terrace at the end; Edge is mostly sky, an outdoor deck on the 100th floor with angled glass walls and a glass floor panel, after a shorter set of indoor installations. Pick SUMMIT if the mirror rooms are what you have seen and want; pick Edge if you want to stand outside at the top, and it is the better choice on the West Side near the High Line.
SUMMIT or Top of the Rock?
Top of the Rock is the classic. Its open top deck, about 850 ft up, looks north over Central Park and south to the Empire State Building, the view most people picture. SUMMIT, half a mile away, sees the Chrysler Building close up and puts the Empire State Building in frame too, but through glass and mirrors. Go to Top of the Rock for the photograph and SUMMIT for the experience.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
Three floors of art and views, the Levitation ledges and an open-air terrace.
Check dates →Top of the Rock
Central Park and the Empire State Building in one view, from a fully open deck.
See the ticket →Edge, Hudson Yards
An outdoor deck on the 100th floor with angled glass walls and a glass floor.
See this ticket →Prices are the lowest per-person fares on GetYourGuide when checked in October 2026, not a quote; the calendar shows the live price for your date.
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SUMMIT or One World Observatory?
One World Observatory sits at the top of the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, at the World Trade Center, and its SkyPod lift reaches the 102nd floor in 47 seconds. The views go all the way round, with the harbor, the Statue of Liberty and the Brooklyn Bridge close by, all indoors behind glass. It is the cheaper ticket, from $30 on GetYourGuide (checked October 2026), and the better pick if you are spending the day downtown at the 9/11 Memorial. SUMMIT puts you in Midtown, among the towers rather than above them.
Which is the cheapest?
On GetYourGuide’s lowest fares in October 2026: One World Observatory from $30, Edge from $43, Top of the Rock from $46, SUMMIT from $48 and the Empire State Building from $50. The gap is small next to the difference between the visits, so pick the deck first and the time slot second: sunset costs more at every one of them.
NYC: SUMMIT One Vanderbilt Tickets
4.7 out of 5 from 61,390 reviews · from $48 per person, checked October 2026.
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