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Empire State Building vs Summit One Vanderbilt: choose the icon or the spectacle

Reviewed by TheOneToGo Editorial · Updated July 13, 2026

The verdict

Pick the Empire State Building for history and icon status, pick Summit One Vanderbilt for a flashier modern attraction.

Choose the Empire State Building if you want to stand on the New York landmark everyone knows. Choose Summit One Vanderbilt if you want a newer, shinier, more immersive experience, but remember the irony: from the Empire State Building, you cannot see the Empire State Building.

wide angle photo of Brooklyn Bridge under cloudy skyPhoto by Patrick Tomasso on Unsplash

The Empire State Building is the emotional pick. The 86th-floor open-air deck, Art Deco setting, exhibits, and optional 102nd-floor upgrade make it feel like you are inside the myth of New York, not just looking at it.

Summit One Vanderbilt is the modern pick. Its mirrored rooms, glass ledges, skyline reflections, and optional glass elevator are built for drama. It is less historic, but more surprising.

Empire State BuildingSummit One Vanderbilt
What you see An Art Deco landmark, museum-style exhibits, the 86th-floor open-air deck, and an optional 102nd-floor indoor deck. AIR mirrored rooms, Levitation glass skyboxes, skyline views, a terrace, and the optional Ascent glass elevator.
Time Most visits take at least an hour, more if you read the exhibits or add the 102nd floor. Plan around 90 minutes because the experience moves through multiple staged rooms.
Access and booking Paid timed reservations are required. The 86th floor is the main ticket, with the 102nd floor as an upgrade. Paid timed tickets are required. General admission covers the core experience, with pricier options for Ascent and premium access.
Crowds and cost Popular all day and especially around sunset. It is paid, with standard tickets, express options, and 102nd-floor upgrades. Also paid and popular, with crowds clustering around reflective rooms and glass-floor photo spots.
The view or payoff The payoff is being on the Empire State Building itself, with classic open-air Midtown views, but no view of the building you are standing on. The payoff is the modern sensory hit: reflections, height, glass, and big Grand Central-area views.
The verdict

Pick Empire State Building if

  • You want to say you went up the Empire State Building.
  • You prefer historic Art Deco atmosphere and an open-air deck.
  • You are visiting New York for the first time and want the landmark experience.
Empire State Building guide

Pick Summit One Vanderbilt if

  • You want something newer and more interactive.
  • You care about dramatic photos inside the attraction.
  • You have already seen the Empire State Building from the street and want a different angle on Midtown.
Summit One Vanderbilt guide

FAQs

The Empire State Building is better for the iconic New York experience. Summit One Vanderbilt is better for a modern, immersive, photo-heavy visit.

No. That is the catch. If you want the Empire State Building in your skyline photo, choose another deck such as Top of the Rock or Summit One Vanderbilt.

Yes. Visits require a timed reservation, and sunset slots are the ones to secure early.

It is worth it if you want the highest, more enclosed view in the building. If you mainly want the classic open-air experience, the 86th floor is the essential stop.

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