Empire State Building tickets 2026: from 44 dollars plus a 5 dollar booking charge

Empire State Building main deck tickets start at 44 dollars in 2026, and the observatory's own booking page adds a 5 dollar booking charge on top.

The tiers

According to the building's own ticket page, the 86th floor main deck starts at 44 dollars, while the combined 86th and 102nd floor ticket starts at 79 dollars. Express passes that skip the queues start at 85 dollars for the 86th floor and 120 dollars for both decks. A cheaper option described as the best value ticket starts at 39 dollars. Guided premium tours start at 175 dollars, an all access tour is 500 dollars, and a proposal package is 1,000 dollars.

What the page does not say

No child or senior price is published on that page, and every figure is quoted as a starting price, which means it moves with the date and the time slot. New York locals are offered 25 percent off. Reservations are required, though the page notes that tickets can also be bought in person at the ticket office.

A couple and a family

Two adults on the main deck at the lowest advertised price come to 88 dollars before the booking charge, and a family of four to 176 dollars. Choosing the two deck ticket instead takes a couple to 158 dollars, and the express version of it to 240 dollars. It is not clear from the page whether the 5 dollar booking charge applies once per order or once per ticket, so budget for the worse case.

Sources: esbnyc.com.

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