{"id":15982,"date":"2019-03-24T21:17:50","date_gmt":"2019-03-24T20:17:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thehappyjetlagger.com\/?p=15982"},"modified":"2026-09-21T12:50:12","modified_gmt":"2026-09-21T10:50:12","slug":"sunset-new-york-top-of-the-rock-manhattan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/sunset-new-york-top-of-the-rock-manhattan\/","title":{"rendered":"Top of the Rock in New York: Tips for Watching the Sunset"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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It just had to be a New York sunset. And especially from the Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. As I\u2019ve gotten more into photography, my travel habits while on location have changed more and more. When I\u2019m searching for the perfect light, no time of day is too odd for me. Like that time, for example, when I left the hotel at 4:30 a.m.\u2014still in the dark\u2014to catch the perfect sunrise over the Brooklyn Bridge in New York<\/a>. Sunrises\u2014and sunsets, for that matter\u2014are always amazing anyway! <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u279c Buy a ticket for Top of the Rock in advance*<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

Top of the Rock: The Best View of New York<\/h2>\n\n

Especially with a view that\u2019s so fascinating and surreal at the same time, you finally get to see it in person from the Top of the Rock observation deck. I\u2019ve seen this skyline thousands of times\u2014in American TV shows, on posters, in movies, and on Instagram. Every kid knows the Manhattan skyline, and without even thinking, you know right away: That\u2019s New York. <\/p>\n\n

\"Top
From the Top of the Rock, you have the perfect postcard view of the Empire State Building and southern Manhattan.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n
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Ad \/ *affiliate links<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Top of the Rock: The Most Beautiful Sunset in New York<\/h2>\n\n

And even if, in the end, it\u2019s just a cluster of towering skyscrapers in an even more massive city, teeming with people and traffic: watching the sunset in New York<\/strong> from the Top of the Rock<\/strong> is one of the most magical moments of my entire travel career.<\/p>\n\n

\"Top<\/figure>\n\n

At Top of the Rock in the evening: Goosebumps at the sight of the Empire State Building.<\/p>\n\n

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Sunset over Manhattan: Magical.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n

By the way: You’ll find lots more tips on my New York blog<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Information & Tickets for Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center<\/h2>\n\n

Top of the Rock<\/strong> is the observation deck at Rockefeller Center<\/strong>. Located on Fifth Avenue, it\u2019s impossible to miss, thanks to the statue of Atlas struggling to hold up his globe. <\/p>\n\n

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However, the entrance to Top of the Rock is tucked away on a side street (50th Street) between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The tickets are time-stamped, which means you can only go up at a predetermined time. <\/p>\n\n

It wasn’t very busy in January, and since I was just passing by by chance, I bought a ticket right away and didn’t have to wait long. During busier months (which, in New York, means pretty much every month except January and February), it’s a good idea to buy tickets in advance. <\/p>\n\n

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Ad \/ *affiliate links<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Powered by GetYourGuide<\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Top of the Rock: Tips for Saving Money!<\/h2>\n\n
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Please note<\/strong>: Tickets for the sunset viewing are $10 more expensive when purchased on-site or on the Rockefeller Center website! Get Your Guide offers flexible tickets for this event, which you can then exchange for a timed ticket on-site. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u279c Flexi-Ticket for Top of the Rock*<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

At GetYourGuide, there\u2019s actually only one price, but at Top of the Rock itself, there\u2019s an additional sunset surcharge of a<\/strong> full 10 US dollars<\/strong> for late-afternoon time slots (they know why people like to come in the late afternoon).<\/p>\n\n

\"Top<\/figure>\n\n

How much time should you set aside for the Top of the Rock?<\/h2>\n\n

Although you\u2019re assigned a time slot, it can still take a while to finally make it to the top. I was down at the ticket counter about an hour before sunset, and it worked out perfectly. So it\u2019s best to plan enough time if you absolutely want to catch the sunset from the very beginning (it\u2019s worth it!). Once you\u2019re up there, though, you can stay as long as you like. <\/p>\n\n

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\"Portrait<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"Portrait<\/a><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n

That worked out well for me, because I\u2019d actually only intended to take a quick photo\u2014and in the end, it took me nearly four hours before I could tear myself away from the spectacular view. Seeing the lights of Manhattan twinkling in the darkness after that perfect sunset was just too beautiful. New York at night: indescribable. <\/p>\n\n

\"Top<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You simply have to see the sunset from Top of the Rock in New York! Helpful tips for the perfect New York experience! <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15965,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2424,488],"tags":[4203,4199,3638],"class_list":["post-15982","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-city-guides","category-united-states","tag-city-trips-north-america","tag-city-trips-usa","tag-new-york"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15982","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15982"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15982\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15965"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15982"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15982"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/neu.thehappyjetlagger.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15982"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}