--- title: "Top of the Rock Tours and Tickets: Compare 6" date: 2026-10-27 canonical: https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/ --- # Top of the Rock Tours and Tickets Compared Six Top of the Rock tickets and tours sit on this page, priced from $29.40 to $326.64, split into three groups: Observation Deck Tickets, Guided Tours and VIP Experiences. I have ordered the groups by how close each one sits to simply getting onto the deck, starting with the two tickets that go straight up and ending with the VIP tour's rooftop garden and champagne toast. The guided tours in the middle vary on whether deck admission is actually included, which matters more than the headline price when you are deciding which one to book. ## Which Top of the Rock ticket gets you straight to the deck? Two tickets here skip any guided walk and send you straight up. **Top of the Rock Tickets: Observation Deck Admission** starts at $45.73 and covers the Welcome Gallery, the orientation film and all three observation floors with free WiFi, with no extra narration included. **Top of the Rock Ticket with App-Guided Tour** starts at $75.99 and adds a Pintours smartphone guide that narrates Rockefeller Center and NBC Studios history as you move between floors, which stretches most visits to two or three hours instead of one. I would book the plain ticket first and only pay the difference for the app guide if the NBC Studios story specifically interests you. - [Top of the Rock Tickets: Observation Deck Admission](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/top-of-the-rock-tickets/): From 45.73 USD per person (Prices checked 2026-10-27, prices may vary) · 2 hours · Best for: Best value, all three floors - [Top of the Rock Ticket with App-Guided Tour](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/top-of-the-rock-app-guide-tour/): From 75.99 USD per person (Prices checked 2026-10-27, prices may vary) · 2 - 3 hours · Best for: Self-paced with narrated app guide ## Which guided Rockefeller Center tour fits your plan for the deck? Three guided walks share the Rockefeller Center entrance but split on whether the observation deck comes with the ticket. **Fifth Avenue Walking Tour with Top of the Rock Entry** starts at $69 and always includes skip-the-line access to all three floors after a two-mile history walk down Fifth Avenue. **Rockefeller Center Tour with Optional Top of the Rock** starts at $39 and only adds the deck ticket if you select that option at booking. **Rockefeller Center Art and Architecture Walking Tour** starts at $29.40, the cheapest ticket on this page, and explicitly does not include deck admission at all. I would check which inclusion you actually need before picking by price alone. - [Fifth Avenue Walking Tour with Top of the Rock Entry](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/fifth-avenue-top-of-the-rock-tour/): From 69 USD per person (Prices checked 2026-10-27, prices may vary) · 2 hours · Best for: Fifth Avenue history plus deck entry - [Rockefeller Center Tour with Optional Top of the Rock](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/rockefeller-center-top-of-the-rock-tour/): From 39 USD per person (Prices checked 2026-10-27, prices may vary) · 1.5 hours · Best for: Budget-friendly guided tour, deck optional - [Rockefeller Center Art and Architecture Walking Tour](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/rockefeller-center-architecture-tour/): From 29.4 USD per person (Prices checked 2026-10-27, prices may vary) · 75 minutes · Best for: Cheapest guided option, no deck included ## Is the VIP Rockefeller Center tour worth its price? **VIP Rockefeller Center Tour with Top of the Rock Entry** starts at $326.64 for a two-hour guided visit, several times the cost of standard admission. The price buys a secret rooftop garden closed to general visitors, priority elevator access to the same three observation floors, a private SKYLIFT ride above the top level, a private Beam Experience and a champagne toast at The Weather Room for guests 21 and over. The observation deck itself is identical to the standard ticket. I would save this one for an anniversary or a proposal rather than a routine visit, since the view alone does not justify the gap. - [VIP Rockefeller Center Tour with Top of the Rock Entry](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/vip-top-of-the-rock-tour/): From 326.64 USD per person (Prices checked 2026-10-27, prices may vary) · 2 hours · Best for: Guided VIP access with rooftop garden ## How do these 6 Top of the Rock tickets compare? The table above lines up price, duration and category for every ticket on this page, checked on 2026-10-27. Price is the lowest published per-person fare, and duration is each operator's own run time, from 75 minutes for the shortest architecture walk to two to three hours for the self-paced app-guided ticket. Every option here is a timed, fixed-slot booking rather than a multi-day pass, so duration describes the visit itself, not a validity window. Two tickets, the architecture tour and the base Rockefeller Center walk, do not include deck admission by default, which the table flags separately from the ones that do. ## Which Top of the Rock tour operators in New York can you actually book? Eleven operators run Top of the Rock and Rockefeller Center tours across three groups: the attraction's own official tours, five small-group walking tour companies, and five hop-on hop-off bus operators, with Rockefeller Center itself leading on Google reviews at 202,769. The rule that splits them is format: the official tickets and ExperienceFirst's walking tour are the only two bookable here on GetYourGuide, while the bus and walking tour companies run their own separate bookings direct. I'd start with the official tickets for the deck itself and only add an outside operator if you want a wider city tour around it. | Operator | Area | What they run | Google rating (2026-10-28) | Book online | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [ExperienceFirst](https://www.exp1.com/new-york-tours/) | Small-group walking tour companies in Manhattan | Supplies the Rockefeller Center tour with optional deck entry | 4.9 (3814 reviews) | [Rockefeller Center Tour with Optional Top of the Rock](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/rockefeller-center-top-of-the-rock-tour/) | | [Tours of NYC](http://www.tourofnyc.com/) | Small-group walking tour companies in Manhattan | General NYC sightseeing and walking tours of Manhattan | 4.9 (1876 reviews) | Direct only | | [New Yorker Tours](https://newyorkertours.com/) | Small-group walking tour companies in Manhattan | Walking tour agency based in Ridgewood, Queens | 5.0 (286 reviews) | Direct only | | [Big Bus Tours New York](https://www.bigbustours.com/en/new-york/new-york-bus-tours) | Hop-on hop-off and sightseeing bus operators | Hop-on hop-off double-decker bus tours of Manhattan | 4.8 (26892 reviews) | Direct only | | [USA Guided Tours](https://usaguidedtours.com/nyc/tour/) | Hop-on hop-off and sightseeing bus operators | Sightseeing and bus tours from Midtown Manhattan | 4.8 (902 reviews) | Direct only | | [Babylon Tours New York City](https://babylontours.com/nyc/) | Small-group walking tour companies in Manhattan | Sightseeing tour agency based in Midtown East | 5.0 (162 reviews) | Direct only | | [Rockefeller Center](https://www.rockefellercenter.com/) | Rockefeller Center's own official tours | Official operator of 4 Rockefeller Center tours and tickets | 4.7 (202769 reviews) | [Rockefeller Center Art and Architecture Walking Tour](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/rockefeller-center-architecture-tour/), [Top of the Rock Ticket with App-Guided Tour](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/top-of-the-rock-app-guide-tour/), [Top of the Rock Tickets: Observation Deck Admission](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/top-of-the-rock-tickets/), [VIP Rockefeller Center Tour with Top of the Rock Entry](https://ticketstopoftherock.com/tours/vip-top-of-the-rock-tour/) | | [Urban Adventures New York City](https://www.urbanadventures.com/en/new-york) | Small-group walking tour companies in Manhattan | Small-group tour agency based in SoHo | 4.9 (188 reviews) | Direct only | | [InterviajesNY](https://www.interviajesny.com/) | Hop-on hop-off and sightseeing bus operators | Spanish-language bus tours from Midtown Manhattan | 4.6 (1355 reviews) | Direct only | | [TopView](https://topviewtix.com/new-york) | Hop-on hop-off and sightseeing bus operators | Large hop-on hop-off bus tour operator | 4.3 (35721 reviews) | Direct only | | [City Sightseeing New York](http://www.citysightseeingnewyork.com/) | Hop-on hop-off and sightseeing bus operators | Sightseeing, boat and bus tour operator | 3.9 (2033 reviews) | Direct only | ## What does a Top of the Rock ticket actually include, and what doesn't it? Every option covers entry to the stops its own listing names, and nothing here bundles a second attraction outside Rockefeller Center. Standard admission and the app-guided ticket cover the Welcome Gallery, the orientation film and all three observation floors, with free WiFi. The guided walks add Fifth Avenue landmarks, Radio City Music Hall, or the Prometheus and Atlas statues, but only the Fifth Avenue tour and the VIP tour always include deck entry, while the Rockefeller Center walk makes it a selectable add-on and the architecture tour skips it entirely. Food and drink at The Weather Room, hotel pickup and gratuities are extra on every option that mentions them. ## How do you choose between a ticket, a guided walk and the VIP tour? Start from what you actually want out of the visit, not the price list. If the observation deck is the whole goal, the standard ticket gets you there for less than any guided option. If you want the story behind Fifth Avenue or Rockefeller Center on the way up, pick whichever guided walk fits your budget and confirm it includes deck entry before you book, since one of the three does not. The VIP tour only earns its price for an occasion, since the rooftop garden, SKYLIFT and champagne toast are the reason to pay more, not a better view. The app-guided ticket suits anyone who wants context without joining a scheduled group. ### Cheapest way onto the deck If getting onto the deck for the lowest price is the only goal, book Top of the Rock Tickets: Observation Deck Admission at $45.73, the cheapest option on this page that actually includes entry. The $29.40 Rockefeller Center Art and Architecture Walking Tour is cheaper but explicitly skips the deck, so it only works if the view is not the point. ### Most reviewed operator Rockefeller Center's own listing carries 202,769 Google reviews, more than any other place on this page, and it directly supplies all four of this site's official tickets and tours: the architecture walk, the standard deck ticket, the app-guided ticket and the VIP tour. I'd treat its own box office as the safest default if review volume is what you weigh most. ### A guided story without the big bus crowds ExperienceFirst runs the $39 Rockefeller Center Tour with Optional Top of the Rock, a small guided walk rather than a double-decker bus route. It's the only outside operator whose tour is bookable on GetYourGuide alongside the official tickets, so I'd pick it if you want a live guide without joining one of the large hop-on hop-off companies. ### Widest sightseeing coverage beyond Rockefeller Center TopView and Big Bus Tours New York are the two largest hop-on hop-off operators on this page, with 35,721 and 26,892 Google reviews, far more than any single walking tour company here. I'd pick one of these two if you want Rockefeller Center and Top of the Rock covered as one stop on a wider day of Manhattan sightseeing. ### Best for Spanish-speaking visitors InterviajesNY is the only operator on this page clearly run in Spanish, with 1,355 Google reviews at 4.6. I'd send Spanish-speaking travelers here first if touring in their own language matters more to them than which specific company runs the bus. ## The operators, grouped by how they run their tours ### Rockefeller Center's own official tours #### Rockefeller Center - What they run: Official operator of 4 Rockefeller Center tours and tickets - Google Maps: Historical landmark - Google rating: 4.7 (202769 reviews, 2026-10-28) - 45 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, NY 10111, United States - Website: https://www.rockefellercenter.com/ - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJ9U1mz_5YwokRosza1aAk0jM Rockefeller Center itself, not a third-party operator, runs all four of this site's core products: the $29.40 Rockefeller Center Art and Architecture Walking Tour, the $45.73 Top of the Rock Tickets, the $75.99 app-guided ticket and the $326.64 VIP tour. Its Google listing carries 202,769 reviews at 4.7, more than any other place on this page. I'd book directly through one of these four listings since no outside operator runs the deck itself. ### Small-group walking tour companies in Manhattan #### ExperienceFirst - What they run: Supplies the Rockefeller Center tour with optional deck entry - Google Maps: Tour operator - Google rating: 4.9 (3814 reviews, 2026-10-28) - Website: https://www.exp1.com/new-york-tours/ - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJl0w-2FVYwokRNLPbzsU4ayI ExperienceFirst supplies the $39 Rockefeller Center Tour with Optional Top of the Rock, the lowest-priced guided walk on this page that still lets you add deck admission at booking. Its Google listing holds 3,814 reviews at 4.9, more reviews than any other walking tour company kept on this page. I'd pick ExperienceFirst if you want a guide on a budget and plan to decide about the deck ticket later rather than committing upfront. #### Tours of NYC - What they run: General NYC sightseeing and walking tours of Manhattan - Google Maps: Tour operator - Google rating: 4.9 (1876 reviews, 2026-10-28) - 119 Baxter St, New York, NY 10013, United States - Website: http://www.tourofnyc.com/ - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJrVOWpEhZwokRUMxNZvMBv8k I'd treat it as a general Manhattan sightseeing option to pair with one of the four official Top of the Rock tickets, since its own listing centers on citywide walking tours rather than one single attraction. #### New Yorker Tours - What they run: Walking tour agency based in Ridgewood, Queens - Google Maps: Tour agency - Google rating: 5.0 (286 reviews, 2026-10-28) - 64-28 Palmetto St, Ridgewood, NY 11385, United States - Website: https://newyorkertours.com/ - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJ-6TVpD9fwokRba7lh8pQvKk New Yorker Tours is based out in Ridgewood, Queens, with 286 Google reviews at a perfect 5.0, among the highest ratings of any operator on this page. Being based outside Manhattan is unusual for a company offering city walking tours, so I'd confirm the pickup or meeting point for your date before booking if a specific Midtown start matters to your schedule. #### Babylon Tours New York City - What they run: Sightseeing tour agency based in Midtown East - Google Maps: Sightseeing tour agency - Google rating: 5.0 (162 reviews, 2026-10-28) - 245 E 58th St #18a, New York, NY 10022, United States - Website: https://babylontours.com/nyc/ - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJLfyKe-ZYwokRvTp6P2vAOlc Babylon Tours New York City is based at 245 E 58th St in Midtown East, with 162 Google reviews at a perfect 5.0, tied for the highest rating of any operator on this page. The review count is smaller than the bus operators here, so I'd check current availability directly before counting on this one for a specific date. #### Urban Adventures New York City - What they run: Small-group tour agency based in SoHo - Google Maps: Tour agency - Google rating: 4.9 (188 reviews, 2026-10-28) - 148 Lafayette St 3rd floor, New York, NY 10013, United States - Website: https://www.urbanadventures.com/en/new-york - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJKySbeywLw4kReMuatt2yWIA Urban Adventures New York City runs out of Lafayette Street in SoHo with 188 Google reviews at 4.9, one of the higher ratings among the walking tour companies on this page. I'd consider this one if you prefer a smaller operator over the big hop-on hop-off bus brands, since its review count suggests a more boutique scale of tour. ### Hop-on hop-off and sightseeing bus operators #### Big Bus Tours New York - What they run: Hop-on hop-off double-decker bus tours of Manhattan - Google Maps: Bus tour agency - Google rating: 4.8 (26892 reviews, 2026-10-28) - 723 7th Ave, New York, NY 10019, United States - Website: https://www.bigbustours.com/en/new-york/new-york-bus-tours - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJYWF63VVYwokRmySNl6CiXZw I'd pick this one if you want to see Rockefeller Center and the Top of the Rock building as one stop on a wider day of hopping between several Manhattan landmarks, rather than a single ticket visit. #### USA Guided Tours - What they run: Sightseeing and bus tours from Midtown Manhattan - Google Maps: Sightseeing tour agency - Google rating: 4.8 (902 reviews, 2026-10-28) - 770 7th Ave, New York, NY 10019, United States - Website: https://usaguidedtours.com/nyc/tour/ - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJQaPbIFZYwokROY8_Jeu0LCM USA Guided Tours operates from 770 7th Ave in Midtown with 902 Google reviews at 4.8, a strong rating for a company this size. It's categorized as both a sightseeing and bus tour agency, so I'd look at it for a broader guided day around Midtown if you want company beyond a single Rockefeller Center stop. #### InterviajesNY - What they run: Spanish-language bus tours from Midtown Manhattan - Google Maps: Tour operator - Google rating: 4.6 (1355 reviews, 2026-10-28) - 307 W 38th St 16th Floor, New York, NY 10018, United States - Website: https://www.interviajesny.com/ - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJD79AUrj3wokRgdnA0HOhvWQ InterviajesNY runs Spanish-language bus tours out of W 38th St in Midtown, with 1,355 Google reviews at 4.6. It's the only operator on this page clearly aimed at Spanish-speaking visitors, so I'd send Spanish-speaking travelers here first if a guided bus tour in their own language matters more than which specific company runs it. #### TopView - What they run: Large hop-on hop-off bus tour operator - Google Maps: Sightseeing tour agency - Google rating: 4.3 (35721 reviews, 2026-10-28) - 2 E 42nd St, New York, NY 10017, United States - Website: https://topviewtix.com/new-york - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJZ12si1xZwokRWIpPuzT8aOA TopView is a sightseeing bus operator at 2 E 42nd St near Grand Central, carrying 35,721 Google reviews, the most of any operator on this page besides Rockefeller Center itself. Its 4.3 rating sits below most of the other operators kept here, so I'd weigh its scale and review volume against that lower average score before choosing it over a smaller, higher-rated company. #### City Sightseeing New York - What they run: Sightseeing, boat and bus tour operator - Google Maps: Sightseeing tour agency - Google rating: 3.9 (2033 reviews, 2026-10-28) - 455 12th Ave, New York, NY 10018, United States - Website: http://www.citysightseeingnewyork.com/ - Google Maps: https://www.google.com/maps/place/?q=place_id:ChIJfU1wXrFZwokR_MtjKYjWfOU City Sightseeing New York operates from 455 12th Ave on the far West Side, with 2,033 Google reviews at 3.9, the lowest rating of any operator kept on this page. Its categories span bus tours, boat tours and cruises, making it the most multi-format option here, but I'd compare its rating against the smaller walking tour companies before picking it on reputation alone. ## How we built this list This list comes from a public Google Maps search captured on 2026-10-28 for Top of the Rock and New York tour operators. I dropped closed listings and any with fewer than 20 reviews, removed competing attractions, resellers, unrelated landmarks and one listing with invalid coordinates, then ordered what remained by a review-weighted rating. Two products matched an operator by its GetYourGuide supplier name: Rockefeller Center's own four tickets and ExperienceFirst's walking tour. I did not contact any operator directly, and every rating and review count here is Google's own number, not ours. ### Who we left out Left out: Top of The Rock, Empire State Building, One World Observatory and Edge NYC (competing attractions, not operators); The Tour at NBC Studios (a separate ticketed attraction); New York Pass and The SightSeeing Pass NYC (resellers, not operators); Summit Rock and The Big C Rock (unrelated landmarks matched on the word rock); one listing with invalid New York coordinates; and several smaller tour guides too generic to clearly differ from the operators kept. ## How does booking a Top of the Rock ticket work? Every ticket and tour on this page completes on GetYourGuide, which resells these products, and this site earns a commission when you book through one of these links. You pick a date and a time slot, pay on GetYourGuide's checkout and receive a mobile ticket that scans straight from your phone. Guided tours confirm a meeting point instead of an entrance gate, so check your confirmation email for exact details before your date. Cancellation terms are shown at checkout and vary by product, and prices on this page are checked as of 2026-10-27, so the live total may differ slightly by date and group size. ## FAQs ### Is there a Top of the Rock tour that doesn't include deck admission? Yes, the Rockefeller Center Art and Architecture Walking Tour starts at $29.40 and explicitly does not include admission to the observation deck or any other Rockefeller Center attraction. It is a 75-minute walking tour of the complex's statues, gardens and murals at street level. Pair it with a separate Top of the Rock ticket if the view is also on your list. ### How many people join the Rockefeller Center architecture tour? Capacity is capped at 21 guests per tour, and it runs entirely on foot with no seating available. Each guest wears a headset so the live guide's commentary stays clear over street noise, even with other groups walking the same route nearby. ### Is there a kids' version of the Rockefeller Center walking tour? Yes, the Rockefeller Center Tour Jr. runs Saturday and Sunday mornings at 10:30am and is built for children ages 6 to 12 with their chaperones. It follows the same architecture tour route at a pace suited to younger visitors. ### Can I add Top of the Rock entry to the Rockefeller Center walking tour after I book? It is safer to choose that option at booking rather than wait. The Rockefeller Center Tour with Optional Top of the Rock only includes the observation deck ticket if you select it up front, and availability for a same-day add-on is not guaranteed. ### Is the Fifth Avenue walking tour wheelchair accessible? No. The Fifth Avenue Walking Tour with Top of the Rock Entry cannot accommodate wheelchairs, strollers or baby carriages over its two-mile route. Travelers who need step-free access should book standard Top of the Rock Tickets instead, which work fine with a stroller. ### Is there a holiday edition of the VIP Rockefeller Center tour? Yes, from December 4 to January 10 the VIP Rockefeller Center Tour with Top of the Rock Entry adds a close-up view of the Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree and an official tree photo at the same price tier as the rest of the year. ### Do I need my own smartphone for the app-guided Top of the Rock ticket? Yes. The Top of the Rock Ticket with App-Guided Tour relies on the Pintours app running on your own phone, with access emailed before your visit. Download and test it the night before, charge your phone fully, and bring headphones if you prefer not to hold it to your ear. ### Is a private option available for any of these tickets? Yes, both the Top of the Rock Ticket with App-Guided Tour and the VIP Rockefeller Center Tour offer private or small-group options. The app-guided ticket's private option suits families who do not want to share the self-paced experience with other visitors.