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You simply have to experience the sunset from the Top of the Rock in New York! Valuable tips for the perfect New York experience!
When you are in New York, you shouldn’t miss a propersunset. From the Top of the Rock at the Rockefeller Center, you’ll have one of the best views over Manhattan. And at sunset, it’s even more spectacular. (Are you looking for the perfect place to see the sunrise in New York? Then head over to my article about the Brooklyn Bridge.) Sunrises and sunsets are always great anyway!
➜ Buy your ticket for Top of the Rock in advance*
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Hey, I’m Tatiana and I’m the blogger behind The Happy Jetlagger. Since 2014, I’ve been sharing my personal travel stories on this blog. I don’t have a big team behind me, so I’m pretty much a one-person show: I’ve researched and tested all recommendations myself!
Especially with a motif that is so fascinating and surreal at the same time, you can finally see it live from the viewing platform of the Top of the Rock. I’ve seen this skyline thousands of times, in American series, on posters, in movies, on Instagram. Every child knows the Manhattan skyline and without thinking you know immediately: that’s New York. This place was exactly what I needed!
Find more tips in my New York blog!
And if in the end it’s just a collection of huge skyscrapers in an even bigger city, full of people, full of traffic: the sunset in New York on the Top of the Rock is one of the most magical moments in my entire travel career.
Evening at the Top of the Rock: Goosebumps at the sight of the Empire State Building.
The Top of the Rock is the viewing terrace of Rockefeller Center. Located on Fifth Avenue, you can’t miss the statue of Altlas dragging his globe.
However, the entrance to the Top of the Rock is hidden in a side street (50th Street) between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. The tickets are time-stamped, i.e. you can only go up at a predetermined time. There wasn’t much going on in January and as I was only passing by by chance, I bought a ticket straight away and didn’t have to wait long. In more popular months (in New York, pretty much always except January and February), it’s a good idea to buy in advance.
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Attention: On site and on the Rockefeller Center website, tickets for sunset are another 10 dollars more expensive! Get Your Guide offers flexible tickets that can be exchanged for a timed ticket on site.
So save money at sunset with the Flexi-Ticket from GetYourGuide!
➜ Flexi-Ticket for Top of the Rock*
At GetYourGuide there is only one price, at Top of the Rock itself there is a sunset surcharge of a whole 10 US dollars for late afternoon appointments (they know why people like to come late in the afternoon).
Although you are allocated a time, it can still take a while to reach the top. I was down at the counter about an hour before sunset and it was just right. So it’s best to plan enough time if you really want to catch the sunset from the start (it’s worth it!). But once you’re at the top, you can stay as long as you like.
Convenient for me, because I actually only wanted to take a quick photo – and in the end it was just under four hours before I could tear myself away from the spectacular view. Seeing the lights of Manhattan sparkle in the darkness after the perfect sunset was just too beautiful. New York at night: indescribable.
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