How much are Summit One Vanderbilt tickets?

Summit One Vanderbilt tickets start around $43 for adults for general admission, with sunset slots priced higher. Ascent, the exterior glass elevator, is an add-on of about $20. Tickets are timed-entry and should be booked online in advance, since sunset and weekend slots sell out days ahead. Summit is not included in the standard CityPASS, though Go City passes include it.

Is Summit One Vanderbilt worth it compared to other observation decks?

Summit is the most immersive: mirrored rooms, glass floors over the street, and an art installation as much as a view. Top of the Rock has the best straight view, taking in the Empire State Building and Central Park. The Empire State Building is the most iconic to stand on, and Edge has the highest outdoor deck. If it's your first visit, Top of the Rock; if you've done that, Summit.

Is there a dress code at Summit One Vanderbilt?

Yes. Because the floors and walls are mirrored, Summit asks visitors not to wear skirts, dresses, or loose clothing. Shoes are covered with free disposable protectors at the entrance to protect the mirrored surface. Cameras and phones are allowed and encouraged; the reflections are the point. Sunglasses help on bright days, since the mirrored rooms amplify the light.

Summit One Vanderbilt

Landmark

Midtown

Manhattan

Ticketed

No items found.

About

Summit One Vanderbilt is the newest and most unusual of New York's observation decks, occupying the top three floors of One Vanderbilt, the 1,401-foot tower that rose beside Grand Central Terminal in 2020. It opened in October 2021 and immediately became the most searched-for deck in the city, because it isn't really a deck at all. It's an immersive art installation with a view.

The centerpiece is Air, a multi-level experience by artist Kenzo Digital in which the floors, walls, and ceilings are mirrored, so the skyline reflects infinitely in every direction and visitors appear to float among the clouds. Above it, Levitation places you in a glass box that extends out over Madison Avenue, 1,063 feet up, with nothing beneath your feet but the street. The outdoor terrace, Apres, gives a conventional open-air view south to the Empire State Building, a few blocks away and almost at eye level.

The final element is Ascent, the world's largest exterior glass elevator, which climbs the outside of the tower to 1,200 feet for a view above the view. Summit is an experience as much as a lookout, and it's the deck to choose if you've already seen the city from the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock and want something you haven't done before.

Insider Tip

Book a sunset slot and go straight to the Apres terrace when the sun is low, then return to the mirrored Air rooms after dark, when the city lights reflect infinitely and the crowds have thinned. Wear pants and plain-soled shoes; the mirrored floor is the reason for the dress code. Add Ascent if it's your first visit, since the exterior elevator is unlike anything else in the city. And check the weather: fog turns the mirrors into a white box.

History & Facts

Summit One Vanderbilt opened in 2021 and has redefined what an observation deck can be. Here are the key facts every visitor should know:

How high is Summit One Vanderbilt? The experience spans floors 91 to 93, about 1,063 feet above street level. Ascent, the exterior glass elevator, rises to roughly 1,200 feet.
What is Air at Summit? Air is Kenzo Digital's immersive installation of fully mirrored rooms, reflecting the skyline infinitely and producing the photographs Summit is famous for.
One Vanderbilt, completed in 2020, is the fourth-tallest building in New York City at 1,401 feet, and it sits directly beside Grand Central Terminal with a direct connection to the station.
Levitation's glass boxes extend outward from the building, so visitors stand on transparent floors over Madison Avenue more than 1,000 feet below.
Summit's Apres terrace is the highest outdoor bar in Manhattan, with a view of the Empire State Building at nearly eye level.
Because the floors are mirrored, Summit asks visitors not to wear skirts or dresses, and it provides free disposable covers for shoes to protect the surface.

When to visit

Summit One Vanderbilt is open from 9am to midnight, and because of the mirrors, timing changes the experience more than at any other deck.

Sunset is the most popular slot and the one that produces Summit's signature photographs, with gold light bouncing through the mirrored rooms. Book a timed entry 30 to 45 minutes before sunset, see the outdoor terrace first while the light is warm, then move inside as the city lights come on. Sunset slots cost more and sell out days ahead.

Night is the second-best time: the mirrored rooms reflect the lit skyline in every direction and the effect is more dramatic than by day. The last entry at 10:30pm is often the least crowded slot of the evening.

Bright, clear days make the mirrors intense, so bring sunglasses. Fog and low cloud are the one thing to avoid; when the view goes white, so do the rooms. Check the forecast and reschedule if needed; Summit allows changes on most tickets.

Getting there

Summit One Vanderbilt is at 45 East 42nd Street, directly beside Grand Central Terminal, and the entrance is on Vanderbilt Avenue between 42nd and 43rd Streets. The tower connects to the terminal, so any train to Grand Central puts you at the door: the 4, 5, 6, 7, and S (shuttle) subways, Metro-North, and the Long Island Rail Road at Grand Central Madison.

From Times Square, the S shuttle reaches Grand Central in two minutes. The Empire State Building is a ten-minute walk south, and Bryant Park and the Public Library are five minutes west along 42nd Street.

Use our interactive NYC subway guide to plan your exact route from any hotel or neighborhood before you arrive.