SUMMIT One Vanderbilt Review | Free-City-Guides.com

SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is one of the newest observation decks in New York, occupying 3 floors of the skyscraper right next to Grand Central station. The views are incredible and you get to experience them in all directions as you follow the one-way system around the attraction. Tickets are timed and you are advised to arrive within 15 minutes of your chosen time. If you want to go at sunset, you’ll need to pay extra. Booking in advance is a must as tickets sell quickly. When we visited, there were no tickets available for the following 2 days. We booked with GetYourGuide which allowed us not to pay until we knew the weather was going to be good. You can check out latest ticket availability using this form…

Entrance is via the main concourse of Grand Central and on our visit, we arrived with our timed ticket to find a line right out of the doors! The queue does move fairly quickly, but we spent almost as much time in the line as we did in the attraction. After going through security, you are given covers for your shoes to protect the floors and sunglasses if you don’t have your own. Women wearing a skirt are offered the chance to cover themselves as the floor mirrors can let people see more than you’d bargained for!

The line ends at the elevator bank and the ride to the top is an attraction in itself with a mini light and sound show on the journey. Once the elevator doors open you are on level one of the three and there are mirrors everywhere. We’ve never seen anything like this before and we enjoyed the experience, although it can be a little disorientating.

As you follow the one way system around, each area has a slightly different theme. The view south (pictured above) is a double height area covering two floors and is the largest section of the attraction. To be honest, it’s the best view too. You’ll find art work in another room which looks to the west and then there’s a real surprise. The next room is packed with mirrored balloons and proved to be a real bottleneck, but our 8 year-old loved this experience and it was the highlight of his entire time in New York! You’re encouraged to ‘interact’ with the balloons and you’ll find them flying all over the place.

Make sure you visit the toilets – we’ve never been to a toilet with such an amazing view. In the male toilets, there were as many people taking photos as there were using the urinals! There’s also a cafe and bar along the way around the attraction if you want to stop for food or drinks. The final floor offers an outdoor experience with another bar. There’s still glass in your view however, which felt a bit of a shame. We’d have liked a balcony glass wall instead as you don’t really feel like your outside. Despite the queues to get in, this floor was very quiet and we found there was enough room generally in the attraction to move freely and take photos.

SUMMIT One Vanderbilt is generally open from 9am to midnight every day, except for Tuesdays when it is closed. Tickets start at $47 per person rising during sunset (2025 prices). There are other ticket options which allow access to a glass elevator and skip the line options.