BestObservation Decks
Sky decks, towers and rooftop platforms worth the ticket, alongside the free and natural viewpoints that beat several of the paid options, city by city. Sunset slots are the ones that sell out, often days ahead, and they are also when the glass is worst for photographs — the hour after opening is usually emptier, clearer and cheaper.
Sydney Tower Eye
Sydney, Australia
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The golden-topped tower that is Sydney's tallest structure, in the central business district. Its deck and open-air Skywalk overlook the harbor, Opera House, and Harbour Bridge.
Eureka Skydeck
Melbourne, Australia
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The observation deck near the top of the Eureka Tower in Southbank, overlooking the Yarra River and Melbourne. Its glass cube, The Edge, slides out beyond the building's face.
Mirante do Vale (Edifício Itália)
São Paulo, Brazil
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One of the tallest buildings in the historic center of São Paulo, with a rooftop terrace long open to visitors. It overlooks the seemingly endless expanse of the city's high-rises.
CN Tower
Toronto, Canada
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A concrete communications and observation tower that defines the Toronto skyline. Its decks include a glass floor, and the EdgeWalk lets visitors circle the outside, overlooking Lake Ontario.
Top of Shanghai Observatory
Shanghai, China
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Occupying the upper floors of the twisting Shanghai Tower, one of the world's tallest buildings, the deck overlooks the Lujiazui financial district and the Huangpu River bend below.
Oriental Pearl Tower
Shanghai, China
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A distinctive TV tower of stacked spheres in Pudong, a symbol of Shanghai. Its observation levels, including a glass-floored deck, look across the Bund and the Huangpu River.
Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck
Hong Kong, China
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An indoor deck near the top of the International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon, offering a 360-degree panorama of Victoria Harbour and the towers of Hong Kong Island opposite.
Victoria Peak (The Peak Tower)
Hong Kong, China
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The highest hill on Hong Kong Island, reached by the historic Peak Tram. Its terraces frame the classic view over the skyscrapers, Victoria Harbour, and Kowloon beyond.
Canton Tower Observation Deck
Guangzhou, China
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A slender, twisting observation and telecommunications tower on the Pearl River, its outdoor decks and open-air rides look out over the Guangzhou skyline and the river below.
Macau Tower
Macau, China
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A convention and observation tower overlooking the Pearl River Delta, with glass-floor sections. It is known for its adventure attractions, including one of the world's highest bungee jumps.
Eiffel Tower
Paris, France
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The wrought-iron lattice tower on the Champ de Mars, built for the 1889 World's Fair and the emblem of Paris. Its upper platform surveys the Seine and the whole of the city.
Tour Montparnasse Observation Deck
Paris, France
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A lone dark skyscraper on the Left Bank whose rooftop terrace is prized because its view includes the Eiffel Tower, unlike the Eiffel's own decks. It surveys the Paris rooftops in every direction.
Berliner Fernsehturm
Berlin, Germany
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The television tower at Alexanderplatz, Germany's tallest structure, built in the former East Berlin. Its sphere holds an observation deck and revolving restaurant above the whole city.
Hallgrímskirkja Tower
Reykjavik, Iceland
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The tower of Reykjavik's tallest church, whose basalt-inspired form dominates the skyline. A lift carries visitors up for a view over the colorful rooftops, harbor, and surrounding mountains.
Tokyo Skytree Tembo Deck & Tembo Galleria
Tokyo, Japan
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A broadcasting and observation tower in the Sumida district, among the tallest structures in the world. Its two decks survey the vast Tokyo sprawl, with Mount Fuji visible on clear days.
Tokyo Tower Main & Top Deck
Tokyo, Japan
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A lattice tower in Minato modeled on the Eiffel Tower and painted orange and white. Its two decks overlook central Tokyo, with the Skytree and Mount Fuji visible in clear weather.
Abeno Harukas 300
Osaka, Japan
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Set in one of Japan's tallest skyscrapers above Tennoji, the three-story glass observatory wraps the top of the building, overlooking Osaka Bay and, on clear days, distant Awaji Island.
Petronas Towers Observation Deck & Skybridge
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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The twin stainless-steel towers are Kuala Lumpur's icon. Visitors cross the double-decker skybridge linking the towers, then reach an upper observation deck over the city center.
KL Tower Observation Deck
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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A telecommunications tower rising from a forested hill, giving it added height over the city. Its decks and a glass Sky Box look across Kuala Lumpur, including the nearby Petronas Towers.
Torre Latinoamericana
Mexico City, Mexico
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A mid-century skyscraper in the historic center, famous for surviving major earthquakes on soft lakebed soil. Its open-air deck overlooks the vast basin of Mexico City.
Sky Tower
Auckland, New Zealand
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A telecommunications and observation tower that is the tallest structure in New Zealand. Its decks, with glass floor panels, overlook Auckland's harbor, and visitors can walk or jump from the top.
Miradouro de Santa Luzia & Portas do Sol
Lisbon, Portugal
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Two adjacent terraced viewpoints in the Alfama district, decorated with tiled panels and pergolas. They overlook the maze of old rooftops descending to the Tagus River.
Marina Bay Sands SkyPark
Singapore
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The boat-shaped deck spanning the three towers of Marina Bay Sands. It overlooks the bay, the central business district, and Gardens by the Bay from its cantilevered observation platform.
Table Mountain Aerial Cableway
Cape Town, South Africa
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A rotating cable car climbs the flat-topped mountain overlooking Cape Town. The summit gives 360-degree views of the city, Table Bay, and the peninsula down to the Cape of Good Hope.
Lotte World Tower Seoul Sky
Seoul, South Korea
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Perched atop South Korea's tallest building in the Jamsil district, the deck features glass-floor sections and sweeping views across Seoul and the Han River.
N Seoul Tower (Namsan Tower)
Seoul, South Korea
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A communication and observation tower atop Namsan hill, reached by cable car. Its deck gives a full panorama of Seoul, and the base is known for its railings of love padlocks.
Taipei 101 Observatory
Taipei, Taiwan
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Set in the landmark bamboo-shaped skyscraper that was once the world's tallest, the observatory overlooks the Taipei basin and houses the giant tuned mass damper that steadies the tower.
King Power Mahanakhon SkyWalk
Bangkok, Thailand
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Set atop a pixelated skyscraper in the Silom business district, the deck features a rooftop terrace and a glass-floored tray projecting over the edge, overlooking the Chao Phraya River city.
Çamlıca Tower
Istanbul, Turkey
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Istanbul's tallest structure, a broadcasting and observation tower on Çamlıca Hill on the Asian side. Its decks and restaurants overlook the Bosphorus and both halves of the city.
Galata Tower
Istanbul, Turkey
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A medieval Genoese stone tower rising over the Beyoğlu district, one of the city's oldest landmarks. Its balcony gives a wide view of the old city, the Golden Horn, and the Bosphorus.
At the Top, Burj Khalifa
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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The observation decks of the world's tallest building overlook downtown Dubai, the Dubai Fountain, and the surrounding desert and coastline that stretch to the horizon.
Ain Dubai
Dubai, United Arab Emirates
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One of the world's tallest observation wheels, set on Bluewaters Island. Its enclosed cabins rotate for elevated views of the Dubai Marina skyline, Palm Jumeirah, and the Gulf coast.
Observation Deck at 300
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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A lounge-style deck high in the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers complex on the Corniche, overlooking the Persian Gulf, the seafront, and the Abu Dhabi city skyline.
The View from The Shard
London, United Kingdom
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The observation floors of the pyramidal glass Shard, western Europe's tallest building, near London Bridge. Its part-open upper deck overlooks the Thames and the sweep of central London.
London Eye
London, United Kingdom
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A giant cantilevered observation wheel on the South Bank of the Thames, opposite the Houses of Parliament. Its enclosed capsules give slowly rotating views over central London.
Sky Garden
London, United Kingdom
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A public landscaped garden and terrace crowning the Walkie-Talkie building on Fenchurch Street. Its planted atrium and open-air deck overlook the Thames and the City of London.
Empire State Building Observatory
New York City, United States
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The Art Deco Midtown landmark, long the world's tallest building. Its 86th and 102nd-floor decks overlook Manhattan, Central Park, and the surrounding boroughs and rivers.
Top of the Rock
New York City, United States
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The observation deck atop 30 Rockefeller Plaza, prized for its head-on view of the Empire State Building and a clear look down over Central Park to the north.
Edge at Hudson Yards
New York City, United States
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A triangular open-air deck that juts out from a tower at Hudson Yards on the West Side, with a glass floor and angled glass walls overlooking Manhattan and the Hudson River.
SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
New York City, United States
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An immersive observation experience near Grand Central, lined with mirrored rooms and glass ledges. Its decks overlook Midtown Manhattan, including the nearby Chrysler Building.
One World Observatory
New York City, United States
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The observatory near the top of One World Trade Center, the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. It overlooks Lower Manhattan, the harbor, and the Statue of Liberty.
Skydeck Chicago (Willis Tower)
Chicago, United States
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The observation deck of the Willis Tower, long the tallest building in the United States. Its glass-floored Ledge boxes extend from the facade over the streets and Lake Michigan.
360 Chicago (John Hancock Center)
Chicago, United States
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The observatory high in the former John Hancock Center on the Magnificent Mile, known for its Tilt feature that leans visitors outward over Michigan Avenue and the lakefront.
Space Needle
Seattle, United States
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The saucer-topped tower built for the 1962 World's Fair and the symbol of Seattle. A 2020 renovation added glass floors and walls overlooking the city, Puget Sound, and Mount Rainier.
STRAT SkyPod
Las Vegas, United States
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The observation pod atop the STRAT tower at the north end of the Las Vegas Strip, the tallest freestanding tower in the country. It overlooks the Strip and surrounding desert valley.
High Roller
Las Vegas, United States
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A giant observation wheel at The LINQ just off the Las Vegas Strip. Its enclosed cabins complete a slow rotation, overlooking the Strip's resorts and the surrounding valley.
Landmark 81 SkyView
Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
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The observation deck near the top of Vietnam's tallest skyscraper, whose bundled tower shape recalls bamboo. It overlooks the Saigon River and the sprawl of Ho Chi Minh City.
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