Ascending the tallest skyscrapers and gathering at the top of iconic buildings has long been a popular way to get to know a new place and absorb your surroundings. But entry prices can be steep and there’s no guarantee you won’t be greeted by a wall of fog. Using data inspired by comparison site Ticket Lens, these are the world’s most expensive observation decks and views, ranked from cheapest to most expensive.
Moscow’s Federation Tower is actually made up of two towers but only the tallest – standing high at an impressive 374m (1,227ft) – has a viewing area open to the public. Panorama 360 is on the 89th floor and is officially the highest observation deck in Europe. The price for views over the city aren’t too steep, though, at £14.70 ($18.63).
An entry price of around £16.10 ($20.41) doesn’t seem all that much for 360-degree views over Macau, which is often compared to Vegas with its flashing lights and casinos. You’ll probably want to go after dark to experience the Chinese city at its fanciest. The observation lounge is 223m (732ft) above ground (the tower is 338m/1,109ft in total) and the bravest can step onto the glass-bottomed Walk in the Sky.
This tower in Auckland, New Zealand inspired the Macau Tower (which opened four years later in 2001) so it perhaps deserves to charge a little more for the privilege of stepping out onto its deck. Only a little, though, as this Kiwi icon comes in at £16.51 ($20.93) per ticket. You can also base jump from the country’s tallest building. Obviously you’ll need some extra cash, not to mention nerves of steel.
This sky-high building is a great place for first-time visitors to get an overview of buzzing Berlin and it isn’t too steeply priced at £16.78 ($21.27) per ticket. Built in 1969 as a demonstration of East Germany’s strength, it’s come to symbolise the country’s unification since the toppling of the wall. Queues can get pretty long so it’s best to book in advance – and hope for clear blue skies. Find our full guide to Berlin here.
Formerly known as the John Hancock Center, this is one of the city’s swankiest places to live and work, posing loftily on posh shopping street Magnificent Mile. Visitors can whizz up to the top deck, 360 Chicago, for £17.36 ($22.01). You get more than just views, though. A glass-enclosed platform tilts you forwards. Expect your stomach to lurch.
You can gaze up at one of Kuala Lumpur’s most recognisable buildings, also known as KL Tower, from pretty much anywhere in this Malaysian city. If you want to ascend 300m (984ft) to the open deck for views over the surrounding rainforest to the city, it’ll set you back £18.66 ($23.65). Those who get a little dizzy with al fresco heights can save some cash – the inside observation deck is just £8.50 ($10.60).
It’s impossible to visit Hong Kong without being aware of the ICC building, which dominates the Kowloon shore of Victoria Harbour. It’s one of a new breed of super-skyscrapers (for when skyscraper just doesn’t cut it). At 484m (1,588ft) high, it's Hong Kong’s tallest building but entrance to its Sky100 observation deck doesn’t seem that steep at £18.90 ($23.96). Find our guide to Hong Kong here.
At peak times, you may have to wait patiently while people take group shots and selfies on the Ledge, a glass balcony that juts out from the 103rd floor of Willis Tower, Chicago’s loftiest building at 442m (1,450ft). A ticket will set you back £19.72 ($25.01) but few places are as gorgeous to gaze upon as the Windy City.
The five Etihad Towers are perhaps the most striking feature of Abu Dhabi’s landscape, piercing the skyline dramatically, gleaming in the sunshine and illuminated at night. At 305m (1,001ft) tall, Tower 2 is home to the luxurious Jumeirah hotel. If the rooms are too pricey, £20.41 ($25.87) will grant you entry to Observation Deck at 300, including a £12 ($15) voucher you can use towards a (very) high tea.
If the 632m (2,073ft) height of this twisty looking skyscraper doesn’t make your head spin, its lifts will. The Shanghai Tower has one of the world’s fastest elevators, zooming visitors to the observation deck at 20.5 metres (67ft) per second. China’s tallest building (and second in the world after Dubai’s Burj Khalifa) also has another vertiginous boast – the highest observation deck. Prices are not quite as dizzying at £20.59 ($26.10) a pop.
This distinctively shaped building is affectionately known as the bottle opener thanks to the gap in its tapered top. That would be some hefty bottle, though, as the Shanghai World Financial Center soars at 492m (1,614ft). It has the same ticket price as its loftier neighbour, the Shanghai Tower, at £20.59 ($26.10).
Not to be outdone when it comes to, well, anything, Las Vegas takes skyscrapers to new heights with a tower that has white-knuckle rides (including the terrifying X-Scream which tips riders headfirst over the building’s edge) and sky-jumping opportunities. Or you can just take in the eye-popping lights of The Strip from the observation deck where tickets cost £21.70 ($27.50). It’s attached to a hotel and casino (of course).
There are few buildings so synonymous with a particular city than this Parisian icon which was named after the engineer who built it. A ticket to the top of the latticed iron structure costs £22.52 ($28.55). Find our full guide to the French capital here.
As gleamingly impressive as the city it resides in, Singapore’s One Raffles Place – formerly the Overseas Union Bank Centre – charges visitors £22.95 ($29.09) for the privilege of ascending to its viewing gallery. But, oh, what a view. This is the city’s highest rooftop viewpoint and it’s even better at sunset, with a cocktail from the sunken (yet, also elevated) bar. Discover more to see and do in Singapore.
If this Shanghai skyscraper looks like it might take off, it’s all part of the plan. The otherworldly structure, with needlepoint antennae, has three sightseeing floors including the space capsule (a sphere 350m/1,148ft above ground) and a glass-bottomed corridor you can walk through (if your stomach can take it). Tickets are around £25.16 ($31.90).
Fancy standing on an enormous glass deck 310m (1,017ft) above one of the world’s most exciting – and dizzying – cities? Home to rooftop bars and restaurants, Bangkok has never been ideal for vertigo sufferers. So where else would Thailand’s highest observation deck and glass terrace be located? Expect to pay £26.02 ($32.99) for the thrill.
Shenzhen’s second-tallest building (after Ping’an Finance Centre) commands a higher ticket price, charging £26.03 ($33) for people to access the viewing deck. It is lovely at the top, though. The upper levels of the tower – which were designed by British architect Sir Terry Farrell – are home to the St. Regis Hotel and there’s a fancy bar with enormous windows to gaze over the Chinese city.
Ascending to the top of this gleaming tower, part of the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in New York, feels different to visiting other observation decks. The sombre significance of the skyscraper’s location is hard to avoid. The fact it’s the tallest in the US is important too, symbolising the resilient spirit of the city and its people. We think the £27.61 ($35.01) entrance fee is well worth it. Read our guide to NYC here.
Unsurprisingly, New York City has a fair few entries in this list. Hudson Yards, atop old rail yards by the Hudson River, has to be the hippest though. The views don’t come cheap – tickets for its balcony, Edge, are £28.40 ($36.01) each. But the promise of standing on the highest outdoor deck in the Western hemisphere is bound to draw crowds.
This Tokyo tower shines brightly with alternating displays reflecting elements of local culture and representing the passage of time. That might all sound a little heavy but it is beautiful. If you can’t quite justify the £30.25 ($38.36) entry to the observation deck, it can be viewed from the city streets but once you're up there, the view is priceless. Find our guide to Tokyo here.
It’s hard to remember what London’s skyline was like before The Shard came along. Quite a bit lower, anyway. The prices are almost as steep as the sloping sides of this skyscraper, home to the lavish Shangri-La Hotel and a viewing deck that’ll set you back £32.01 ($40.59). Or you could head to GŎNG Bar on the 52nd floor. There’s a £30 minimum spend but this way you get the view and cocktails. Discover our guide to London here.
Ah, New York City. So evocative, so exciting, so... expensive. The Rockefeller Center’s Top of the Rock costs £32.64 ($41.38). It’s pricey, yes, but this is skyline gazing at its finest. Surrounded by the city’s other soaring buildings, you’ll feel on top of the world.
Floor-to-ceiling windows and glass floors showcase inspiring Toronto from every angle. The CN Tower has undergone a sleek makeover and it comes at a cost, with tickets £41.82 ($53.01) on average. It packs in the experiences, though, from blisteringly fast glass-fronted elevators to watching people doing the EdgeWalk outside the tower’s main pod. Find our full guide to the Canadian city here.
It’ll set you back a hefty £45.52 ($57.71) to access the observatory at Canton Tower, which looms over the Zhujiang River in Guangzhou, China. The swirling latticed structure is surprisingly skinny and creates a striking, needle-like form, especially after dusk when it’s illuminated in alternating colours. From the 108th floor, you can pretty much see the entire city.
Read more: The world's tallest hotels with breathtaking views
Yes, £45.76 ($58.01) to look at any view seems pretty steep but stepping out into the New York air on the 84th-floor deck of the Empire State Building is just one of those things you have to do when in the Big Apple. Imagine if Tom Hanks' character had balked at the price and missed his moment with Meg Ryan's in Sleepless in Seattle?
Top spot, by a vertical mile, goes to Dubai’s Burj Khalifa where tickets average a steep £79.49 ($100.77), plus more if you want the VIP lounge experience. It seems only right as it is the world’s tallest building at a neck-achingly 830m (2,723ft) to the tip. It’s more than double the height of the Empire State Building and not far off three stacked-up Eiffel Towers. But then, Dubai isn’t known for doing things by halves. Find our guide to Dubai here.
Read more: The best views in the world (but only for the brave)