In New York the view depends on the floor more than the street. The same Midtown hotel can put you face to face with the Empire State Building on the 30th floor and against a brick wall on the 5th. This page ranks hotels by what the hotel itself says you can see, room by room.
Ranked by the strength of the evidence first (a room category that names the view), then by guest rating. Each hotel is shown for the landmark it sees best.
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#04Those rooms are a small share of each hotel. Compare your dates early.
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#10One hotel per need, each one different, taken from the same checked list.
◌ SpaOn 25 July 1916 New York adopted the first comprehensive zoning ordinance in the United States. It made towers step back from the street as they rose, to let light reach the pavement, which is where the tiered “wedding cake” skyscrapers of the 1920s and 1930s come from.
The Chrysler Building was completed on 27 May 1930 at 319 metres and was the tallest building in the world until the Empire State Building opened on 1 May 1931, at just over 443 metres. Both still stand out in Midtown, a few blocks apart.
In 1858 Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won the competition for Central Park with their Greensward Plan, out of 33 entries. The park covers 843 acres, and the hotels along its southern edge look straight over the trees.
One World Trade Center opened on 3 November 2014. Its architectural height is 1,776 feet (541 metres), and One World Observatory near the top opened in May 2015.
Each hotel with a stated view is counted once, in the nearest of these areas (within 1.5 km). The price is the cheapest dated room that names the view in that area.
The southern edge of the park, between Fifth Avenue and Columbus Circle. Rooms facing north look over the trees.
Hotels in this area →The blocks around the Empire State Building, where rooms on the upper floors face the tower at close range.
Hotels in this area →Around Grand Central and the Chrysler Building, with the Empire State Building to the south-west.
Hotels in this area →West of Times Square towards the Hudson. High rooms here look west over the river.
Hotels in this area →Lower Manhattan around One World Trade Center, between the Hudson and the Brooklyn Bridge.
Hotels in this area →Across the East River from Manhattan. The view is the skyline itself, seen from the outside.
Hotels in this area →On the east bank facing Midtown, one subway stop from Manhattan, with the skyline across the water.
Hotels in this area →For the hours outside your room. Observation decks need a ticket, usually with a timed entry.
The open-air deck that runs around the spire, with a 360° view. A second observatory is on the 102nd floor.
The open-air 70th floor of Rockefeller Center, about 850 feet up, with the Empire State Building in front and Central Park behind.
An outdoor deck cantilevered from the 100th floor, about 1,100 feet above the street, with a glass floor.
Floors 91 to 93 next to Grand Central, with glass rooms and a close view of the Chrysler Building.
At the top of One World Trade Center, looking over the harbour and Lower Manhattan.
Free since 1997 and running 24 hours a day: a 25-minute crossing from Lower Manhattan that passes the Statue of Liberty.
The raised promenade across the bridge, with Lower Manhattan ahead when you walk from Brooklyn.
A park on a former elevated railway on the West Side, ending at Hudson Yards.
Fares below are the published ones; the subway runs 24 hours a day and takes contactless cards.
The AirTrain links the terminals to the subway and the Long Island Rail Road at Jamaica. Yellow taxis charge a flat fare of $70 to Manhattan, plus tolls, surcharges and tip.
The Q70 LaGuardia Link bus is free and runs from the terminals to the subway at Jackson Heights.
AirTrain Newark connects to NJ Transit and Amtrak trains to Penn Station in Midtown.
472 stations, open 24 hours a day. Pay with a contactless card or phone (OMNY); fares are capped after 12 paid rides in seven days on the same card.
The Empire State Building and One World Trade Center are 4.6 km apart in a straight line, roughly 75 minutes’ walk by our estimate.
Since 5 January 2025, cars pay a congestion charge to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, $9 at peak times. Visitors rarely need a car.
The sun sets around 4.28 pm in early December and around 8.31 pm in late June. In winter a skyline room is lit up before dinner.
Twice a year, in late May and mid July, the setting sun lines up with the east-west streets of the Manhattan grid. Rooms facing west on a cross street catch it.
Most disappointing “view” stays come from the same mistake: booking the hotel instead of the room. Here is the method we use to read every listing on this site.
Live prices and availability from our booking partner, around the landmarks on this page.
No. 6 hotels on this site have a room that names the view for €250 or less. The cheapest we found was €212 at Pointe Plaza Hotel (3 stars).
Across 59 hotels where we priced both, the room that names the view cost a median 26% more than the hotel’s cheapest room on the same night.
All prices are for 12 November 2026, two adults, collected ahead of time and converted to euros by the booking site. They move daily, so check availability for your own dates.
