Skyscrapers & Summit Guided Experience

The architecture that made Midtown legendary, from the streets where the skyscraper race began to the iconic SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, with skip-the-line entry and a cocktail in the clouds included.
Duration
3 hours
Group size
Private for 1-6 guests
Highlights Gallery Itinerary Meeting Point FAQs
Skyscrapers & Summit Guided Experience
Highlights Gallery Itinerary Meeting Point FAQs

Highlights

  • Hear how daring architects shaped New York’s skyline a century ago.
  • Be dazzled by Midtown’s Art Deco and Beaux-Arts details and learn their meaning.
  • Explore SUMMIT One Vanderbilt’s three immersive floors of light and art installations.
  • Step onto Levitation, a glass skybox over 1,000 feet above Madison Avenue.
  • Savor a signature drink at a Nordic-themed cocktail bar in the clouds.

Your private New York experience

New York's skyline has a story, though most people just pause for a photo. On this in-depth private tour, you’ll learn how ambition shaped Midtown — quite literally — as you experience the city’s skyscrapers from the ground up.

Start with a walking tour led by a guide who knows these streets better than anyone. From the Art Deco crown of the Empire State Building to the Beaux-Arts grandeur of the New York Public Library, you'll learn to read the facades and understand why they look the way they do. Along the way, your guide brings in the rivalries, economics, and human drama that drove it all, turning a walk through Midtown into a saga of “the race for the sky.”

Then see New York from a whole new perspective — in the clouds. Your experience culminates with a private tour of SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, led by a dedicated ambassador. Be dazzled by three immersive floors of lights, mirrors, and art installations suspended over 1,000 feet above Madison Avenue.

You'll skip every line, including for Levitation, the glass skyboxes that put you directly above the city. And when you want a moment to relax, enjoy a cocktail at Après, the Nordic-inspired bar with panoramic views. Your VIP ticket even includes visiting during the coveted sunset hours. When the city turns golden, it's magic.

Itinerary

  • Empire State Building

    An enduring Art Deco icon whose stepped crown and limestone façade have defined New York’s skyline for nearly a century

  • Fifth Avenue & Herald Square

    A storied crossroads of commerce and culture, where architecture and retail history intersect

  • Bryant Park

    An intimate urban garden framed by architectural gems like the luminous American Radiator Building, evoking coal and fire

  • New York Public Library

    A Beaux-Arts landmark, regal with its marble front, Corinthian columns, and guardian stone lions

  • One Vanderbilt

    One of New York’s newest skyscrapers, finished in 2020 and towering over 1,400 feet

  • SUMMIT One Vanderbilt

    A VIP guided tour inside this immersive setting of light and reflection that reframes the city from above, with drink included

What sets this experience apart

  • An engaging private tour of New York architecture from the streets
  • Skip-the-line entry to SUMMIT One Vanderbilt anytime, even during premium sunset hours
  • A private guided tour of the multi-level observatory
  • Skip-the-line to stand on top of New York in the thrilling Levitation "sky boxes" at SUMMIT
  • An included cocktail (or drink of choice) served with panoramic views inside Après

Meeting Point

Your private guide will be waiting for you outside the Gregorian Hotel at 42 W. 35th St.

FAQs

You can choose anytime to visit the observatory, including premium sunset hours. We’ll reserve your timed ticket in advance. After your 90-minute private guided tour of the attraction, you can stay as long as you like inside.
We recommend comfortable, non-marking shoes. Stiletto heels, work boots, cleats, and other footwear that can damage flooring aren’t allowed inside SUMMIT. The observatory has many reflective floors so they also recommend wearing pants, shorts, or tights and bringing sunglasses for the reflected sunlight.
We understand plans change. We offer a 100% refund or the option to reschedule up to 48 hours before the experience start time.
Yes, this tour is accessible for both wheelchairs and strollers.
Yes! Both tours are family-friendly, and the guides can tailor the experience for your group to make sure kids are included. Children ages 0-5 don’t need a ticket for SUMMIT and won’t count toward the group size.
Enjoy a complimentary cocktail at Après, a Nordic-themed bar inside SUMMIT One Vanderbilt. You can also choose a nonalcoholic drink or other beverage. Only champagne is excluded.

  • Exclusively private

    Unforgettable moments shaped around you

  • Thoughtfully curated

    Hand-picked experiences for the highest quality

  • High-touch service

    So your visit is stress-free from start to finish