One World Observatory

One World Trade Center reaches 1,776 feet - 541 metres - to the tip of its spire, a figure chosen for the year of the Declaration of Independence, which makes it the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere. The observatory occupies floors 100 to 102. The lifts are part of the experience: they rise in about sixty seconds with floor-to-ceiling screens showing the Manhattan skyline being built and unbuilt around you from the 1500s to the present, including the twin towers appearing and going. At the top a screen lifts to reveal the view. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum are at the base, in the footprints of the destroyed towers, and are a separate and much heavier visit.

What you actually see

• 541 metres to the spire - a height chosen for 1776.
• The sky-pod lifts - the skyline built and unbuilt in sixty seconds.
• A view over the harbour and the boroughs - from floors 100 to 102.
• The memorial pools below - in the original tower footprints.

When to go

Year round; clear days only. An hour and a half.

Honest expectations

Cloud or haze can make the ticket worthless and there is no refund for a poor view. Tickets are timed and expensive. Security screening takes time. The memorial below is a separate ticket and a very different experience.

Nearby

The 9/11 Memorial is at the base; Battery Park is south.