Top of the Rock - Address & Directions

The M1, M2, M3, M4 and M5 run along Fifth Avenue (southbound) and Madison Avenue (northbound). Get off at 50th Street and walk toward Sixth Avenue; the entrance is between Fifth and Sixth.

The M50 crosstown bus runs along 49th and 50th Streets, so you can step off anywhere between Fifth and Sixth Avenues and be at the door within a minute or two.

The M7 also serves the area. Get off at 50th Street and walk east to Rockefeller Center.

Midtown traffic is heavy and parking is expensive, so public transport is usually the easier choice. If you do drive, here are typical routes from the main airports.

From LaGuardia Airport: about 9 miles, usually 25 to 45 minutes via the Grand Central Parkway and the RFK Bridge, or via the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.

From JFK Airport: about 17 miles, around 45 to 75 minutes via the Van Wyck Expressway, the Long Island Expressway and the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.

From Newark Liberty Airport: about 16 miles, roughly 35 to 60 minutes via the New Jersey Turnpike and the Lincoln Tunnel.

Parking: the Rockefeller Center garage is entered from West 48th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. From there it is a short walk north to the entrance on 50th Street.

Ask to be dropped on West 50th Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues, at the main entrance of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Traffic on 50th Street runs one way heading east, so approaching from Sixth Avenue gets you to the door most directly.

At busy times, especially evenings and weekends, it is often quicker to get out at the corner of Sixth Avenue and 50th Street and walk the last few steps. From LaGuardia, JFK or Newark, journey times are the same as by car, depending on traffic.

From Times Square: about 0.4 miles, roughly 8 to 10 minutes. Walk east along 47th, 48th or 49th Street to Sixth Avenue, then head up to 50th Street.

From Grand Central Terminal: about 0.6 miles, around 12 to 15 minutes heading west across Madison and Fifth Avenues to 50th Street.

From Central Park: from the southeast corner at Fifth Avenue and 59th Street, walk south on Fifth Avenue for about 10 minutes and turn right onto 50th Street.

From Penn Station: about 1.2 miles, around 25 minutes on foot heading north and east through Midtown.

Citi Bike docks are on 48th Street and on 51st Street, both between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. From either dock, the entrance on 50th Street is only a minute or two away on foot.

Day passes and memberships are available through Citi Bike, making it an easy way to combine Top of the Rock with stops along Fifth Avenue or Central Park.