Visiting the One World Trade Center is a very special experience. The memorial structure serves as a great reminder of the building’s origins and bears witness to the tragic event of 9/11. While the One World Observatory arguably provides one of the best views over the city. Irrespective of the number of times you have visited the One World Trade Center, the experience never gets old!
Towering above the ground at a staggering 1,776 feet, the One World Trade Center is the tallest structure in the Western Hemisphere. There are just five buildings around the world, taller than the One World Trade Center, as on 2019 – The Burj Khalifa, Shanghai Tower, Abraj Al-Bait Clock Tower in Morocco, Ping An Finance Centre in China and Lotte World Tower in South Korea. In terms of meters, the One World Trade Center is 541.3 meters tall.
The building has 104-stories and 853,000 square feet of commercial real estate. It has a lobby that is open to the public, a variety of restaurants and three observatories on the 100th to 102nd floors.
Up until 2009 the building was called the Freedom Tower, but was rechristened as the One World Trade Center before the grand unveil in 2014, as the Port Authority deemed the name to be too emotionally charged.
The One World Observatory was unveiled before the public on May 29, 2015 and offers a grand 360-degree view over the city. The platform also serves as a venue for events, has snack options on board and installations displaying the long history of the building.
Thanks to the Timed Tickets at the One World Trade Center that we will be discussing shortly, the crowd is thick but pretty manageable throughout the year. Keeping that in mind, people can also avoid the long queues to the elevator by purchasing a priority ticket.
The Observatory Timings are as follows:
9AM to PM from September to April, with the Ticket Counter closing at 8.15PM.
8AM to 9PM from May to August while the last tickets are sold at 8.45PM.
The best time to visit the Observatory, according to the locals, is early morning and early evening, as the landmark tends to get pretty busy during peak times. If you are unlucky enough, you might have to wait for up to two hours during late morning and late evening when the rush is high.
If you plan on visiting the One Observatory during these times, consider purchasing a Priority Ticket to save time. The One World Trade Center is generally more crowded towards the summer months and on weekends. We recommend visiting the tower between Tuesday and Thursday if it suits your schedule.
It takes around ninety minutes for a full tour of the Observatory. If you plan on visiting the 9/11 Museum and Memorial, you need to set aside another three hours for the two.
The One World Trade Center is close to Wall Street, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. And you may have to spend two entire days in Manhattan to enjoy all four of these places to the core.
Whether or not you plan on visiting every single place on this list in a single trip to New York City, you can visit the Brookfield Palace along with the One World Trade Center in a single trip if you start your day early enough. Do not forget to grab lunch at the cafeteria!
The building is located at 285 Fulton Street, New York, NY 10007, in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan at the corner of West and Vesey Streets.
You can take a bus ride, a cab or walk down to the One World Trade Center, depending on your location. Use Google Maps to find the shortest route.
In order to avoid overcrowding, the Management issues Timed Tickets that can be purchased beforehand to ensure a guaranteed entry to the One World Trade Center. Although most of these tickets are timed, tourists that are not sure of their arrival timing enjoy a flexible ticket.
When the crowd is not too thick, it takes around 30-60 minutes to purchase tickets on the spot. If you have an entire day at hand, there is no need to purchase tickets in advance. If you are buying a General Ticket, make sure to arrive at the spot at least 15 minutes before the time mentioned on the ticket.
A Priority Ticket holder can skip to the front of the queue waiting to board the elevator, and enter exhibits before everyone else in line. A Flex Ticket holder can enter the building whenever they want apart from enjoying all the other benefits of a Priority Ticket.
While a Standard Ticket costs $34, you can book a Combination Ticket for $44, for a Limited Time only. The All-Inclusive Ticket is currently priced at $54. Visit the official One World Observatory website for the latest pricing.
The Observatory offers some of the greatest, if not the best, views of Manhattan. The competition is fierce as both The Empire State Building and the Top of the Rock offer historic views of the city.
The address is
The One World Trade Center offers some of the best views for photographers. Unlike the Empire State Building that does not allow DSLRs and the Top of the Rock which prohibits cameras altogether, people are allowed to carry their own cameras inside the One Observatory.
The One Observatory is the closest to the Statue of Liberty and offers an unrestricted view of the monument.
The One World Trade Center is located close to the banks of the Hudson River, which offers a great visual treat that none of the other monuments offer. If you are looking to capture some unhindered pictures of the Manhattan skyline, there is no better place to be other than the One Observatory!
Are you planning a trip to Manhattan shortly? Let us know if you find this article helpful in the Comments Section below.
Lampedusa is a small Italian island located in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily and…
Eklutna Lake is a large, glacier-fed lake located in Chugach State Park in Southcentral Alaska,…
While Florida is a popular destination for tourists and retirees, like any other state, it…
Sperlonga is a beautiful coastal town located on the Tyrrhenian Sea in the province of…
The Devil's Pool is a natural infinity pool located at the top of Victoria Falls…
Volterra is a historic town located in the Tuscany region of Italy, known for its…