Study Reveals the World's Best Observation Decks for Travelers on a Budget

Travel experts at Omio have analyzed 70 of the world's most popular observation decks and their entrance fees, which reveal the best and most affordable views for budget-conscious travelers. The study includes 8 of the most popular viewing decks in the United States.

Viewing Deck

Omio, Europe's leading booking platform for travel, has released a ranking of the world's most affordable observation decks. The study analyzes the entrance fees for the 70 most popular viewing platforms in the world, followed by an offset of the ticket prices against the official height of the building. The result is a well-curated list of the best views for the best price.

In almost every city, observation decks are among the most popular attractions for tourists. This ranking reveals the wide range of ticket prices, starting at $1.14 for the Torre Panorâmica in Curitiba (Brazil) to the Empire State Building in New York City (United States), where the entrance costs around $79.

"Top of Africa" offers the best price for money

The popular viewing platform "Top of Africa" (732ft) on the top floor of the Carlton Centre in Johannesburg offers visitors a unique panoramic view as far as Soweto and the best deal for the money. The entrance fee only costs $1.67 and beats all other observation decks surveyed in the price per foot category ($0.002 per ft). The deck is finally scheduled to reopen in summer 2023.

Table 1: Top 10 best observation decks for travelers on a budget.

  Destination Observation deck Height Ticket Price per ft.
1 Johannesburg, South Africa Top of Africa 732ft $1.67 $0.002
2 Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul Sapphire 856ft $2.68 $0.003
3 Curitiba, Brazil Torre Panorâmica 359ft $1.14 $0.003
4 Riga, Latvia Riga TV tower 1,207ft $3.96 $0.003
5 Cairo, Egypt Cairo Tower 614ft $2.14 $0.004
6 Belgrade, Serbia TV tower Avala 673ft $2.78 $0.004
7 Plzeň, Czech Republic Cathedral of St. Bartholomew 338ft $1.56 $0.005
8 Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Christ the Redeemer 2,297ft $14.36 $0.006
9 Barcelona, Spain Torre de Collserola 945ft $6.00 $0.006
10 Warsaw, Poland Palace of Culture and Science 945ft $5.68 $0.007

From $24 to $79: Observation decks in the US are expensive 

The Empire State Building in New York City is probably the most famous observation platform in the world. The viewing deck attracts around 3.5 million visitors per year. The study reveals that visiting a skydeck in the US is rather expensive. The most expensive observation deck is the Empire State Building and a ticket to the 102nd floor costs around $79.

Good that the Big Apple offers plenty of alternatives. The deck of the One World Trade Center only costs about $47 and a ticket to the Top of the Rock observation deck costs about $43.

The Statue of Liberty offers the worst deal for travelers. The monument that includes a viewing deck in the crown is only 305ft tall but one ticket costs $24. A ticket to The Strat in Las Vegas is also around $24 but at least the building is 1,148ft tall.

The best deal for an observation deck in the US is the Willis Tower in Chicago. A ticket to the visitors' floor on top of the 1,450ft-tall building costs only $30.

Further information on the study can be found at the following website: www.omio.com/c/worlds-best-budget-views

Source: Omio

About GoEuro Corp.

Headquartered in Berlin, Germany, Omio is a leading multi-modal travel platform that allows consumers in Europe, the United States, and Canada to easily book trains, buses, ferries, and flights – saving them both time and money. The company has successfully built a platform focused on the underserved and highly fragmented ground and water transportation markets. Currently issuing travel tickets across 37 countries, in 21 different languages, and 26 different currencies, for 1000+ travel transportation providers, Omio’s innovative platform brings together a significant number of travel operators and seamlessly integrates their respective inventories.


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