1
Burj Khalifa
Dubai · UAE★ 4.8
828m of tapering steel and glass, the tallest building in the world. Book the At The Top SKY deck for a sunset slot.
Height828m
Floors163
Opened2010
Tallest buildings, the view from the top.
The structures rewriting the skyline, and exactly how to ride to the observation deck at the best hour. Ranked by height, with the view that justifies the ticket.
Height is a race that never quite ends. These are the current record-holders and the decks worth the queue, timed, where we can, for sunset.
2
Merdeka 118
Kuala Lumpur · Malaysia★ 4.7
679m and the world's second-tallest, topped by a faceted-glass spire over the city. The View at 118 opened well after the tower topped out, and it looks straight down on the Petronas Towers.
Height679m
Floors118
Opened2023
3
Shanghai Tower
Shanghai · China★ 4.7
A 632m twisting glass spiral served by some of the world's fastest elevators. The lift reaches the 118th floor in under a minute. Go on a clear day: the haze over the Bund sits at deck height.
Height632m
Floors128
Opened2015
4
Asia
Tokyo Skytree
Tokyo · Japan★ 4.7
At 634m, the tallest tower on Earth, a broadcast spire with a vertigo-inducing glass-floor deck. Buy the timed ticket in advance and go at dusk, when Fuji is still visible and the city has just lit up.
Height634m
Floors–
Opened2012
5
One World Trade Center
New York · USA★ 4.6
541m to a symbolic 1,776 feet, reached by a fast, immersive elevator that flies you up through the city’s history.
Height541m
Floors104
Opened2014
6
Ping An Finance Centre
Shenzhen · China★ 4.5
A 599m tapered tower of stainless steel anchoring Shenzhen’s booming skyline. Its Free Sky deck is among the highest in the world, and the skyline it looks over is barely thirty years old.
Height599m
Floors115
Opened2017
7
Lotte World Tower
Seoul · South Korea★ 4.6
A 555m tapering spire inspired by Korean ceramics, with a glass-floor sky deck. Seoul Sky takes the top six floors and puts a glass floor near the summit. Come at dusk for the Han River.
Height555m
Floors123
Opened2017
8
Canton Tower
Guangzhou · China★ 4.5
A 604m hourglass-shaped tower with a vertigo-inducing rooftop bubble ride. A bubble tram runs around the rim of the roof, a slower and stranger ride than any lift on this list.
Height604m
Floors–
Opened2010
9
CTF Finance Centre
Guangzhou · China★ 4.4
A 530m stepped skyscraper of offices, apartments and a high hotel. Guangzhou's second supertall stands across the river from the Canton Tower, and each is the best view of the other.
Height530m
Floors111
Opened2016
10
Taipei 101
Taipei · Taiwan★ 4.7
The 508m bamboo-inspired icon that held the world title for years, ride one of the fastest lifts to the deck.
Height508m
Floors101
Opened2004
All 10, mapped
10 picks on this list
FAQ
What is the tallest building in the world?+
The Burj Khalifa in Dubai, at 828m, a title it has held since 2010. Merdeka 118 in Kuala Lumpur is second at 679m.
Can you go up all of them?+
Yes. Every building on this list has a public observation deck, and the highest of them are in Dubai, Shenzhen and Shanghai.
Which observation deck is the best?+
The Burj Khalifa for the height and the desert horizon, Tokyo Skytree for the city directly beneath it, and the Canton Tower for the strangest ride: a bubble tram around the roof.
Should I book ahead?+
Yes, and for a timed slot. Sunset sells out first at every deck on this list, often days ahead in high season.
Is a supertall worth a detour on its own?+
Rarely. Every building here stands in a city worth several days, so treat the deck as one evening of a wider trip.
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