An observation deck, observation platform, or viewing platform is an elevated

sightseeing Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as being limited to holiday activity o ...

platform usually situated upon a tall architectural structure, such as a

skyscraper A skyscraper is a tall continuously habitable building having multiple floors. Most modern sources define skyscrapers as being at least or in height, though there is no universally accepted definition, other than being very tall high-rise bui ...

observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

. Observation decks are sometimes enclosed from weather, and a few may include coin-operated telescopes for viewing distant features.

List of public observation decks

List of highest observation decks by type

Under construction

* 2028 (est)

Burj Azizi Burj Azizi (Arabic: برج عزيزي) is an under construction skyscraper and a centrepiece of Sheikh Zayed Road, in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. It will have 133 floors for various purposes. Burj Azizi could be the world's second tallest build ...

Dubai Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...

United Arab Emirates The United Arab Emirates (UAE), or simply the Emirates, is a country in West Asia, in the Middle East, at the eastern end of the Arabian Peninsula. It is a Federal monarchy, federal elective monarchy made up of Emirates of the United Arab E ...

. 649 m, Level 130 * 2028 (est)

Jeddah Tower Jeddah Tower or Burj Jeddah (, ) is a skyscraper under-construction in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. It is planned to be the first building and would be the world's tallest building or structure upon completion, standing taller than the Burj Khali ...

Jeddah Jeddah ( ), alternatively transliterated as Jedda, Jiddah or Jidda ( ; , ), is a List of governorates of Saudi Arabia, governorate and the largest city in Mecca Province, Saudi Arabia, and the country's second largest city after Riyadh, located ...

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in West Asia. Located in the centre of the Middle East, it covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries ...

. 637 m, Level 157 *Unknown

Goldin Finance 117 Goldin Finance 117, also known as China 117 Tower (Simplified Chinese characters, Chinese: 中国117大厦), is an under construction supertall skyscraper in Xiqing District, Tianjin, China. The tower was topped out in 2015 at a height of 597 m (1 ...

Tianjin Tianjin is a direct-administered municipality in North China, northern China on the shore of the Bohai Sea. It is one of the National Central City, nine national central cities, with a total population of 13,866,009 inhabitants at the time of the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

. 578.1 m, Level 116 * 2023 (est.)

Merdeka 118 Merdeka 118, formerly known as , KL 118, and PNB 118, is a 118-story List of megatall skyscrapers, megatall skyscraper in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. At tall, it is the List of tallest buildings, second-tallest building and List of tallest structur ...

Kuala Lumpur Kuala Lumpur (KL), officially the Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, is the capital city and a Federal Territories of Malaysia, federal territory of Malaysia. It is the largest city in the country, covering an area of with a census population ...

Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...

. 517.7 m , Level 117 (Spire observation level at 566 m) * 2026 (est)

Torre Rise Torre Rise (Spanish for Rise Tower) is an under construction mixed-use supertall skyscraper in Monterrey, Mexico. With a height of it aims to become one of the tallest buildings in the Americas upon completion. Description Rise Tower is designe ...

Monterrey Monterrey (, , abbreviated as MtY) is the capital and largest city of the northeastern Mexican state of Nuevo León. It is the ninth-largest city and the second largest metropolitan area, after Greater Mexico City. Located at the foothills of th ...

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

. 354 m, Level 93 and 365 m, Level 96 * 2028 (est.) Torch Tower,

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. 352 m, Level 55 * 2027 (est) Taipei Twin Towers,

Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. 347 m, Level 73 Approved * 2025 (est.)

Signature Tower Jakarta Signature Tower was a proposed skyscraper in Jakarta, Indonesia. The proposed height is . The tower was proposed in 2010, with developers hoping to begin construction in 2015. Planning permission for the tower was granted in late 2015. Construct ...

Jakarta Jakarta (; , Betawi language, Betawi: ''Jakartè''), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta (; ''DKI Jakarta'') and formerly known as Batavia, Dutch East Indies, Batavia until 1949, is the capital and largest city of Indonesia and ...

Indonesia Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania, between the Indian Ocean, Indian and Pacific Ocean, Pacific oceans. Comprising over List of islands of Indonesia, 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, ...

. 515.8 m, Level 111 * 2030 (est.) Millennium Tower,

Frankfurt Frankfurt am Main () is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Hesse. Its 773,068 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the List of cities in Germany by population, fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located in the forela ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

. 280 m, Level 67

Observation deck gallery

File:Vues de Paris(13)Vue Générale de Paris, prise du haut de l'Arc de l'Etoile. QB.305a (cropped).jpg, General view of

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

from the rooftop terrace of the

Arc de Triomphe The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...

, c. 1840. File:Viewing platform - top right.jpg, The 10 m observation deck of

Ronda Ronda () is a Municipalities in Spain, municipality of Spain belonging to the province of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is about 35,000. Ronda is known for its cliffside location and a deep canyon that ca ...

, Spain, overlooks the Depression of Ronda plain over 100 m below. File:TreeHouse-Elevated01.jpg, A multi-level

tree house A tree house, tree fort or treeshed, is a platform or building constructed around, next to or among the trunk or branches of one or more mature trees while above ground level. Tree houses can be used for recreation, work space, habitation, a ha ...

Cape Town Cape Town is the legislature, legislative capital city, capital of South Africa. It is the country's oldest city and the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. Cape Town is the country's List of municipalities in South Africa, second-largest ...

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

, with an observation deck on top. File:Rokko garden terrace03s3200.jpg, An observation deck place in Rokko Garden Terrace,

Mount Rokkō is the name of a range of mountains in southeastern Hyōgo Prefecture, Japan. Outline There is no single mountain or peak called "Rokkō," although the highest peak of the mountains is called , (literally, ''the highest peak of the Rokkō ...

, Kobe, Japan. File:Observation deck overlooking Potsdamer Platz with placard showing 1929 view.jpg, An observation deck in

West Berlin West Berlin ( or , ) was a political enclave which comprised the western part of Berlin from 1948 until 1990, during the Cold War. Although West Berlin lacked any sovereignty and was under military occupation until German reunification in 1 ...

with a view of

Potsdamer Platz Potsdamer Platz (, ''Potsdam Square'') is a public square and traffic intersection in the center of Berlin, Germany, lying about south of the Brandenburg Gate and the Reichstag building, Reichstag (Bundestag, German Parliament Building), and ...

on the other side of the

Berlin Wall The Berlin Wall (, ) was a guarded concrete Separation barrier, barrier that encircled West Berlin from 1961 to 1989, separating it from East Berlin and the East Germany, German Democratic Republic (GDR; East Germany). Construction of the B ...

, 1977. At the bottom of the steps a placard shows what the square looked like in 1929. File:One World Observatory View.jpg,

Brooklyn Bridge The Brooklyn Bridge is a cable-stayed suspension bridge in New York City, spanning the East River between the boroughs of Manhattan and Brooklyn. Opened on May 24, 1883, the Brooklyn Bridge was the first fixed crossing of the East River. It w ...

as viewed from the One World Observatory in New York City. File:Vista del Puerto de Victoria desde Sky100, Hong Kong, 2013-08-09, DD 10.JPG, Night View of the

Victoria Harbour Victoria Harbour is a natural landform harbor, harbour in Hong Kong separating Hong Kong Island in the south from the Kowloon Peninsula to the north. It acts as both a major trading hub and tourist attraction of Hong Kong in general. Lying in ...

, Hong Kong from

sky100 Sky100 () is a 360-degree indoor observation deck on the 100th floor of the International Commerce Centre, in West Kowloon, Hong Kong, near Kowloon station (MTR), Kowloon station. The deck offers views of Hong Kong Island, Victoria Harbour, th ...

. File:View on the observatory level of Shanghai Tower.jpg, View from the

Shanghai Tower The Shanghai Tower is a 128-story, megatall skyscraper located in Lujiazui, Pudong, Shanghai.

observation deck. File:Niagara Falls - ON - Skylon Tower (Aussichtsdeck).jpg, Visitors on the observation deck of the

Skylon Tower The Skylon Tower, in Niagara Falls, Ontario, is an observation tower that overlooks both the American Falls, New York, and the larger Horseshoe Falls, Ontario, from the Canadian side of the Niagara River. History Construction of the Skylon b ...

, which overlooks

Niagara Falls Niagara Falls is a group of three waterfalls at the southern end of Niagara Gorge, spanning the Canada–United States border, border between the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Ontario in Canada and the state of New York (s ...

. File:Thyssenkrupp Testturm - Aussichtsplattform aussen.jpg, The observation deck from the TK Elevator Test Tower, which overlooks

Black Forest The Black Forest ( ) is a large forested mountain range in the States of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg in southwest Germany, bounded by the Rhine Valley to the west and south and close to the borders with France and Switzerland. It is th ...

and the

Alps The Alps () are some of the highest and most extensive mountain ranges in Europe, stretching approximately across eight Alpine countries (from west to east): Monaco, France, Switzerland, Italy, Liechtenstein, Germany, Austria and Slovenia. ...

. File:Glass balconies St Eusebius Church Arnhem NL.jpg, Glass balconies attached to the St Eusebius Church in Arnhem, Netherlands. File:Vue Lumière No 992 - Panorama pendant l'ascension de la Tour Eiffel (1898).ogv, Footage of the panoramic views during an 1898 ascent of the Eiffel Tower by the

Lumière brothers Lumière is French for 'light'. Lumiere, Lumière or Lumieres may refer to: Buildings * Lumière, a building used by the Bibliothèque publique d'information in Paris, France * Lumiere (skyscraper), a cancelled skyscraper development in Leeds, ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Observation Deck Buildings and structures by type Architectural elements Tourist attractions Landscape

List of public observation decks

List of highest observation decks by type

Under construction

Observation deck gallery

See also

References