47-50 Sts - Rockefeller Center

47-50th Streets - Rockefeller Center station is the subway entrance to one of Midtown Manhattan's greatest urban achievements. The Rockefeller Center complex - 19 Art Deco buildings developed between 1930 and 1939 - transformed a large block of midtown into a city-within-a-city, complete with underground concourses, rooftop gardens and public art at every turn. Today it remains one of the most cohesive pieces of urban planning in American history, and the station below puts you right at the heart of it.

Four subway lines stop here: the B, D, F and M, all running on the Sixth Avenue line. From the station exits, you step into the Channel Gardens (the pedestrian plaza between 49th and 50th Streets), with 30 Rock rising ahead of you and the famous skating rink below in winter. Radio City Music Hall is half a block south, and St Patrick's Cathedral is directly across 5th Avenue on the east side.

Station Overview

47-50th Streets - Rockefeller Center sits in Zone 1 and opened in 1933 - relatively late compared to many NYC stations, as the B/D/F lines followed the original IRT. Four lines serve the station: B, D, F and M. The station is fully accessible. Facilities include toilets, ATMs, Wi-Fi, shops and an information booth.

Lines and Connectivity

The B and D trains run along 6th Avenue and then diverge - the B heads to Harlem and Washington Heights, while the D continues to the Bronx (and the Yankee Stadium stop). The F and M trains run along Sixth Avenue, with the F extending all the way to Coney Island in Brooklyn and the M providing local service through Midtown. Together, these four lines give good connectivity to much of Midtown, the Upper East and West Sides (via connections at 59th Street), and both Brooklyn and the Bronx.

Station Layout and Facilities

The station is entirely underground, with multiple exits opening into the Rockefeller Center complex. The B/D platforms and F/M platforms share a mezzanine level. The underground concourse of the Rockefeller Center connects to shops, food vendors and the Top of the Rock observation deck entrance - useful in bad weather. The station has ATMs, toilets, free Wi-Fi and a staffed information booth.

Travel Tips

• Top of the Rock gives a better view of the Manhattan skyline than the Empire State Building - because the Empire State is visible in the foreground and you are looking across the full length of Central Park northward. Book tickets online to avoid queuing.
• The Rockefeller Center Christmas tree (late November to early January) and ice skating rink draw enormous crowds. If you want to skate, book the rink session online well in advance. If you just want to see the tree, going after 10pm helps avoid the worst of the crowds.
• NBC Studio tours of 30 Rock run daily and are excellent - you may get to sit in a real studio. Book online through NBC's website.
• The Channel Gardens between 5th Avenue and the main plaza are a pleasant free space year-round, with rotating floral and sculptural installations.

Nearby Attractions

Top of the Rock Observatory - 5 minutes on foot into the complex. The 70th-floor observation deck of 30 Rockefeller Plaza offers three levels of outdoor terraces with panoramic views of Central Park and the Midtown skyline.

Radio City Music Hall - 2 minutes on foot south. The 1932 Art Deco interior of Radio City is spectacular. Architectural tours run when the venue is not hosting shows, and the annual Christmas Spectacular with the Rockettes is a New York institution.

30 Rock NBC Studios - within the Rockefeller Center complex. Behind-the-scenes tours of the NBC broadcast studios include the Saturday Night Live studio, the Tonight Show set and working control rooms.

St Patrick's Cathedral - 3 minutes on foot east. The Gothic Revival Roman Catholic cathedral on 5th Avenue is free to enter and is one of the finest religious buildings in the United States.

Timings and Best Time to Travel

The B, D, F and M trains all run during normal service hours, with 24-hour service on the F train. (The B, D and M do not run overnight.) The area is at its most crowded during the winter holiday season, particularly around the tree and the rink. For Top of the Rock, the sunset time slot is the most sought-after - book several days in advance during peak summer and winter months.