New York is a very expensive city to visit. The cost of Hotels, Food, Flights, and attractions is always on the rise. Many people visit the City as a once in a lifetime trip and want to pack the most into their one and only opportunity to visit the city. This can make the expenses really pile up. Attraction Passes are one way to reduce the cost and increase the number of things you see and do in the City. While in some quarters of the internet, these passes get a bit of criticism, we, on the whole, think they are a great idea.
New York has many passes available and it can be hard to know which is best and which would suit you the BEST. Here we take a look at “THE NEW YORK PASS”. This is an all-inclusive Pass that offers great value for those looking to visit a lot of attractions. In our NEW YORK PASS Review, we take an in-depth look at what the pass offers, its pros and cons and answer the question, is THE NEW YORK PASS worth it? If you are still unsure which type of pass might suit you best head over to our New York Pass Comparison Page where we compare the competition.
In our review, we take a look at which attractions are best, how to get the best out of the pass, and take a look at the pros and cons of using a pass in general. This way you can decide if a Pass is the best way for you to see the City, or if you should wing it and see how things go. We tested the pass on the street of NYC pass in hand to see how the pass REALLY works when visiting the City.
A lot has changed in the tourism industry over the last few years and alot of businesses have had to make a lot of changes to survive. We take a look at how the new measures will affect the use of the Pass as well as which attractions have opened back up in order to see if the NEW YORK PASS is still worth it.
THE NEW YORK PASS REVIEW
- Product: THE NEW YORK PASS
- Price: $143-$371 (13+)*
- Price Child: $109-$286 (3-12yrs)*
- Where to Buy: www.newyorkpass.com
- Number of Attractions: 100+ Unlimited use
- Time Limit: 1-10 Days
- Refunds: 365-Day Free Cancellation
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 4.5/5 Stars
Attractions Included:
- Empire State Building Experience
- The Edge
- One World Observatory
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- Madame Tussauds New York
- Metropolitan Museum Of Art
- The Ride
- Big Bus Tour
- + Many more, Click here for all activities
-
Price
-
Ease of Use
-
Attractions
Summary
This All-inclusive City Pass Has just about every imaginable Attraction included and with the new Mobile app could not be easier to use. If you are planning to see and do as much as possible on your New York trip then this is the pass for you. The price is pretty steep, so you need to pack a lot in to get value, but if that is the plan then THE NEW YORK PASS is perfect
What is THE NEW YORK PASS:
THE NEW YORK PASS is a Digital Pass that allows access to 100+ of New York’s Best Attractions, Including all the Top-rated Attractions in New York. When Purchasing a pass you pick the number of days you want to use the pass for, and then you can see as many of the 100+ attractions that you would like within that period. It’s a pretty good deal and if you can cram in lots of attractions it’s astonishing value.
How Much does THE NEW YORK PASS Cost:
Below is a table explaining the different costs of THE NEW YORK PASS. Children under 4 will typically be allowed free entry to most attractions so will not need a Pass. The longer you have the pass the less it will cost “per day”. These online prices vary quite a bit during the year with varying Perma-Sales and differing discounts so make sure you check current prices. Sales are usually best at either quiet times or near big holidays – Live Prices
| Price | 1 Day | 2 Day | 3 Day | 4 Day | 5 Day | 7 Day | 10 Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult 13+ | $143 | $189 | $229 | $264 | $294 | $334 | $371 |
| Child (3-12) | $60 | $85 | $105 | $124 | $139 | $155 | $200 |
| Per Day | $143 | $94 | $76 | $66 | $58 | $47 | $37 |
*Note – Online Prices vary wildly for 1,2,3,4,5,7 and 10-day passes and there are often promotions online of varying degrees. Never pay the full price we list here. If there is no offer currently running, hold off on purchasing until there is. Typically you can expect to save up to $50 on a 3-Day pass, up to $70-80 on a 10 Day Pass – Live Prices
Use Our Discount Codes to Save Even MORE!!!
We can offer discount codes on top of the above prices to reduce the cost EVEN more these codes are stackable against any online saving so just add up to even an even better price. We don’t use these in any of our calculations so if the Pass works out as good value for you if you use one of our codes you will get an even BETTER Value. Click the Reveal Button below to see our latest Code.
Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the NEW YORK PASS Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page
As you can see The NEW YORK PASS is a serious outlay. However, there is no doubt that by seeing a good number of the attractions on the card you can save a serious sum of cash. But the reality is unless you are in New York for a number of days it can be hard to cram in enough attractions to make it worthwhile. The best attractions can take a fair amount of time to visit and you will inevitably spend some time queuing.
These Cards also receive some pretty bad press on some Travel forums. People argue that the cards actually cause more queuing than they save and the actual experience is deteriorated by using a card. So We headed to New York to investigate these claims.
The New York Pass in Practice – Post-Pandemic Lockdown
Check out our Hands-On Pass Review Here when we headed to New York to Try out the Pass in Person!
Some attractions require you to pre-book but on the whole, it’s simple and easy to use. Make sure you check the small print on any attractions to know what is expected. We had slight issues at a few attractions but the rest were a simple case of your pass is your ticket.
In Practice, the Pass world is pretty much as before. for the majority of attractions, the Pass is your ticket and you simply visit the attraction, Scan the Pass, and you are in.
Empire State Building – Still requires a reservation, this is done via the ESB Website
The Top Of The Rock – Timed Ticket – Visit the Box office for the next available, usually straight away but can be unavailable at busy times such as sunset. We visit early and book for Sunset the next day.
One World Observatory – Next available can be 2-3 hours away. Visit the Box Office as soon as you get to the WTC area and secure your slot for later.
911 Museum – Limited Pass tickets are available each day. Visit EARLY and secure your slot. If the Museum is important make sure you are there really early as they DO sell out most days.
Statue Cruise – Reservation Required – Hour-long time slots that can sell out so book early if the Statue is important
All other attractions were no messing, just scan and you are in. However, a lot of the walking tours and things like that require pre-booking which makes sense as they need to know numbers.
Delivery Options:
The Pass is an all-Digital Pass. The Pass is delivered instantly after purchase either through the Smartphone App or via a Print at home E-Delivery. There is no longer an option for a Physical Pass. Essentially your Pass is a QR Code that is scanned at the Destinations.
Smartphone App:
With 100+ Attractions, it can be tricky to find them all on a conventional map. So the New York Pass offers a free companion app! Available on Android and AppStore. It’s a very nice App. It’s pretty useful even if you DON’T want to purchase a Pass. And for Visitors from outside the USA, It is mainly offline, so it doesn’t require data. The odd feature does, but it has a Wifi-only Mode so no nasty charges (But you have data roaming disabled anyway right?).
Just search your App Store or Google Play for THE NEW YORK PASS
Whether you use the app or the printed QR code the pass works seamlessly, Simply book your allocated time slot via the attraction’s website, arrive at the allotted time, and scan the pass and you are in. Most time slots can still be altered should you miss your time or wish to book a different one (maybe for weather reasons or you are just burnt out with Museums?).
You may be allowed to book a timeslot if you arrive at an attraction without one. This will be subject to availability and will probably mean you have to come back at a different time. This is exactly the same if you didn’t have a pass. All attractions now require all visitors to have a booked timeslot before visiting.
Pros and Cons of THE NEW YORK PASS
Advantages
Inspiration
While many have spent their lives dreaming of an NYC Trip, suddenly when it comes down to it, you realize you do not actually know very much practical about the City! Knowing exactly what there is to do or what you really want to do can be challenging. The pass really helps you understand what is going on in the City and what really is available. People often find attractions on the pass they never knew existed and these can sometimes be your favorite!
Planning
As you plan your Big City adventure, putting the Itinerary together can be pretty daunting. The Pass really helps with this and you can use it to plan your days out and explore different parts of the City. By visiting the attractions on the pass you find yourself visiting all the best parts of the City and the pass drags you out to places you may never have been to otherwise. It really helps you get under the skin of the City.
Budgeting
The Card allows you to see a lot of high-quality attractions at a fixed price point. This price is a lot lower than seeing the attractions individually, assuming you make good use of the card. It’s also a Fixed price so you know well in advance how much this part of your trip will cost. No Nasty Surprises on your credit card when you get home and no Missing out on things you really want to do because you have run out of money.
The single fixed payment really is a big incentive for us when visiting a city.
Flexibility
Flexibility is important when visiting a city such as New York. You are never sure until a couple of days before what the weather will hold. Some of New York’s attractions are very weather dependent and having the ability to chop and change your plans can be the difference between an ok trip and a GREAT trip.
Maybe you are super tired and don’t fancy another Museum, maybe you have an open-top bus tour planned for a day that’s given rain, or maybe like our last trip the forecast was awful, but the clouds parted and you headed straight up the Top Of The Rock for a killer sunset? Flexibility matters.
Huge Choice
There are an awful lot of attractions included with the pass so surely something for all tastes and budgets
Cost:
While the Pass is expensive, So are New York attractions. While there are heaps of cool free things to do in New York, the Big attractions are not free. And being one of the most visited city’s in the world the owners of these attractions know people will pay big. So despite its expense, it still represents a big cost saving. Costs that can be spent on something else. Costed Examples Below
Simplicity
The Alternative to a pass recommended by most Forum Experts is to book ahead using the attraction’s websites and buy everything individually that way you know exactly when and where to be for what. This is all very regimented but also means lots and lots of organizing and printing and carrying tickets etc… With THE NEW YORK PASS, It’s just the one pass to cover everything you want to do, even better with the new Mobile App just your phone!
Peace of Mind
The Pass currently offers a 365-day Money-back Guarantee which greatly adds to your peace of mind. With travel being so disrupted for the last couple of years, it is really comforting ou can get your money back should your trip get canceled.
Overall
The Pass really allows travelers to See and Do more, while actually paying less. This is a bit of a holy grail for travel. We all want more experiences and to pay less while doing so. The Pass genuinely offers this, but like ALL good things, there are some drawbacks.
Disadvantages
Chasing the Pass: With so many options available it’s possible you inadvertently start seeing attractions that you are not all that interested in simply as it is “on the Pass”. While this can lead you to enjoy your trip even more by trying things you wouldn’t usually and actually loving them there is the risk you will pass up things not on the pass just to squeeze more perceived value out of the pass.
You should only consider a pass if it offers all the things you wanted to do anyway. Unless of course something on the pass really catches your eye. This is often the case and Passes open up doors to things you didn’t even know were available.
You also need to plan your days around the pass but not be a slave to it. Plan a few attractions each day but include time to explore the areas and take in the City. If you are a slave to the pass you can miss the magic!
Poor Value Options: With THE NEW YORK PASS: in a bid to get everything included and bump up the number of attractions it seems some of the attractions are a little poor value. Some of the tours and such can be done for free and in our opinion are poor offerings. That said the Pass does include almost all the main attractions so there is no need to actually do the less enticing offerings. And some people really like walking tours and being shown everything, so for them, these may be good options.
Exhausting: Trying to cram in enough attractions to justify the cost can lead you to tear around the city like crazy which is genuinely tiring. We were covering over 10 miles a day on our last trip! Getting back to the hotel in the evening was a relief, our legs were battered and achy. I have, in my time, ran a few marathons and the feeling was very similar. New York, in general, can be an exhausting city. The added pressure of trying to cram too much into a day really can leave you beat up!
One Visit: Each pass only allows you to visit each attraction once. This is usually fine but some we would like to visit twice, maybe the empire state building during the day and the night, or maybe head back to the Met for something you missed. This means on very long passes you might begin to run out of things to do, especially with the limited attractions post-Covid.
No Timed Entry: This has been one of the biggest criticisms of the pass. Essentially for some attractions, you need to queue to buy a ticket for the queue! For most attractions, this was no issue, and for others, you actually skip the queue. In the past, it pretty much evened itself out.
We addressed this in the In Practice Section above.
Best Attractions on the New York Pass
We mentioned previously that we feel some of the offerings are not so fantastic. We don’t want to slate these individually as if they appeal to you we wouldn’t want to put you off. It would, however, be fair for us to point out which Attractions we DO think are fantastic and should be TOP of your Must do list.
Observation Decks
Manhattan has one of the most incredible Skylines in the world. And viewing it from up high is an absolute must. There really are very few more breathtaking sights in the world. Seeing one of the world’s most densely and vertically constructed cities is truly mindblowing. Nothing says welcome to New York more than setting foot on one of the world’s tallest skyscrapers.
There are 4 main observation decks in New York, all with their own unique selling points. With the NEW YORK PASS you can choose from all of them:
Empire State Building – $48
You may hear experts saying the Empire State Building Deck is not the best and you should avoid it. Mainly as you can’t actually see the Building when you are standing on it. We just can’t disagree more. There is something so utterly wonderful about standing on top of one of the most iconic buildings in the world. It’s the Empire State, and you are on top of it. It’s really magical.
The view is completely mind-blowing as well. The Building is right in the heart of the city and the views extend out over the whole Island and beyond. The looming heights of midtown, the East River Bridges crossing over to Brooklyn. The Hudson and New Jersey, and up over the growing heights of midtown and the park beyond.
Top of the Rock – $43.55
The Experts would send you here instead assuring you the view is better from the Rock. And tbh they are right. It is a really amazing view. The unobstructed view of the Empire State is jaw-dropping, and the view of central park is far better than the glimpse from the Empire State. Although it seems to get worse by the day as upper midtown construction gears up.
The open panoramic viewing deck is also pretty awesome. We do really love this deck, there is just that little x-factor missing.
The Edge New York – $43.55
The Edge is the New Kid on the Block. Atop the new Hudson Yards Development, the Edge is pretty much how you would design an observation deck if you had a blank canvas…which they did.
This Deck actually sticks out from the side of the building with thin air between you and the ground, and yes they added a glass floor to prove it! The triangular shape also allows for a Bow end to the deck where you can recreate that titanic moment, with the New York Skyline as the backdrop!
It’s a really glamorous spectacle and one we highly recommend. There is even a Bar so you can toast your visit to the roof of New York. The Hudson Yards is a brand new part of New York and a Must See. Any visit would not be complete without heading up to The Edge!
One World Observatory – $44.65
We have always been disappointed with the One World Observatory. Yes, it’s the highest in New York and one of the highest in the world but the fact it is indoor just robs it of a lot of Pizzaz. The views are stunning but just ruined a little by all that glass.
Which one to choose? With the New York Pass, there is no need to choose, they are all available on the Pass. They are all also very quick attractions. 1-2 Hours is all it takes to visit the rooftops of America’s tallest buildings.
We suggest doing all 4 if possible but alter your timings so you get nighttime views, Daytime views, and if possible a Sunset too! The One World Observatory fits perfectly in with your downtown day!
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island – $24
The Statue of Liberty is probably the most iconic landmark in the world. It is on top of just about everyone’s must-visits when visiting New York. There are loads of ways to see the Statue but only one way to actually land and set foot on the Island by The Statue of Liberty Ferry.
Sailing from Battery Park (where you can see the statue, small and in the distance) the ferry sails out over Hudson Bay over to the Island, The ferry ride offers stunning views back over Manhattan before landing on the Island where you can explore the grounds and museum.
However with the ticket, the pass provides does not grant access to the Pedestal or crown, you will need to upgrade these separately and availability is scarce.
In addition to Liberty Island, the ferry also calls at Ellis Island. The Island was once home to the immigration facility where 12 million early immigrants to the united states passed through. The Museum here is really eye-opening and many Americans can use the record to trace back their ancestry to the island. The Museum is included in the ticket.
For $20 this is great value whether you buy it on a pass or not and is highly recommended. In fact, it is such great value it pulls down the value of other Passes. But due to the day-pass nature of the NEW YORK PASS, this is not an issue.
This currently requires a reservation which is helpful as it reduces the need to queue.
Hop On Hop Off Bus – $59.99
The Big Bus Hop-on Hop-off bus is a big-ticket item. This is often included in the example itinerary to inflate the value of the Pass. The list price of $59 is pretty steep, to be honest, and you can easily get it for less by shopping around. However, being included on the pass makes it feel free and it is a great way to see the city and get to a few of the more distant sights and attractions.
It’s certainly a Fairweather experience, when the rain is coming down the top deck is not much fun, but as long as it’s dry, even in the winter it’s great fun. You need to visit the Big Bus Ticket centers to get your tickets. This is a bit of a pain but once redeemed you are good for the day.
The Bus is good fun and a great intro to the city, just don’t rely on it as transport. Just use it to link a few distant attractions together and enjoy the relaxed-paced trip around the City. If you need to be somewhere by a certain time, use an alternate transport method. Stops have been restricted due to Covid but you can still travel between midtown and downtown and hop on or off at either end. It is DEFINITELY a tourist trap but a fun one and really, you are a tourist…
The NEW YORK PASS offers the Hop on Hop Off Bus for just one day for the duration of your pass. This may seem a bit rubbish but really the bus isn’t that great as a means of transportation. It is much better to use it early in your trip and treat it more like a sightseeing tour. For transport, we much prefer the subway.
Check out the routes available here – Uptown and Downtown included
Museums
New York is home to some of the best Museums in the world. Some of the leading institutions have sprawling labyrinths of exhibitions dedicated to art, history, and the natural world. There are some truly stunning displays and some of the finest artworks in the world on display. Fortunately, almost all of the top museums in the city are included on the NEW YORK PASS, along with a few less renowned and more lighthearted options.
American Museum of Natural History – $ 28.00
One of the two large central Park facilities the American Museum of Natural History is a gigantic display of everything mother nature has gifted the world, both past, and present. Most well known for its giant displays of Animal Dioramas, there is so much more to the museum than just those, As impressive as they are. We love the ocean display, along with some of the geology exhibits and the amazing meteorite collections. The human ancestry exhibit is a stark reminder of our recent past but the star for us and one of the best ways to get kids to a museum is the Fossil Halls.
We are not talking about the odd ammonite or trilobite, or a few dinosaur teeth (although they are all there). On display are full intact dinosaur skeletons of the most impressive type. T-Rex, Stegosaurus, Triceratops, and even a gigantic titanosaur.
The Museum is a must-see in our opinion. Perfect for a rainy day, or even a summer scorcher to get out of the heat. You need a minimum of half a day here and expect it to be quite tiring.
The Metropolitan Museum of Art – Discontinued
We are really disappointed to see this taken off the pass. It is one of our favorite Museums in the world and we really can’t visit New York without visiting the MET. As it is no longer on the pass you would need to book this individually. The Met has taken the decision to remove from ALL the passes so this would
MOMA – $25.00
While the Met and Natural History Museum are sprawling labyrinths of discovery the MOMA is far more compact and accessible. It is nonetheless as powerful though and houses some really fabulous works. The Term Modern Art is often misconstrued, most people think it means contemporary, as is what we make today, which is often rubbish
Modern Art is actually quite old, but not ancient, the period of around 1860-1970. This period actually covers some of the most well-known and revered artists of all time and they all have works, some of the best, at the MOMA
Van Gogh’s, Starry Night is a particular highlight, as is Monets Lilly pond. There are works from Cezzane, Picasso, Salvador Dali, Jackson Pollock, Matiz, and many more.
The MOMA is actually one of our favorite museums in New York, even though the MET gets all the prestige. You can get a good grasp of the museum in a couple of hours and not come away exhausted, and it’s right in the heart of midtown.
9/11 Memorial & Museum – $28
While Technically a Museum, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum deserve it’s own mention. The Memorial is a free attraction to pay respects to the victims. The Museum is built around the remaining foundations of the actual Twin Tower buildings and is a huge space with some incredibly moving displays. We were completely blown away by the Museum and recommend everyone to visit this. The events of that day are now entwined into the city and the Museum, along with the memorial is a fitting tribute to the lives lost that day.
The Museum is a very somber experience and may not be suitable for some kids. And you can expect some tough questions if you do take them there, as most kids are now too young to remember the events.
Madame Tussauds – $48
Actually, we are not Madame Tussaud’s biggest fans however, we appreciate A LOT of people enjoy the experience though. We thought it was worthy of a mention if you are one of the many who enjoys Madame Tussauds. It certainly represents good value, while the attraction is extremely touristy, you are in times square so roll with it! The entry fee of $40 really stings for what is a <1hr attraction, but being on the pass really soothes that sting.
Is The NEW YORK PASS WORTH IT?
To answer this question we first take a simple look at the maths. Based on the above Attractions we pulled together a quick realistic itinerary that also includes a number of free attractions to fully see the best of the City in just 3 days, using the Hop On Hop Off Bus to link some attractions
Day 1:
Day one explores the amazing Midtown District and gets you the two best views in Manhattan. Make sure to drop into the Rock early to bag a sunset slot for the Top. Then just explore Times Square and Midtown New York. We are keeping this conservative, you could easily nip into Ripleys Believe it or Not, and a few other attractions in the area, nothing on this day should take more than an hour.
- Empire State Building – $48
- Times Square – Free
- Madame Tussauds – $48
- Moma – $25
- Top Of The Rock @ Sunset – $43
Total – $164
Day2: Museum Day
Just two attractions today, but trust us the museums are really taxing you will not want to do more after visiting these. Plan this for your “bad” weather day.
- Museum of Natural History – $28
- MoMA – $25
Total – $53
Day 3:
The Final day takes you on a whirlwind tour of New York City. We suggest using the Hop On Hop Off bus but make sure you plan plenty of time as these are not the most efficient transport, but they are great fun!
- Hop On Hop Off Bus – $60
- Statue of Liberty and Elis Island – $24
- 911 Museum and Memorial – $28
- One World Observatory – $45
- Downtown / Wall Street – Free
- Hudson Yards – Free
- The Edge – $43
Total – $200
- TOTAL COST OF THE ABOVE 9 ATTRACTIONS: $417
- 3-DAY PASS PRICE: $229
- SAVING: $188
This is an easily achievable itinerary and easily achievable on a 3-day pass. if you are in the city for a bit longer you can just explore the free attractions on the days you do not have the pass such as Central Park, China Town, or Brooklyn Bridge.
This is also a fairly conservative Itinerary you could fit more in to get better value. You could visit Madame Tussauds, Try out the New RiseNYC, or take a stunning harbor cruise. Any of these add even more savings to the already pretty impressive number!
With longer passes, you will be able to do a lot more activities and save even more as the cost per day drops significantly the more days you purchase. This also means you are able to do less per day, but still, save huge amounts.
We were in New York very Recently with a 3-
So it is clear from a simple mathematical point of view that yes the pass is a great value. But life isn’t as simple as that. You need to make sure that it is covering attractions you want to do and not ones you do just because they are on the pass. If so then Financially it makes perfect sense.
NEW YORK PASS criticisms?
We also found none of the issues that are highlighted on Message boards. The pass normally cuts queueing times and even in the worst case, was no worse than a walk-up. The added flexibility of being able to switch days around and do things on different days based on mood and weather really helps and beats booking everything rigidly in advance using timed tickets (although Covid has had a big impact on this now). We found on our last trip switching days up due to an impending rainstorm saved the trip. Otherwise, we would have been inside museums on a beautiful sunny day and drenched as we took our open-top bus ride around the City!
A quick flip of the days and we were sheltered from the storm in the Museums and enjoying New York’s November Sunshine on the open-top bus. This sort of thing happens almost every trip, so the flexibility is really great! While we have planned out days for you above, we suggest the order should be based mainly on the weather.
Having a Pass really helps to plan and execute your trip to New York. We have lost count of the number of times we have heard people find an attraction they didn’t know existed because of a pass! Often these turn out to be their favorite. We would never have considered “The Ride” but it was an absolute blast!
Overall we really see very few reasons not to recommend a pass. Assuming you are wanting to visit the attractions included. We do really sometimes wonder if the people criticizing the pass just didn’t plan properly and are trying to justify their failings. There are some genuine issues with using a pass, that we highlighted above, but these can all be mitigated and the cost savings more than compensate, we are not all made of money, and overall we really just get to see so much more of the City when we use a pass than without.
Not every trip to New York needs to take in so many Paid attractions but if you are going to visit them anyway the Pass Makes a lot of sense. Also, you can save even more with Our Discount Codes…
Use Our Discount Codes to Save Even MORE!!!
We can offer discount codes on top of the above prices to reduce the cost EVEN more these codes which are stackable against any online savings so just add up to even an even better price. We don’t use these in any of our calculations so if the Pass works out as a good value for you if you use one of our codes you will get even BETTER Value. Click the Reveal Button below to see our latest Code.
Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the NEW YORK PASS Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page
How Many Days Should I Buy?
Of Course, the Maximum amount of days should be the same as your trip. There is little point in having the pass valid once you have gone home. So for short trips base it simply on trip time.
It is worth noting it’s calendar days only, not 24-hour periods! If you activate a 3-day pass at 4 pm on a Friday it will expire at midnight Sunday. So only activate (the card activates automatically on first use) the card if you have a full day to use it. We really only recommend having a pass for days you wake up and go to bed in the City. So say you arrive Friday at lunchtime, stay Friday Saturday, Sunday, and Monday Nights, and leave late on Tuesday. Buy a three-day Pass and use it for Sat, Sun, and Mon.
If you are there for longer don’t necessarily buy for the full trip time. You will get fed up with chasing activities around the city. The Pass gets significantly cheaper per day the more days you buy, though. So the urgency of cramming things in does diminish if you have the card for a long period.
We would probably never go as far as a 7-day pass through the thought of chasing around the City for 7-days is exhausting. A 5-Day card is probably the best balance between seeing and doing everything and wearing yourself out.
How Best To Use the PASS
A lot of New York Attractions are clumped together around the City so it makes sense to plan ahead and do certain attractions on certain days. Things like the Statue Cruise and 9/11 Memorial and Museum are both together so it makes sense to do one then the other afterward.
We also tend to Clump our Museums into one day. Mainly because we can time this to coincide with the worst weather day. Attractions like the Empire State Building are no fun if low cloud obscures the view from the top. This can and does happen quite often with high winds which can be another issue. A Cruise is little fun on a damp dull rainy day and no one wants to do an open-top bus ride either: if it’s giving Rain head-on up to the Museums. It’s always warm dry, and bright in the Dinosaur hall. And for the summer, they are beautifully air-conditioned if the temps outside are getting melting.
We find it best to plan the Days out but not necessarily which DATE we do those days on. Keep it flexible to make the most of the trip.
With the added benefit of the HOHO Bus for one day, we make the most of this by using the bus to link up attractions. The routes can be found here. We do still recommend using the Subway for the bulk of your transport as the bus, while fun, can be a little slow.
Our Live Blog shows how we used the Pass on our last trip.
Summary
Overall we found THE NEW YORK PASS to work very effectively. At all locations, it was at least as effective as walking up or booking ahead and in many instances, it was far better. The cost savings speak for themselves. And the flexibility it allows really helps you get the best out of your trip.
All things considered, we struggle to not recommend a pass for most people. For those on a very tight budget, it’s a big outlay. And people with only one or two days may struggle to cram in the value. But for 3 or more days visiting 3 or more attractions a day, you will easily come out well on top.
It will not result in a leisurely trip. You will be tearing around the city most of the time, so for those looking for a quiet break, it’s probably not the best bet. Of course, we are not sure New York is the right destination for a quiet break anyway! However, if you are looking to just do a few attractions and not be forced to cram as much in as possible the other passes available are more suited to this approach.
We particularly like the Go City Explorer Pass as it has almost the same great attractions as the New York Pass, but allows you to visit at your own pace!
Go New York Explorer Pass
Read our comparison review here
Where to Buy
The New York Pass is a Heavily discounted product and as such, they don’t really offer heavy discounts to resellers so buying direct is normally cheaper. It pays to buy online beforehand as they offer generous Online discounts. Remember if there is no offer available for purchasing online, Wait as there will be one in the near future, there is just sometimes a dip between offers but these passes are on perma-sale. Also, you can save even more with Our Discount Codes…
Use Our Discount Codes to Save Even MORE!!!
We can offer discount codes on top of the above prices to reduce the cost EVEN more these codes are stackable against any online savings so just add up to even an even better price. We don’t use these in any of our calculations so if the Pass works out as a good value for you if you use one of our codes you will get an even BETTER Value. Click the Reveal Button below to see our latest Code.
Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the NEW YORK PASS Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page
Have Your Say?
Have you used the New York Pass while Visiting New York? Did you find it value for money? How did you find the Overall Queuing experience? Please leave a comment below. If you have any questions also feel free to comment and We will reply as soon as possible.
If you try THE NEW YORK PASS While visiting the City feel free to come back and report how it went!
I live in Italy, Venice, New York is a city that I want to visit, it’s a dream city I would love to visit it one day! As its so expensive a Pass would be a great way to help reduce the costs 🙂
I really enjoyed your post thanks for sharing and have a great day 🙂
Anis
Hi Anis.
Glad you enjoyed the post. Hope you get to visit one day. Its a fabulous city. Its a long way from Italy, but worth the trip, definitely.
Thanks for reading.
I love NYC! I am originally from Jersey and NYC was a short train ride away. Now that I live in PA visiting NY requires a little more planning. This New York pass sounds like a great way to visit NY. I am currently planning a trip with my children and those passes will ensure that it will be a trip to remember! Thank you for bringing it up to my attention. I didn’t even know these existed.
Hi Eloah
Thanks for reading. Yes the Passes will certainly make the trip one to remember. Glad we alerted you to their existence, We hear a lot that people don’t know about the passes and we aim to help raise awareness. Hope you and your Kids have a really great trip.
Thanks for sharing. I never heard of the NY pass. Having never been to the state I think the pass would be advantageous for me. Going by your review the cost of living is high, so budgeting is a must.
Hi Maurice. Thanks for reading.
A pass is a very good idea for budgeting. It enables to you know in advance exactly how much you will spend. Buying in advance also allows you the choice to spread the costs. Its a great way to see a lot without costs spiralling out of control.
Hi Steve
I am a Canadian, but New York is a place I would defiantly put on my bucket list of places to visit. I really like your review on the passes. It sure makes sense to me to get one of these. What a savings. I hope my visit comes soon. I will be sure to bookmark your website.
Thank you for the information
Linda
Hi Linda. Glad you liked the review. Yes saving money is a big plus for the passes. Hope you get to visit soon its a wonderful city
Hi, Steve, thanks for this informative article. It reminds me of when we visited NYC in September 2000. We rode the hop-on-hop-off doubledecker bus which was a great experience in itself. The weather was lovely and we had top seats and enjoyed the views much. We also visited Ellis Island, the immigrants museum, and the statue of liberty. At the latter we were in queue for about an hour, but didn´t mind as we indulged in pleasant banter with the people behind us.
All in all it was a terrific trip. However, next time we go there, we will want to stay a bit longer than just two days. Also we´ll definitely get one of the New York passes you tested.
Hi Tessa. Glad you had a great trip in New York. It is a great place with so much to see and do. Two days is a very short amount of time to spend there but fairly common. Glad you managed to cram in lots of things while you were there. Staying a bit longer give you time to really get under the skin of the city. A pass really helps you achieve that. Thanks for commenting
I love passes! I think they are totally worth it because you save so much money. The only thing, like you said, is that you have to enjoy everything your doing o get full value from it. New York is somewhere I would love to visit one day and I didn’t know you could get a pass until now. Thanks Man!
Hi Dan Thanks for the comment. Glad you agree on the value of passes. They really mean you can do more for the same money which just makes your trip better. Which is what we all want the best trip possible. Hope you get to new York one day. It is such a great city.
A really really REALLY thorough review of the New York Pass here. I haven’t yet been to the Big Apple but if I do I’ll be reading this post again and again to get the top tips.
Okay, so it is a bit expensive – my wife and kids together would cost almost $800 not including me! I do know that my mum and sister went a few years ago on the big bus and thought that was fun. This is not the first review I’ve read on the New York Pass but it is the best so far. Great tip on not getting the pass at like 4pm on a Friday – essentially losing a days worth.
I can see why people might be a bit annoyed that the number of people buying the pass lessens the option for “fast-tracks”. Hey, that’s the way the cookie crumbles I suppose.
Cheers for a great unbiased review!
Thanks Dan. Yes the price is very high. $800 is a lot of money. but as I explained if you were to do the attractions listed it would be over $1200. Of course you don’t have to do all the pricey paid attractions to have a great new York trip.
There are other passes available that are cheaper and still include a lot of top marquee attractions. Read our comparison review to see what’s available.
This is a very comprehensive and great review! I really mean that! I went to NY last year and now I wish I had had the NY pass, since I went to quite a few of the spots on the list anyway, while paying full premium in most (apart from the museums, coz my press card gives me some freedom there 🙂 ). This looks like a perfect option for people who love checkboxing their travels or just a little bit more structure to them.
Hi Reinis sorry you did not find out about the passes before hand. The passes are perfectly suited to people who are going to see the sights included on them as there is no real disadvantage but you save large amounts of money. I’m sure you still had a great trip regardless.
Thanks for the comment.
Hi loved your article on New York, this is somewhere i would love to visit. The New York pass seems a brilliant way to see New Yorks attractions, it is a great way to save money.
In your opinion how many attractions do you think you would visit in a day?
I would love to see the Empire State Building and Ellis Island as well.
Do you think working out a route to visit attractions near each other first would be a good idea, so save time traveling around less?
Hi Gareth, Really it depends on the Type of activities you do. We aim for 2-3 to not be too rushed.
It definitely pays to plan your route around the City. Most attractions are “clumped” together and by choosing these on the same day makes seeing more easy, and cheaper. For example the Empire State Building and Elis Island are a poor choice to do on the same day(not poor choices overall) The Cruise out to Ellis and the statue of liberty sails from downtown. where as Empire State building is all the way up in Midtown.
It would be Much better to do the SOL and Ellis Cruise one morning and then the 9/11 Museum and wall Street (maybe even Brooklyn Bridge too) in the afternoon. And do Empire State Building. with another Midtown destination on another day.
Thanks for reading
I have visited New York before, and I know … it is expensive. It is expensive for food, for things to do, for hotels, for everything. So I immediately thought that this would be a bargain. If you use a lot of what they are offering, there is definitely a lot of savings involved. So I would have to agree with your thoughts. Wish I had knew about this before I went.
We hear that quite a lot from people who were unaware of the passes before they visited. So we are pushing for awareness so more people can save money. Sorry you didn’t find us before hand.
New York is No doubt an expensive trip, but so worth it. The passes are a great way to save money so you can experience more.
Thanks for reading
Wow… I can’t WAIT to go to New York City now, especially after reading your post! It’s very high on our “places to go next” list! I think I’d be completely in favour of getting the Pass (and the App for sure). I love cramming in as much as I can see when I travel (simply because we don’t go often these days now that we have kids) – the pass seems like a good way be able to see the most, at a price you KNOW ahead of time. I’ve done similar passes in different cities, and what I like about them is that if I chose to go to a museum or something that is pretty pricey, and then don’t enjoy it all that much, I don’t feel bad at all about cutting it short and going somewhere else!
Great review on these! I’m sold! 🙂
Hi Marlaine,
So glad our article got you excited, New York is such an incredible place to visit. Glad you like the idea of the New York Pass. NYC Is certainly a place where you can cram in loads of thing into a day, there is so much to do and most things are pretty close. The passes can work as a bit of a “sampler” if you like getting a taste of so many things, rather than spending an entire day in one place to try and get your moneys worth.
Knowing its all one price just makes budgeting that much easier, and knowing that one price is significantly less than it should be is even better!
Thanks for reading, hope you have a fantastic trip
The New York Pass is a bit pricey, but what a fantastic way to see the great attractions of the city. I will definitely get it on my next visit to see some of the attractions you mentioned.
I enjoyed reading this article, very informative. Thanks for sharing and I will be sharing this information too. Is there a pass for an entire family of say 3 or 4? Oh oh they would never do that, it’s less money I guess.
Hi Carol, Yes the New York Pass is a large amount of money, we feel it represents good value when you consider all you get. But can’t deny its a big outlay especially for a family. You might like to have a look at the other passes on offer as some are a bit cheaper. Our comparison guide might help?
Unfortunately as the Passes offer already heavily discounted prices the providers feel they cannot discount them further for families. Its a shame as we can see how a one ticket for all option would be so convenient, even if the further discounts were modest.
Thanks For reading hope your upcoming trip is fantastic!
Great review – I wasn’t even aware of the New York Pass and when I came across your article, it really got me excited as it looks great value for money.
I think another great advantage here is the fact that you have a “single ticket”, meaning you don’t have to manage lots of individual tickets and the associated planning with that.
I will definitely look at this for my upcoming trip to NYC in September as we are there for 5 days.
Is there a family option on this which might further reduce the cost?
Thanks,
Al
Hi, Thanks for reading, glad we made you aware of the Pass, Hope you enjoy your trip in September, but we KNOW you will! however, we do hope the pass makes it even better. Yes the simplicity does mean less juggling individual tickets.
Unfortunately there is no family option, the New York Pass providers say the pass already provides very large discounts so its not possible to reduce then further!
Wow.
Thanks for your thorough review. I’ve not thought of visiting New York as a tourist but this makes me think, why not. I like your breakdown and the comparison.
One thing I’m not clear about is, does the pass include travelling costs to all these attractions or it includes travel to the attractions only. If it does allow for travelling around New York, it would really worth it.
I don’t think anyone will be able to cover all 80+ attractions but in case, the cost they want to, the cost is covered.
Hi, Unfortunately the travel between the attractions is not included on the Pass, that would make it an incredible deal. However, getting around new York can be done quite cheap and easily see our guide here.
Yes even on a 10day card it would be challenge to do everything on the list but even doing 2 attractions a day make the deal very good so you can just see the attractions you really want to visit rather than chasing the pass trying to do everything. The reason for having SO many attractions is to give people variety do they can just do the things they really want.
Thanks for reading
Having never visited New York but hearing so much about it I have to agree with you when you say New York is not the right destination for a quiet break anyway. Since it can be so hectic I think the Pass is a great idea. I think a three to four day pass would be great. You could actually save time as well by pre-planing your activities. Anything longer than that to me would be way too much.
Hi Maureen,
Yeah we are sure you CAN have a relaxing break in New York, its certainly missing the point. Our trips are usually exhausting but truly incredible. You might like to take a look at some of the other pass options as they offer a more relaxed trip.
Thanks for reading
Hi Steve, thanks for the article. My wife and I are thinking of where we should go for a holiday this year and your recommendation of the NY Pass card will certainly point us in that direction. I am glad you cleared up the HOHO bus part a bit. I was wondering if we would have to fork out for taxis to travel to the attractions. Would you say that the HOHO bus is the way to go or should we use taxis to get from place to place?
Look forward to your response and thanks again.
John
Hi, you can certainly use the HOHO bus for part of your travel plans. You will only get a 48hr Ticket so if your trip is longer than this you will need to look at alternatives for other days. You don’t need to use taxi’s though as there are cheaper alternatives. See our guide to getting around New York.
Thanks for reading and hope you and your wife have a great trip! We are sure you will.
thanks for the review. I’ve always wondered about the passes. My experience in the past with passes in other cities has not been good. From what you have said, I’m guessing that I wouldn’t get the value from it. I think I would hate rushing around trying to get the maximum value from the pass. I realize that just a couple of the big tours and you’ve paid for a pass, but I think the pass might make your trip more hectic than it might already be.
I appreciate your taking the plunge for the rest of us. Now I’m fully aware of the pros and cons. Thanks
Hi Tucker,
Yes these passes have a bit of historical reputation of not being very good, but we believe they have improved vastly in recent years. we have not had any issue with them not delivering as described, That said as we mention in our post they are NOT for everyone, this pass certainly doesn’t sound like the right one for you. You might like the one of the other passes available as they do not require such a focussed dash round the city to fit as much in as possible. Read our guide on the passes available here.
But maybe you are just not a pass person and that’s fine. While a pass can reduce costs in a city if it reduces enjoyment then that is not worthwhile money saved.
Thanks for reading and for your input.
Hi there,
Really enjoyed your page, I wish I had found it earlier tho… Just went to florida in the winter and bought a city pass, Best thing to do if your trying to do as much as possible for the cheapest price. Your page was great and full of very useful info, Keep up the great work
Cheers
hi Jeremy
Glad you like the page. That’s quite a coincidence we are currently working on our Orlando section of the site right now. We will be covering Orlando’s pass options Along with all things Disney and much more.
Thanks for reading
Hello,
I was doing some research on google and stumbled upon your website.
I’m planning to go to new York some time next month and your website was exactly what I needed. I don’t know too much about new York and where the attractions are. It seems this new York pass might be the perfect choice for me.
Thank you so much for sharing this with me and I will most definitely recommend some friends to check it out as well!
Kind Regards,
Eric
Hi Eric,
Thanks for the kind words and the recommendations. We are glad you feel the new York pass will be a good choice for you, be sure to check out the other passes available as one of those may suit you better?
We do feel a Pass is a great choice if you are unsure of what you want to see and do in the City as it provides a base to plan your trip around. We are sure you will have a great time regardless as New York is such a fantastic City.
Thanks for reading
Great review. In fact, I have bookmarked your page on my iPad as I’m off to New York in December and this handy guide will be just what I need. Thanks too for the tips on the New York Pass – I’ll use your link to get that just before I leave. Sounds like that could be a wise investment, though I have also noted your points on ‘visiting for visiting sake and because it’s on the pass! Thanks again for this thorough review. Much appreciated.
Hi Sean,
Glad you like the page and found our New York Pass Review Useful. Hope the pass makes your upcoming trip even more fantastic than it was already going to be. You can’t help but enjoy New York but hopefully the Pass makes it even better.
Thanks for reading
I always wanted to visit New York but it’s not the first place that comes to mind when you want to travel on a budget. The New York Pass seems like a game changer for people who want to see high-quality attractions without spending too much money. It’s definitely a lot cheaper than having to pay for each attraction individually.
Thanks for sharing! I will most certainly consider buying a New York pass when I decide to visit New York!
Hi Angelique,
Glad you see the benefits of the pass as we do. New York is definitely not a budget destination but there are ways to visit for cheaper than you might think. The Array of city passes being one great way to save money.
Thanks for reading and we hope your future visit is amazing.
Hi, Steve! Being an individual who lived in CT. for most of my life, often visiting NYC going to baseball and basketball games as well on 3 occasions to the U.S. Open tennis tournament held in early Sept, in addition to other attractions; the one thing I can say is that while there is so much to do in the city, getting from one place to the other takes time. Add into the fact that often there often is a long line of people going to the more popular attractions on certain days of the week, (Empire State Building 9/11 Memorial and new World Trade Tower), purchasing just a 1-day pass simply would not be economically feasible.
The 2 or 3-day passes making it an absolute requirement that you stay in the city, (which also can be very expensive) offers a much better value to the tourist.
Also stamina would be a factor, as walking around in the city can be tiring. You simply cannot visit 3 or more sites in one day. A person would be doing him/herself a disservice going to multiple sites per day as not enough time would be allocated to really soak in a visit to the Bronx Zoo, Empire State Building, or a trip to the Statue of Liberty as examples.
NYC, for many people is considered one of the greatest cities in the world looking at diversity and things to do. I’ve always loved visiting there, doing so as recently as early Sept. 2016 when not re-located to NC I went up to visit a relative up in CT, taking a train down to the city.
Jeff
Hi Jeff,
We do agree the minimum length you should consider is a 3 day pass (normally cheaper than 2-day pass) in order to get full value. You are quite right that people should temper their expectations on how may attractions they expect to visit a day. You can certainly do 3 in a day, depending on the attraction, but we normally aim for 2 with extra time to soak in the area we are visiting. There is just so much to see for free in the City.
For example when we visited the Natural history museum and the MOMA we spent the Lunch and early afternoon in Central park hunting out Movie locations and generally getting lost. When we Sailed to the Statue of Liberty and Visited the 911 Museum we also explored Downtown and Wall street, then got the Subway to Brooklyn and walked back across the bridge.
As you can see our example Itinerary is quite basic, easily achievable, and we always encourage people to not try and plan too much. As you say the biggest limiting factor is stamina, it can be utterly exhausting. We also agree these pass’s do require you to stay in the City. As you say this can be very expensive, so any cost saving such as a pass is very welcome to most. Remember a lot of people are coming to the City as a once in a lifetime experience and really want to see and do as much as they can within their time and budget constraints. We genuine feel the New York Pass can stretch those constraints for most people allowing them to experience more than they could with out. It would certainly be worth considering the other Pass options as they too are very good. Read our New York Passes Comparison guide here.
We always love hearing from people Local to the area, your insights are incredibly valuable.
What a wonderful concept to purchase a New York Pass!
I have always wanted to visit New York!
It remains on my “bucket-list” and if I succeed at visiting I will definitely purchase this pass but I will allow myself more than the 3 days to utilize it so that there is not so much rushing around!
Hi,
Hope you get this bucket list trip ticked off real soon. New York is a truly fabulous City to visit. We don’t look at bucket lists as things we want to do someday but things we are actively working towards doing in the very near future. Life is so short a fly’s by so fast you have to do what you can while you can!
Glad you like the look of the pass. So many people try and see New York in a few days but it’s far to big and far to much to do cram it all into such a short time. 4/5 days gives you a much better shot at getting through much of what the city offers.
Thanks for reading, hope you get there soon.
When I went to new york this would have helped me out. I spent to much time looking for what to do. This pass would have helped me plan my trip better. There were so many things I wanted to see. but ran out of time. I appreciate this information on my next trip I will definitely be investing in this pass. Do you have any suggestions for L.A? That is my next trip.
Hi Brian,
Yes one of the big advantages to a pass is the inspiration and structure they provide. Enabling you to build a itinerary based around all the best things. We always find things to do via the Passes we didn’t even know were available! Hope your next trip to New York is more successful. Sorry you found us too late.
As for L.A. We have a whole page dedicated to L.A. We are heading back in March and will be using the Los Angeles Go card when there. We also have a page on the top things to do when in L.A.
Hope you have a great trip out there. Thanks for reading.
Great information about city pass of NYC. I am an Indian. I have not been to NYC. But NYC is in my itinerary list and planning to visit soon. And from your article I’ve got to know this cost cutting measure that is City Pass, which will help me make my budget earlier.
Hope, I’ll get the chance to read more such informative article of the famous cities of the USA.
Thank you.
Hi Himbru,
Hope you make it to New York soon it’s such a fantastic City. We agree the Pass is great at letting you work out your budget in advance. Feel free to look around the site we have tons of articles on NYC and other USA Cities across the country.
Thanks for reading
I have a personal pet peeve about standing in line-ups for long periods of time, especially on expensive and usually time restricted trips. Even though it’s not available on every event, the “fast track” option or just not having to line-up to purchase tickets would entice me. From your price charts and comparisons it looks like I could save some money too. I guess good planning is the trick to getting value out of the pass. Thanks for your help.
I remember arriving in Yosemite National park after a LONG drive on day 2-3 of a big US road trip to find a long queue to check into the Campsite. It felt like We had done Nothing but Queue since we Started the trip and this was the last straw causing a mini break down! lol So I can certainly appreciate your loathing of Queues! lol
Take Our advice and never Visit Disney world!!!
The ability to bypass queues was a god send in New York. Just about every Attraction, restaurant, bar or Photo Op seemed to have a queue. Heck we even had to queue to cross a road! So arriving at an Attraction with a huge snaking queue to be diverted around to the fast entry was Bliss. Yes it din’t help at every Attraction but the ones it didn’t were not big queues anyway.
You do need to plan well ahead to get the best of the pass, but that always pays when taking any trip. It’s all in the planning. Which is the purpose of this website. To help people plan better so there trips are better.
Thanks for reading
Hi, Stephen,
From what I see, this is a great bargain, especially for most of New York’s attractions. It does not include transport as some European cities passes do, but I think that it is more than worth it.
I will definitely check it out on my next visit to New York. Thanks for the tip!
Marios
Hi Marios,
No sorry the pass doesn’t include transport but getting around the City is cheap and easy. It still offers a great saving.
Hope you have a great trip.
Thanks for reading.
Steve
New York! I have thought about visiting. But yes is was in my mind of how expensive it would be. I have never heard of a New York pass card. This in my eyes from what you have provided sounds like a great deal! Get to go ahead and purchase before you get there and it seems like it would be cheaper all the way around for how much you get to do. I know New York is huge and I am sure that there would be a lot to do. But getting some of the main attractions with one set price well that sounds great to me. Thank you so much I have not heard of this pass and I will keep it in mind when I decide down the road to go visit. I think it would be great for me and my family.
Hi Melissa,
Yes New York is a very expensive place to visit so Glad the Money saving’s offered has possibly tempted you to rethink a trip. We hope you and your family have a great trip if you do decide to head there. It is an incredible City.
Thanks for reading.
Thank you for the useful post on New York Pass. I think it is definitely worth getting the pass when visiting New York. Actually, I am planning a trip to New York for some time already – I think it has to be planned properly to make the most of it and enjoying it at the same time. How many days would you suggest being in the city to avoid running back-and-forth and feeling exhausted? I know it is a matter of money, in the first row, but if planning long a-head, it becomes less important as you know what to plan for and can save the money accordingly. I really want to enjoy the city in a pleasant and lazy vacation manner.
Hi Arta,
Glad you see the advantages of the pass. Our trips to New York are usually hectic mad rushes as they are normally short and we try to pack it all in. Seeing it a more leisurely pace does sound wonderful.
The length of time you need for this is pretty subjective. It is hard to say without knowing what you want to see. If you cap your trip to 2 attractions per day you shouldn’t be rushing about too much, especially if you plan days off where you just relax. So if you want to visit 6 attractions 3-4 days is fine, if you want 10 5-6 days. It’s best to plan attractions that are in similar areas for the same day so you don’t waste time travelling the lenght of the city between attractions. But remember there is lots to see and do in the city that is free but still takes time and effort.
Hope you manage to plan the perfect trip. Feel free to report back how it went.
Thanks for reading
Steve
My wife and I visited New York for the first time about 2 years ago and in hindsight, we really should have done some more research – we had no idea there were so many places to see! So I think the pass is a good idea for those who plan ahead, but I like travelling without an “itinerary.” I agree with you that it probably would make you feel rushed or make you see things you wouldn’t really want to see – I do the same thing just to try and get my money’s worth. But I would prefer my freedom of random adventure. Thank you for reviewing this options for visiting New York – I had no idea there was such a thing.
Hi Chase,
We too love to explore and not be bound by an itinerary. However we find not having a loose itinerary means you end up not rally getting the best out of a location.
Our Approach is never a Rigorous timed itinerary where we must do set things at set times with no leeway. You may as well join the Army. But more a rough guide of what we want to accomplish and the best way of going about this. This is why we do like the Pass as it allow they flexibility to chop and change an itinerary. If you don’t fancy something one day or decide you just want to wander round the park or whatever the pass allows for this as you are not locked in to certain times or dates.
However it still gives you the structure you need to plan the trip and get the absolute best out of a City. We would suggest checking out the other passes available as these may be more suitable to your travelling approach.
Thanks for reading
Steve
Hi Steve & wife!
I really enjoyed reading your NYC Pass Review.
I spend a lot of time in the big apple in the 90ties and its an exhausting city, even if you don’t do sight seeings all day.
For my next trip to NY with my daughter it is really good to know about this pass and its pro’s and cons, especially since there are so many things to see!
Thanks a lot for all the info !
How about Miami Beach? I lived there for 10 years. Is that a city you will visit anytime soon?
Thank you!
Tom
HI Tom,
New York can be utterly exhausting. We get back to the hotel each day completely spent. But it’s worth it. Glad you think the Pass will be useful to you for you next visit. I imagine New York ahs changed a lot since the Nineties, but in many ways will be exactly the same! I’m sure you and your daughter will love it.
Actually we just got back from Miami Beach. It was a bit of a flying visit only a few days so we don’t really feel qualified to launch a full section just yet, need to get back a few more times. But we loved the place. Stayed in an incredible hotel that cost just $50 a night! right on the beach (Art Deco) and just really enjoyed the rest. It was part of an Epic Florida road trip and Disney visit and the first part of the trip up in Orlando doing Disney was even more exhausting than New York. So Miami was a welcome break. Looking to head back so we can absorb the city properly as it was one of favourite parts of Florida.
Thanks for reading
Steve
Thanks for the article about the Passes. I went to Ljubljana and Budapest two years ago,both had day passes too but we found that Ljubljana one was not worth it as we wanted to walk up to the castle to see the views and that took almost an hour at a slow pace from the centre (it was a bit steep to climb, we did our cardio worth a week climbing up there!). Budapest is way bigger than Ljubljana as it’s the capital of once the Austro-hungarian empire. We got the pass for five days and it was worth it, but as you point out in your article, when you want to cram so many attractions is best to wear runners (one day I wore high boots, oh my I boiled my feet by past midday and couldn’t walk!). The public transport was included on those passes and that was a plus, but also commuting takes its time! Anyway, thanks for sharing those tips, haven’t been on NY but it’s on my bucket list 😀
Hi Diellebee,
Thanks for you feedback on your experience with Passes. It is important to check you have time to visit the attractions in order to get the use from the pass, and as you say sometimes you really just want to do free activities rather than the paid ones. In New York there is so much to see and do that is free and just as iconic and rewarding than the paid attractions it’s important to schedule time for these as well as the paid.
Hope you get to make that big bucket list trip soon, New York is so incredible, hope you get there soon.
Steve
It’s been some time since I’ve been to New York City. I live about 2.5 hours away, but haven’t had interest in going there. However, the New York Pass sounds interesting. I’ve been to the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty and the original World Trade Center, but haven’t been on a cruise or seen the 9/11 Memorial. They may make me want to check NYC again. Thanks for the information!
Hi Kevin,
Glad you like the look of the pass and it’s tempting you back to New York. The 9/11 Memorial really is a very moving experience and well worth visiting. There are a few passes available and maybe one of the others may suit you better. especially if you are only interested in a few attractions. See our guide here.
Thanks for reading
Steve
A very interesting and in-depth review about the New York Pass. Reading your experiences made me think that this is certainly not for all people. If I had to rush for three days through a busy city like New York in order to have any advantage of this card, then I would rather opt to do it on my own and in my own time. If this means that I needed to take more time to research where to go, then I would gladly take it. On the other hand, if you have the time and condition, you can have a great advantage having this card and saving some money.
Hi Jerry,
Yes you are absolutely right this pass is not for everyone and if a busy hurried trip sounds like hell then maybe it’s not for you. We tend to find city trips like this are naturally pretty hectic anyway but if that’s not your thing probably stay away from the New York Pass. No point in making things worse.
Fortunately there are other options available that may suit you better. The Explorer Pass offers a set number of attractions so you can visit them at your leisure. The CityPASS Is also a fixed number and may suit you more. Or even the C3 which is just 3 attractions so easy to fit them in and save some cash.
Thanks for reading
Steve
What a great webpage! I have been putting off seeing New York for many years now. I am a southern boy who really doesn’t care for big cities, but everyone needs to see New York. Now that I can actually see everything in one place (on your website) I am ready to do it. This summer will be a New York summer! Thanks for the knowledge…
Clay
Hi, Clay,
We are small town country people too, although from the UK. And never really cared for Cities growing up, but have become obsessed with them since visiting New York. It really is something else a Place like no other. We have been to many US Cities now and all have their charm. But nothing quite stands up to New York.
It really blew me away first time we saw it and you are dead right EVERYONE should see it once. Very few place ever live up to the hype but New York really does.
Thanks for reading and hope you summer trip goes well. We are sure you will have a fantastic time. Feel free to check out some of our other cities for further inspiration!
Great article, i have never been to New York city and would not know where to start if i were to get there. I would not even tell if visiting a certain attraction would be expensive hence i think for my case a pass would definitely be a good idea. I might not visit all the attractions but just a few would be great and would give me a good story to tell people in regards to my adventures in New York city
Hi Anita,
One of the great things about the Pass is the way it can add structure and purpose to a trip. Most people know they want to visit a place but actually have little practical knowledge on what to do and see when there. The pass helps guide you to all the City’s best attractions so you can get the best out of your trip. The fact it saves you considerable money is always nice too!
Thanks for reading
Steve
Hi there,
We are just planning our trip to New York this summer and reading your article was a relief. We are very sporty people and would not mind the walking and I think that New York pass is something very attractive to us. We just want to stay one week and therefore timewise is perfect for us.
Thank you again for this review and I can tell you you are helping a lot of people and making their choices easier.
Hi Babacar,
There is a lot of walking involved in any New York trip and it’s easy to underestimate just how much. If you are sporty it should not be an issue but be prepared to get back to the hotel shattered each evening. It’s totally worth it though.
Hope your trip goes well and you enjoy using your pass.
Thanks for reading
Hi,
What a Great Website. New York is actually my favorite city to visit and have been there multiple times (even staying in the same hotel each time I’ve gone).
I never knew you could get an actual pass for many attractions in the city and is definitely something I’d be interested in when I go over to New York next time.
Thanks for the honest review and highlighting the disadvantages, as doing something like this isn’t to everyone’s liking. It does seem like a good choice for me as I usually spend so much on activities and stuff when there so it would be great to save some cash next time.
Best Regards
Steven
Hi Steven,
Glad someone who is a regular visitor can see the value in the Pass. Hope it helps reduce the costs on your next trip. We love New York too and is our favorite City even though we love so many of the US Cities, New York is really special.
Thanks for reading
Steve
Hi There!
This is awesome to know about for the next time I visit New York! I had no idea that a theme-park-like attraction pass was available and it seems to be much more cost-effective than paying for individual experiences.
If you were to choose one attraction to visit in New York, say on a quick weekend trip, what would it be and why?
Thanks!
Hi Tucker,
Yeah we often here people are not aware of the passes and it’s great to hear you will consider one for your next visit to help with the cost savings.
If we were to do just one paid attraction it would have to be one of the Observation Decks, Either Empire State or the Top of the Rock. The View of the City from one of the Skyscrapers is just unforgettable. As for which is best, read all about it here.
Thanks for reading, hope the pass helps for your next trip.
Steve
It’s helpful when you run across site’s like these. Traveling can be truly overwhelming, and if you don’t have a game plan, you won’t exactly enjoy the vacation.
New York is a huge place, without the help of a pass like this, you would certainly get lost in hustle and bustle, and couldn’t use your time to its maximum potential.
Thank you for the information!!
Hi Brandon,
Yes a pass can certainly help enhance a trip to New York. You will still have a fantastic time without but with a pass your trip can be both cheaper and better.
Thanks for reading
Steve
I have been visiting New York once a year and did not know this pass existed. I’m so glad to know this pass is available. Some of the attractions in New York are very expensive.
If I were to purchase a 2-day pass, do I have to use it in 2 consecutive days or can I spread it out?
Thanks,
Kristy
Hi Kristy,
Yes it is very easy to spend a lot of money on attractions when visiting New York, or even worse miss out on a lot as you can’t afford the attractions! So we love the fact the pass allows you to do everything you want to without worrying about the costs racking up.
Unfortunately on this pass the days are consecutive. So once the Pass is activated then you have two days to use it. Some other passes allow non consecutive days but not for New York. if you want to spread your attractions out over different days you can look at the New York Explorer pass or the New York City PASS. These work a bit differently but you have a longer time to enjoy your attractions.
Thanks for reading and we hope you enjoy your next trip to New York.
Steve
I had never heard of the New York city pass, what an interesting idea. I appreciate your honest approach and review of when the pass is a wise purchase and when it’s not a good purchase. We all know everything as pros and cons, seeing those listed helps to really decide what’s best for my trip!
Hi Lo,
We hear it all the time that people haven’t heard about the passes available for places. So we try to educate people to see if a pass is really right for them. It isn’t for everybody and we don’t want people spending money they don’t need to or having a pass degrade their trip. So we make sure we only recommend the pass to people who will really get the benefit.
Thanks for reading, Hope you get to New York soon and have a great trip.
Steve
Boy, that a long post! Thanks for the information. I think that a pass is a marvelous idea, not only for the budgeting vacationer, but the city benefits too. A pass purchase is more reliable than a bunch of spontaneous ones. If I ever go to new York, I will probably use one.
Hi Jason,
Yeah considering the Price of the Pass and the importance it can have to your trip we feel an in depth review is highly useful to people.
Good to see you like the look of the pass.
Hope you get to New York sometime and get good use out of the pass.
Thanks for reading
Steve
I guess it all depends on how many things you are willing to see in New York. I am living in Europe so I wouldn’t be able to fit all those sightseeings into my vacation schedule as I can’t really afford it. Tickets alone are 1000 Euro per person let alone the hotel and food there. I don’t think that there is much room left for sightseeing and even if it were the case I would only visit one or two places. I love wandering around cities and feeling the pulse of the city. But thank you for letting me know that there is a way to visit almost all places with a big discount!
Hi John,
We are from Europe too, the UK in fact. Flights don’t need to be that expensive. The last trip we paid £310 per person and we have flights booked for November on Virgin Atlantic for £350 per person (both Direct, no stops). We are sure if you hunt around you can find flight much much cheaper. But yes accommodation and food can really add up. It’s not a cheap trip but is worth it.
However THE NEW YORK PASS probably isn’t the pass for you. You might prefer one of the other Passes available for New York however. Maybe the Explorer pass where you can choose the number of attractions you wish to visit.
Thanks for reading
Hi Stephen, having been in New York for 5 days at Thanksgiving 2012, we packed so much into our days but also did not manage to cover everything we wanted to do.
As much as I think the New York Pass is a really good idea, I am not sure if I would purchase one. I would really need to look closely into them to see what was on offer and what one was the best for what I wanted to do. I really would not like to be rushing round the city trying to fit in all the attractions as I feel you would miss a lot of the things that are going on right in front of you.
As a family, we all have great memories of our trip to New York and we would all love to go back. We were lucky as both the Jets and the Giants were at home while we were there so we saw two games of american football, the Rockettes 85th Anniversary Christmas show which was amazing and the Macy’s Thanksgiving day parade.
Thank you for a great and detailed post on an item that will suit a lot of visitors to New York.
Hi Cheryl,
That sounds like an Amazing, and Busy, trip to NYC. Are trips are alwys pretty hectic too, there is just so much to see and do in NYC. Glad you liked the post.
You don’t sound like the perfect target for THE NEW YORK PASS. But not worry there are other options that might suit you better. Both the NYC Explorer pass and the New York CityPASS don’t require you to rush around the City cramming in as much as possible. We think these might suit your style of traveling more. We too like to Take in the surroundings as well but like to visit certain attractions on top. The Other New York Passes allow for this by being limited a limited number of attractions.
Thanks for reading,
Steve
Hey Steve what a great post! I have only visited New York once (I’m located in Australia) – it was almost 2 decades ago and I can tell you for my 5 days in the city this pass would have been greatly appreciated!
I not only love all the information you share about what is available on the pass but your example itinerary is great and something I would definitely benefit from on my next visit as I really didn’t get to see it all.
Thanks again!
Hi Fleur,
We know what you mean there is so much to see and do in New York it’s easy to run out of time or funds and not get to see everything in one trip. Having a Pass cannot guarantee this won’t happen but it sure helps.
Hope your next visit is even better than your last.
Thanks for reading,
Steve
I have family in New York City and can honestly say that even though having a pass and feeling like you have to go at hyper-speed to see as many things as you possibly can, it’s often a rule of thumb that I try to just hit one a day then relax and with kids sometimes with a day in between events or museums, etc. I really didn’t know about the city pass until I saw your website. Thank you for a great review of advantages and disadvantages.
Hi Leigh,
That sounds like a great approach to New York, but having family there probably means you visit fairly often. For some New York is a once in a lifetime thing and they feel the need to cram in as much as possible. We felt that way the first time we went but fell in love, subsequent trips are more sedate and feel more like we are seeign the real City. We all visit places differently.
For those wanting to see everything the NEW YORK PASS is incredible value for a more sedate trip we prefer the New York Explorer Pass or New York CItyPASS
Thanks for reading
Steve
Interesting article on the New York Pass, I have been to NYC 4 times and never thought to do a pass, but if you are an adventurer and your main focus is the events, attractions, and history, this seems to be a good option for you. The online offer of $339 – $34 per day for 10 days is definitely a great offer but how many people can handle 10 full days of touring around at attractions in NYC. This article is very informative to suggest both pros and cons to the pass. appreciate it!
Hi Lyndsay,
Yeah we are not sure how many 10-day passes they sell. We don’t tend to go to New York for that long and if we did 10 days of charging round the City would leave us in bits. But the shorter passes are still fantastic value. We think the 10-day is so cheap per day so you are not required to hit the pass hard every day, Some days you might just don one thing or even nothing. But as the per day cost is low it’s not the end of the world.
We always take a pass with us to New York just to get into the best attractions. But we tend to use the passes that offer a more relaxed trip such as the Explorer Pass and the City Pass as we have seen most things now.
Hope you get back to New York soon.
Thanks for reading.
Steve
I haven’t had so much fun reading a post in a looooong time. First of all, I never know that such a pass existed, and 2nd of all, being originally from New York, there are so many places mentioned that I never had a chance to enjoy as a proper tourist. :-). I’m now living in Switzerland with a wife and 3 kids, so the pass is absolutely going to come in handy. I’m going to check out the other cities you cover on your site as well.
Thanks so much for sharing!
Cheers,
Norman
Hi Norman,
Yeah we hear both comments a lot people who live in New York (And Most Cities come to that!) Never really ever get to the Tourist attractions. and we hear the time of people who don’t know about these passes!
Glad you enjoyed the Article, Hope you get back to New York as a tourist soon.
Steve
This is a very helpful site for anyone going to New York City. When I travel I really enjoy such things. It just takes the worry about what to do and how much you are spending every time you go to an attraction. I like the fact that they help with the budget. It’s good to know this is the best choice for New York City. With so many attractions included, I agree with this review, that it would be the only way to see New York.
Hi,
Thanks for reading,
Great to know you like the idea of the New York Pass. We really think it is an excellent option for those who want to see everything New York has to offer! It really can help with budgeting for your trip as the cost is all up front so you know exactly how much you will spend.
Hope you enjoy your trip to New York City
Steve
Given the “Chasing the Pass” concept, do you feel like its possible to see and “enjoy” all of the top attractions that typically cost money and still make the pass worth it. Any time there are numerous offerings/options, there is always the possibility of chasing the pass but it would be nice to know that you can comfortable recover your dollars if you focus your experience on some of the most popular and highest priced attractions covered by the pass.
Hi Josh,
Yeah of course it is still possible to get fantastic value from the card without chasing the pass. It’s just a case of prioritising and being sensible. 2-3 Attractions a day work out at a huge saving. It’s just people start to thing can we fit in 3/5/6 attractions and the reality is you can’t or at least shouldn’t.
But by taking your time seeing what you really WANT to see you can still get great value from the pass. You don’t even have to just focus on the highest priced, just chose the attractions you really fancy and you should save a considerable sum!
We are heading to New York again next week, we just can’t get enough, and we will be armed to the teeth with passes!
Thanks for reading
Steve
I’ve come across numerous versions of these city pass cards now through many holidays, and they always seem like a good deal…but I’m wondering if they can still work for individuals after the holiday is over?
For instance – could the card be passed on to a relative to use if my holiday is finished and they are remaining in the city for a while? Or is the card only linked to me and my direct family unit?
Hi Chris,
With this pass as it is day based you can’t really pass it on as it is likely to have expired as you only purchase for the days you are there.
Other Passes where you purchase set attractions or a number of attractions if you don’t finish the card and it’s still valid it is theoretically possible to pass it on. It is however strictly against the term and conditions!
Thanks for reading
Steve
I must say that this is great. I have been to New York City 3 years ago but I had not heard about this card. I have two little kids and it would be very nice if I can go with them because NYC is really very beautiful city and I can’t wait to show it them, Ii I can save some cash then too that would be great, as you know everything is so expensive there!
Hi Daniel,
Shame you didn’t hear about the pass before hand, still you can try it on your next trip?
How old are your kids?
Remember if they are under 4 they probably don’t need a pass as most attractions are free to them anyway!
Have a great time with your family in New York
Steve
Hi I can definitely say that the New York pass is a well worth investment as if you have a family then you will get to so many attractions and end up spending a bomb anyway, so this pass will save money and also encourages family to visit more of New York. Thanks, Kenny
Hi Kenny,
Glad you like the Pass, we have just got back from New York and loved using our PASS!
Agreed with families especially it can save a huge amount as the entry prices really rack up!
Thanks for reading,
Steve
When it comes to a vacation by the time you leave you should have your budget and know how much you will be spending. I think these cards are great and I really dont think they are expensive for what you are receiving. My question however is how much does hotels, like a middle of the pack decent hotel cost and what about meals and transportation? Would love if you had some general answers for me. New York is my dream vacation.
Hi Dale,
New York is indeed a dream Vacation. We glad you think the pass is good value, we tend to agree for most trips it does have a lot included with it.
Hotels are not cheap in Manhattan. And the prices vary hugely depending on time of year etc…
We just go back from a trip there and we paid around $200 per night! This is the going rate for decent accommodation, in prime location. You can find cheaper if you stay away from the centre but most of the very cheap hotels are pretty ropey.
Meal costs are hugely variable. You can eat well for $10 a day or spend $200 on a single course. The Options in the City are hugely varied. We tend to eat cheap most of the time and then Splurge on one or two treat dinners while we are there.
Check out out latest Live Blog entries as we discuss our dining and hotel choices in there.
Steve
Wow,impressive.According to your review i found New York Pass is a very good way to visit New York without using much money especially for people out of the USA.Visiting attractive places ,transport free and time management will be fantastic.
I will recommend my friends who study in Pennsylvania who are planning to visit New York City because it seems very cheap card compared to the actual price
Hi Julienne,
Glad you like the pass, thanks for passing this on to your friends hope they enjoy the article too and get good use out of the pass.
Thanks for reading
Steve
Man I wish I had known about such passes when I first visited New York. My problem wasn’t money so much as, what should I go see. Having a card would have actually helped me to narrow down my options. I’ve actually been to New York now 4 or 5 times and each time I see something new.
Maybe I missed it but, were there any Broadway show options with the pass? I have to say, if you’re going to New York, you have to see a show!
I can totally see where people might get frustrated with not having a time-slot option but there are trade-offs for the discount and that’s one of them.
Since I’ve been to New York I can tell you that the pass does actually save you money vs buying your ticket directly. Just make sure to see a few sites at the very least to make it worth while.
Thanks again for this great post. It’s just a shame I didn’t come across it a few years ago :).
Hi Scott,
Yeah there is way too much on offer in New York and we always struggle fitting everything in we want to do, the pass helps but there is still so much choice on the pass it STILL And issue!
Yeah the timed Slot seems a bigger issue than it is, we have missed so many timed slots it actually means the extra flexibility is beneficial and saves stress. Trying to get somewhere in New York for a specific time is quite a challenge!
No unfortunately there are no options for any Shows on the pass. We totally agree a show Is a must do, but the way Broadway works, we like booking in advance to ensure we get good tickets. The best shows virtually sell out every show so it pays to book well in advance and secure those seats!
Thanks for reading
Steve
Wow! What a article.I live in Montreal and to tell you the truth, I never heard about the NY pass.Thanks for your schedule example to visit New York. I like the fact that you have included some free attractions. It’s so useful to understand how to use that pass. But I still wonder how it is possible to see all those things in only 3 days. For instance, I just love museums and I like to feel the place I’m in. So for the attractions that you gave in the example, I would need 5 days. But then, how much money would I save? I will have to make some calculations…
Hi Jo,
We do hear all time from people who haven’t heard of the pass, even friends who are travelling there imminently.
Some of the Museums in New York, especially the Met, You could easily spend 5 days in the one museum and still not have seen it all! But our tolerance to museums tends to run out after 3 hours or so. Tired legs and hectic schedules can wear you down, so we treat a museum as a half day attraction. But everyone is different. And the longer passes offer better value per day so you don’t have to pack as much in each day. the 5 day pass is only ~$49 per day where as the 3 day is ~$66 so it is much easier to get value out of it!
Hope you have a great trip when you Visit New York
Steve
Hi, how are you? I am planning a trip to the United States with my family, for the next year, we are my husband, my son and me.
We are going to spend 3 days in New York in total, I always dreamed of going to the central park!.
Do you think it is convenient for us to buy the ticket for 3 days? Or two? So one day we leave to relax in the central park? I just do not want to be in a hurry.
Also another question, my baby is 14 months old, next year would be almost 2 years old, he would also pay the ticket ?.
Thank you!.
Hi Paola,
The Difference between the 2 day and the 3 day is only 20 Dollars so you could easily fit one extra attraction in and see the park and it will still be better value! Maybe Check out one of the Big Museums such as the Met or The Natural history Museum which are right by the Park!
Central park is amazing, but a full day there is a long time!
The New York Pass classes Children as 4-12 years old. So a two year old will not need a pass! Entry to the attractions will be free for him so no need for a Pass.
Have a great trip
Steve
Hey Steve!
I really like this review.
I’m from the Netherlands and have been to New York before but I always found it kind of a hassle to do research regarding sightseeing. As a result I would spend an unnecessary amount of money and always found tons of fun things I wanted to do maybe a day before leaving.
I think having the pass and app would really save you the trouble if you’re someone like me that isn’t really into doing research.
Hi Rogier,
Nice to hear from the Netherlands.
We used to do the exact same thing and always have regrets when leaving of all the things we found but ran out of time and or money to do the things we wanted. A Pass really solves this and we find we end up doing more for less money when using the pass.
Many things we would not have even considered that end up our favourites!
Thanks for reading
Steve
I enjoyed this a lot, I love to travel and the Pass looks a great option to save money
I Also had a look around your site and love the New York info especially the most exciting foods of the area. I would love to see a few healthy options tossed in there if you wouldn’t mind. I am mostly vegan now. I go to Manhattan often and look for new and exciting places to stay or eat. having a healthy food option would be awesome.
Thank you for this guide. I will keep it saved for our upcoming New York trip and will definitely consider the New York Pass.
Hi Nancy, Great to hear you like the Pass.
Glad to see you looking around the site too. New York is not well known for it’s Vegan food. However, there will be tons of great options there. Hells Kitchen, in particular, caters for just about every taste and cuisine you can imagine so will definitely feature Vegan options.
Sorry not being Vegan ourselves we just don’t hunt out vegan food. But with such a rich and diverse food scene in New York, you will be sure to find something.
Steve
Hello there,
That’s a nice guide right there. One of the dream mega cities of this world that I’ve ever hoped to visit is New York. Your article thus comes as a relief to at least give me a glimpse of what to expect and how to go about visiting the city’s attractive sites.
I agree with you that such a pass as the New York Pass is quite a must have incentive for anyone on a budget who wants to pay a visit to as many attraction sites as possible while on tour. I see it is really a way to save on quite a huge amount compared to individually visiting the sites and paying every levy/fee with no pass to ease the burden.
What measures are being put to reduce the negative publicity on queuing that the Pass causes? Any hope that this will improve soon?
Boniface- AndroidBix
Hi,
Great to see you think the New York Pass is Good Value.
As far as the queues go, there is very little the pass can do to limit the popularity of some attractions. At a good number of them, the Pass acts as your ticket so you can bypass the ticket queue and go straight to the attraction. For example at the Empire State Building or the 9/11 museum, we saved a lot of queueing time as we headed straight to the entrance.
Others use timed tickets meaning you receive your ticket and return at a certain time. This limits queueing as only so many tickets are available for each time/tour/cruise etc.
If you are in New York at busy times queues are inevitable, there are just so many people, we have waiting in line for 20 mins for the privilege of CROSSING A ROAD! However with the attractions included on the pass we never really queued very long for anything on any of our trips.
Thanks
Steve
I have always dreamt of going to New York to experience Broadway and remarkable museums. Having a New York Pass is certainly worth the price. It has access to all the best places of the you need to go! Most are even available at discounted price. A fantastic tour in New York should be well planned to make a well meaningful visit. Making an iterinary of your tour is most recommended so that there wouldn’t be a waste of time. It wouldn’t hurt to include weather forecast so that you can be sure that your tour will not be delayed, hence ruining the next iterinary. With the New York Pass, I guess you need a careful plan and be prepared to battle cues and long lines, which I think is inevitable with or without it. Thanks for sharing this, it’s a great help for people who wanted to visit the great New York!
Hi MissusB
Glad you like the look of the Pass, hopefully, this helps you realize your dream of one day taking a trip to New York.
We love the City and having a New York Pass really helps you get to see the best of it and save a lot of cash while doing so. It is not for everyone, but if you plan on seeing and doing a lot of the paid attractions it’s well worth it.
You can check out our guide to New York Weather here
Thanks
Steve
Hi we are from South Africa and heading to NYC for the first time this year! We are so Excited but are really struggling with the cost of everything. So great to see we can save some money by getting a New York Pass.
We will be sure to check out all your other articles and see if we can find any other ways to save some money in New York!
This has really helped thanks
Hi Isaac,
We feel your pain New York is an incredibly expensive place to visit. Everything is so pricy, food drinks hotel attractions in fact for s the only inexpensive thing is the flight in! But trust us it is all SO worth it!
Hope you have a great time and save a load of money with the New York Pass!
Steve
Thanks for the write up on the New York Pass!
We guess this was written Pre Covid, How does the Pass measure up now?
Hopefully you will update this soon as Travel has changed so much much of this information is out of date!
Do you still think the Pass is good value now So many Attractions are closed?
Thanks
Hi Abayomi,
Of course, we have been using and reviewing Passes for some years and we are constantly reviewing and updating our Article! We are looking at all out pages and trying to keep up to date as possible but everything is changing so fast it’s hard to keep up.
Yes the NEW YORK PASS does have some attractions that are not Open at the minute, as will all Passes. But our advice is the same, if you look at the attractions you want to do (and that are open), work out the cost and see f the Pass can save you money
Thanks
Steve
We are hoping to go to New York next year. We were meant to go this autumn but this has been postponed due to the Pandemic!
We were looking at the Passes for our trip but we heard a few people on Tripadvisor say they were a bad idea. After reading your review and personal experiences we think they sound great. We will certainly save a lot of money with all the things we want to see and do so can’t wait to get there and see everything the city has to offer
C
Hi C,
Hope you get to finally visit the Big Apple next year. We do hear bad things about the Passes too, but really these are often well-meaning but slightly skewed opinions. In New York, there is so much to see and do and it does end up costing quite a lot. So the savings the Pass can give really helps out in what can be an otherwise very expensive trip!
We really do find we see and do far more with a Pass and it costs us less!
Steve
Brilliant article,
I have never known that you can get digital passes to help you see the attractions of New York for less money than the usual “rip off” tourist that occur so often everywhere in the world.
I have never been to New York but always wanted to go with my Mum and Sister for a long weekend. Fingers crossed when travelling opens up across the world this will be possible and this information will be really valuable to me.
Thank you
Imelda
Hi Imelda,
Great to see we have made you aware of these Passes. There have been passes for many years but only recently have they all made the switch to digital. They certainly help keep a lid on these rip-off prices.
We can’t wait for things to open up again, New York is opening up but it’s a slow process, on the whole travel is still really suppressed but we can’t wait to get back out and hit the world again.
Hope you all finally make it to the Big Apple
Steve
I know New York is an expensive city, but these travel passes do seem to be very expensive. If you can spend more days and pack in as much as possible to see the attractions that you want to visit, then you will save yourself money.
Do you know if the New York pass will allow you to visit an attraction more than once? I have sometimes really enjoyed a museum or art gallery and then went back to it, so it would be great if this is possible with the NY pass.
Hi Line,
Yes, the initial outlay is fairly high, especially for a family, but when you consider a one-day Disneyworld ticket costs $159, they are not so bad, and compared to the high price of attractions in New York they are pretty cheap. But we do understand it’s a large outlay.
There is loads to see in the City if you can’t stretch to a pass or other passes that are more budget-friendly. Overall we think they are of great value if you can muster up the initial funds.
Unfortunately not, the Pass does limit to one visit per pass. For shorter passes this is no problem, you would be far too busy to go back, but with a long pass and stay it would definitely be good to revisit. Especially the MET, 100 visits is barely enough to scratch the surface of that place! And we never get bored of the Views from the Observation Decks!
It’s a shame but guess you can’t have everything.
Steve
Hi Steve,
I am a traveling consultant and I had a client in NYC and I lived in an apartment Mon thru Thu then home Thur night to Sunday night or Monday morning. NYC is an awesome city. I have done a lot of these attractions while I lived there part time. I think the NYC pass is a good deal if you have the energy to see all those attractions in the day. I really enjoyed the hop on hop off buses. You can sit the whole loop and see the attractions or get off on specific locations and tour then hop back on the bus. Unfortunately with the current situation in NYC, I’m not sure how many people will be visiting until their local government fixes it. I am hopeful NYC will be the magical city again.
Hi Chris,
Yep tourist numbers are still right down, but the attractions are mainly open, and numbers of cases are dropping, hopefully, with the Vaccine rollout gathering pace summer may be a possibility of a return to normal (ish)
Yep, the Busses are so touristy but so much fun and you really get a good view of the City and its layout.
Thanks
Steve