Normally a visit to New York involves a visit to a number of paid attractions. Most of New Yorks Most Visited attractions have an entry fee and costs can quickly spiral out of control. Especially with families, a couple of $40 entry fees times 4 or 5 soon adds! One way to limit the expenditure while also saving significant sums of money is by purchasing an “Attraction Pass”. There are a number of different Passes on the market all with their own unique take on the concept with plenty of Pros and Cons for each. But which is the Best New York Pass? Which New York Pass offers the Best Value time savings and Experience?
The simple answer is none of them. They are all best for a different purpose. And in some instances, NO pass is better, like if you only plan on visiting a few attractions or even none at all. Our New York Passes Comparison attempts to highlight the pros and cons of each pass to help you make an informed decision as to which pass to choose and if you should buy a New York pass at all.
**This post contains affiliate links and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on our links**
Considerations
The first question in your mind when considering these passes should be “Do I want to see the attractions the pass is offering” In other words are you only considering them because they are on the pass? If you only want to see a few of the attractions but know you will squeeze in the others because they are “free” Then a pass might not be for you. Just do the attractions you want and then do something else that you WANT to do on the other days.
New York is ram-packed with FREE activities and things to do. You are much better doing those than wasting precious trip time seeing something only because you want to get the best value.
However, the Flip Side of this is the chance to experiment. Sometimes an attraction might appeal, but be too pricy, or only offer a glimmer of intrigue. With some Passes the fact you are already saving so much money makes them feel free so you can give them a shot. Sometimes these have turned out to be our favorite attractions! We were very skeptical about “The Ride” but honestly, it was super fun!
If you were planning to see the things the pass offers anyway, why not pay less to see them? Most of the most popular attractions are included on at least one of the Passes and If you are planning a busy trip with lots of expensive attractions it makes sense to try to minimize costs Along with a few other upsides of purchasing a Pass!
Inspiration
Another good reason to consider a pass is if you don’t really know what you want to see when you are in the City. For many, a trip to New York is a lifetime dream trip. You have spent your childhood growing up seeing the sights and sounds of New York on the big (and little) Screen and now you are finally getting to see the Big Apple in person. Only, you now realize you don’t really know exactly what it is you want to see and do when you are there…You don’t really even know what’s available!
A City Pass can provide valuable inspiration for planning your trip, as most of the possible attractions are included on most passes. We often hear people loving attractions they discovered via a Pass that they didn’t know were available. Even people who think they know the City can still discover something new via a Pass, including us!
Despite being Seasoned New York Travellers we always still make sure we Pack a pass (Metaphorically) whenever we visit the City. We still love seeing the Marquee Sights despite seeing them before and the pass just lets us save so much money. It really is a No Brainer for us. We can’t not, go up the empire state building and the rock, it’s a crime to miss the world-beating museums the City has to offer and there is only so much time you can spend shopping and in Central Park.
Our only tough decision is which pass to buy!
Pay less, Do more!
Honestly, with most things in life, we take the approach, if it’s too good to be true, it probably is, but these Attractions passes, do in our opinion buck that trend somewhat. They really do offer the holy grail of traveling, the ability to do more than you likely would without, AND pay less for the privilege. We honestly feel the RIGHT pass, used CORRECTLY will enable you to have a better trip, and save money in doing so! Sounds amazing right?
So What is the Catch, there is always a catch?
As we pointed out, you have to choose the right pass for your trip, and use the pass the best way. The Passes have a few inherent drawbacks that are not “advertised” in the promo material.
Drawback 1 – Chasing the Pass
As the Pass is paid for, the temptation is there to try and pack as much in as possible in order to get the most value out of the Pass. This can be a false economy, as you can tire yourself out and often don’t properly appreciate the different attractions on offer. Some of New York’s museums deserve at least a full day to fully explore them, but when chasing the pass you may only allow a couple of hours, then on the next thing.
On Paper it looks like you have saved a bundle but in reality, you haven’t got the full value of any of the attractions, and are likely exhausted and grumpy.
Drawback 2 – Fitting it all in
With some passes, there is so much choice that you can find it hard to plan everything in. Your eyes become bigger than your belly, metaphorically, and you end up rushing around trying to fit everything in. There are only so many hours in the day and attractions take a certain amount of time, it’s important to plan your days accordingly and only try and do what is reasonable. Even the fastest attractions such as the Empire State Building and Top Of The Rock still eat up nearly 2 hours in total!
Drawback 3 – Poor Attractions
Not all attractions are Equal, and some of the passes that try and pack as many attractions onto the pass as possible have some that are dubious in quality and value. Similarly, some may be excellent attractions but just don’t suit YOU. It is vital to look at the list of attractions on a Pass and only choose a Pass that really inspires you. You should look at the offering and be thinking “Wow, We really want to do x – y, and z!”
A Pass should inspire and excite, if it does that you are all but guaranteed to Save money while seeing and doing more. But remember to try and fit in some of the attractions you might have skipped if paying separately as some of these may turn out to be the best things you will do! And even the ones that don’t, seem to hurt less when you haven’t coughed up the full entry fee!
How We Test
Simply, we buy the Passes and head to New York to see how they work on the ground. We visit the attractions and see how the pass performs while comparing the savings between the passes and Buying Separately.
While we have not visited EVERY attraction the passes offer (we are not that far off now tbh), we have visited many of them, especially the headliners, and understand how the passes help or hinder the visiting experience and how they affect your trip as a whole. The only way to do this is on the ground, actually using the passes as they were intended. Not all travel sites can claim this!
We have just got back from New York where we tested both the New York Pass and the Go City Explorer Pass in person, with great results. And we have used them in all our recent New York Trip.
- October 2023 – TBD
- July 2022 – Go City Explorer Pass
- December 2022 – Go City Explorer Pass
- November 2018 – NEW YORK PASS
- December 2015 – New York CityPASS
Overview
Let’s take a quick look at the main contenders. New York is big business for travel companies and everyone wants to get in on the action. Where Passes are concerned so there is a huge number of options and massive competition. This is good news as it keeps prices low and quality high as everyone is vying for customers. However, it also makes choosing a pass really difficult. There are Six main passes to choose from. These vary wildly in price from $82 right up to $399 but what you get at these different price points also varies wildly, from just 2-3 attractions to 10 days of all-inclusive attractions from a list of over 100!
- New York CityPASS – $129 – Choose 5 of 8 Attractions
- New York CityPASS C3 – $82 – Choose 3 of 10 Attractions
- New York CityPASS C-ALL – $189 – 10 Attractions
- THE NEW YORK PASS – $143 – $371 – Unlimited, 100+ Attractions
- New York City Explorer Pass – $75 – $252 – Choose 2/3/4/ 5/ 7/ 10 out of 80+ Attractions
- Go City New York – All Inclusive Pass – $143 – $371 – Unlimited, 90+ Attractions
- The New York Sightseeing Pass – Flexi Pass – $ 64 – $175.20 – 100+ Attractions
- The New York Sightseeing Pass – DayPass – $ 129 – $399 – 100+ Attractions
As you can see there is a huge amount of choice and getting the right one for your trip can be incredibly difficult. The good news is they are all excellent passes. There is no bad pass and choosing the wrong one will not ruin your trip. So the goal of this article is to ensure you get the pass that suits you best and will return the BEST value and the Best Experience of New York City.
Disclaimer – Some of the Links in this article are affiliate links, if you click the link and subsequently make a purchase a small commission is paid to us, this is how we support the site. This does not affect the price you pay.
Option 1 – New York CityPASS
- Price: $129
- Price Child: $109
- Where to Buy: BUY DIRECT From CityPASS.com
- Number of Attractions: choose 5 of 8
- Time Limit: 30 consecutive days
- Expiry: 365-Day Risk-Free Returns
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 4.5/5 Stars
Best for:
First-timers who want the best of New York, Highlights on a tight budget!
Attractions Included:
- Empire State Building Experience
- American Museum of Natural History
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck or Guggenheim Museum
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island or Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum or Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Pros –
- Low Price
- Top Attraction included
- Added Bonuses ramp up the Value
- Long 30-day time limit – Visit in your own time
Cons –
- The attraction roster is Limited
- There is not much choice if one of the attractions does not suit
- Some Choices may mean missing out on something you want
The CityPASS is the simplest of the Passes. You pay one fixed fee. And simply get to visit 6 attractions out of a choice of 9. This is quite limited in choice but ALL of the attractions are TOP attractions. All Killer no Filler as they say. The price is also very competitive. In fact, it’s far cheaper than any of the other passes when you consider the quality of the attractions on offer.
Unfortunately, it’s not quite as simple as choosing any 5 of the 8. The first 2 are fixed as the Empire State Building and the American Museum of Natural History. You then Choose Either Top of the Rock or Guggenheim Museum. And Choose between the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island cruise or a Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises. And choose between the 9/11 Memorial & Museum or the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. The pass does offer small discounts on the choices you don’t pick also but it’s not a huge amount off.
Visiting all these attractions will save you a large amount of money, up to 41%, and really these are all on our must-see list. If you plan on visiting these attractions this pass is very appealing. The $129 outlay is really quite low for a pass that covers most things you will wish to see.
It works very well in practice too. At most attractions, there were large parts of the queuing process that were completely Bypassed. And even at the attractions where it didn’t help to have the pass. It certainly didn’t hinder and at least we were saving money.
One issue we had was the 9-11 Memorial and Museum. There are limited entries per day and you need to arrive EARLY to secure your ticket for later in the day. No biggie if you are aware but a lot of people turn up later and are turned away. This should improve when capacity is raised.
For all the other attractions on the roster, the pass allowed simple entry with the pass being your ticket.
The CityPASS works best for people with limited time who just want to see the Top Attractions. 3 days is the minimum you would need to get full use out of this without rushing like a loon as the attractions take a fair amount of time to experience properly. We plan for one in the morning and one in the afternoon each day. They are fairly spread out so you will get to see plenty of the city while traveling between sites.
Overall we believe this is a great pass that offers huge value for money. The Downside is the roster is a little limited and low on “fun”. The attractions are very museum heavy and if stuffy old museums are not your thing there are a lot more, lighter attractions on the other passes. Even we struggle with the MET and The American Museum of Natural History in one trip! But the offerings here are all headline stuff and the discounts are huge.
<<<Read Our Hands-On Review Here>>>
Option 2 – New York City C3 Pass
- Product: New York CityPASS C3
- Price: $87 (18+)
- Price Child: $67 (4-12)
- Where to Buy: http://www.citypass.com/new-york
- Number of Attractions: choose 3 of 11
- Time Limit: 9 consecutive days
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.3/5 Stars
Best for:
Those on very short 1 or 2-day trips wanting just 3 top attractions !! Or those not looking to see too many paid attractions
Attractions Included:
Choose any 3 of the following:
- Empire State Building Experience
- American Museum of Natural History
- Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)
- Edge at Hudson Yards
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- Guggenheim Museum
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- City Cruises
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
Pros –
- SUPER Low Price
- Top Attraction included
- Long 30 day time limit – Visit in your own time
Cons –
- The attraction roster is Limited
- Lower overall value as savings are more minimal
The New York C3 Pass is a Cut-down version of the New York CityPASS. The pass allows you to choose just 3 from 11 top New York attractions. It’s cheaper than a one-day New York Pass (option 3) and Cheaper than 3 attractions on the New York Explorer pass. so it offers great value if you are only planning on visiting a few attractions.
The New York C3 is perfect for those planning a short trip of 1-2 days, or are just planning on seeing lots of the free things the City has to offer. Maybe you are in New York for other reasons but just want to see a few of the City’s highlights? The C3 pass offers you the chance to save some cash while giving you access to the best attractions.
Its lineup is fairly limited compared to the other passes but every attraction is a top-quality marquee attraction. Only the Statue Cruise and Ellis island let the pass down slightly as the attraction is very cheap and as such limits how much you can save.
This is the C3’s biggest downside. Due to the limited amount of attractions, the pass offers fairly low savings compared to more comprehensive Passes. But if you really only have the time or inclination to visit 3 attractions the C3 does offer the cheapest entry price to any of the New York Attraction Passes.
<<< Read our Full Review of the C3 Pass here >>>
Options 3 – New York CityPASS C-All
- Price: $189
- Price Child: $109
- Where to Buy: BUY DIRECT From CityPASS.com
- Number of Attractions: choose 5 of 8
- Time Limit: 30 consecutive days
- Expiry: 365-Day Risk-Free Returns
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ – 4.5/5 Stars
Best for:
Lots of attractions on a tight budget!
Attractions Included:
- Empire State Building Experience
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- Ferry Access to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Guggenheim Museum
- City Cruises
- Edge at Hudson Yards
This is the new C-ALL Pass from Go City. This is a bumper 10 attractions pass where you can visit all 10 attractions on the list. For 10 attractions this is a super low price and really does offer an awful lot for the money.
The problem with the City Pass is it was too rigid, and the C-All helps overcome this by offering a larger range of attractions but retaining a low price. If you visited all 10 attractions you would save $170+ dollars, but even if you only visit 8 or 9 you are still saving abundle.
All the Attractions are top quality and largly must-see attractions. This is defaintely a relly interesting ne contender that we will be looking at more closely soon.
Option 4 – THE NEW YORK PASS
- Product: THE NEW YORK PASS
- Price: $134-$339 (13+)*
- Price Child: $99-$224 (3-12yrs)*
- Where to Buy: www.newyorkpass.com
- Number of Attractions: 90+ Unlimited use
- Time Limit: 1-10 Days
- Expiry: 1-year with 365-Day Free Cancellation
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5/5 Stars
Best for:
Those who want to see and do EVERYTHING!!
Attractions Included:
- Empire State Building Experience
- American Museum of Natural History
- MOMA
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- The Edge – Hudson Yards
- One World Observatory
- Guggenheim Museum
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Hornblower Cruises
- + Over 100 more, Click here for all activities
Pros –
- REALLY Comprehensive
- Nearly EVERY New York Attraction Included
- Potential for Colossal Savings
- Potential to See Imense Amounts of New York
Cons –
- Expensive
- Consecutive Days Mean cramming quite a lot in
- Tendency to Rush Around the City Cramming
Pricing: See Here for up-to-date Pricing
The New York Pass is quite unique compared to the others in so much as it’s Unlimited! You pay for the number of days you want and then just fill your boots. The pass is quite expensive and unless you opt for the 3-day pass or more we would say poor value. You just can’t really fit enough attractions in such a short space of time to justify the Price Per Day cost.
The one-day pass costs $143 per day and the two-day Pass is $90 per day. That is too high to really get good value out of it and we would opt for the Explorer Pass instead. However, at $68-$34 per day, the longer Passes offer great value.
While the 10-Day Pass is very expensive it does offer an incredible amount for the price. Just about every imaginable New York Attraction is covered and you can easily recoup the outlay by only visiting 2-3 attractions per day.
All the headline Attractions are included. Such as 4 Observations Decks, 911 Museum, Statue Cruise, the Museums, The Ride, Big Bus Tour, etc… But also a whole heap of tours and walks and these are of questionable value. All these can be done for free on your own with a little research. It all depends on the type of person you are. Do you want to find and explore yourself or just be shown by a professional guide? While we love self-guiding we do always find, and learn ,a lot more when we follow a professional guide, and they often make touring a whole lot of fun!
With so many attractions included, it can be a little overwhelming trying to cram so much in. People often look a the lists of things to do and imagine themselves doing far more than they can in reality. This leads to disappointment when they fail to pack in as much as they hoped and the savings seem less. Still, most people can save A LOT of money using this pass! We will take a look at some example itineraries below.
This is the best option if you want to do everything. Leaving New York with no stone unturned. You need to visit a lot of attractions on these passes to get your money’s worth, but if you do you will have seen and done an awful lot! You certainly will be getting a full New York experience! You are going to be wanting to do 2-4 things a day which could mean a hectic schedule! Ensure you plan things close to each other. Charging around New York can be an exhausting business. I felt like I’d run a marathon! (And I do run Marathons so know what that feels like!)
As with the other passes at a lot of attractions, the pass counts as a ticket so Ticket lines can be skipped. When busy, the lines in New York can be horrendous, so anything that can save time is a godsend. Don’t expect full VIP privileges, where you simply walk straight in, but several queue lines can be avoided. With the Pass stored directly on your phone, it couldn’t be easier to use either.
Like with the City pass the one snarl-up was the 911 Museum which only allows so many Pass entries a day, we also had issues at the One World Observatory, the next available time was a couple of hours away, which didn’t fit our schedule. We opted to upgrade and get instant entry, but the best option is to visit the Observatory and Museum early on and secure your entry times for later on in the day. This issue is the same for ALL passes.
Really the only thing not to like is the pricing, it is a big outlay. It will still save you tons of cash though if you want to see and do everything. We would suggest lighter users look at the CityPASS, Explorer Pass, or the SightseeingFlexi Pass as these are more geared toward seeing fewer sights at a more relaxed pace.
*Note: Pricing for this can be quirky the Pass is in a perpetual sale where cards of 3 Days or over are continually discounted. Be sure to check you are receiving a big discount on cards over 3-Days, Typically around 20% or more. This is a deliberate sales tactic and as such we don’t really recommend the 1 or 2 Day cards as they are priced to make you choose a 3-day card.
<<< Read our Full Practical Review here >>>
Option 5 – Go City New York Explorer Pass
- Product: Go City New York Explorer Pass
- Price: $65 – $229
- Price Child: $51 – $175 (Child 3-12yrs)
- Where to Buy: GOCity.com
- Number Of Attractions: Choose 2/3/4/ 5/ 7/ 10 out of 80+ Attractions
- Time Limit: 60 consecutive days
- Expiry – 2 Years from Purchase – 90-day No-Quibble Return
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8/5
Best for:
For people who want a more relaxed trip where the quality of attractions means more than the quantity!
Attractions Included:
- Empire State Building Experience
- American Museum of Natural History
- MOMA
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- The Edge – Hudson Yards
- One World Observatory
- Guggenheim Museum
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Hornblower Cruises
- Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus New York Tour
- + Many more, Click here for all activities
Pros –
- REALLY Comprehensive
- Nearly EVERY New York Attraction Included
- Potential for great Savings
- Huge Choice of Top Attractions
- Relaxed, Sight See at your own Pace
Cons –
- Limited Savings when choosing low priced attractions
- Need to know exactly how many attractions toy wich to visit
Go City is the world-leading City Pass provider and offers fantastic attraction pass options for Cities all over the world. New York is no exception and they offer a number of Pass Options to suit most travelers. (The NEW YORK PASS Above is now owned by Go City)
The Explorer Pass is a very good option with 80+ really top attractions and plenty of opportunities to save a bundle and get the most out of the City. The Pass really covers most of the top options from Observation Decks, Museums, Guided Tours, and Bus tours. It also covers the more touristy options such as Madam Tussauds and the Ride. This makes the pass a bit lighter than the CityPASS which is very Museum Based.
With the Explorer Pass, you pick how many attractions you wish to see, from the list of 80+ but you only choose which attractions you visit when you get there. So say you pick a 7 attraction pass every time you visit an attraction and scan the pass, the number left is reduced by one.
| Price | 2 Choices | 3 Choices | 4 Choices | 5 Choices | 6 Choices | 7 Choices | 10 Choices |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | $75 | $104 | $139 | $164 | $184 | $204 | $252 |
| Child | $60 | $85 | $105 | $124 | $139 | $155 | $200 |
| Per Choice | $37.50 | $34.66 | $34.75 | $32.80 | $30.66 | $29.14 | $25.20 |
The Explorer Pass works well if you really don’t know what it is you are going to want to see. People who have a fairly open plan and want to see where the mood takes them but save some money and have a simple way to visit paid attractions as they come up.
The Pass is an Electronic pass. A QR Code is stored on your phone or downloaded and printed off meaning there is no messing around with delivery or picking up booklets when you arrive. There are over 80+ attractions included in the card so chances are there will be something for everyone on the Pass.
As you choose the number of attractions as opposed to days it means you can have a much more relaxed trip and spend time doing whatever it is you want as opposed to rushing around only doing attractions that are on your pass, simply to get value for money. We advise only doing a maximum of three attractions per day and more realistically two. so if you are on a 3-day trip a 7-attraction pass may be a bit much. Really you would need 4 days to cram in 7 attractions at least.
The 10 Attraction pass really needs a full week in the City to make use of all those attractions.
The beauty of this approach is you don’t need to feel bad about not doing attractions at any point. If you want to spend the afternoon in Central Park you are not losing attraction time as you would be with the all-inclusive passes.
It also offers a lot of flexibility. Not choosing your attractions upfront means you can chop and change your plans based on external factors. Maybe the weather is really bad and you just don’t want to go up the empire state building to look at the inside of a cloud. With the explorer pass, you just visit somewhere else instead, such as the indoor Museums. Or like on our last trip, the weather was bad and we hit the Museums, but around Midday the skies cleared and we headed straight to the top of the rock for a killer Sunset!
We really like the Go City Explorer Pass it seems to offer the best comprise of flexibility, inclusivity, and Value. The CityPASS works great if the set attractions are the ones that suit you best, But the Explorer Pass Offers so much choice and flexibility and is comparable on price! It’s also a much better option for those looking for fun, touristy trip. There are NO attractions on the CityPASS that are not on the Explorer (And New York Pass), but the same cannot be said in reverse.
We also regularly have Promo Codes for the Explorer Pass and this makes the Pass even Better Value!
| Price | 1 Day | 2 Day | 3 Day | 4 Day | 5 Day | 7 Day | 10 Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | $143 | $189 | $229 | $264 | $294 | $334 | $371 |
| Child | $60 | $85 | $105 | $124 | $139 | $155 | $200 |
| Per Day | $143 | $94 | $76 | $66 | $58 | $47 | $37 |
<<< Read Our Full Practical Review here >>>
Check Our Promo code page to see if you could save even more!!!
Check out our Promo Code Page to see if you could save EVEN more when Purchasing a Go New York Explorer Pass. Click here to check out our available discount codes. or Click the Reveal button Below to Unlock our BEST current Code!
Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the Go New York Explorer Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page
Option 6 Go City New York All Inclusive
- Product: Go City New York All-Inclusive Pass
- Price: $134-$339 (13+)*
- Price Child: $99-$224 (3-12yrs)*
- Where to Buy: GoCity.com
- Number of Attractions: 90+ Unlimited use
- Time Limit: 1-10 Days
- Expiry: 2 Years From Purchase – 90-Day Cancellation
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5/5 Stars
Best for:
Those who want to see and do EVERYTHING!!
Attractions Included:
- Empire State Building Experience
- American Museum of Natural History
- MOMA
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- The Edge – Hudson Yards
- One World Observatory
- Guggenheim Museum
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Hornblower Cruises
- + Over 100 more, Click here for all activities
This is the New Pass from the Go City team and one that looks strikingly similar to the NEW YORK PASS. It has the same attractions, the same price, and the same conditions. It is almost a carbon copy.
This is not overly surprising really as Go City is also the company behind the NEW YORK PASS. So really there isn’t a whole load to say about this pass that we haven’t said above about the NEW YORK PASS.
However, we do find the Promo Codes are more stable for the Go City Pass so you can bag a Discount code here to make it even better value.
| Price | 1 Day | 2 Day | 3 Day | 4 Day | 5 Day | 7 Day | 10 Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Adult | $143 | $189 | $229 | $264 | $294 | $334 | $371 |
| Child | $60 | $85 | $105 | $124 | $139 | $155 | $200 |
| Per Choice | $143 | $94 | $76 | $66 | $58 | $47 | $37 |
Option 7 – The New York Sightseeing Pass – Flex Pass
- Price: $74 – $264
- Price Child: $51 – $209
- Where to Buy: The New York Sightseeing Pass
- Number of Attractions: Unlimited from over 150+ Attractions
- Time Limit: Choose 2 /3 / 4 / 5 / 6 / 7/ 10 / 12
Attraction Pass - Expiry: 2 Years or Full Moneyback Guarantee with optional insurance costing 4% 0f the Value
- Rating: ⭐1/5 Stars
- Full Review here
Best for:
Another time
Attractions Included:
- One World Observatory
- American Museum of Natural History
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Museum Modern Art
- Hop-on, Hop-off Bus Bonus
- + Many more, Click here for all activities
Unfortunately, the Sightseeing Pass Products seem to have suffered pretty badly with the Pandemic shutdown.
We don’t really like doing this as the Sightseeing Pass seemed a really good product and any competition on works best for the consumer, but we have strong reservations about the Sightseeing Pass Products ATM.
Since the Pandemic, we have heard an alarming number of tales of people not getting into the attractions that are listed on the Pass. They have been slow to update their information and when attractions have stopped working with the pass they have not removed them from the list.
This is a lesser problem with the New York Sight SeeingPass but there are still issues with the information being updated slowly, in a really fast-moving environment in New York and there are some attractions, usually the less popular ones that are still listed but not accepted.
The Big hitters still accept the pass and most people still have a good experience with the New York Sightseeing Pass but we see very few reasons to choose it over the passes we have already mentioned.
The Flex Pass is most directly comparable to the New York Explorer Pass, and really we would advise that over the Flex pass at least until the dust settles.
Check out our in-depth review of the New York Sightseeing Pass!
Option 8 – The New York Sightseeing Pass – Day Pass
- Price: $129 – $359
- Price Child: $99 – $229
- Where to Buy: The New York Sightseeing Pass
- Number of Attractions: Unlimited from over 150+ Attractions
- Duration: 1,2,3,4,5,6,7 or 10 Days all-Inclusive
- Time Limit: Consecutive Days
- Expiry: 2 Years or Full Moneyback guarantee with optional insurance costing 4% 0f the Value
- Rating:⭐1/5 Stars
- Full Review here
Best for:
Another Time
Attractions Included:
- One World Observatory
- American Museum of Natural History
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- The Edge Observation Deck
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Museum Modern Art
- Hop-on, Hop-off Bus for the duration of the Pass
- + Many more, Click here for all activities
Unfortunately, the Day Pass has exactly the same issues and reservations as the Flex Pass. The Sightseeing Passes just do not seem to be offering the stability we expect from a Pass Product. We would hate for you to get to an attraction and not get in as you purchased a pass we recommended. And the chances of this happening with the Sightseeing Pass are too high.
The New York Sightseeing Day Pass is the All-Inclusive Rival to the New York Pass and until things settle down and the pass sorts things out one way or another our advice is to stick to that if you are looking for an All-Inclusive Pass.
Check out our in-depth review of the New York Sightseeing Pass!
If you purchased a Sightseeing Pass and are worried it might not be valid for the attractions you want, why not fire off an Email to the Attractions you plan on visiting and they will let you know. Unfortunately, responses from the Sightseeing Pass themselves have been slow to none existent.
So Which Is The Best New York Pass?
- Go City New York Explorer Pass – $75 – $252 – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.8/5 Stars
- Go City New York All Inclusive – $143-371 – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5/5 Stars
- New York CityPASS – $129 – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5/5 Stars
- THE NEW YORK PASS – $143 – $371 – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5/5 Stars
- New York CityPASS C3 – $92 – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.3/5 Stars
- The New York Sightseeing Pass – Flexi Pass – $ 75 – $284 -⭐1/5 Stars
- The New York Sightseeing Pass – DayPass – $ 144 – $369 – ⭐1/5 Stars
- New York CityPASS C-All – $189 – ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5/5 Stars
As you can see there are a lot of complex confusing choices when it comes to picking the right pass for you. It’s simply not possible to tell you what pass is best. It depends on so many factors.
For sheer value the CityPASS is unbeatable. But it only works if the rather limited list of attractions matches your list of must-sees. The attractions are all the best in the City but they are pretty serious. The other passes have a lot more fun attractions to keep the trip lighter. We adore New Yorks’ Museums, but a mix of culture and fun is more our style!
People who love to do and see everything will love the New York Pass. However, you need to be careful not to overstretch yourself as there are only so many hours in the day. We sometimes prefer to have a more relaxed trip and do other free attractions where no pass is needed, like central park, the High Line or just shopping or Exploring.
This leads us to the Go City Explorer pass. The Explorer Pass offers pretty much all the benefits of the All-inclusive passes but is better suited to people who want to properly explore the city as well as visit paid attractions. You can happily spend time not using the pass safely in the knowledge you are not wasting precious “pass” time by doing things your way. However, the possible savings are far greater on the NEW YORK PASS!
Let’s look at an example to see how you can decide for your trip!
Working Example
Essentially you need to decide what it is on the Passes that appeals. You can then build an itinerary around that to see how much you want to fit into your trip.
Let’s say you are in the City for 4 nights. That’s 2 half days and 3 full days. You want to do the following attractions
- Big Bus Tour – $59.99
- Empire State – $48
- Top Of The Rock – $43.50
- The Edge – $43.50
- Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island – $24
- American Museum of Natural History – $28
- 9/11 Museum – $28
Total – $275
This rules out the CityPASS as some of these attractions are not covered. You will need a 7 Attractions Pass or a 3 Day Pass to cover your attractions So your options are:
Explorer Pass – $184 saving $91
New York Pass – $189 Saving $86
Go City All Inclusive – $189 Saving $86
Sightseeing Flex – $184 Saving $91
Sightseeing Day – $ 189 Saving $86
Now on the face of it, the Explorer Pass and Sightseing Flex Pass Are the Winners, saving the most. It also means you could spread the attractions out more evenly over the days. The Day passes mean you can only visit attractions during the middle three days as these are your full days.
However the All-Inclusive Passes are only $6 more expensive, you only need to visit one more attraction, maybe One World Observatory, MOMA, or Madam Tussaud’s (or all three) to blow apart the Attractions Based Passes. And to be honest we have suggested a very light itinerary. So you need to consider which is more valuable Attractions visited or time to space out your visits?
If you are on a very limited timescale the New York C3 pass offers a very cheap pass allowing only 3 choices so most people can fit this into their plans. While we much prefer the More Comprehensive passes which offer a much more immersive experience we appreciate some people don’t have time for too many attractions or simply want to immerse themselves in the free attractions in the city and just see a few of the headline attractions. For this the C3 is excellent.
Do We Need A Pass At ALL?
Whichever you choose we personally think a Pass is a very good option. Hopefully, the above information can help you choose the pass best suited to your needs. Remember the point of a pass is to save money and make your trip BETTER. To enable the Holy Grail of seeing more and paying less. If any pass is not going to achieve that it’s the wrong choice. Don’t be a slave to the Pass. Make sure your trip is exactly what you want it to be.
Price Comparisons
One of the easiest ways of deciding is by direct price comparison. We split these into two as there is no way to directly compare the different types of Passes.
Attraction-Based Passes:
| Number Of Attractions | Explorer Pass | Sightseeing Flex | CityPASS/C3/C-ALL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | $75 | $74.00 | |
| 3 | $104 | $104 | $87 |
| 4 | $139 | $139 | |
| 5 | $164 | $164 | |
| 6 | $184 | $184 | $136 |
| 7 | $284 | $204 | |
| 10 | $252 | $254 | $189 |
| 12 | $284 |
Day Based Passes
| Number Of Days | NEW YORK PASS | Go City All Inclusive | Sightseeing Day |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | $143 | $143 | $144 |
| 2 | $189 | $189 | $189 |
| 3 | $229 | $229 | $229 |
| 4 | $264 | $264 | $264 |
| 5 | $294 | $294 | $294 |
| 6 | $314 | ||
| 7 | $334 | $334 | $334 |
| 10 | $371 | $371 | $369 |
As you can see current Pricing slightly favors the NEW YORK PASS, the Go City Pass Explorer Pass, and the CityPASS. But it is worth remembering these prices fluctuate quite a bit with varying sales, offers, and Promo Codes.
Have Your Say?
Let us know if you have used a City Pass while visiting New York. Which pass did you use? did you feel you got good value? Feel Free to ask any other questions you have about the passes. Just use the comments section below.
Wow! This is a great post for anyone wanting to travel to New York City. We oftentimes travel to NH for the summer, but never venture to NYC because of the cost to see and do all that we want. I am super excited to see this post with all the passes for families!
I have bookmarked this site and will return when I am ready to travel this next summer. Thank you! I didn’t know all these pass options were available.
Hi Kerri that’s Great. NYC Is truly something everyone should see its a great city. It can however get rather expensive so I can understand the reluctance. Hope this pass help with saving money. Of course there is plenty to see and do in New York that doesn’t cost anything at all.
I’m sure you will love the city. 55+ million visitors a year can’t all be wrong !
Hello,
I really appreciate all of the info you have provided.
I’m sure it will help me make my mind up on what me and my family will go and do when we get there.
I do have a question about option one of the passes.
$116 is that for each adult and what are the age limit that they consider you an adult?
The $92 for children, Is that for each child and would you clarify the age limit please?
Thank you for all your help.
Hi Jason thanks for the question. Adults are 18+ Children are aged 6-17 and it is per child. Anyone under 6 can get into most attractions free and some are heavily reduced meaning a pass is no longer good value.
I’m glad you think My post will be of help. Hope you get to have the best trip you can in New York its such a great City. check back for my full hands review of the CityPASS (option 1) which will be posted in the the next few days!
Wish I had seen this before visiting NY. I paid way too much by seeing them individually. The ‘build your own’ would have been my preference because I wasn’t interested in some of the other places.
I was thinking of planning a trip with my family which includes people over 60. Do you know if students and retired people get discounts on these passes?
Hi Sorry to hear you didn’t know about the passes before hand. I do hear that quite a bit. So hopefully we can help raise awareness and save people some money.
The Build your own is very good for those who know exactly what they want to see when that itinerary doesn’t fit the other passes.
Unfortunately the Passes do not offer senior or student discount. the passes are only discounted for children.
I didn’t know there were tourist passes that we can use in New York City. This seems like a great way to save a lot of money, especially if we are planning to visit many tourist attractions.
I would definitely choose to buy the “Build your own” pass, as it gives me the flexibility to plan out my own trip around the city, according to my budget.
Great review!
Hi Thanks for reading.
Its a common theme that people don’t know about the passes so Glad we made you aware of them. The Build your own pass is definitely a good option as you only pay for what you really want to see. As you say it provide maximum flexibility.
Hi Steve,
I think it would be a great experience going to New York. I’ve have never been there. Maybe there may come a time in the future for me to make such a trip. I have a niece and her family who went to New York and she said they did a lot of walking.
You mentioned a few of the attractions I would love to go, such as the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and many of the Museums.
One museum I just learned about is in NY called Neue Galerie Museum that holds an art portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer covered in gold. It was a painting stolen by the Nazis during the war and recovered years later by Adele’s niece Maria Altmann. The story is in a movie title “Woman in Gold” .
Hi Rosa,
Yes New York is a great experience. I hop you make it one day in the not so distant future. The New York Passes cover most attractions in New York, on either pass or another. Unfortunately the Neue Galerie Museum is not one of the included museums. Its has a $30 suggested entry fee.
I have seen the Movie and do plan on visiting at some point.
I appreciate that you took the time to write about this from a cost/value perspective. As someone who has never been to New York, it gives me an idea just how big the city is and what’s there to explore.
Back in 2013, I was making plans to visit because I had a friend who stayed in the city (could get lodging for free). I was thinking about 5 to 7 days and she did mentioned that if I want to see the whole of New York, I need to stay there for a month. Now I understood what she meant, after reading this article.
Unfortunately, she has relocated to another country so it would be great if you could offer some tips on where to find for budget lodgings in NY for long term stay. Thanks!
Hi Your friend is right, and probably even understating it. To see everything would take a lifetime! With effort a short trip can pack in an awful lot, but it tend to be very touristic, a longer stay helps you get a real feel for the city and how people actually live there.
For long Stay rentals you can look at AirBnB While this is not technically allowed for short stay for over a month it is fine. You can also try HomeAway or VBRO as most people on there will allow longer lettings while still offering the customer some protection. Other than that its down to the old fashioned way Craigslist etc. but this comes with risks. Not overly recommended. To keep costs down staying away from the centre would be beneficial. For short stays it pays to be close, but with more time you don’t need to worry about spending some time on the subway.
Glad you enjoyed our article Hope you really enjoy your Visit. A month in NYC is a Dream trip for sure!
Hi Steve!
Wow! That’s some useful information to save some money and make the most of Nwe York City!
I didn’t know there were some many options to see all the important places there. You can even make your own selection “a la carte”, that’s great!
Thanks for the info!
Hi thanks for reading,
Yes the market for Pass’s is quite varied and competitive, this is good for the customer as it ensures lower prices and a good offering, each pass having its own Unique Selling Point, so there is sure to be a Pass for every need. Hopefully our guide helps our readers find the right pass for them.
I’m considering coming to see New York in the next month and found your advice on New York passes was valuable advice. I travel on a budget and appreciate your site’s perspective on passes they seem inexpensive in comparison to buying individual tickets. Also, I had no idea there were so many things to do that were free. Thanks
Wade
Hi Wade,
Thanks for reading, glad we have been able to save you money. Yes New York is full of free things to do read our Things to Do in New York City for Free Article for more info on the best free things to do in New york
I was in New York 24 years ago with my husband, and it’s been on my mind to do the trip back to New York. Sadly, my husband is deceased, but I have fond memories in New York with him.
I’m more interested in building my own pass so that I can pick and choose what I want. I actually have a friend who just left for New York for 10 days holiday and I wished I had seen your post earlier so I could pass on to her as well.
Great passes and I’ll let you know when one I choose!
Thank you! Your article is a great help…
hi Monica, glad our guide has been helpful. Sorry you didn’t find it sooner for your friend, but we are sure she will have a great time regardless, it just may cost a little more.
Yes please let us know which you choose and have a fantastic trip.
I too wish I had known about these on my first couple of visits to NYC as a tourist.
I have been 7 times now and still haven’t seen all of these attractions.
I often joke that one could never see all of NYC ‘s best in the first couple of visits. After seeing this post I now believe it IS possible. Many Thanks!
Hi Tracy, Sorry you have only just discovered these passes, we really do believe they offer great value. To be Honest, we are not sure you could EVER see everything NYC has to offer, but these passes help you get a fantastic Start!
Maybe you could try one next time you visit, We are sure if you have been 7 times a few more trips must be on the cards!
I have always wanted to visit New York City but it does seem so incredibly expensive. Typically for holiday I tend to goes places that are cheaper than where i Live like Mexico or something. The passes however would make the attractions much more affordable for my family and more fun for me as I wouldn’t be simply worrying about my checking account!
Indeed it is a very expensive place to visit, but as you say careful budgeting and use of attraction passes allows you too keep the costs manageable while having the duel benefit of knowing how much you are going to spend. We are sure your family would love a trip to New York as it is such a great City.
But we love Mexico too, it’s one of our favourite Relaxation destinations!
New York is one of the cities my partner and I are yet to experience, but definitely high on our list of places to visit. We have heard so much about this great city and its many wonderful attractions. We’ve been told by friends that there is just so much to do in NYC, so knowing about these passes is great because we would love to see them all without breaking the bank! Thanks for breaking it down for us, it’s been very helpful!
Hi Alicia, New York is one of those places that no matter how much you here or how big the hype is it still won’t disappoint. It really is the type of place that has to be seen to be believed. Not many places really live up to the hype but NYC really does!
Hope you decide to make use of a pass on your upcoming visit, as you really can save an awful lot of money if you are planning on seeing everything. We hope you have a fantastic time!
I have often thought about Pass passes when I come to cities I don´t know very well. Most of the time I haven´t got it but on same time don´t understand why I didn´t do it!
Because I like the idea, but the reason I don´t have so often bought it is that I´m not sure how quick are between places to have the benefit of it. Because I don´t know how much time I spend in each place. I get the feeling, sometimes you are much longer on the special place than expected and visa verse.
So, I have newer gone to New York but it in my bucket list. If I decided that I want to see 10 places very good (museum, famous places etc) and have 10 days, what New York Pass do you recommended?
Hi, I understand your reservations. Buying a pass can mean being tied to it and limiting the flexibility of your trip. But it doesn’t have to be that way. We find the structure required to get the most of the pass means we simply fit more into a day. We only use it as an outline for the trip.
It sound to us like the best pass for your trip would be a 10 attraction New York Explorer Pass. for $199 pp this would give you 30 days to see any 10 attractions you like from the list in your own time. The New York Pass would also suit you, but 10 days is a whopping $320 and more suited to those who want to do EVERYTHING! We would advise maybe doing more than 1 attraction per day as that way you can have a few “off” days where you can recover and relax. New York can be quite a FULL ON place!
Hi Steve,
Great article, I really liked the reading!
I was in New York a few years ago, and I stayed there for about a year. My friend and I wanted to venture to the USA and to be honest; we had such fun. I felt incredibly overwhelmed in New York as it is quite big and there were so many street avenues to remember. I wish I would have had a guide back then:). I did skate ice down the Empire State Building; it was so fun! I knew there were so many things to do in New York, but I didn’t know what to do. So we’ve missed a lot! I will go back, and this time I’ll plan my trip correctly!
I have bookmarked this article so that I won’t miss a thing anymore!
Thank you very much for this excellent post!
Hi Daniella,
Thanks for reading Glad you enjoyed it. Sounds like quite an adventure you had! Yes New York can certainly feel overwhelming It is So big and So incredibly Busy. But With proper planning it is a doddle! Glad you plan to use our site to plan your next trip. It can be a completely different experience visiting a city as opposed to living there!
Hello there
Thank you for providing so much great information about new York City. This article is providing a lot of great insights about the greatest city in the world.
This pass can really be helpful in getting to know this special city in a affordable way, without being cheated by anyone.
Thanks a lot for this great information
Cheers
Orion
Hi Orion,
Thanks for reading. Yes that is one point we don’t mention. All the companies providing these passes are reputable companies, where as the streets of New York are lined with tout’s and ticket sellers who, while some maybe perfectly legit, can have questionable motives who knows when its just some random guy on the street!
It always felt reassuring to just walk past them saying a polite no thank you we are all sorted for tickets.
Thanks again for reading, glad you enjoyed
I visited New York a few years back, and I wish I had known about the passes. The costs can quickly add up for sure if you plan on visiting several of the attractions. I know first hand. So, we ended up not doing a lot of the stuff I wanted to. I would love to go back, and will definitely get a pass this time!
Hi, Thanks for reading,
Yep the Cost of the attraction is certainly quite high, and only going up! The best thing about these passes is not the money saving particularly but the fact that saving allows you to do MORE than you would have without the pass. Some people only get one chance to visit places like New York so it’s essential they leave with no regrets. Having a pass really helps you see everything you really want to a City.
We Hope you get to go back and experience everything you wanted to the first time!
Great write-up about new York City. This article is really helpful for the people who want to visit New York. Touring New Your City is quite costly. You have showed us the way how travelers can save great amount of money by simple choosing ‘Pass’. Choosing the city pass means lots of saving as well as lots of time.
Do provide us more such informative article.
Hi Himbru,
Glad you agree the passes on offer will off time and money savings. New York is indeed a very expensive City to visit and anything that helps reduce that cost is a bonus. Having a pass really helps make the most of peoples limited budgets and time spent in the city.
Hope you have a great trip!
I never got the chance to visit NYC but I always wanted to and will be sure to visit there if I got the chance!
One thing I certainly have never thought of was having to choose between multiple different passes and seeing the ups and downs for each one makes it a bit hard to decide.
I can definitely see why you felt the CityPASS suits you best since it is the cheapest and has you satisfied enough with what it offers.
After doing some thinking, I would probably agree with that since it would be my first visit there and that the CityPASS seems to provide plenty for those who are just visiting there.
My question is, which attractions have you visited so far with that pass and which of them were your favorite? Also, are there any more in particular you are looking forward on seeing during your next visit?
Hi, Arie
We have visited all the attractions offered on the CityPASS and we must say it is very hard to choose a favourite. The Empire state Building experience is probably the ONE we would say everyone visiting should not miss. The view from up there is just staggering, truly beyond imagination. But missing out on the Statue Cruise would be a big shame! Really the 911 Museum is something everyone should visit once it’s an incredible monument to the victims of that fateful day. Choosing only one of those 3 is very difficult!
Hope you get to visit soon, Glad you feel a pass would be good value to you. The difficulty in choosing is really a testament to what great offerings the companies behind the passes offers.
Thanks for reading.
It’s funny that now New York has passes to see multiple different attractions. How long has this been going on? I am from New York and when I saw all of New York’s attractions when I was younger we just went from one attraction to the other and sometimes waited long periods of time. I like Option 2 NY Pass. It appears you get to see a lot of attractions and the price is not bad at all. Although, the build your own seems like a better idea when your time in New York is limited. Great article and great info!
Hi Shwana,
Passes have been a thing in New York for quite a while now and as prices of attractions have continued to grow they have become big business. Glad to here you like some of the options available.
Nice to hear from a genuine New Yorker.
Hi There
Thank you for the valuable information you provide about new york city.
having lived in the city for many years and understanding the system I can appreciate the wide variety of information that you offer.
Passes comparison can be priceless as there are many on offer and to boil down the options to the best deals can be extremely useful
Thanks a lot
cheers
Hi Orion,
It’s great always to hear from real New Yorkers who agree with our comparisons and reviews. Nothing better than a blessing from people on the ground.
Thanks for reading
Wow, what a useful guide for exploring NYC. I am comparing options 1 and 2 but the first seems like a much better value. What is the benefit to the second option compared to the first? Also, of all these options, do any include transportation between attractions or just the admission to the attraction? If not, what do you recommend for getting around the city while traveling on a budget? Thanks for the help!
Hi Courtney,
The Second option (New York Pass) is an unlimited card, you can visit as many attractions as you like from and extensive list. It’s great for seeing and doing everything. The First (New York CityPASS) is much cheaper but only has a limited number of attractions available. You have very little choice and can just visit the 6 attractions specified. These are very high quality attractions though and most people have these on their lists.
Unfortunately no passes offer transport between the attractions. The New York Pass (2) and the Explorer pass (3) offer a hop on hop off bus for one or two days to get around but really these are not great for transport. To get around the City Cheaply we use the Subway. Its quick, easy and cheap. have a look at our Guide to getting around New York City.
Thanks for reading
Hi there,
many thanks for your contributions, I have never been to NewYork and hope to go there soon. I’ll definitely keep your review in mind when going there. I have found the prices to be a bit high, especially that the attractions include many Museums (here in London things are free). But I guess that’s the way things are over there and no one is obliged to visit all attractions. That being said, if once there, my wife will convince me otherwise. Cheers!
Hi El,
Hope you get to visit New York Soon. It is definitely an expensive City to visit but it is well worth it. Yes the Prices for individual attractions are quite expensive, Which is one of the reasons we advocate the pass as it can seriously reduce the cost of a trip.
Thanks for reading
Thank you for the breakdown of each pass in NYC. My brother went to NYC recently; I’m sure he was unaware of this option. It would have saved him a ridiculous amount of money.
Personally, I love museums, so I think the option where you can choose 9 different attractions would be awesome if I had a week, as I do not want to spend all my time having to get my money’s worth.
Not all that wander are lost, after all.
Absolutely, there is so much to see and do in New York that is free. It would be a terrible shame to go and just visit paid attractions. But some of the paid attractions are so goo you should include some. Which is where the pass comes in. Either the New York CityPASS or New York Explorer pass pass are great for this as you are getting a fix number so don’t have to rush about to cram everything in. Giving you ample time to just wander and see what you find.
A word of caution though, it can be a fine line in New York between wandering and being lost, especially in Central Park lol.
Shame Your Brother didn’t find out about the pass in time. Hope you have a great trip, and a good wander when you finally make it to New York City.
I have visited NYC on three separate occasions and just could not figure where to go except shopping around time square. I was just talking to my girlfriend this morning about taking a trip to NYC soon. She travels a lot but she has not been to NYC as of yet so we are going to be planning a trip soon so the NYC passes will definitely be the way to go. I absolutely love this website it gives so much information as far as passes goes. As soon as we finish our trip i will make sure to get back with you and tell you how it goes.
Hi Jamillah,
Thanks for the kind words, It would be great to hear back from you on how your trip goes and what you think of the Pass!
New York is a big sprawling metropolis and it really can be hard to plan out a trip, We had the exact same problem when we first visited and that was the inspiration for this site. We knew we wanted to go to New York but had no real idea of what to do and see when we were there and google struggled to give us the answers. Really buying a PASS was the best decision we made and it really helped us see the City. Not just the Attractions but it put us in different areas of the City (to visit and attraction) and we could explore further from there.
Hope you enjoy your next visit, but we are sure you will.
Thanks for reading
Steve
Hello Steve;
My friend has been to New York three times in the past year. I am so jealous! I’m determined to go sometime in the coming year.
I did not know anything about passes. So this is a perfect post to let me compare which would be the best deal and most suitable. I won’t have any children with me, so that narrows it down a bit.
I kind of like the idea of building my own, but I think I will need to firm up my plans and time limit a bit more before I decide.
I will def bookmark your info and come back when I have my dates in place to make a decision on which New York pass is best for me.
Thanks for all the great details! Makes my job easier.
Stella 🙂
Hi Stella,
You are right to be jealous as New York is a really fabulous destination! We do hope you make it there soon. I can be an expensive place though so it’s great to hear you think the passes will be of use to save some money.
Remember with the Explorer pass, you choose the number of attractions so this is essentially a build your own pass only with added flexibility. Compare the prices against the build your own to see which is cheaper. Normally Build you own is more expensive but there are some attractions on there that are not on the explorer pass.
Thanks for reading and let us know if you have any other questions or if we can help in finsing the cheapest way for you to get to New York?
Steve
Hey Steve,
All I can say is Wow. This website is exactly what I have been looking for. I love that you have structured these packages in a way that travelers like myself are able to understand. Coming from Germany, I do not have the local knowledge like you have to know what I am getting myself into when planning a trip to the Big Apple.
New York can be pretty all year round but in your opinion, what time of year will be the best to make the trip across the Atlantic to visit?
Thanks for your insider knowledge.
Rich
Hi Rich,
Glad you like the post.
Yeah having a pass really can help with planning a trip to New York. The first time we visited we didn’t know what the hell we actually wanted to do, without a pass it would have been a case of wandering around with no real idea!
New York is best at Christmas. It just is magical at that time of year! But out side of that Autumn is very pretty. Summer is very hot and stifling and winter can be cruelly cold but autumn is still warm but pleasantly so and the autumn colours really standout against the buildings. Spring is nice too but Autumn pips it.
Have a great trip
Steve
Wow so much information thats amazing. I never thought about tourist passes. But that makes total sense, no need to get lost trying to find places to go.
I think I’d rather make a list of places to visit and visit them myself, Tourist passes are great for people that may have a language barrier, or those that have no clue how to use google maps. Not dissing anyone that loves tourist passes because everyone likes their own thing, but me personally ya know.
We think you might be slightly missing the point?
Speaking English and being able to use Google maps doesn’t enable you to save 55%+ on the entry prices does it ?
Honestly these Passes have a lot of advantages, but there MAIN selling point is they offer huge discounts over just paying at each attraction. Without that we would not recommend them but they can save you a bundle which means you are far more likely to see and do a whole lot MORE!
Thanks
Steve
I would personally choose the New York CityPass as the price and attractions offering match with my visiting plan.
I have never visited New York therefore this option allow me to visit 6 of the 9 attractions at reasonable price. New York to me is a big city and I would love to spend my quality times in this city.
Hi TYP,
We think the CityPASS is an excellent choice for first time visitors as it really covers all the “must see” attractions but doesn’t overwhelm and allows a lot of time to explore the city itself!
Have a great first trip to New York
Steve
Wow! This is a great post for anyone wanting to travel to New York City. We oftentimes travel to NH for the summer, but never venture to NYC because of the cost to see and do all that we want. I am super excited to see this post with all the passes for families. I wish the way i love those museums other people should do as well, so I think the option where you can choose 9 different attractions would be awesome.I have bookmarked this site and will return when I am ready to travel this next summer. Thank you! I didn’t know all these pass options were available and i don’t know that their are multiple passes in NEW YORK this is great and wonderful. Thanks once again!!
Hi BaraKat,
The is no doubt New York is expensive but it’s so worth it. As you say though with families costs really add up. But at least with a pass you know what you are spending up front and it’s a lot less than you would without.
New York’s Museums are truly world class and everyone should visit them at some point. The pass really helps facilitate this.
Hope you make it to New York soon
Steve
Thanks for this Article, I was so confused about the different passes available and it great to see them all laid out for what they are. I was looking at the Build Your own but ultimately the Explorer offers better value for the attractions I want to visit.
We have a few older people on our trip, 75+ so I was wondering do they offer Senior Discounts? And are there any Student Discounts?
Thank you again.
Hi,
Sorry, there are not Senior or Student Discounts. The Passes are already heavily discounted so they don’t offer further discounts for the elderly.
Great Choice on the Explorer Pass
Steve
In the description of the ‘New York Pass’, you mention that ‘the pass counts as a ticket so Ticket lines can be skipped’. What about the ‘New York City Explorer Pass’ i.e. does the skip-the-line feature hold true for this pass as well? Thank you.
Hi,
Yes, its does depend on the attraction, some you need to visit the ticket office first and get a timed ticket (Cruises, Top Of the Rock) others you head straight inside, (Empire State, 9/11 Museum), However it is the attraction that sets the rules, the passes all work pretty much the same as each other.
Steve
Thank you for your recommendation, I always would like to visit New York City, but don’t know where to visit, except the Statue of Liberty, Now I known there have passes options that I can choose, so that I don’t need to look for where to visit, because the pass will decide for me. The price is very competitive, and cheaper than other offers on travelling and ticketing websites. I will take a look on it.
Hi Ling,
Thanks for reading, Great to see the Passes are helping guide you planning. We find this is one of the best reasons for getting pass it really opens up your eyes to what is available in any city. We always use passes when visiting new cities as, like you, we only know the basics before our trips.
The pass really helps ou get under the skin of the City.
Have a great trip to New York when you finally make it,
Steve
As a former New Yorker, I still haven’t visited all of the places on the list! Yikes!! I always recommended a few of these to guests though, although I think a person would need a really long vacation to fully enjoy a visit to all of the places on the list. If the weather is clear, a trip to the top of the Empire State Building is a definite thing to see, as nothing compares to seeing the city transition from a beautiful cityscape to the iconic lit-up night skyline!
We have used these passes over several trips and still have not seen everything on the list! They really do offer an incredible amount of attractions
We hear all the time that locals in so many Cities do not regularly visit their own attractions. We ourselves have barely done any touristy things in our home city, but spend all our vacation time doing the tourist hotspots in other people’s cities!
The View from the Empire State rally is stunning and you are right, spending Sunset up high in New York is remarkable, the transition from Day to night is mindblowing!
Steve
I think that this is a very fair and balanced post.
I totally agree that some though needs to be put into this as passes are far from cheap.
It is essential to actually sit down and consider what the pass gives you and exactly how many of the attractions you are actually interested in. If the entrance costs of the ones you really want to visit is less than the pass cost, then it’s a no brainer, you don’t buy the pass.
Thanks for helping us think this through logically.
Hi Geoff,
Yep these are far from inexpensive and for families, it really can be a lot of cash, while it can save a lot more, in the long run, it’s still a bit outlay and essential you get it right.
There is a lot of choice and getting the right pass really makes or breaks your trip, that feeling of not getting value out of a product really sucks, and can take the shine off a trip.
We have always had great experiences when testing the passes and have saved a heap of cash so when you get it right they work great. But it pays to consider all the options!
I agree that one can enjoy the New York experience without paying for the pleasure. I love to visit Central Park, Times Square, Rockefeller Center, and the location of the twin towers. None of these cost any fee.
The places I paid to visit were the top of 1 Trade Center to enjoy the breathtaking views of the city from its newest tallest attraction. The other attractions I love to see are theatrical shows. But right now I believe these are closed because of the Omicron virus.
Doing it in this way actually saves money based on your article.
Cheers.
Edwin
Hi Edwin,
Yeah, there are considerable savings to be had when using the Pass. We always pack in the Free stuff as well but many paid attractions are just too good to miss, like the One World Observatory you mention, and that is not even the best of the observations decks!
Sounds like you had a a great time in the City, like most of us do, it really is an incredible place to visit
Steve
Great Site. I love Doing Passes when I visit cities. I even use them in my own city. In New York there is so much to see I wouldn’t even know where to start. I love that you not only have a list but they are links so I can purchase before I even go to the city and the fact that you try them out so I know what to expect is even better! Again Great Site!
Hi,
Great to hear from a Local. We often hear of people using passes in their own Cities especially when they have guests visiting. After all, people still like saving money at home as well as away!
Thanks for the kind words
Steve