What is the best New York pass to visit and discover the Big Apple? It's actually quite hard to answer this question – there are so many possibilities! I myself wondered several times during my first few stays in New York. My friends then started to ask me that very same question, and then it came from my readers... I therefore decided to write an article about the different passes to visit New York City. So here is my New York passes comparison! 🎫
These New York passes help save a lot of money and even avoid queuing to buy the different tickets individually at each attraction/monument. On average, you can save nearly 30% depending on your New York City visit schedule 👌
There are 4 different passes, which I will review right away in this article (update: the Freestyle Pass is no longer sold).
Summary table of pass offers
Header | To visit a lot | Least expensive | Header | Header |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Pass | New York Pass | New York City Explorer Pass | New York CityPass | New York Sightseeing Pass |
Image of the Pass |  |  |  |  |
Characteristics | Best value for money | To visit the essentials | A sample of the must-sees | The one with the most choices of activities |
My opinion | Ideal for visiting as many must-see places as possible | Alternates between activities, experiences and New York tours | Few activities but useful to see the essentials | Ideal for organising your stay as you wish |
Choice of visits | 90+ unlimited visits and activities | 95+ monuments and attractions to choose from (10 maximum) | 8 visits (5 maximum) | 100+ visits (10 maximum) |
Validity of Pass | 1 to 10 days | 60 days | 9 days | 30 days |
Adult rates | Starting from £117 | Starting from £65 | Starting from £110 | Starting from £61 |
Where to buy? | ||||
Activities included | ||||
Tourist bus | 1 day | 1 day if selected | 3 days | |
Statue of Liberty + Ellis Island | ||||
Empire State Building | ||||
Top of the Rock | ||||
Edge Hudson Yards | ||||
One World Observatory | ||||
9/11 Museum | ||||
MET Museum | ||||
(Prices updated on 12 April 2023).
The New York CityPass
The New York CityPass allows you to visit the city at your own pace. It is one of New York City’s best selling passes!
With this pass, you will be able to access 5 must-see attractions in New York City out of the list of 8 attractions offered, presented below:
- The Empire State Building,
- the Museum of Natural History,
- the Top of The Rock OR the Guggenheim Museum,
- the Statue of Liberty + Ellis Island Immigration Museum OR the Circle Line Cruise of your choice,
- the 9/11 Memorial + 9/11 Museum OR the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
How does this pass work?
It is valid for 9 consecutive days from the date of first use and is valid for one year from the date of purchase.
Where and how to buy a New York CityPass?
The best way is to book this pass on the internet. After ordering, you will receive an electronic ticket (in the form of a QR code, which is much more practical) that you can print or save on your phone or tablet. You can then present it at the entrance of each attraction.
It is also possible to ask to have your pass sent to your home.
How much does the New York CityPass cost?
Category | Price | |
|---|---|---|
Adults | £110 | |
Children (6-17 years) | £95 |
Children under 6 can get free or discounted entry to some attractions. You may have to queue to buy such tickets, though.
Advantages & Drawbacks
Advantages ✅ | Drawbacks ❌ |
|---|---|
|
|
The New York Pass
The New York Pass by Go City is, in my opinion, one of the best passes to visit the Big Apple. It gives access to over 100 activities/attractions in New York City. Among the tours and attractions included in this pass are:
- The Museum of Natural History
- The Empire State Building
- Top of the Rock
- The 9/11 Memorial + 9/11 Museum
- The Guggenheim Museum
- The Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- The Statue of Liberty + Ellis Island Immigration Museum 🗽
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Brooklyn Brewery: Free beer offered 🍺
- Davidovich Bakery: free bagel and fresh cheese offered 🥯
Many shops also offer interesting discounts for New York PASS holders!
With this pass, the more you visit, the more you save. If you had chosen to pay the regular rate (purchasing each admission ticket individually), it would have cost more than $2,000! 🙌
How does this pass work?
There are several durations to choose from, ranging from 1 to 10 days. As soon as you purchase your own pass, you will have a full year to use it and it will only become active the first time you use it. Please note that the days of utilisation are consecutive!
You will be able to access all the attractions included in the pass and you will save a lot of time by avoiding queues!
Don't forget: to validate your ticket, scan your pass at the entrance of each site.
Where and how to buy this pass?
To get this pass, order it online and choose the duration of your choice. After your payment, you will receive a confirmation email. You can then download it or ask for it to be delivered to your home.
Alternatively, you can pick it up directly in New York, at any of these three locations:
- Big Bus Welcome Centre (712 7th Avenue, NY 10036),
- Big Bus Information Point — Madame Tussauds (234 West 42nd Street, NY 10036),
- Big Bus Office — Century 21 (22 Cortlandt Street, NY 10007).
With the pass comes a 200 page guidebook. You can also use the New York Pass® app, which is compatible with iOS and Android devices. Download it from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
By synchronising your pass with the app, you can get exclusive special offers, access all the information on the attractions (access, timetables...), but also interactive maps... in short, all sorts of useful information! 😁
How much does the New York Pass cost?
Duration | Adults | Children (3-12) |
|---|---|---|
1 day | £117 | £87 |
2 days | £151 | £115 |
3 days | £191 | £143 |
4 days | £214 | £159 |
5 days | £239 | £175 |
6 days | £254 | £191 |
7 days | £270 | £207 |
10 days | £306 | £232 |
The longer the duration you select, the more the total admission prices of the different attractions will decrease.
Advantages & drawbacks
Advantages ✅ | Drawbacks ❌ |
|---|---|
|
|
The New York City Explorer Pass
Due to its advantages, the Explorer Pass New York is becoming increasingly popular with tourists.
This pass allows you to choose between 2 and 10 activities from a list of 82 top attractions in New York City.
Amongst these attractions are of course the must-sees (the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Top of the Rock...), the museums (Guggenheim, MoMA, Madame Tussauds...) but also guided tours – bus, boat, bike or walking tours of all the boroughs of New York... You can even take a helicopter tour over New York City!
This pass also entitles you to discounts in certain restaurants and shops in the city.
How does this pass work?
This pass is customisable: you can choose between 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 attractions that really interest you.
It is valid for 30 days from the first use, allowing you to visit the city at your own pace. This pass too comes with a detailed guide, and will allow you to save up to 50% on the normal price of a single ticket 👌
Please note that the pass does not include skip-the-line tickets for all the attractions!
Where and how to buy the Explorer Pass?
As with the other passes, you can buy it online and will have to select the number of activities of your choice. Then the procedure is the same as for the other passes.
Naturally, you can also ask to receive it in digital format.
How much does the Explorer Pass cost?
Here are the prices of the New York City Explorer Pass on its official website:
Number of activities | Adults | Children (3-12) |
|---|---|---|
2 | £63 | £56 |
3 | £83 | £71 |
4 | £107 | £87 |
5 | £127 | £99 |
6 | £143 | £111 |
7 | £159 | £127 |
10 | £207 | £171 |
The flexibility of this pass will allow you to choose how many activities you want to do during your stay.
Advantages & Drawbacks
Advantages ✅ | Drawbacks❌ |
|---|---|
|
|
The New York Sightseeing Pass
The Sightseeing Flex Pass allows you to choose between 2 to 12 attractions from a list of over 100 activities. You will be able to visit different must-see attractions in New York, as well as many other activities such as: a visit to Little Italy, Gulliver's Gate, the New York Aquarium, Central Park and the Bronx zoos...
And of course, you'll get 72 hours of sightseeing with CitySightseeing Hop-on Hop-off buses 😄
How does this pass work?
The pass is valid for one year from the date of purchase and gives access to a number of “no-queue” tickets! And since there are many partnerships between the Hop-On-Hop-Off bus company and certain shops and restaurants in the city, you will also get many discounts.
It is valid for 30 days from its first activation. You can book your admission tickets in advance.
Where and how to buy the New York Sightseeing Pass?
The purchase and booking process is identical to the previous passes. You just need to purchase your pass online and select the number of days/number of activities of your choice. You will only need a few clicks to receive your pass.
You will also receive a 200-page guide to help you prepare for your stay. Don't hesitate to download the free Sightseeing Pass application – it will be very useful!
How much does the New York Sightseeing Pass cost?
Here are the prices of the "Flex Pass":
Number of activities | Adults | Children |
|---|---|---|
2 | £59 | £56 |
3 | £83 | £79 |
5 | £131 | £115 |
7 | £162 | £155 |
10 | £202 | £186 |
The more activities you select, the lower the price per attraction.
Advantages & drawbacks
Advantages ✅ | Drawbacks ❌ |
|---|---|
|
|
My tips before purchasing a Pass for New York City
- First of all, don’t wait too long – buy your pass before you leave for your trip!
- Choose your pass according to the number of days you are going to spend in the city. No point in buying an unlimited pass if you are only spending two days in the Big Apple!
- Make a list of the attractions you want to visit on site.
That's it for this article on the different New York passes. I hope you enjoyed it and that I could help you select the pass that best suits your needs! If you have any questions or remarks, leave a comment, and I'll answer as soon as I can.
On another note, if you are still wondering where to sleep in New York City, I have got just the article for you! 😉 Don't hesitate to check it out, it should prove helpful in preparing your trip to New York!
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