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So you’re thinking about buying a tourist pass for your trip to NYC. Are they worth even worth it? And why are there so many different ones out there that all seem exactly the same?

This is your guide to answer your questions. We’ll help you decide if a New York City tourist pass is for you and if it is, which one to get by listing out the differences and unique aspects of each. 

Contents

• Is it worth buying a sightseeing pass for New York City?
• What’s the best pass for NYC?
• New York City Tourist Passes Summaries
  • New York CityPASS
  • The New York Pass
  • New York Explorer Pass
  • The New York Sightseeing Pass
• So… which NYC tourist pass should I get? 

Is it worth buying a sightseeing pass for New York City? 

If you’re thinking about getting a sightseeing pass for your trip to New York City, consider the following to make your decision: 

• How many days will you be in NYC? Some of the passes are sold by duration and others by number of attractions. Consider how much time you’ll need for each attraction and whether it’s worth spending your time at the attractions that each pass offers. 
• You will save money… maybe. Make a list of the things you really want to do while in NYC. Then add up the costs for each admission and see if you’ll really be saving money. 
• Is this your first visit to NYC? If you don’t know anyone in the city and this is your first time, you may not know what to do. These sightseeing passes are a great way to have an itinerary made for you. 
• On the same note, if you’re really good at planning your own itineraries, check out when some of the museums included with the pass have free or pay as you wish days. You can plan out your days to where you go to the museums for free, so a pass may not even be worth it. 
• Are you short on time? Buy a pass and make sure you get your money’s worth by visiting all of them. Or don’t buy a pass because your travel style may not be to rush from place to place. Take time to really get to know one attraction. Or just go with the flow and see where your day takes you. 

These are some points to help you make a decision. So if you have decided to purchase a pass, read below for our summaries of each tourist pass.

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What’s the best pass for NYC? 

This is going to depend on the number of days, your travel style and what you want to see so only you can decide. But if you’re still having a hard time deciding after reading each of these summaries below, our conclusion is if it’s your first trip to NYC, get the New York CityPASS and if you have more than three days to spend in the city, get the New York Sightseeing Pass. (See below and read summaries to make a conclusion for yourself.)

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New York City Tourist Passes Summaries

There’s four main ones so here’s a summary of each including what’s included, the price, what makes the pass different and our opinion. 

New York CityPASS

New York CityPASS offers two options.

The classic New York CityPASS allows you to visit six of New York’s top attractions. There are nine total attractions, you will have to choose between two attractions for three of the options.

The other pass is the New York C3 pass, where you can choose any three attractions from their list of 11 attractions. Note: a hop-on, hop-off bus tour is not included with these passes. 

What’s included in the New York CityPASS?

• Included Attractions
  • Empire State Building (allows two general admission visits – daytime and same-night general admission) 
  • American Museum of Natural History  
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art  
  • Top of the Rock Observation Deck OR Guggenheim Museum  
  • Ferry Access to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island OR Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises (choose from 4 cruise options)
  • 9/11 Memorial & Museum OR Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
• Valid for 9 days (starts on the day you visit your first attraction) 
• Skip ticket lines
• Ticket format: Mobile, printable or ticket booklet 

What’s included in the New York C3 Pass?

• Choose three of these attractions:
  • Empire State Building (One time general admission only) 
  • Top of the Rock Observation Deck  
  • Ferry Access to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island  
  • 9/11 Memorial & Museum  
  • American Museum of Natural History  
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art  
  • The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) 
  • Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises (choose from 2 cruise options)
  • Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum  
  • Guggenheim Museum  
  • Hornblower Sightseeing Cruises
• Valid for 9 days (starts on the day you visit your first attraction) and you do not need to select the attractions when you purchase 
• Skip ticket lines
• Ticket format: Mobile or printable 

How much is the New York CityPASS? 

Adult: $132 ($84 for C3)

Child: $108 ($64 for C3)

What makes the New York CityPASS different from the others? 

This is the only pass that does not include a hop-on hop-off bus tour. But it does have all the top must-visit NYC attractions, plus an Empire State Building admission that allows you to visit twice – once in the daytime and later in the evening.

The Bottom Line: Get the New York CityPASS if…

Skip the C3 and get the New York CityPASS. You aren’t saving much with C3 if you don’t go to both the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock. Meanwhile the New York CityPASS includes all the classic must-visits for tourists so you will be saving money since you’re likely to do all of the attractions anyway.

New York CityPASS Video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AmG_UavbtyU

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The New York Pass

The New York Pass gives you access to over 100 NYC attractions, including a 1-day pass for a hop-on, hop-off bus tour. Purchase the pass by duration of either 1, 2, 3, 5, 7 or 10 days and visit as many of the attractions as you’d like. You are only allowed to visit the attraction once with The New York Pass.

Which main attractions are included in The New York Pass?

• Their Top 10 Attractions 
  • 9/11 Memorial & Museum
  • Big Bus New York Hop on Hop off Bus Tour: 1 day classic ticket 
  • Central Park Bike Tours & Rentals 
  • Empire State Building Observatory  
  • Metropolitan Museum of Art with Audio Guide 
  • Rockefeller Center Tour 
  • Statue of Liberty Ferry and Ellis Island Immigration Museum
  • THE RIDE
  • Top of the Rock Observation Deck
  • Yankee Stadium Tours

How much is The New York Pass? 

Adults: $132 for one day, 2 days $179, 3 days $199 4 days $229, 5 days $249, 7 days $284, 10 days $329 

Child $99 for one day, 2 days $149, 3 days $154, 4 days $169, 5 days $179, 7 days $189, 10 days $179

What makes The New York Pass different from the others? 

This is the only pass that only allows you to purchase by duration. Others have duration options too but have a per attraction pass option too.

The Bottom Line: Get The New York Pass if…

Maybe you’ve used a pass by the same company (they also have The London Pass, The Paris Pass, The Hong Kong Pass and more) and enjoyed the experience and want to stick with the same brand.

(However, you’ll see below, The New York Sightseeing Pass offers almost the same attractions and additional perks at a lower price point than The New York Pass.)

The New York Pass Video 

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New York Explorer Pass

The New York Explorer Pass gives you access to over 90 attractions. Purchase by the number of attractions you want to visit from 3, 4, 5, 7 or 10 attractions and visit within 30 days. Like the New York C3 Pass, you do not need to pick the attractions in advance. 

Which main attractions are included in New York Explorer Pass? 

• Top Attractions
  • Empire State Building
  • Top of the Rock Observatory 
  • Hop-On Hop-Off Big Bus New York (1-day tour) 
  • Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry
  • New York 9/11 Memorial & Museum
  • American Museum of Natural History
  • The Museum of Modern Art
  • Circle Line NYC Landmarks Cruise
  • The Metropolitan Museum of Art with Audio Tour
• Museums
  • Madame Tussauds 
  • Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum
  • Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Times Square 
  • Guggenheim Museum
  • SKYSCAPE  
  • The Whitney Museum of American Art
  • Museum of Sex
  • The Met Breuer
  • The Met Cloisters
  • New York Historical Society Museum
  • The New York Botanical Garden
  • Brooklyn Museum & Brooklyn Botanic Garden
  • LEGOLAND Discovery Center
  • Victorian Gardens at Central Park

• Valid for 30 days (starts on the day you visit your first attraction) 
• Skip ticket lines
• Ticket format: Mobile or printable 

How much is the New York Explorer Pass?

Adult: 3 Choice Pass $94, 4 choice $125.40, 5 choice $140.40, 7 choice $180.20, 10 choice $229.50 

Child: 3 Choice Pass $70, 4 choice $90.25, 5 choice $105.30, 7 choice $134.30, 10 choice $170

What makes the pass different than the others? 

There’s a lot more tours than the other passes. This one also includes the most bike rentals.

The Bottom Line: Get the New York Explorer Pass if…

Unless one of the tours are of interest, if you’re considering the 3 choice pass, get the New York C3 Pass (first one in this list) instead. It’s cheaper and has the same main attractions. Other than that, check what the costs would be for the tours you want to take and make sure it exceeds what you’ll pay for the pass to save money.

New York Explorer Pass Video

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The New York Sightseeing Pass

The New York Sightseeing Pass has over 100 attractions in two different pass options. These passes include a few attractions that are not available in any of the other NYC tourist passes. 

The DAY Pass allows you to choose from 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 consecutive days and includes a hop-on hop-off tour for the whole duration of the pass. 

The FLEX Pass option allows you to choose either 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 or 12 attractions valid for 30 days. A hop-on hop-off bus tour can be one of the attractions and is valid for 72 hours. 

Which main attractions are included in the New York Sightseeing Pass?

We’ve included an asterisk next to the attractions exclusive to The New York Sightseeing Pass.

• Top Attractions
  • 9/11 Memorial & Museum 
  • City Sightseeing Cruise
  • Go Airlink airport shuttle (outbound)*
  • Gray Line CitySightseeing 
  • Best of Manhattan Tour
  • Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
  • Madame Tussauds New York
  • National Geographic Encounter: Ocean Odyssey
  • One World Observatory*
  • Top of the Rock
  • Woodbury Common Premium Outlets

• Attractions
  • Escape Game New York
  • Escape Virtuality
  • LOL Times Square Comedy Club*
  • LOL Times Square Magic*
  • Luna Park Coney Island
  • TimeLooper – Virtual Reality Experience*
• Food
  • American Picnic Lunch
  • Buca di Beppo
  • Buffalo Wild Wings (Brooklyn, Harlem, Times Square)*
  • Manganaro’s Hero Boy
  • Planet Hollywood

• FLEX Pass valid for 30 days 
• Skip ticket lines
• Ticket format: Mobile or printable 

How much is the New York Sightseeing Pass? 

• DAY Pass
  • Adult: 1 day $125, 2 days $169, 3 days $209, 4 days $239, 5 days $264, 6 days $279, 7 days $299, 10 days $349
  • Child: 1 day $83.20, 2 days $120.25, 3 days $136.50, 4 days $150.80, 5 days $159.90, 6 days $162.50, 7 days $175.50, 10 days $208

• FLEX Pass
  • Adult: 2 attractions $69, 3 attractions $95, 4 attractions $119, 5 attractions $139,  6 attractions $159, 7 attractions $179, 10 attractions $229, 12 attractions $259
  • Child: 2 attractions for $47.20, 3 attractions $68, 4 attractions $87.20, 5 attractions $103.20, 6 attractions $119.20, 7 attractions $132, 10 attractions $167.20, 12 attractions $199.20

What makes the pass different than the others? 

It’s the only pass that includes an airport transfer, food dining credits and a hop-on hop-off bus tour for the entire duration of the DAY Passes. It’s also the only pass that has the One World Observatory included (but not the Empire State Building.)

The Bottom Line: Get the New York Sightseeing Pass if…

This is best if you don’t want to walk too much. The DAY Pass includes a hop-on hop-off tour for the entire duration of your pass meaning you can use it to get from attraction to attraction. Plus, it has a lot of attractions that the other passes don’t have (see exclusive attractions above.)

The New York Sightseeing Pass Video 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vPOH6baNV00

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So which NYC tourist pass should I get? 

First, you’ll have to make the call on which pass works best for your travel style, number of days spent in NYC and preferences.

But if it’s your first trip to NYC, get the New York CityPASS since it covers all the main ‘you can’t leave without seeing’ attractions.

And if you have more than three days to spend, get the New York Sightseeing Pass since it includes a hop on hop off bus tour for the entire three days, outbound airport transfer and tons of tours.

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• Best Free Museums in NYC 
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