What is the best pass for New York?
Currently, there are six major passes for New York City, making the task of finding the best New York pass even harder. Most of the NYC sightseeing passes have a list of over 90 included attractions it can be difficult at times to compare them properly. Because we know how overwhelming the choice can be, we have created a tool that helps you find the best New York Pass in three simple steps:
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How our Savings Calculator works
Our tool compares regular ticket prices to the price of the different New York sightseeing passes. It will always show you the cheapest way to visit the attractions you selected, even if this means buying a smaller attraction pass and purchasing some of the attraction tickets separately. For more on how the savings calculator works, check out the video below!
Which New York Pass is the best?
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Type | day-based | attraction-based | attraction-based | day-based | attraction-based |
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My personal review | For those who want to see as much as possible | If you want to spread the attractions over several days | If you want to spread the attractions over several days | For those who want to see a lot | For those who are first-time visitors and want to explore New York's must-sees |
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Discount |
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Discount | Save additional 5% with code "GO5LOVING" | up to 42% off with code "LNYOFFER" | up to 42% off with code "LNYOFFER" | - | |
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Attractions available |
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Attractions available | 110 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 8 |
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Valid for | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days | 60 days | 30 days | 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days | 9 days |
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Price | from $142 | from $79 | from $74 | from $144 | from $138 |
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ATTRACTIONS | included? | included? | included? | included? | included? |
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Edge Hudson Yards
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Edge Hudson Yards | |||||
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Empire State Building
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Empire State Building | |||||
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Top of the Rock
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Top of the Rock | |||||
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One World Observatory
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One World Observatory | |||||
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SUMMIT One Vanderbilt
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SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | |||||
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9/11 Memorial Museum
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9/11 Memorial Museum | |||||
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American Museum of Natural History
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American Museum of Natural History | |||||
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Museum of Modern Art
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Museum of Modern Art | |||||
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Circle Line Landmarks Cruise
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Circle Line Landmarks Cruise | |||||
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Circle Line Best-of NYC Cruise
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Circle Line Best-of NYC Cruise | |||||
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Statue of Liberty Cruise
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Statue of Liberty Cruise | |||||
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Ferry to Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
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Ferry to Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island | |||||
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Hop-on Hop-Off? |
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Hop-on Hop-Off? | |||||
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Official website |
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Official website | Save up to 31% with code "NYP5LOVING" | Save up to 31% with code "GO5LOVING" | up to 42% off with code "LNYOFFER" | up to 42% off with code "LNYOFFER" | |
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The more attractions you visit, the more expensive your NYC attraction pass will be. However, there are a few tricks for you to visit more attractions in New York without spending a lot more. As a rule, tourist passes help you save around 30% compared to buying tickets separately for NYC attractions. Depending on the length of your stay, some passes are more relevant than others. While some passes are valid for only a few days, others can be used on non-consecutive days over the span of 30 days. It is therefore important you also ask yourself the question of how you want to use your NYC sightseeing pass during your trip.
If you ask yourself “What is the best pass for New York?”, know that your choice particularly depends on 1) the type of traveler you are 2) how many attractions you’d like to visit but also on 3) your desire to use the hop-on-hop-off-buses 4) the time of your trip and 5) the importance you attach to fast lanes. So before choosing a New York pass, ask yourself the following five questions.
1. What kind of traveler are you?
Before you choose a NYC attraction pass, you need to decide which of the two graphics below appeals to your style of sightseeing the most. Do you want to visit 3-4 attractions per day on consecutive days, or do you want to be able to skip a day in between and visit attractions in a more relaxed way?
If you are more of a TYPE 1 traveler, the attraction passes sold by the number of days will be best for you and allow you to save the most money. If you are more of a TYPE 2 traveler, you will prefer the sightseeing passes which are sold by the number of attractions you wish to visit. Check out the list below to see which passes match your type.
TYPE 1: NYC Attraction Passes sold by the number of days
TYPE 2: NYC Attraction Passes sold by the number of attractions
2. How many attractions do you want to visit?
Be realistic in choosing the number of attractions you want to visit on your trip to New York City. You are unlikely to be able to visit 5 attractions in one day. If you want to experience as much as possible in a short amount of time, plan no more than 3-4 attractions per day. If you are a person who prefers to take their time and plan around 1-2 per day. Don’t forget to only count the number of full days you will be in New York City. Exclude your date of arrival and departure from your planning as these days it will be hard to visit any attractions unless you are arriving very early in the morning.
3. Do you want to ride the hop-on-hop-off buses?
The hop-on-hop-off bus tours are a great way to experience NYC and gain a good impression of the different parts of town. Most of the passes include some form of a hop-on-hop-off bus tour due to the popularity of the tour, however, it can be confusing for how long and which routes. Check out the list below to make sure that the pass you have chosen includes your desired length of the hop-on-hop-off NYC bus tours.
- CityPass: Not included
- Sightseeing Pass: 1-day ticket included
- Sightseeing FLEX Pass: 1-day ticket included
- Explorer Pass: 1-day ticket included
- New York Pass: 1-day ticket included
How much is a New York Pass?
New York Pass prices start at $72 and go all the way up to $349. How much a New York Pass costs depends on what’s included. The fewer attractions or days to choose, the cheaper will your sightseeing pass for New York be. See the table below.
New York Passes for children
Depending on the age of your children, you may not even need to buy a New York Pass. If you do need to purchase a sightseeing pass for your kids, there may be a special discount. The age restrictions and discounts are different for each New York attraction pass. Please see the table below.
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with code LNYOFFER | with code LNYOFFER | with code NYP5LOVING | with code GO5LOVING | |||||||||||||||||||||
------------------------- 2 choices = $74 3 choices = $99 4 choices. = $124 5 choices = $144 6 choices = 7 choices = 10 choices= 12 choices= | 1 day = 2 days = 3 days = 4 days = 5 days = 6 days = 7 days = 10 days = ------------------------- | 1 day = $134 2 days = $199 3 days = 4 days = 5 days = ------------------------- 7 days = 10 days = ------------------------- | ------------------------- 2 choices = $64 3 choices = $94 4 choices = $125 5 choices = $140 ------------------------- 7 choices = $180 10 choices = $230 ------------------------- | ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- 6 choices = $132 ------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------- | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Is it worth buying a sightseeing pass for New York?
Generally speaking, yes! Buying a sightseeing pass for New York can already pay off even when visiting as few as two attractions. How much you save, however, depends on the regular admission prices. The higher the regular price for an attraction or tour is, the more you will save with a New York Pass. The fact that you save a few dollars when visiting two attractions is why we typically recommend choosing a sightseeing pass over regular tickets.
Saving money with New York Passes is not the only advantage, however. A New York Pass will also help you stay flexible. You are never committed to visiting a particular attraction. Don’t want to visit the Empire State Building today because it’s raining? No problem! Schedule your visit for a different day or head to the One World Observatory instead!