New York Sightseeing Pass

The New York Sightseeing Pass is the most popular sightseeing pass for NYC. With it you can visit 90+ attractions, choosing these as you go meaning that you can forget about the stress of sightseeing, and explore NYC at your own leisure.

The NYC Sightseeing pass is a great alternative to the New York Pass (and in many ways even better) as well as a great alternative to the New York Explorer Pass. In this article I will answer all of your questions about the pass, including how it works, whether its worth it as well as how to secure your free included Empire State Building ticket.

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What is the New York Sightseeing Pass?

The Sightseeing Pass for NYC is a great way to explore more of NYC for less. Two versions of the pass exist, one is the NYC Sightseeing Pass and the other is the NYC Sightseeing FLEX Pass.

• The NYC Sightseeing Pass is like every other classic New York Sightseeing Pass. You pay for the number of days which you would like to use the pass for and can during this time visit an unlimited amount of attractions.
• The Sightseeing FLEX Pass is sold by the number of attractions you want to visit (Choose between 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, or 12 NYC attractions). You then have 30 days to visit the attractions you purchased.

Pros and Cons of the New York Sightseeing Pass

• FREE: A free voucher for $40 is included with the purchase of every pass. With this, you can visit the Empire State Building, which is otherwise not included in the NYC Sightseeing Pass. **(For the Sightseeing FLEX Pass you can exchange one of your attractions for a $40 voucher. This in turn then allows you to visit the Empire State Building)**
• Flexibility: You do not have to decide on the attractions you want to visit beforehand. This means that you can change your mind once you are in NYC without any issues.
• Choice: You have the choice between 90+ attractions and tours. All of the most popular NYC attractions are included.
• Popular: The popular Hop-On Hop-Off bus tours are included in the pass. (72-hour ticket for the NY Sightseeing FLEX Pass and for the Duration of the NY Sightseeing Day Pass)
• Mobile Ticket: Save time by printing your ticket at home or saving it on your smartphone. This way you do not need to go collect it anywhere in NYC.
• Price: The cost/benefit ratio is great. The Sightseeing Pass NYC saves you a lot of money while providing you with a lot of flexibility.

• You need to decide beforehand whether you want to visit all of your attractions on consecutive days or whether you want to visit less over a longer period of time.
• If you don’t visit all of the attractions you purchased for the Sightseeing FLEX Pass or skip a day with the New York Sightseeing Day Pass you will not reap all the money saving benefits of the Pass.

New York Sightseeing Pass vs New York Sightseeing FLEX Pass

Both of the passes include many of the popular NYC sightseeing cruises, the Gray Line Sightseeing New York Bus Tours, as well as many other Manhattan Sightseeing options. The only difference between them is what type of sightseeing schedule you prefer.

Your Sightseeing Preferences

Check below which type of schedule suits you more, do you prefer non-consecutive sightseeing days with fewer activities each day or do you prefer to see everything in a few days?

Once you have decided if you prefer type 1 or type 2, you know whether the New York Sightseeing Pass or the NY Sightseeing Flex Pass suits you most. As they are both otherwise identical this is the most important question picking between the two.

Hop-On Hop-Off Bus

Another difference between the New York Sightseeing Day Pass and the NYC Sightseeing Flex Pass is the length you can use the included Hop-On Hop-Off Bus. With the Sightseeing Day Pass you can use the bus every day for which you have purchased the pass for, meaning that if you have a 4-day pass, you can use the Hop-On Hop-Off Bus for 4 days. If you purchased the NYC Sightseeing Flex Pass, however, you can use one of your attractions for a 72-hour ticket only.

In our experience, however, this is actually plenty. Many people believe they need a longer Hop-On Hop-Off Bus tour pass so that they can use it as their main way of getting from A-B but we recommend against this. The Sightseeing Bus is much slower than the subway. We recommend taking the Uptown & Downtown Bus tours towards the start of your trip to gain an impression of NYC and then use public transportation to get around much quicker and more efficiently.

How much does the New York Sightseeing Pass Cost?

Check the prices of the NYC Sightseeing Flex and Day Passes below. The NYC Sightseeing Flex Pass is currently the pass with the best value for money, due to its initial price point as well as the additional 20% off you get when you use our code. Apply ‘LNYOffer’ at checkout, for an additional 20% off your NYC Sightseeing Passes.

Frequently Asked Questions to the NYC Sightseeing Pass

How can I use my Sightseeing Pass for the Empire State Building?

If you purchased a NYC Sightseeing Day Pass, you will receive a $40 voucher by email. You can, in turn, use this for a variety of attractions and tours that are not included in the pass. One of these is the Empire State Building. This means that, although the ESB is not included in the pass, you can still visit the popular NYC attraction at no extra cost!

If you purchased a NYC Sightseeing Flex Pass, you can swap one of your purchased attractions for a $40 voucher. With this, you can then purchase a ticket to the Empire State Building.

You will receive all of the instructions on how to redeem your $40 voucher by email once you have purchased the pass.

IS THE NEW YORK SIGHTSEEING PASS WORTH IT?

Purchasing a NYC Sightseeing Pass is a great idea if you are looking to stay flexible during your trip to New York, as well as save money along the way. The New York Sightseeing Pass is one of the best sightseeing pass options due to its price and the many popular attractions and tours included. If you visit all of the attractions you have purchased with your pass or visit an attraction each day you purchased the pass for, the NYC Sightseeing Pass is worth it alone for the amount of money you can save.

HOW TO USE THE NYC SIGHTSEEING PASS?

The NYC Sightseeing Passes are very easy to use. Once you have purchased the pass you will receive an email with a QR code (that you can either print or save to your phone), which you can then scan at attractions to gain free entry. It’s that easy! For the Sightseeing Flex Pass you can then continue to visit attractions untill all of your purchased options are up, in the case of the Sightseeing Day Pass you can keep going and visit as many attractions as you like untill your time is up.

NYC Sightseeing Pass List of Attractions

Check out the list of attractions included in the NYC Sightseeing Pass below. Alternatively, you can check their website here, for a full explanation of each attraction as well as address and opening times.

Top Attractions

• Empire State Building (Voucher for $40 to purchase entry ticket separately)
• One World Observatory
• Top of the Rock – Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center
• 9/11 Memorial Museum
• Gray Line CitySightseeing Hop-On, Hop-Off Bus Tour (Uptown, Downtown, Brooklyn & Night Tour)
• Madame Tussauds New York

Museums

• 9/11 Tribute Musem
• American Museum of Natural History
• Brooklyn Historical Society
• El Museo del Barrio
• Fraunces Tavern Museum
• Gulliver’s Gate
• International Center of Photography
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
• MoMA
• MoMA PS1
• Museum at Eldridge Street
• Museum of American Finance
• Museum of Jewish Heritage
• Museum of the City of New York
• National Geographic Encounter – Ocean Odyssey
• National Lighthouse Museum
• New York Historical Society Museum and Library
• Guggenheim Museum
• Staten Island Children’s Museum
• Staten Island Museum
• Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island
• The Chocolate Museum & Experience with Jaques Torres
• The Met Breuer
• The Met Cloisters
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Whitney Museum of American Art

Bike Tours & Rental

• Bike and Roll – Inside Central Park Tour
• Bike Rent NYC – Brooklyn Bridge Bike Rental
• Bike Rent NYC – Brooklyn Bridge Bike Tour
• Bike Rent NYC – Central Park Bike Rental
• Bike Rent NYC – Central Park Bike Tour

Walking & Bus Tours

• Brooklyn Unplugged – Best of Brooklyn Walking Tour
• Brooklyn Unplugged – Graffiti & Street Art Walking Tour of Brooklyn
• Food on Foot Tours – East Village Variety Food Tour
• Food on Foot Tours – Go West Food Tour
• Food on Foot Tours – Midtown Mix Food Tour
• Food on Foot Tours – Midtown Winter Food Tour
• Grand Central Terminal Audio Tour
• Gray Line CitySightseeing Best of Manhattan Experience
• Inside Out Tours – Bronx’s Little Italy & Arthur Avenue Tour
• Inside Out Tours – NYC Slavery and Underground Railroad Tour
• Macy’s Historical Tour
• Madison Square Garden All Access Tour
• NewYorkTour1 – Greenwich Village Walking Tour
• NewYorkTour1 – Inside Broadway Walking Tour
• NewYorkTour1 – Lower Manhattan Walking Tour
• NewYorkTour1 – High Line and Chelsea Walking Tour
• NewYorkTour1 – SoHo and Little Italy Walking Tour
• On Location Tours – Central Park TV and Movie Sites Tour
• On Location Tours – When Harry met Seinfeld Bus Tour
• Radio City Music Hall Stage Door Tour
• The Ride
• The Tour
• Tour Central Park – Central Park Walking Tour
• Urban Oyster Tours – Hamilton Happy Hour Tour
• Wall Street Walks – Secrets of Downtown Walking Tour
• Wall Street Walks – Wall Street Walking Tour

Others

• Brooklyn Botanic Garden
• Bronx Zoo
• Brooklyn Unplugged – Street Art Workshop
• Central Park Zoo (only with Sightseeing Pass NYC)
• Go Airline airport shuttle – LaGuardia, JFK, or Newark
• Ground Zero Museum Workshop
• LOL Times Square Comedy Club
• LOL Times Square Magic
• Luna Park 24 ride wristband
• New York Botanical Garden
• Riddle Me Out – Escape Rooms
• Ripley’s Believe it or Not
• Snug Harbour Cultural Center & Botanical Garden
• SPYSCAPE
• The Downtown Experience
• TimeLooper – Virtual Reality Experience
• Woodbury Common Premium Outlets (no reservation needed)

Cruises

• Circle Line Landmarks Cruise
• Circle Line Liberty Cruise
• CitySightseeing New York Hop-On Hop-Off Ferry Tour
• Manhattan By Sail – Clipper City Daytime Statue Sail
• Manhattan By Sail – Clipper City Jazz Cruise
• Manhattan by Sail – Craft Beer Tasting Sail aboard Clipper City
• Manhattan By Sail – Shearwater Daytime Statue Sail
• Hornblower Cruises – Alive After Five

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