To visit New York City, there are several passes offering a fixed and low rate for various activities and tourist attractions.
Choosing the right pass will allow you to save money for your trip to New York City. It’s the ideal solution to pay as less as possible.
There are three categories of passes
You can read the article corresponding to each pass category by clicking below.
Get a New York CityPASS if:
- It’s your first trip to NYC
- To see the most representative landmarks
- You stay 2 to 9 days in NYC
- You have an average budget
Choose an unlimited pass if :
- It’s not your first trip to NYC
- You want to visit a lot of places
- If you have a confortable budget
An “A la carte” pass is your best option if:
- You already know what to do in NYC
- If you have a limited budget (few activities) or if you have a confortable budget (to select more than 10 activities)
Why did I write this page?
On this page, I provide you with a lot of information about the different visitor passes, and help you choose the one that best fits your profile, your budget, and the duration of your trip.
I let you read the benefits and drawbacks of each pass, what they include, and compare them depending on the rates, activities, flexibility…
What you need to know after Covid
In this period following the pandemic, most of the attractions (or rather the must-see attractions such as the Top of the Rock, Summit One Vanderbilt, Empire State Building, One World Observatory, Edge, Circle Line, Statue of Liberty, 11/09 Museum…) limit the number of people admitted each day and at each hour. So, you need to have booked your visit before going!
It doesn’t matter if you have a pass or not, without this reservation, it will be difficult for you to do the activity.
The agents at the entrance may tell you to come back in an hour or two, or you will have to book for the following days.
The difficulty is that except for the New York CityPASS and C3, most of the other passes do not offer reservations.
It will not prevent you from enjoying your stay, however, it will ask for a little more organization once in New York.
Before scrolling down
Please note the following:
– The Summit One Vanderbilt is not included in any pass!
– Only the New York CityPASS offers two visits of the Empire State Building on the same day.
Comparison of the six cultural passes in New York City
| The PASS I recommend | ||||||
| PASS NAME | New York CityPASS | New York C3 | Sightseeing FLEX Pass | GO City Explorer Pass | Sightseeing DAY Pass | New York Pass |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| PASS CATEGORY | Must-do visits | Pass “à la carte” | Unlimited pass | |||
| My OPINION | Ideal for a first trip to New York City, or when coming back after a while. | Ideal to choose the exact activities you want to do. | Ideal if you plan many visits to do in a few days. | |||
| SAVINGS | 40% | Up to 34% | Up to 50% | Up to 41% | Up to 70% | $300 on the top 10 most popular activities in New York City! |
| NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES AVAILABLE | 8 | 11 | 100+ | 115 | 150+ | 115 |
| NUMBER OF ACTIVITIES YOU CAN DO | 5 | 3 | 2 to 12 | 2 to 10 | 150+ | 115 |
| NUMBER OF DAYS AVAILABLE | 9 days | 9 days | 60 days | 60 DAYS | It depends on the number of days you buy | |
| OPTION TO BOOK ATTRACTIONS BEFORE TRAVELING | Yes, it is possible to book each activity in advance. | Yes, it is possible to book each activity in advance, except City Cruises and the Edge. | No, except a few activities. | No, except a few secondary activities. You can’t book the most popular such as the Top of the Rock, Edge, One World Observatory, Circle Line… | No, except a few activities. | No, except a few secondary activities. You can’t book the most popular such as the Top of the Rock, Edge, One World Observatory, Circle Line… |
| BENEFITS | Includes the most popular activities to do in New York City, and allows to visit the Empire State Building twice on the same day (morning and night), and you can book each activity in advance, not to waste time once in NYC. |
Gathers three must-do’s and you can book almost every activity in advance so you don’t waste time once in NYC. | Very flexible because you can choose your activities among a hundred. | Unlimited visits with many options. | ||
| DRAWBACKS | Not all activities and attractions are offered. | Not all activities and attractions are offered. | It is necessary to calculate exactly all the attractions you want to do, and you can’t book the most popular activities in advance to avoid wasting your time once in New York. | One is somewhat obliged to do a lot of visits and activities in a short period of time to make it worthwhile, and one cannot book the most popular activities in advance to avoid wasting time in NYC. | ||
| MOBILE PASS | ||||||
RATES (adult) |
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| New York CityPASS | New York C3 | Sightseeing FLEX Pass | GO City Explorer Pass | Sightseeing DAY Pass | New York Pass | |
| RATES FOR 3 ACTIVITIES | $129 | $92 | $104 | $94 | Unlimited activities per day | |
| RATES FOR 4 ACTIVITIES | $129 | $139 | $129 | Unlimited activities per day | ||
| RATES FOR 5 ACTIVITIES | $129 | $159 | $147 | Unlimited activities per day | ||
| RATES FOR 5 ACTIVITIES | $179 | $169 | Unlimited activities per day | |||
| 3-DAY UNLIMITED RATES | $208 | $208 | ||||
| 5-DAY UNLIMITED RATES | $266 | $264 | ||||
| 7-DAY UNLIMITED RATES | $303 | $303 | ||||
| 10-DAY UNLIMITED RATES | $342 | $331 | ||||
| Buy | Buy | Buy | Buy | Buy | Buy | |
NYC OBSERVATORIES |
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| New York CityPASS | New York C3 | Sightseeing FLEX Pass | GO City Explorer Pass | Sightseeing DAY Pass | New York Pass | |
| EMPIRE STATE BUILDING | ||||||
| TOP OF THE ROCK | ||||||
| ONE WORLD OBSERVATORY | ||||||
| EDGE | ||||||
| SUMMIT ONE VANDERBILT | ||||||
POPULAR NYC MUSEUMS |
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| New York CityPASS | New York C3 | Sightseeing FLEX Pass | GO City Explorer Pass | Sightseeing DAY Pass | New York Pass | |
| METROPOLITAN MUSEUM (MET) | ||||||
| MUSEUM OF MODERN ART (MoMA) | ||||||
| AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY | ||||||
| 9/11 MUSEUM | ||||||
| SOLOMON R. GUGGENHEIM MUSEUM | ||||||
| INTREPID SEA, AIR & SPACE MUSEUM | ||||||
| WHITNEY MUSEUM | ||||||
| MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF NEW YORK | ||||||
| MoMA PS1 | ||||||
| MME TUSSAUDS | ||||||
OTHER MAIN ATTRACTIONS IN NEW YORK CITY |
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| New York CityPASS | New York C3 | Sightseeing FLEX Pass | GO City Explorer Pass | Sightseeing DAY Pass | New York Pass | |
| STATUE OF LIBERTY AND ELLIS ISLAND | ||||||
| THE CROWN OF THE STATUE OF LIBERTY | ||||||
| CIRCLE LINE CRUISES 1H30 | ||||||
| NIGHT CRUISE | ||||||
| SAILING CRUISE | ||||||
| HOP-ON HOP-OFF BUS | ||||||
| THE BRONX, HARLEM, BROOKLYN BUSES/strong> | ||||||
| WOODBURY COMMON PREMIUM OUTLETS | ||||||
| BRONX ZOO | ||||||
| THE RIDE | ||||||
| MADISON SQUARE GARDEN TOUR | ||||||
| LUNA PARK CONEY ISLAND | ||||||
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| Buy | Buy | Buy | Buy | Buy | Buy | |