New York City Pass: 5 Top Attractions at a Discount

The New York City Pass is the tourist card that gets you into 5 of New York's biggest attractions while saving 40% off ticket prices. If it's your first trip, it's a great starting point for seeing the city while stretching your budget 😉

How the New York City Pass works

Below you'll find everything you need to get the most out of this sightseeing pass: which attractions are included, how to use it, how much it costs and where to buy it:

1. Attractions included in the City Pass

When you buy the City Pass you get admission to 5 places:

1. Empire State Building Observatory (includes daytime access plus a second visit the same night)
2. American Museum of Natural History
3. Top of the Rock Observatory or the Guggenheim
4. the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island or a 2-hour Circle Line Cruise around Lower Manhattan
5. 9/11 Memorial Museum or Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

To show you the savings are real, take a look at what the priciest attractions included in the City Pass cost if you bought them separately:

ATTRACTION	ADULT PRICE (US$)
Empire State (day and night admission)	75
American Museum of Natural History	36
Top of the Rock	66.41
Circle Line Cruise	44
Intrepid Museum	36
TICKET TOTAL	257.41

The Adult City Pass costs US$ 146, so you save US$ 111.41, 43% less than buying the tickets individually!

As you can see, it's a real deal and it passes the math test 😁

2. New York City Pass prices

The City Pass is individual, so every adult needs their own. It costs a flat US$ 146.

The City Pass price for kids ages 6 to 17 is US$ 124.

If you're traveling with children under 5, in some cases you'll need to buy them a reduced-price ticket at each attraction.

3. How do you buy the City Pass?

The safest bet is to buy the pass online on the official site of the New York City Pass.

Once you complete the purchase you'll get an email with your tickets, which you can show on your phone at the attraction ticket booths or print out if you prefer.

4. When does the City Pass activate?

From the day you buy it, you have up to a year to use the City Pass. So it's a good idea to buy ahead to lock in the price and get things off your to-do list 😉

From the moment you start using the City Pass, you'll have 9 straight days to make your visits.

As you can see, it's easy and hassle-free, a practical way to see the best of New York in a short time and without the stress.

Is the New York City Pass worth it?

The City Pass lets you visit 5 of New York's top attractions at your own pace. You can go in whatever order you like, no rushing, during the 9 days the pass is valid (you can enter each one once, with the exception of the Empire State, which includes day and night access).

The main advantage is that with the New York City Pass you'll pay 40% less than you would buying each ticket separately.

Another perk is priority access at several of them, which buys you valuable time to keep exploring the city.

But here's the one I'd single out as a City Pass exclusive: it includes day and night visits to the Empire State, so you'll see both faces of the city!

True, the City Pass only gets you into 5 places, but they're among the best attractions in New York, the ones you'll almost certainly want to see anyway, so it really is a savings.

That said, if you want to see as much as possible in just a few days, the New York Pass or the Sightseeing Pass will suit you better, and if you're after a few very specific spots (because you've probably traveled here many times and already seen the popular ones), I'd recommend the GO CITY Pass.

Which NYC tourist card is the best fit?

In big cities like New York, these cards are worth it. They're solid products that have been around a long time, well known and used by plenty of travelers.

But which discount card is the better deal? That depends on the kind of trip you're taking. This comparison of New York's tourist cards will help you make the right call if you're still on the fence.

Here's a quick rundown of what each one gets you:

• The City Pass is for seeing 5 major attractions, ideal for trips of up to a week.
• The New York Pass and the Sightseeing Pass work if you want to see as much as possible in a few days (they include more than 100 attractions)
• The GO City New York lets you visit between 2 and 10 attractions, from more than 80 options, over as many as 60 days! Great for those of us who keep coming back to New York, because there's always something new to see 😀

Frequently Asked Questions