New York Explorer Pass: Is It Worth the Money for You?

New York Pass is an «all-inclusive» tourist card. What does that mean? For as long as your pass is valid, you get access to more than 100 attractions. In other words, you can visit as many as you want and can fit in.

As you can see, it's a great discount card if you want to see as much as possible in a short time, and once you do the math you'll find you've saved up to 50% of what you would have paid buying each ticket separately.

If you only want to see a few specific places without racing the clock, go for the GO CITY New York instead (between us, it's my favorite tourist card 😉). As you'll see, New York has discount cards for every type of traveler 🙂

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

How does the New York Pass work?

It's a digital pass you use through its official mobile app. You show the code for your pass in the app at the entrance to each attraction, they scan it, and you're in.

Choose how many days you want

The most important decision when buying the New York Pass is how many total days of access you need (from 1 to 10). After purchase you'll get an email with all the information you need to download your passes in the app.

Check which attractions require a reservation

The app lists the details of every included activity (you can also check them on the website) and which attractions require a mandatory reservation.

Plenty of places still have reduced capacity for health reasons, so it's essential to plan your itinerary ahead of time and book whatever needs booking.

Do you actually save money?

With these tourist passes the savings are real. As an example, look at what it would cost to buy the tickets separately at regular adult price for the attractions in this 3-day itinerary:

DAY 1

Statue of Liberty ferry and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum: US$ 25

One World Observatory: US$ 47.91

9/11 Memorial Museum: US$ 33.00

DAY 2

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): US$ 30.00

Bike rental or Central Park tours with Unlimited Biking: US$ 63.18

Top of the Rock observation deck: US$ 59.88

DAY 3

Big Bus New York classic sightseeing tour: US$ 80.00

Empire State Building observatory: US$ 51.17

Madame Tussauds: US$ 47.89

Regular ticket prices vs. the 3-day New York Pass

Buying regular tickets for this 3-day itinerary would add up to $438.03, while the 3-day New York Pass costs $259. You'd save $179.03, or 40.9% less than the price of buying each ticket individually.

Obviously these discount percentages vary depending on what and how much you visit. But as you can see, in this example of activities you can realistically do in 3 days, the savings are significant (here's another example of how to make the most of the tourist pass in 1 day).

New York Pass prices

The New York Pass is individual, so every member of your family or group needs their own.

Prices depend on how many days you choose, from 1 day up to 10 days.

Child rates apply to kids between 3 and 12 years old. Children under 2 get in free at the attractions, so you don't need to buy them a card.

How far in advance can you buy it?

You can buy the New York Pass up to 2 years before your trip, and you get 30 days after purchase to return the passes if you change your mind. As you can see, there are plenty of guarantees behind the purchase.

Where do you buy the New York Pass?

I recommend buying it on the official site. Since it's a digital pass, the only way to get it is online. Follow the link and you'll find all the details to complete your purchase.

Attractions included with the New York Pass

You can browse all the attractions with admission included by clicking this link to the official page.

As a sample, take a look at this list of heavily visited spots you can get into with the pass:

• One World Trade Center Observatory
• The new Edge observation deck at Hudson Yards
• Empire State Building Observatory
• The Statue of Liberty
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck
• MoMA
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the Met)
• The Guggenheim
• The Whitney Museum
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum

Keep in mind this is just a short list out of the more than 100 included activities.

When does the New York Pass activate?

It activates the moment you enter your first attraction. From then on, the consecutive days on your pass start counting down. It does not activate when you buy it, so you can go ahead and purchase it up to 2 years before your trip.

I'll say it again: the countdown starts once the card is activated. That means if you buy 2 days, you can't use it one day, take the next day off, and pick back up on the third. The number of days you bought is consecutive!

To get the most out of this pass, activate it bright and early and start with the priciest, most tourist-packed sights (the skyscraper observation decks, for example).

Another important tip: study the hours and addresses of the attractions you want to see ahead of time. The New York Pass app is a big help here, since it has all the details updated, suggests logical routes, and geolocates nearby attractions.

One key detail: you can enter each attraction only once, no repeats.

Is the New York Pass worth it?

That depends on what kind of traveler you are.

If you're not pressed for time or you know you'll be back in the city, it will probably cause you more stress than savings (if that sounds like you, take a look at the Go City New York pass).

On the other hand, if you have little time and want to see as much as possible, the New York Pass helps a lot. You'll save valuable time by skipping the ticket lines, and you get priority access at several places (you can check which ones under included attractions).

Which tourist pass is best?

The New York Pass is one of the most popular discount tourist cards, but there are other passes that might suit your trip better.

Check out the comparison of New York tourist cards I put together so you can decide which one works best for you.

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