New York City Passes: Which is the best New York Attraction Pass?

Is it worth buying an attraction pass in New York City? Which is the best New York Attraction Pass? These are some of the recurring questions when it comes to attraction passes in New York City. The answer is: it depends. It depends on your travel style, your budget, and the places you want to visit. You need to list everything and compare it to get the best out of it. In this post, I will try to help you make that decision and choose the best attraction pass for you.

• As a reminder: this post contains affiliate links – it costs you nothing extra to buy through them, and you support my work.

New York CityPASS

What is it?

An attraction pass including 5 attractions – 2 attractions + the flexibility to choose 3 of them among 6 options.

How much is it?

U$129

Attractions included

How much are the tickets of the attractions if purchased separately? Prices including taxes

• Empire State Building –   starting at $47,91
• American Museum of Natural History– starting at $23
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck – starting at $43,55 
• Guggenheim Museum – starting at $25
• Estátua da Liberdade & Ellis Island – starting at $24
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises – starting at $30,80
• 9/11 Memorial & Museum – starting at $30
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum – starting at $33

• Validity: The validity period is 9 consecutive days starting with and including the first day you visit an attraction. You have one year from the date of purchase to start using your tickets.
• Reservations: you can make reservations on New York CityPass website.
• How to use it: after your purchase, you’ll receive an email shortly afterward with a ticket for each individual in your party. You can print the email if you prefer a hard copy.

Is the New York CityPASS Worth it?

Doing quick math, if you choose to go to the Empire State Building, the Museum of Natural History, the Top of the Rock, the Statue of Liberty, and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, you would spend around $170 – and the New York CityPass costs $129, which would save you $41. The savings will depend on your choices. This Pass has interesting attractions – but it only has two observatories, and I don’t particularly consider the Empire State Building a must-see.

• Click here to buy it!

GoCity Explorer Pass

What is it?

A super flexible attraction pass that includes 2-10 attractions, tours, and experiences from a list of 95 things to do in NYC.

How much is it?

• $69 for 2 attractions
• $94 for 3 attractions
• $129 for 4 attractions
• $147 for 5 attractions
• $169 for 6 attractions
• $189 for 7 attractions
• $224 for 10 attractions

Attractions included:

You have 95 options to choose from – including attractions, experiences and tours. These are the attractions – and you can also check the prices if purchased separately? Prices including taxes.

• Empire State Building –   starting at $47,91
• American Museum of Natural History– starting at $23
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck – starting at $43,55 
• Guggenheim Museum – starting at $25
• Estátua da Liberdade & Ellis Island – starting at $24
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises – starting at $30,80
• 9/11 Memorial & Museum – starting at $30
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum – starting at $33
• Edge – starting at $47
• One Wolrd Observatory – starting at $45
• MoMa – starting at $25
• New York Botanical Garden – starting at $30
• Fotografiska – starting at $23
• Madame Tussauds – starting at $40
• Rise NY –  starting at $36
• The Whitney Museum of American Art – starting at $25
• Museum of Sex – starting at $39
• Luna Park – starting at $69
• The Museum of the City of New York – starting at $20
• New York Historical Society – starting at U$20
• Big Bus Hop on Hop Off – starting at $60
• The Ride Bus – starting at $99
• Besides these attractions, there are walking tours, experiences, bike rentals, and cruises.

What you need to know

• Validity: Visiting your first chosen attraction will activate your Pass. From then on, you can go at your own pace – you’ll have 60 days to visit the rest
• Reservations: you can make reservations on Explorer Pass website.
• How to use it: Pick your Explorer Pass and download it to your phone. Check which attractions need a reservation and book. Show your Pass at each attraction for entry.

Is the GoCity Explorer Pass Worth it?

Doing quick math, if you choose to go to the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock, you will spend around $90 – and the two-attraction Pass costs $69, which will save you $21. This Pass is very interesting for its flexibility and number of attractions – I think it can be an excellent option for those who want to visit many observatories, for example.

Click here to buy it!

GoCity All-Inclusive Pass – The New York Pass

What is it?

A pass to visit as many attractions as you want in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 or 10 days, choosing from a list with more than 115 options. It also includes skip-the-ticket-line entry at some of the busiest attractions, allowing you to put the time you save in queues back into your sightseeing (Wait times may still occur at peak times and during security checks).

How much is it?

• $134 1 day
• $179 2 days
• $208 3 days
• $237 4 days
• $264 5 days
• $303 7 days
• $332 10 days

Atractions included

You can also check the prices if purchased separately? Prices including taxes.

• Empire State Building –   starting at $47,91
• American Museum of Natural History– starting at $23
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck – starting at $43,55 
• Guggenheim Museum – starting at $25
• Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island – starting at $24
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises – starting at $30,80
• 9/11 Memorial & Museum – starting at $30
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum – starting at $33
• Edge – starting at $47
• One Wolrd Observatory – starting at $45
• MoMa – starting at $25
• New York Botanical Garden – starting at $30
• Fotografiska – starting at $23
• Madame Tussauds – starting at $40
• Rise NY –  starting at $36
• The Whitney Museum of American Art – starting at $25
• Museum of Sex – starting at $39
• Luna Park – starting at $69
• The Museum of the City of New York – starting at $20
• New York Historical Society – starting at U$20
• Big Bus Hop on Hop Off – starting at $60
• The Ride Bus – starting at $99
• Besides these attractions, there are walking tours, experiences, bike rentals, and cruises. The difference between Explorer and All-Access is that there are some experiences and tours exclusive to All-Access.

What you need to know:

• Validity: when you enter your first attraction, your Pass will activate. You will then have the remaining consecutive days of your chosen pass duration to visit as many attractions as you wish. For example, if you activate a 3-day pass on Monday, it will be active on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The Pass will conclude at midnight on Wednesday.
• Reservations: you can make reservations on All-Inclusive Pass website.
• How to use it: choose the number of days of your Pass and download it to your phone after purchasing it. Check which attractions need a reservation and book. Show your Pass at each attraction for entry.

Is GoCity All-Inclusive Pass – The New York Pass worth it?

New York is a very intense city – if you plan accordingly, you have to take into account the commute, time for meals, walking around, and enjoying your trip. Making a quick analysis, it doesn’t seem advantageous, for example, to buy this Pass for one day – the price is high and, in order to save money, you’ll need to go to at least 4 attractions on the same day. It is not doable. A pass with more days offers more flexibility because you get more time – but it is necessary to be very realistic when calculating the time spent, as it is limited according to the choice of days. In addition, you also need to take into account the weather factor when talking about observatories. Can you imagine buying a two-day pass to go visit at least four observatories, and one of the days is rainy or cloudy? I don’t find a pass that limits your time to visit attractions that attractive – and if you want more time, you need to spend more.

Click here to buy it!

New York Sightseeing FLEX Pass

What is it?

It is an attraction pass that includes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 or 12 atractions – you can choose from more than 100 options.

How much is it?

• $74 2 attractions
• $104 3 attractions
• $139 4 attractions
• $159 5 attractions
• $179 6 attractions
• $199 7 attractions
• $254 10 attractions

Attractions included

And check some prices if purchased separately:

• Validity: Your Pass is ready to use immediately after purchase, but only gets activated the moment that you first use it at an attraction or service. Your FLEX Pass is valid for 60 days from activation at your first attraction visit. You can purchase your Pass up to 12 months in advance.
• How to use it: Download your mobile Pass on the Sightseeing Pass app. Download your mobile Pass from your confirmation email and use it right away on your phone. Should you prefer a physical Pass simply print your Pass at home from your confirmation email.

Is New York Sightseeing FLEX Pass worth it?

This Pass is also interesting for its flexibility and number of attractions – it works like the GoCity Explorer Pass. However, it does not include the Statue of Liberty – an important attraction for many people. In addition, in terms of value, it is more expensive than the GoCity Explorer Pass. I believe it’s only worth it if there’s an attraction or tour that interests you and isn’t included in the GoCity Explorer Pass.

Click here to buy it!

Before buying your attraction pass, remember:

• Residents of New York, New Jersey or Connecticut can pay as they wish at the American Museum of Natural History – but access to special exhibits is not included.
• New York State residents and NY, NJ, CT students can pay as they wish at the MET.
• Admission to 9/11 Memorial & Museum is free on Mondays, from 3h30pm to 5pm – you can claim your ticket online on the day of the visit.
• Guggenheim Museum offers pay-as-you-wish admission on Saturdays, from 6pm to 8pm.
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum offers free admission on selected Fridays. Check here.
• Staten Island Ferry is a free ferry between Manhattan e Staten Island and it provides beautiful views of the skyline and to the Statue of Liberty. Learn more!
• Free Tours By Foot offers a lot of free walking tours  – you just need to tip your guide.
• New York City has 5 observatories – and one of them is not included in any attraction pass. Check my post about it – it can maybe help you to decide which Pass is best for you.

Conclusion – Which is the best New York City Attraction Pass?

Before heading to my answer to this question, I suggest you ask yourself the following questions:

• What are your travel plans?
• If you had to buy individual tickets, would you visit all the attractions available on the Pass you are considering buying it?
• Do you have flexible plans to take advantage of the free admission days or pay-as-you-wishdays at the museums?
• What are the attractions on your list that you absolutely don’t want to miss? Are they included in the Pass you are considering buying it? How much would it cost to buy them separately?

EVERYBODY should ask these questions before buying a pass before doing it just because they’ve heard that a pass means savings.

However, after writing this post and understanding in more detail what each of these passes offer and considering pricing, flexibility, and attractions, I’m stuck between the New York CityPASS and the GoCity Explorer Pass – the final choice will depend on which attractions you wish to visit. The Sightseeing looks like the Explorer Pass to me, with the difference that it’s more expensive and doesn’t include the Statue of Liberty.

• Click here to buy the New York CityPASS!
• Click here to buy the GoCity Explorer Pass!
• As a reminder: this post contains affiliate links – it costs you nothing extra to buy through them, and you support my work.

Laura Peruchi

Content creator and journalist in New York City. Here, I share lifestyle, beauty, NYC tips, thoughts, and the struggles about living in the most amazing city in the world! I’m not gonna pretend to be another person: I’m a Brazilian immigrant and I think this is my soul, it is part of who I am. I hope you enjoy my content! Follow me on Instagram!