New York Pass Comparison (+ Discount)

New York City is one of the most famous cities in the world. It’s diverse, fast-paced, iconic, gritty and very expensive. But what if you could save some money on your dream trip to NYC? In this comparison, we’ll show you four popular New York attraction pass options including how we saved hundreds of dollars as well as what we like and don’t like about each one after using them ourselves. Our main goal is to help you decide if an attraction pass is worth your time and money.

Disclosure: We received New York Sightseeing Pass and New York CityPASS tickets in order to share our opinion about these products but this is not a sponsored post.

Our New York Experience

We’ve used attraction passes in cities all around the world and they’ve become one of our top tip money saving tips. In spring 2021, we used the New York CityPASS and C3 Pass then in spring 2022, we used the NY Sightseeing Pass. We’ve also used the Go City Pass in Rome, London and Paris so we’re extremely familiar with how these passes work.

Not only have we used the passes ourselves, but we lived in New York City temporarily in 2021. We wanted to make the best possible content and you can’t do that with just one trip because there’s so much to do in the city that never sleeps.

Other NY pass comparisons online often claim to have used these passes, but then source stock photos from various websites. So we found it extremely important to prove that we’ve actually used the passes and you’ll find our personal photos taken from every attraction we visited. Just look for the captions underneath our photos to see which pass we used at each attraction. This is our honest comparison after months of research, planning, traveling. Read more about us.

Travel Tip: We try our best to keep prices and attraction options up to date, but they’re subject to change at any given time. Use the official links we provide to confirm information before purchasing.

What You Need To Know

Before we get into all the details, here are a few important things to consider before you make a purchase:

A New York Pass will give you instant access to the top attractions including landmarks, museums, observation decks, walking tours and boat cruises at a discounted price. Generally, the more attractions you visit, the more you’ll save.

You can purchase a day-based or attraction-based pass depending on how you want to spend your time. A day-based pass is better if you want to see many attractions over a short period of time while an attraction-based pass is best if you only want to see a few attractions or are visiting for a longer period.

After buying your pass, you’ll receive an email with the pass and you’ll have 12-24 months to activate it. You can download it to your phone or print it out to have a hard copy. We typically download attraction passes to our phones for easy access on the go. Your pass is considered active once it has been scanned at the first attraction via a QR code.

Major attractions often require timed entry reservations, so you’ll have to show your reservation along with your NY pass for entry. We always recommend you make timed entry reservations to make the most of your time or you may have to wait in long lines.

In this comparison of the New York passes, we’ve made various graphs and included our specific itineraries to show how much money we actually saved. It’s well worth reading so you understand the finer details, but if you’re in a hurry and you just want our top recommendation, it’s the New York Sightseeing Pass.

We’ve dealt with all the companies offering passes and we had the best experience with Sightseeing. They also have exclusive attractions, lots of flexibility and great value for money. So we’ve teamed up with Sightseeing Pass to offer our readers an exclusive 5-10% discount on any attraction pass.

It doesn’t matter if Sightseeing Pass are running a seasonal promotion, you’ll always save an additional 5-10% on top of the promotion by clicking our links in this guide. While we personally think Sightseeing Pass is the best company to work with, it might not suit your needs. So continue reading to see the how the other passes compare.

Day Based Versus Attraction Based

There are 4 popular NYC attraction pass companies and each one offers something unique:

• NY Sightseeing Pass – DAY or FLEX
• New York CityPASS – C3 is a light version
• Go City New York – All-Inclusive or Explorer
• The New York Pass by Go City

Here’s a graph we created with a high-level overview of each pass in New York City to help you immediately identify key differences:

A day-based pass will give you unlimited access to attractions for a specific amount of days (2-12). The more days you purchase, the more attractions you see and the more you’ll save. These types of pass are more expensive, but they are a better value for money if you only have a short time. However, they must be used in consecutive order and you may feel obligated to rush around to make the most of your money.

Here are the 3 day-based options in New York:

• NY Sightseeing DAY Pass
• Go City New York All-Inclusive Pass
• New York Pass by Go City

An attraction-based pass is purchased based on how many attractions you want to see. The CityPASS comes preloaded with a certain amount of attractions (10), but the Sightseeing and Go City pass offer more attractions and the price is slightly higher because you have more choice (90-120+). These passes are great because you only pay for what you want to see and they don’t have to be used on consecutive days. But you won’t save as much with these types of passes.

Here are the 4 attraction-based options in New York:

• NY Sightseeing FLEX Pass
• New York CityPASS
• New York C3 Pass
• Go City New York Explorer Pass

Travel Tip: The first step is to think about how many attractions you want to visit. Once you have this answer, you’ll be able to easily narrow down your pass.

New York Pass Attractions

Maybe you already know what attractions you want to see in New York, but if you don’t that is okay. We hope to show you new attractions you never considered so you can get the most out of your trip.

All passes includes the most popular attractions in the city, but the big differences will be how many you can visit and how many you can choose from.

• 9/11 Memorial and Museum
• American Museum of Natural History
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
• Edge at Hudson Yards
• Empire State Building
• Guggenheim Museum
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
• Modern Museum of Art (MoMA)
• One World Observatory
• Statue of Liberty
• Top of the Rock

Below is another graph with a high-level overview of popular attractions included on each pass. But with the Sightseeing and Go City pass, you’ll have more options than what it’s included on the graph.

As you can see, many of the top highlights are included on most passes. But if you want to visit a specific attraction, you have to make sure it’s included on the pass you wish to buy.

READ: Top of the Rock vs Empire State Building

Even if you’ve already seen the top sights, a New York City attractions pass can still be a good option for you because there are several lesser known museums and unique activities included.

Below is a one last graph featuring the unique museums in New York incase you want to see what else you can visit with a pass:

This graph does not include the full list of options, but it gives you a good idea about which pass you should purchase if you plan to visit several museums.

READ: 10 must-see museums in New York City

Now without further ado, let’s save some money in New York!

1. New York Sightseeing Pass

The Sightseeing Pass is a popular company selling passes throughout the US with a few international options. You can choose from a day-based (DAY) or an attraction-based (FLEX) option. We used the 3 DAY pass for our trip and it was really fun checking off many of the the top sights in NYC.

We cover everything in detail in our New York Sightseeing Pass review, but here’s a quick overview:

DAY Pass (day option):

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 day validity
• Days must be used in consecutive order
• Visit as many attractions as possible in that time frame
• 115 attractions to chose from

>> Check out the DAY pass here

FLEX Pass (attraction option):

• Visit 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10 or 12 attractions
• 60 day validity
• Does not have to be used in consecutive order
• 121 attractions to choose from

>> Check out the FLEX pass here

With our discount, the New York Sightseeing DAY Pass is currently priced at $146.30-379.05 for adults and $98.10-264.60 for children. To get the most of out this pass, you should visit the most expensive attractions. The New York Sightseeing FLEX Pass is currently priced at $79.80-312.55 for adults and $62.10-233.10 for children. It’s the cheaper option and good for those only wanting to visit a few attractions.

This pass includes a very large list of attractions. Unfortunately, the 9/11 Museum is no longer included on the NY Sightseeing Pass, but active or retired US military can visit for free. Additionally, visitors will receive free entry on Mondays from 5:30pm to 7:00pm. The museum is open until 8:00pm, but you’ll still have to make a reservation for the free visit. Or you can book a 9/11 walking tour with a Sightseeing Pass.

>> Buy 9/11 Museum tickets: Official Website  |  Get Your Guide  |  Viator  |  Tiqets

We like the Sightseeing Pass because it includes exclusive attractions including the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, Museum of Broadway and National Lighthouse Museum. But it’s important to know the Statue of Liberty Ferry is available on the NY Sightseeing DAY pass only. So if you want to visit this attraction, you’ll need to purchase the DAY pass over the FLEX pass.

Another bonus feature on this pass are the special offers with discounts in many shops, restaurants and tours around the city. To see the full list, click here. At checkout, you can also opt to include the cancellation cover for a few extra dollars which will allow you to receive a refund if you don’t end up using you pass in the 12 hours time period.

Our NY Sightseeing Pass Itinerary

Our experience with Sightseeing Pass has shown us they are very cost effective and we’ll show you how much we saved by using the exact New York itinerary we followed.

This example uses the 3 DAY pass, but you can save even more with additional days depending on how much you want to see. The 9/11 Tribute Museum is no longer open, but you can just substitute this for another attraction.

Here’s what we visited each day using same day box office prices for adults (with taxes and processing fees):

Day 1

• One World Observatory – $52.91 (morning visit)
• 9/11 Tribute Museum (closed in 2022) – $17.00
• Madam Tussauds – $42.45
• Escape Game New York – $48.98

Day 2

• Fotografiska NYC – $24.00
• Rise NY – $47.90
• SPYSACAPE – $53.35
• St Patrick’s Cathedral audio tour – $25.00

Day 3

• Top of the Rock – $53.35 (morning visit)
• NY Botanical Garden – $35.00
• Bronx Zoo – $39.70 (afternoon visit)
• Edge at Hudson Yards – $54.44 (sunset visit)

The total cost of this 3 day itinerary is $494.08.

• Attraction price (no Sightseeing Pass) = $494.08
• NY Sightseeing 3 DAY price with our discount = $246.05
• Savings = $248.03

We saved 50% on 12 attractions!

We were so impressed by how much money we saved using a NY Sightseeing Pass. And when we like a product, we always try to offer discounts for our readers to help you save money. So we’ve teamed up with Sightseeing Pass to to offer you a 5-10% discount! You’ll receive 5% off adult passes and 10% off children passes with all the links found in this guide.

>> Buy a NY Sightseeing DAY Pass here

Let’s also compare it to the FLEX pass:

The total cost of this 3 day itinerary is $494.08.

• Attraction price (no Sightseeing Pass) = $494.08
• NY Sightseeing 12 attraction FLEX price with our discount = $312.55
• Savings = $181.53

We would have saved 36% on 12 attractions!

>> Buy a NY Sightseeing FLEX Pass

2. New York CityPASS

CityPASS offers attraction passes in major cities across the United States. We’ve used their passes in New York, Denver, Seattle and San Francisco so we feel confident explaining this option in detail. They also offer a light version known as the C3 Pass, but this will limit the amount of attractions you can visit.

Depending on which pass you buy, you’ll be able to visit 3 or 4 attractions from a list of 8 or 10 total attractions. It’s valid for 9 days and you don’t have to use it in consecutive order. The pass includes general admission to all of the attractions below, but you might have to pay extra for temporary exhibits.

With the CityPASS you can visit 5 attractions, but two of these are non-negotiable. Here’s the official list including what we decided to visit:

• Empire State Building (visited)
• American Museum of Natural History (visited)

You can then choose 3 more attractions:

• Top of the Rock (visited)
• Ferry Access to Statue of Liberty (paid out of pocket)
• 9/11 Memorial & Museum (visited)
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises (visited)
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
• Guggenheim Museum (visited with C3)

With the C3 Pass in New York you can freely choose from the attractions below in addition to the ones listed above without having to visit the Empire State Building or the Natural History Museum:

• Edge at Hudson Yards (visited)
• The Museum of Modern Art (visited)

We’ve written a detailed review of the New York CityPASS if you want more information about specific attractions, but this pass offers a great price point if you only want to visit a few of the top attractions.

A bonus offered with the CityPASS is a 2nd visit to the Empire State Building in 24 hours. This is a really nice perk because a second night visit is not allowed with any other pass. We visited once in the morning and then returned after the sun had set. The photo above is from our day visit and it will take 2-3 hours to explore all of the additional exhibits inside.

With CityPASS you’ll also receive entry into all of the permanent exhibition halls plus one special exhibition at the American Museum of Natural History. We chose to see a temporary exhibit about the Tyrannosaurus Rex. If you’ve seen Night at the Museum, it’s based on this very museum and kids will love it here.

Travel Tip: Technically you can visit all 10 of the attractions listed with the C-All pass, but we think the regular CityPASS offers the best value. And if you want to visit that many attractions, you’ll be better off with a Sightseeing Pass or a Go City Pass because you can pick from 100+ attractions instead of 10.

Our New York CityPASS Itinerary

Our experience with CityPASS has shown us these passes are often very cost effective so we’ll show you our exact itinerary and how much you can expect to save.

New York CityPASS example:

The New York CityPASS is currently priced at $146.00 for adults and $124.00 for children (ages 6-17). And here’s how we used it using same day box office prices for adults:

Empire State Building ($56.00) + American Museum of Natural History ($28.00) + Top of the Rock ($55.00) + 9/11 Memorial & Museum ($33.00) + Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises ($38.00) = $210.00

• Attraction price (no CityPASS) = $198.00
• CityPASS price = $146.00
• Savings = $52.00

You’ll save 32% on the top 5 attractions!

>> Buy a New York CityPASS here

Travel Tip: Our calculation above only includes 1 visit to the Empire State Building when in reality you actually get two! So if you calculated two visits ($101.00), you’d actually save $255.00 – this is a 55% savings!

New York C3 Pass example:

The C3 Pass in New York is currently priced at $104.00 for adults and $82.00 for children (ages 6-12).

And here’s how we used it:

Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises ($38.00) + Edge at Hudson Yards ($45.00) + MoMA ($28.00) = $111.00

• Attraction price (no CityPASS) = $111.00
• C3 Pass price = $104.00
• Savings = $7.00

You’ll save 6% on the top 3 attractions!

>> Buy a New York C3 Pass here

Go City New York Pass

Go City offers attraction passes in major cities around the world. We’ve used them in Paris, London and Rome so we’re very familiar with how they work. You can buy a day based option called the All-Inclusive Pass or an attraction based option known as the Explorer Pass. We used the Explorer 3 attraction pass during our recent Paris trip and you read more in our Paris pass comparison.

Here’s a quick overview:

All-Inclusive Pass (day option):

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 or 10 day validity
• Days must be used in consecutive order
• Visit as many attractions in that time frame
• 103 attractions to choose from

>> Check out the All-Inclusive pass here

Explorer Pass (attraction option):

• Visit 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 attractions
• 60 day validity
• Does not have to be used in consecutive order
• 92 attractions to choose from

>> Check out the Explorer pass here

We like Go City because it offers a large amount of activities very similar to the NY Sightseeing Pass. However, you must pay close attention because some attractions are only offered on the All-Inclusive or Explorer pass. On the official attraction page, look for dark green boxes indicating which pass attractions are included on.

A popular feature of this pass are the Yankees tickets in the stadium’s Grandstand level. All of the other attractions are the same as the NY Sightseeing Pass with the exception of the 9/11 Museum. But there are also no special discounts on other experiences in the city.

The Go City All-Inclusive Pass is currently priced at $154.00-399.00 for adults and $114.00-299.00 for children. To get the most of out this pass, visit the most expensive attractions. The Go City Explorer Pass is currently priced at $84.00-289.00 for adults and $69.00-239.00 for children. It’s the cheaper option and good for visitors only wanting to do a little bit in the city.

We won’t give you another money saving example because the savings are similar to a NY Sightseeing Pass. However, Go City prices are typically a little bit higher and with our NY Sightseeing Pass discount, you’ll save more.

The New York Pass

This last pass is essentially the same as Go City’s All-Inclusive pass because it’s owned by Go City. Prices and attractions are identical to the pass we just discussed and there are no attraction based options available. Here’s a quick overview:

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 day validity
• Visit as many attractions as possible
• 108 attractions to choose from

>> Check out the New York Pass here

Personally, we’d purchase the NY Sightseeing Pass over this option because it’s a cheaper price with more flexibility and attractions. But if you want to visit the 9/11 Museum as one of your attractions, this might be a good option for you.

Timed Entry Reservations

Most of the top attractions on the New York attraction passes require reservations. Each pass option has slightly different requirements, but we highly recommend you make these timed reservations even when they are only recommended.

Reservations work on a on a timed entry system meaning you won’t have to wait in ticket lines at each attraction. Even if you bought individual tickets to each attraction, you’d still have to book advanced time slots. These reservations systems are put in place to handle large tourist volumes at the most popular sites, particularly around sunset.

We’ve never had any problems booking reservations with Sightseeing Pass or CityPASS. However, we did have problems booking with our Go City Rome pass, but we think this was a Rome problem over a Go City issue because our passes worked flawlessly in London and Paris.

Making reservations is very easy and all you have to do is head to the official website of the pass you purchase. All 3 companies offer very clear step by step instructions and you’ll be able to do this right on their website after receiving your pass by email.

When you visit an attraction with reservation requirements, you’ll have to show your New York City pass along with your reservation confirmation. Please keep in mind reservation requirements may change so always verify what’s required for each individual attraction prior to your trip.

Is There A Catch?

Like all things that save you money, there is a catch when using an attraction pass in New York City.

The main purpose of a New York pass is to save you money by bundling attractions, but you’ll have to put in the work to get the most out it. You’ll need to get organized by booking time slots in advance where possible and arriving to attractions at times of day when they won’t be packed full of tourists.

It’s also important to note that you might not be able to make reservations at every attraction so you’ll have to get a little creative, especially if you visit in the peak season of summer. First, we recommend you figure out what attractions you want to visit and then work out what ones require reservations.

For example, we used our 3 DAY Sightseeing Pass during our trip to New York in April. We had no issues turning up to attractions and receiving immediate entry into to Edge, One World Observatory and Top of the Rock. But if you visit in summer, it will naturally be busier so you can’t arrive at Top of the Rock at 5pm expecting to get straight up for sunset. There will be a long line, whether you buy a pass or an individual ticket.

The most popular attractions will require a timed entry ticket therefore fast track or skip the line are a moot point. But if you can’t make a reservation, you should plan to visit that attraction early in the morning at opening time before it gets busy. However, you might have to wait in a security line which is unavoidable.

If you read reviews about attraction passes online, you’ll find either 1 star or 5 star reviews. The 1 star reviews are from people who didn’t plan or read the fine print. The 5 stars reviews are from people who properly planned and saved a bunch of money. And this guide shows you exactly how to make the most of your New York attraction pass.

Travel Tip: If you can’t make a reservation for an observation deck at sunset, arrive a few hours earlier and enjoy the views. None of the observatories in NYC have time limits and most have restaurants with the exception of Top of the Rock.

Tips For Using A NYC Pass

After using the passes ourselves, here are a few important tips we think you should consider for your trip:

We don’t recommend using Big Bus as your means of transportation around the city if you have a day pass. You’ll be limited by bus schedules and traffic. So you should use the subway to make the most of your time. Walking tours, bike rentals or boat tours are also a good option.

Some passes offer special offers and discounts so read the fine print. There are additional benefits to save you extra money on experiences, shopping and restaurants.

We typically average about 3-4 attractions per day by using the subway and visiting attractions that are located close to each other. Keep in mind, most attractions are open from 10:00am-6:00pm with a few exceptions such as the New York city observation decks.

Verify attractions on the official websites with our links. New York City is always evolving and new attractions open every year so head over to the official websites for current information.

Always make reservations when possible, especially if you visit in the peak summer season. New York is a very busy place and if you don’t make reservations, you’ll be waiting in long lines.

Visit the expensive attractions to get the most out of your pass. This includes the Empire State Building, Edge, One World Observatory, Big Bus, various walking tours and so many more fun attractions.

The NY Sightseeing and Go City pass often include seasonal activities. For example, if you visit New York in winter, you can visit the Rink at Rockefeller Center and or experience the Dyker Heights Christmas lights tour.

You should buy your attraction pass online because you’ll receive the pass instantly via email. This way you can start making reservations for your attractions straight away. Always buy the passes from the official websites (links in this guide) or reputable third parties like Get Your Guide and Viator.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Met) is no longer included on any attraction pass. However, NY State residents or students based in NY, NJ or CT will receive free admission with a valid ID.

New York’s newest observation deck SUMMIT One Vanderbilt features immersive exhibits and stunning views over Manhattan, but it’s not currently available on any NY pass. You can book tickets on the official website or with Get Your Guide, Viator or Tiqets.

The Morgan Conclusion

Now that you know how they work and what attractions are included, you’re probably wondering if New York passes are worth the hassle.

After using them in New York ourselves, we saved a serious amount of money and we think they are completely worth it if you want to visit the top attractions! But not all passes fit the same kind of traveler.

So before purchasing any pass, you should decide between the day or attraction option. If you want the most flexibility, buy a day-based pass. We loved using our day passes to run around the city and check off many top attractions because it was a fun way to explore. But if you only want to visit a few attractions or are planning to visit New York for a longer period of time, buy a FLEX pass because you have 60 days of validity.

Overall, the New York Sightseeing Pass is our top recommendation. It offers the most attractions with the most flexibility. It can be used by first time visitors, returning visitors and even locals. Our exclusive discount will give you massive savings you won’t find anywhere else.

Here’s a quick over view of all the passes we just discussed:

NY Sightseeing DAY Pass – This is the cheapest day option with the most flexibility, but if you want to visit the 9/11 Museum, you’ll have to purchase tickets separately (active and retired military visit for free). Buy it here.

NY Sightseeing FLEX Pass – This pass is great for visitors who want to visit 1-12 attractions or those who want to visit numerous museums. However, the 9/11 Museum and Statue of Liberty Ferry are not included. Buy it here.

New York CityPASS – Good for those who want to visit 5 of the top attractions, but you’ll be limited to a total of 8 attractions with 2 non-negotiable options (Empire State Building and American Museum of Natural History). Buy it here.

New York C3 Pass – Good for visitors who only want to see 3 of the top attractions. Very limiting compared to other passes, but it comes at a cheap price. Buy it here.

Go City New York All-Inclusive – Similar to NY Sightseeing DAY Pass, but more expensive with less attractions and no 6 day option. The Bronx Zoo and the New York Aquarium are not included. Buy it here.

Go City New York Explorer – Similar to the NY Sightseeing FLEX, but more expensive. You can purchase up to 10 attractions on this pass. The Bronx Zoo and New York Aquarium are not included. Buy it here.

The New York Pass – Essentially the same as the Go City All-Inclusive option run by the same company. Buy it here.

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• Epic New York City photo locations
• How to find the best pizza in NYC
• Guide to the best NYC bagels

Want more New York content? Head over to our New York Travel Guides to explore the Finger Lakes, Adirondacks and the best of NYC.

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We hope our comparison of the New York attraction passes helps with planning your trip to NYC!

Please let us know if you have any questions about the passes in the comments below.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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