Best New York Attraction Pass: Which to Buy in 2026

Q: Which is the best New York attraction pass?

It depends on how busy your trip is. For our default 2-day or 3-day NYC itineraries (5-7 paid attractions across the trip), CityPASS Standard is the best of the three. The pass structure matches the itineraries almost exactly and saves about $39 across two adults. For visitors packing in 8 or more paid attractions across the trip, The New York Pass (the all-inclusive one) is our pick. We've used it ourselves at sixteen attractions across a couple of trips. For longer or more selective trips, the New York Explorer Pass works better. For families with teenagers, the standard CityPASS is the better-value option because its child rate covers ages 6-17.

Jess and I have used The New York Pass across a couple of trips to New York City and visited sixteen attractions on it, ranging from the obvious icons (Top of the Rock, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty) to a few we’d probably never have paid full price to see (the Transit Museum and a Carnegie Hall backstage tour, for example). On balance we ended up well ahead, both on cost and on the things we saw.

Whether a New York attraction pass is worth it for your trip depends on which attractions you want to visit, how many days you have, and how much sightseeing you actually want to do. New York is not what you might call a budget destination, and attraction fees are one of the main costs of travel in the USA.

The good news is that there are several attraction passes that can save you money, if you pick the right one. The bad news is that the market has changed quite a bit in the last couple of years (one major brand has even gone out of business), so older comparison guides will steer you wrong.

This is our up-to-date take. We’ll cover the three passes still worth considering, share what we actually used The New York Pass for, give you a decision framework for which pass suits which trip, and walk through worked-savings examples for two and three day visits.

Table of Contents:

Overview of the Main New York Attraction Passes

There are three attraction passes worth comparing for New York City in 2026:

The New York Pass: an all-inclusive pass covering 100+ attractions for 1-10 days. Best for visitors hitting a lot of attractions in a short window.
New York Explorer Pass: choose 2 to 10 attractions from a similar catalogue, with 30 days to use them. Best for longer or more selective trips.
New York CityPASS: a smaller curated selection (3, 5, or 10 of New York’s biggest attractions), with 9 days to use it. Best for visitors who only want the headline sights.

Both The New York Pass and the New York Explorer Pass are run by Go City. GoCity’s passes vary a lot by city, so it’s worth checking our city-by-city verdict on where the GoCity pass is worth it. Go City also offers a third tier called the Essentials Pass, which sits between the two (pick 3 attractions from a curated list of 13, from $99). It’s a reasonable middle ground if you don’t need the full all-inclusive coverage but want the headline picks taken care of. We haven’t used it ourselves, so we’ll keep our coverage of it brief.

You may also see the Sesame Attraction Pass mentioned on the official NYC tourism site. We haven’t used it, and it’s a smaller, newer entrant with a more limited attraction list, so we haven’t included it in our shortlist. If we test it on a future visit and it earns a place, we’ll update the article.

What happened to the New York Sightseeing Pass? The Sightseeing Pass company ceased trading in June 2025. It used to be the closest competitor to The New York Pass for all-inclusive coverage, and you’ll still find it referenced in older guides. Don’t buy one (existing passes are no longer valid either). It’s gone, and we wouldn’t recommend any of its surviving redirects.

What We Used The New York Pass For

Across a couple of trips to New York, Jess and I have used The New York Pass at sixteen attractions. We’ve listed them below, partly so you can see how flexible the pass is, and partly because some of these were sights we’d probably have skipped at the gate price but ended up loving.

Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center, for the classic Empire-State-Building-in-the-frame skyline shot.
Empire State Building itself.
One World Observatory, the third of New York’s three big observation decks.
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry, including the museum.
9/11 Memorial & Museum.
American Museum of Natural History (AMNH).
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).
Guggenheim Museum.
Madame Tussauds, which Jess wanted to do, and which is exactly as silly as you’d expect.
The Skyscraper Museum in the Financial District. Small, free with the pass when we visited, and a sneaky highlight given how much of New York is, well, skyscrapers. One small note: since our visit this museum now has free admission for all.
New York Transit Museum in Brooklyn, set in a decommissioned subway station with full-size vintage trains. A surprise favourite.
Hop-on Hop-off bus tour, useful as transport between Midtown and the Financial District on a tired-feet day, with the bonus of excellent commentary as you go.
Harbor Lights cruise, an evening sail past the Manhattan skyline and the Statue of Liberty.
Luna Park at Coney Island, which is good fun even if you’re a couple of decades past the target audience.
Carnegie Hall tour, a backstage walk through one of the world’s most famous concert halls.

The pattern that’s worth flagging: roughly half of those (Skyscraper Museum, Transit Museum, Carnegie Hall, Madame Tussauds, Luna Park, Harbor Lights) are not the kind of thing you’d pre-book and pay individually for, especially not on a first-time trip. Once we had the pass in hand, the calculus shifted: each of these became “it’s already paid for, let’s go take a look”, and that’s where we found a fair bit of the value. Empire State and Top of the Rock will earn the pass back on their own; the unexpected ones turn the trip into something more interesting.

One small caveat: attraction inclusions on these passes do change over time, so check the current pass site to confirm anything you specifically want is still on the list before you buy.

Which Pass Suits Which Trip?

Before we get into the brand-by-brand detail, here’s a fast decision framework. If your trip looks like one of these, you can probably skip straight to the right pass:

First-time visitor with 2 or 3 days at a busy pace, packing in 8 or more paid attractions: The New York Pass (all-inclusive). You’ll comfortably hit break-even and likely save a fair chunk on top, and you’ll find yourself adding small museums and walking tours you’d otherwise skip.
First-time visitor at a more relaxed pace (5-7 paid attractions across the trip), or a visitor focused on just the headline icons: the New York CityPASS Standard. Includes Empire State and AMNH always, plus your choice of three more from the icons. The lower price point is easier to recoup against fewer attractions, so it works at the pacing of our default 2-day and 3-day itineraries.
Second-time or niche-interest visitor with a specific shortlist of 4 to 7 places in mind, spread over a longer trip: New York Explorer Pass. The 30-day validity gives you breathing room, and you only pay for what you actually want.
Family with kids in the 13-17 range: standard New York CityPASS, because its child rate covers ages 6-17 (the other passes cap children at 12). Meaningful saving across a family of four with teenagers.

The brand sections below have the detail for each, including current pricing and what’s included.

The New York Pass

Of the three passes, The New York Pass is our favourite, and the one we’ve actually used. It’s the all-inclusive option, covering over 100 New York attractions across pretty much every category you can think of: observation decks, museums, walking tours, bike rentals, boat cruises, even a Yankees stadium tour.

You buy it for a set number of days (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 10) and on each of those days you can visit as many of the included attractions as you can fit in. Current adult sticker prices are:

Duration	Adult price
1 day	$169
2 days	$219
3 days	$269
4 days	$319
5 days	$359
7 days	$399
10 days	$429

Child pricing (ages 3-12) is available at a discount on each tier; check the official site for current child rates as they vary by season. The pass also runs sales fairly often, so it’s worth checking the price on the official site before you buy.

The reason we like the all-inclusive structure: when you don’t have to think about whether each attraction is “worth” using a slot on, you end up doing things you’d otherwise have skipped. That’s how we ended up at the Skyscraper Museum and a Transit Museum in a former subway station, both of which were small surprises we’d never have pre-booked.

The pass also includes skip-the-line access at a wide range of attractions (which can save you a fair bit of time at the busy ones, such as the 9/11 Museum and Empire State Building), plus discounts on shopping, dining, and theatre tickets if you’re inclined to use them.

The pass is a digital-only product these days; you display it on your phone, although you can also print a paper copy at home if you’d rather not rely on your battery for a long day of sightseeing. Passes can be activated up to a year from purchase, so you can buy in advance if it’s on offer.

You can check current pricing and buy The New York Pass on the official site here. It’s also sometimes available with a different price on GetYourGuide, so it’s worth comparing both: check New York Pass prices on GetYourGuide here.

New York Explorer Pass

The New York Explorer Pass is the same Go City catalogue as The New York Pass (over 100 attractions to choose from), but instead of buying for a set number of days, you buy a set number of attractions. You pick how many you want to visit (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 10), and you have 30 days from your first visit to use them.

Current adult sticker prices:

Number of attractions	Adult price
2 choice	$89
3 choice	$119
4 choice	$149
5 choice	$179
6 choice	$204
7 choice	$229
10 choice	$299

Child prices (ages 3-12) are available at a discount on each tier; check the official site for current child rates.

This pass works well for two scenarios. The first is the second-time visitor who knows exactly which 5 or 6 things they want to see and doesn’t need the all-inclusive flexibility. The second is the longer trip with a slower pace where you’ll only manage one or two paid attractions a day, which means the day-based New York Pass would have a lot of unused capacity.

The trade-off is that you have to think harder about which attractions you pick. To squeeze the most value out of the pass, you’ll want to use your slots on the most expensive included attractions on your list. We’d suggest having a rough plan rather than buying first and figuring it out later.

The pass is digital-only but you can print a copy if you’d rather. You can check prices and buy the Explorer Pass on the official site here, or check prices on GetYourGuide here.

New York CityPASS

We haven’t used the New York CityPASS ourselves, but we’ve used CityPASS products in several other US cities and have always found them good value when the included attractions match what you actually want to see.

The CityPASS approach is different from the Go City passes. Instead of giving you access to dozens or hundreds of attractions, CityPASS curates a smaller list of the headline sights in each city, which you can either visit all of (the bundle pass) or pick a subset from (the C3 variant). It comes in three forms in New York:

Standard CityPASS (5 attractions): includes the Empire State Building Observatory and the American Museum of Natural History, plus your choice of three of the following: Top of the Rock, Guggenheim Museum, Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island ferry, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, or the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum. Adult price $164, child (6-17) $136. Save up to 42% versus paying gate price.
C3 by CityPASS (3 attractions): pick any three from a slightly extended list including MoMA and Edge at Hudson Yards on top of the standard options. Adult price $109, child (6-12) $87. Save up to 42%.
C-All by CityPASS (10 attractions): includes everything on the C3 list. Adult price $254, child (6-12) $189. Save up to 40%.

Note that the standard CityPASS uses the wider 6-17 range for the child rate, which is unusually generous compared to other passes. If you’re travelling with teenagers up to 17, this is the family-friendliest option of the three.

All CityPASS variants are valid for nine days from first use, which gives you a comfortable window to visit everything without rushing.

You can buy the standard CityPASS at the official site here, the C3 variant here, and the C-All variant here. CityPASS is also available via GetYourGuide here.

Do New York Attraction Passes Include Public Transport?

None of the New York attraction passes include MTA subway or bus access. The good news is that public transport in New York is cheap, especially compared to attraction prices. See our guide to getting around New York for the current fare structure and OMNY tap-to-pay setup.

What the passes do include is a hop-on hop-off bus tour and, in some cases, a harbour boat cruise. The bus tour is useful as transport: we used it as our way to get from Midtown down to the Financial District on a tired-feet day, with the bonus of getting a sit-down city tour while you ride.

Are New York Attraction Passes Family Friendly?

If you’re travelling as a family, attraction admission costs add up fast in New York. The good news is most of the major attractions offer reduced rates for children, and all three passes have child versions.

The catch is that what counts as “child” varies. Here’s the rough shape:

The New York Pass: child pass available for ages 3-12.
New York Explorer Pass: child pass available for ages 3-12.
New York CityPASS (Standard): child pass available for ages 6-17 (the most generous of any of the passes).
New York CityPASS C3 and C-All: child pass available for ages 6-12.

If you’re travelling with under-3s, most attractions are free for your child anyway, so a child pass isn’t usually needed. If you’re travelling with teenagers (13 and up), they’re treated as adults on every pass except the standard CityPASS, where 13-17 still counts as a child rate. That’s a meaningful saving across a family of four with two teens, and it’s a strong reason to look at the standard CityPASS specifically if your kids are in that age band.

As ever, do double-check current child age bands on the official sites at the time of booking, since these do shift from time to time.

Comparison of New York Passes: Prices & Features

Here’s a side-by-side of the three passes still worth considering, with the headline features:

	The New York Pass	New York Explorer Pass	New York CityPASS
Attractions included	100+	2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 from 100+	3, 5 from 8, or 10
Discounts on shopping, dining, shows?	Yes	Yes	Yes (at listed attractions)
Public transport included?	No	No	No
Skip-the-line access?	Yes (at some attractions)	Yes (at some attractions)	Yes (at some attractions)
Hop-on hop-off bus included?	Yes	Yes (optional)	No
Walking tours included?	Yes	Yes (optional)	No
Boat cruise included?	Yes	Yes (optional)	Yes (depending on pass)
Best suited for	Visitor hitting many attractions in a short time	Longer trip or focused list of specific attractions	Visitor focused on the headline icons, families with kids 6-17
Separate adult and child passes?	Yes	Yes	Yes
Validity	1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days from first use	30 days from first use	9 days from first use
Adult price range	$169 – $429	$89 – $299	$109 – $254

An attraction pass is only useful if it covers the things you want to see, so here’s a coverage check across the three passes for New York’s top paid attractions (drawing on the most-visited paid attractions list for the city):

	The New York Pass	New York Explorer Pass	New York CityPASS
Top of the Rock	Yes	Yes	Yes
Metropolitan Museum of Art	No	No	No
American Museum of Natural History	Yes	Yes	Yes
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island	Yes	Yes	Yes
Empire State Building	Yes	Yes	Yes
9/11 Memorial & Museum	Yes	Yes	Yes
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)	Yes	Yes	Yes (C3 and C-All only)
One World Observatory	Yes	Yes	No
Whitney Museum of American Art	Yes	Yes	No

The Metropolitan Museum of Art was removed from all the major attraction passes in early 2022 and remains off them, so if you specifically want to visit the Met, you’ll need to budget for that ticket separately.

One thing worth flagging on the Empire State Building specifically: the standard pass entry covers daytime admission, but a sunset slot (one of the busiest times) carries a small additional fee that you pay when you reserve your time. Same logic at One World Observatory for the higher-tier dining-and-view experiences.

2 Day New York Pass Worked Example: Following Our Itinerary

The clearest way to see whether a pass is worth it is to put it against a realistic itinerary. Let’s start with our 2 day New York itinerary at its default pacing:

Day 1: Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, Financial District lunch, 9/11 Memorial outdoor pools, 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Oculus, Wall Street, Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO, Times Square evening, Empire State Building
Day 2: Grand Central + breakfast, New York Public Library, the Met, Central Park, optional Top of the Rock, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Theatre District dinner, Broadway show

Most of those are free (Brooklyn Bridge, Wall Street, the Oculus, Central Park, Grand Central, NY Public Library, St. Patrick’s, Times Square). The paid attractions, with approximate adult gate prices:

Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island ferry: ~$25.50
9/11 Memorial & Museum: ~$33
Empire State Building: ~$53
Metropolitan Museum of Art (not on any pass): ~$30
Top of the Rock: ~$42
Broadway show: $50-$200+ (separate ticket regardless of pass)

There’s a pass-aware swap built into the 2-day itinerary: if you have a pass that covers the American Museum of Natural History (all three of our shortlisted passes do, but the Met doesn’t appear on any of them), swap the Met for AMNH on Day 2. That makes the pass do useful work.

Below are the maths for two adults using the AMNH swap, across the five paid attractions in the trip. That’s roughly $183.50 per person, or about $367 for two adults paying gate price.

	The New York Pass (2-day)	New York Explorer Pass (5 choice)	New York CityPASS (Standard)
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island	FREE	FREE	FREE
9/11 Memorial & Museum	FREE	FREE	FREE
Empire State Building	FREE	FREE	FREE
American Museum of Natural History (Met swap)	FREE	FREE	FREE
Top of the Rock	FREE	FREE	FREE
Total entry without passes for 2	$367	$367	$367
Cost of 2x adult passes	$438	$358	$328
Additional cost for 2	$0	$0	$0
Total cost with pass for 2	$438	$358	$328
Saving versus gate prices	~$71 loss	~$9	~$39

At this five-attraction pacing, the CityPASS comes out on top at around $39 saved across two adults. The Explorer Pass at five choices nudges into a small saving (~$9). The all-inclusive New York Pass runs about $71 over gate price for two adults: at the 2-day price point it needs more attractions to pay off, which is what the max-density example below covers.

The CityPASS is the simplest fit here because the standard pass already includes Empire State and AMNH (the two always-includeds), and you can pick Top of the Rock, the Statue of Liberty ferry, and the 9/11 Memorial Museum as your three choose-from picks. That covers all five paid attractions on the trip, no extras to budget for.

3 Day New York Pass Worked Example: Following Our Itinerary

For three days, here’s our 3 day New York itinerary at its default pacing:

Day 1 (jet-lag-friendly Uptown): AMNH (default, with the Met as an optional swap), Central Park stroll, optional pre-show Theatre District dinner
Day 2 (Lower Manhattan deep dive): Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, 9/11 Memorial outdoor pools, 9/11 Memorial & Museum, the Oculus, One World Observatory, Brooklyn Bridge to DUMBO at sunset, Lower East Side dinner
Day 3 (West Side + Hudson Yards + Broadway): Chelsea Market breakfast, the High Line walk, Hudson Yards + the Vessel, optional Edge at Hudson Yards, Top of the Rock (afternoon), Empire State Building (sunset/evening), St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Times Square evening, Theatre District dinner, Broadway show

The paid attractions on this default route:

American Museum of Natural History: ~$30
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island ferry: ~$25.50
9/11 Memorial & Museum: ~$33
One World Observatory: ~$44
The Vessel (separate ticket via vesselnyc.com, reopened March 2026): ~$10
Top of the Rock: ~$42
Empire State Building: ~$53
Broadway show: $50-$200+ (separate)

That’s seven paid attractions excluding Broadway, at roughly $237.50 per person, or about $475 for two adults paying gate price.

One caveat for the pass maths: The Vessel is a separate ticket on every pass. It reopened in March 2026 with mandatory timed entry and isn’t currently bundled into any of the major passes, so budget the ~$10 per adult separately whichever pass you choose.

Here are the maths for two adults:

	The New York Pass (3-day)	New York Explorer Pass (6 choice)	New York CityPASS (Standard)
American Museum of Natural History	FREE	FREE	FREE
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island	FREE	FREE	FREE
9/11 Memorial & Museum	FREE	FREE	FREE
One World Observatory	FREE	FREE	$44
The Vessel	$10	$10	$10
Top of the Rock	FREE	FREE	FREE
Empire State Building	FREE	FREE	FREE
Total entry without passes for 2	$475	$475	$475
Cost of 2x adult passes	$538	$408	$328
Additional cost for 2	$20	$20	$108
Total cost with pass for 2	$558	$428	$436
Saving versus gate prices	~$83 over	~$47	~$39

At this seven-attraction pacing, the Explorer Pass at six choices comes out narrowly ahead at about $47 saved across two adults, with CityPASS Standard close behind at about $39. The Explorer Pass wins by a hair because it covers One World Observatory (which CityPASS Standard doesn’t), so the only out-of-pocket attraction is the Vessel.

The CityPASS is the simpler fit: standard CityPASS includes Empire State and AMNH always, plus your choice of three from a list that includes Top of the Rock, the Statue of Liberty ferry, and the 9/11 Memorial Museum. That’s five of the seven paid attractions covered by the pass, with One World Observatory and the Vessel as separate purchases.

The all-inclusive New York Pass runs about $83 over gate price for two adults at this pacing: the 3-day price point ($269/adult) needs more attractions to pay off, which the max-density example below covers.

If you want to fit more in across the three days…

If You Want to Fit More In: Max-Density Worked Examples

Our 2-day and 3-day itineraries above are paced for visitors who want to actually enjoy New York rather than tick off attractions at a sprint. If you’d rather pack in as much as possible, the maths shifts and the all-inclusive New York Pass starts to make obvious sense. Here are two busier scenarios for comparison.

Max-density 2-day plan (8 paid attractions)

A busier 2-day with three big stops on Day 1 and a museum-heavy Day 2:

Day 1: Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island, 9/11 Memorial & Museum, harbour boat tour, Top of the Rock, plus the same free stops as our default 2-day
Day 2: the Met, Guggenheim Museum, Museum of the City of New York, Empire State Building, plus the same free stops

Paid attractions: Statue (~$25.50), 9/11 Museum (~$33), harbour boat tour (~$52), Top of the Rock (~$42), Met (~$30), Guggenheim (~$30), MCNY (~$20), Empire State (~$53). That’s eight paid attractions at roughly $286 per person, or $572 for two adults paying gate price.

	The New York Pass (2-day)	New York Explorer Pass (7 choice)	New York CityPASS (Standard)
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island	FREE	FREE	$25.50
9/11 Memorial & Museum	FREE	FREE	FREE
Harbour boat tour	FREE	FREE	FREE
Top of the Rock	FREE	FREE	FREE
Metropolitan Museum of Art	$30	$30	$30
Guggenheim Museum	FREE	FREE	$30
Museum of the City of New York	FREE	FREE	$20
Empire State Building	FREE	FREE	FREE
Total entry without passes for 2	$572	$572	$572
Cost of 2x adult passes	$438	$458	$328
Additional cost for 2	$60	$60	$210
Total cost with pass for 2	$498	$518	$538
Saving versus gate prices	~$74	~$54	~$34

At max-density 2-day pacing the all-inclusive New York Pass takes the lead, with the Explorer Pass close behind. CityPASS still saves money but trails because it doesn’t cover the Met, Guggenheim, or MCNY.

Max-density 3-day plan (12 paid attractions)

The same Day 1 and Day 2 as above, plus a Day 3 of museums and tours:

Day 3: American Museum of Natural History, Whitney Museum of American Art, hop-on hop-off bus tour, walking tour, plus a Times Square evening

Adding AMNH (~$30), Whitney (~$30), walking tour (~$39), and hop-on hop-off bus tour (~$80) brings the trip to twelve paid attractions at roughly $465 per person, or about $930 for two adults paying gate price. For each pass you’d want a 3-day New York Pass, a 10-choice Explorer Pass, or a standard CityPASS plus separate tickets for the rest.

	The New York Pass (3-day)	New York Explorer Pass (10 choice)	New York CityPASS (Standard)
Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island	FREE	FREE	$25.50
9/11 Memorial & Museum	FREE	FREE	FREE
Harbour boat tour	FREE	FREE	FREE
Top of the Rock	FREE	FREE	FREE
Metropolitan Museum of Art	$30	$30	$30
Guggenheim Museum	FREE	FREE	$30
Museum of the City of New York	FREE	$20	$20
Empire State Building	FREE	FREE	FREE
American Museum of Natural History	FREE	FREE	FREE
Whitney Museum of American Art	FREE	FREE	$30
Walking tour	FREE	FREE	$39
Hop-on hop-off bus tour	FREE	FREE	$80
Total entry without passes for 2	$930	$930	$930
Cost of 2x adult passes	$538	$598	$328
Additional cost for 2	$60	$100	$508
Total cost with pass for 2	$598	$698	$836
Saving versus gate prices	~$330	~$230	~$95

At twelve paid attractions across three days, the all-inclusive New York Pass produces the largest saving by some distance. The Explorer Pass also does well at ten choices. The CityPASS still saves money, but it’s structurally limited at five attractions, so most of the day-three list comes out of pocket.

The pattern across both density levels is the same: the all-inclusive New York Pass needs you to fit a lot of attractions in to pay off. At a relaxed pace following our default 2-day or 3-day itineraries, it’s hard to recoup. At a busier pace it’s the clear winner.

So Which New York Attraction Pass Is Best?

Most visitors hitting more than three or four paid attractions in New York will save money with one of these passes. The question is which one.

The right pass comes down to one variable: how many paid attractions you’re fitting in.

If you’re following our default 2-day or 3-day NYC itineraries (5-7 paid attractions across the trip), the New York CityPASS Standard is the best of the three. Both itineraries match the CityPASS structure almost exactly: Empire State and AMNH as always-included anchors, plus your choice of three more from the headline icons (Top of the Rock, the Statue of Liberty ferry, and the 9/11 Memorial Museum). You’ll save about $39 across two adults on either trip versus gate prices.

If you’re packing in eight or more paid attractions across 2 or 3 days, the all-inclusive New York Pass is our pick. It’s the one we’ve used ourselves, and the all-inclusive structure does two things at once: it saves real money on a busy trip, and (more importantly to us) it opens you up to attractions you’d otherwise skip. The Transit Museum, Madame Tussauds, and the Carnegie Hall tour were three of our favourites across a couple of New York trips, and we’d never have paid gate price for any of them. With the pass already bought, the calculation flipped to “why not?”, which is exactly when you find the unexpected wins.

If you have a specific shortlist of 4-7 attractions in mind across a longer trip, or you want flexibility without day-by-day pressure, the New York Explorer Pass is the in-between option. Same catalogue as The New York Pass, but you pay per attraction (2 to 10) and have 30 days to use the slots. For our default 3-day specifically, the six-choice Explorer Pass narrowly beats CityPASS Standard at about $47 saved across two adults, because it covers One World Observatory (which CityPASS Standard doesn’t).

For families with kids in the 13-17 range, the standard CityPASS gets a special mention: its child rate covers all the way up to 17, while The New York Pass and the Explorer Pass cap the child rate at 12. That’s a meaningful saving across a family of four with two teenagers.

All three run sales fairly often, so it’s worth checking the current price on the official site (and on GetYourGuide) before you buy. We’ve also written more broadly about whether GoCity passes are worth it across the cities we’ve used them in, if you’re planning to visit other cities on the same trip and want to compare across destinations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is the best New York attraction pass?

For our default 2-day or 3-day NYC itineraries (5-7 paid attractions across the trip), CityPASS Standard is the best of the three. (5-7 paid attractions across the trip), CityPASS Standard is the best of the three. The pass structure matches the itineraries almost exactly and saves about $39 across two adults. For visitors packing in 8 or more paid attractions across the trip, The New York Pass (the all-inclusive one) is our pick. We’ve used it ourselves at sixteen attractions across a couple of trips. For longer or more selective trips, the New York Explorer Pass works better. For families with teenagers, the standard CityPASS is the better-value option because its child rate covers ages 6-17.

Is The New York Pass worth it?

For most visitors hitting more than three or four paid attractions a day, yes. A 2-day New York Pass costs $219 per adult; a 3-day costs $269. With major attractions in the city running $25 to $50 each, you’ll typically break even by attraction four or five, and start saving real money beyond that.

The pass is best value if you treat it as licence to visit attractions you’d otherwise skip. Empire State Building and Top of the Rock will pay for themselves quickly; the value comes from the unexpected ones (small museums, walking tours, harbour cruises) you’d never have pre-booked.

What’s the difference between The New York Pass and the New York Explorer Pass?

Both are run by Go City and use the same catalogue of 100+ attractions. The difference is how you buy them. The New York Pass is sold by the day (1 to 10 days, all-inclusive within that window), with no limit on how many attractions you visit per day. The Explorer Pass is sold by the attraction (2 to 10 attractions of your choice), with 30 days to use them all.

Pick The New York Pass if you have a short trip and want to fit a lot in. Pick the Explorer Pass if you have a longer trip with a slower pace, or a specific shortlist of 4-7 places you definitely want to visit.

Do New York attraction passes include public transport?

No. None of the major New York attraction passes include MTA subway or bus access. New York’s public transport is cheap by attraction-pricing standards, so this isn’t a major concern in practice. What the passes do include is a hop-on hop-off bus tour, which doubles as transport between Midtown and Lower Manhattan if you time it right.

Is the New York CityPASS or The New York Pass better for families?

The CityPASS, particularly the standard version. The reason is the child age range: standard CityPASS treats anyone aged 6 to 17 as a child (with a discount), while The New York Pass and the Explorer Pass cap the child rate at 12. For a family of four with a teenager or two, that difference adds up. The catch is that the CityPASS covers fewer attractions, so it suits families who want the headline icons rather than maximum sightseeing.

What happened to the New York Sightseeing Pass?

The Sightseeing Pass company ceased trading in June 2025. Existing passes are no longer valid and the company doesn’t appear to be returning. If you’ve seen it referenced in older comparison guides, ignore those references; the brand is no longer in the market. The closest equivalent product today is The New York Pass (all-inclusive coverage, similar attraction list).

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Overview of the Main New York Attraction Passes

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