New York City has some of the most incredible sites and attractions in the world, and the New York Pass is one of the most affordable ways to take it all in. The New York Pass gives you free entry to over 80 attractions, museums, rides, tours and cruises, and it also gives you discounts at dozens more.
About the New York Pass
The New York Sightseeing Pass has been around since 2001, since then the pass has been sold to 2.3 million customers who have visited over 17 million attractions in and around NYC. The New York Pass allows the user to see an unlimited number of attractions each day. It can be used up to one year after purchase and can be purchased for a period between 1 and 10 days. Please note, days must be used consecutively – once activated the pass starts to use its purchased days.
Savings of the Pass
As a general rule if your intention is to really see New York, the pass will save you a lot of money. The base cost of the pass is $85 a day for an adult and $60 a day for a child. We’ve 
found that this means you break even at about three attractions per day. If you go to more expensive attractions (such as a Circle Line Harbor Cruise or Madam Tussauds Wax Museum) in the same day, the breakeven cost could be as little as two attractions, and at less expensive venues breakeven could be a little higher. The most important aspect of the New York Pass is that you no longer feel the pressure to base your tours and activities on what you can afford, trading off one activity for another because of cost. You make the decision based on what you’re interested in seeing on the day. When money is not the deciding factor, the vacation becomes much more fun and carefree.
A typical site seeing day might look similar to the following:
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
Empire State Building Observation Deck
Grand Central Terminal Audio Tour
Inside Broadway Tours
New York Skyride
Retail Price
Cost of Pass
Savings
$40
$32
$ 9
$35
$42
$158
$85
$73
Line Skipping
The New York pass also puts you at the “front of the line” at many of the city’s busiest attractions, saving you hours of waiting time in the process. This becomes very important in June, July and August when it’s high season in the NYC tourist trade and the lines become unmanageable.
Below please find the most common trips and attractions users of the pass like visit:
Attractions
Empire State Building Observatory (Free Entry)
Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (Free Entry)
Madame Tussauds (Free Entry)
9/11 Memorial & Museum (Free Entry)
Discovery Times Square (Free Entry)
Luna Park @ Coney Island (Free Entry)
The Cathedral of St John the Divine (Free Entry)
9/11 Tribute Center (Free Entry)
Museums
American Museum of Natural History (Free Entry)
The Cloisters Museum and Gardens (Free Entry)
Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum (Free Entry)
The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) (Free Entry)
New Museum (Free Entry)
Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum (Free Entry)
Paley Museum of Television and Radio (Free Entry)
Museum of Biblical Art (Free Entry)
Morris-Jumel Mansion (Free Entry)
The Metropolitan Museum of Art (Free Entry)
Museum of Sex (Free Entry)
The Studio Museum in Harlem (Free Entry)
Museum of the City of New York (Special Rate)
El Museo del Barrio (Free Entry)
Museum at Eldridge Street / Eldridge Street Synagogue (Free Entry)
Brooklyn Children’s Museum (Free Entry)
Whitney Museum of American Art (Free Entry)
MoMA PS1 (Free Entry)
Van Courtland House Museum (Free Entry)
Museum of Arts and Design (Free Entry)
Brooklyn Museum (Free Entry)
New York Transit Museum (Free Entry)
Jewish Children’s Museum (Free Entry)
Dyckman Farmhouse Museum (Free Entry)
Queens Museum of Art (Free Entry)
New York Hall of Science (Free Entry)
Staten Island Children’s Museum (Free Entry)
New York Historical Society (Free Entry)
Museum of Jewish Heritage – A Living Memorial to the Holocaust (Free Entry)
The Skyscraper Museum (Free Entry)
Museum of American Finance (Free Entry)
Fraunces Tavern Museum (Free Entry)
Parks Gardens and Historic Learning Centers
Brooklyn Botanic Gardens (Free Entry)
Historic Richmond Town (Free Entry)
Brooklyn Historical Society (Free Entry)
Weeksville Heritage Center (Free Entry)
New York Botanical Garden (Free Entry)
Wave Hill (Free Entry)
Snug Harbor Botanical Garden (Free Entry)
Nobel Marine Collection (Free Entry)
Sightseeing Cruises
City Sightseeing Cruises (Midtown Manhattan Skyline) (Free Entry)
Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises (NYC Landmarks) (Free Entry)
Circle Line Downtown Cruises (Statue of Liberty) (Free Entry)
Shearwater Classic Schooner Manhattan by Sail (Free Entry)
Clipper City Tall Ships Sails, Manhattan by Sail (Free Entry)
New York Water Taxi (hop on hop off) (Free Entry)
Behind the Scenes Tours
Rockefeller Center (Free Entry)
Carnegie Hall (Free Entry)
Madison Square Garden (Free Entry)
Lincoln Center (Free Entry)
Radio City Music Hall (Free Entry)
Yankee Stadium (Free Entry)
Grand Central Terminal (Free Entry)
Bike Tours
Central Park Bike Tours and Rentals (Free Entry)
Blazing Saddles Bike Rentals and Tours (Free Entry)
Brooklyn Bridge Sightseeing Bike Tours and Rentals (Free Entry)
Walking Tours
Wall Street Walks (Free Entry)
History of Wall Street and 911 Memorial Tour (Free Entry)
Central Park TV and Movie Sites (Free Entry)
Fashion Window Walking Tour (Free Entry)
Food on Foot Tours (Free Entry)
Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO Neighborhood Tour (Free Entry)
Slavery and Underground Railroad Tour (Free Entry)
Bronx Renaissance Walking Tour (Free Entry)
New York’s Insider’s Shopping Tour (Free Entry)
NYC Gospel Walking Tour (Free Entry)
So-Ho Little Italy Walking Tour (Free Entry)
Inside Broadway Tours (Free Entry)
Greenwich Village Tour (Free Entry)
High-Line Chelsea-Meatpacking Tour (Free Entry)
Hallelujah! Gospel Wednesdays (Free Entry)
On Your Own Experiences (Special Rate)
Harlem Walking Tours (Free Entry)
Atlantic City Excursion and Academy Bus (Free Entry)
Uptown New York TV and Movie Sites (Free Entry)
Rides
Liberty Helicopters (Special Rate)
New York Skyride (Free Entry)
Hush Tours (Special Rate)
On Location tours (Special Rate)
TMZ Celebrity Tour NYC (Special Rate)
New York Visions Sightseeing and Harlem Spirituals Gospel and Jazz Tours (Special Rate)
Central Park Site Seeing Horse Carriage and Pedicab Tours (Special Rate)
Who Should Get the New York Pass
The New York Sightseeing Pass saves its users time, money and frustration, so the typical buyer is a user who:
– Wants to see the most possible of NYC during their limited time in New York;
– Dislikes lines; or
– Is planning to visit more expensive NYC attractions.
Who Should Not Get the New York Pass
Those travelling on a tight budget such as backpackers, or those staying in youth hostels. This type of vacationing relies on access to the city’s free or heavily discounted offerings such as Central Park, etc. Also, if you are interested in a more leisurely sight-seeing pace (one or two sites a day), the pass is probably not worth the money.
Free Smartphone App: New York Pass – Travel Guide
One of the really great features of the pass is that you can download New York Pass’s free smartphone app to organize your trip, maximizing both your experience and your savings. This app has a complete description of the attraction or tour under consideration as well as the “normal” entry price for adults and children. It also helps you keep track of your savings. Finally, the app lets you log flights, rail, accommodation info, and notes.
How to Get the Most Value From Your New York City Pass
The reality is that unless you are a mad NYC fiend, if you spend more than just a few days in New York City, you won’t have the energy to go to four or five attractions a day, every day, the entire time. Because of this we recommend buying only a one or two day pass and filling those days with many activities, then taking the rest of the time and going at a more leisurely pace. Using the pass strategically will allow you to maximize savings, but not in a way that will make your trip feel like work. If you find that you still want more you can always buy another New York Pass later.
If you’re interested in purchasing a New York Pass, we have the best discount on the web available for our readers. To purchase your NY Pass or just learn more about it click here.
