New York Pass Review (2023)

After living in New York City for over eight years I thought I’d take an in-depth look at the popular New York Pass to do my own New York Pass Review since I can give an insider view on this tourism pass.

NYC is packed with things to experience and the New York Pass can certainly help you see a lot of what this amazing city has to offer. But is the New York Pass a good deal or is it a waste of money?

The answer… well, it depends on your travel style. Some people end up saving a lot of money but others find it a little too restricting. Keep reading to learn more about this sightseeing pass and if it is a good deal for you.

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Quick Look At The New York Pass

I know firsthand that New York City is expensive. No doubt about that. Almost every museum is $25-$30 and most other attractions cost anywhere from $18-$35—so even visiting two or three things a day can easily cost you $75+. But half the fun of NYC is exploring all the neighborhoods and Central Park — which are obviously free.

So is there New York Sightseeing Pass a good deal? Well, it depends on how you use it. I’ll go into more detail later in this article but here here is a quick overview.

The New York Pass is a GOOD deal if:

• You want to see a lot and you don’t mind packing your day with activities.
• You’re only in NYC for a few days.
• You’re a first-time visitor.
• You’re already planning on visiting most of the expensive attractions.
• You want to use the Hop-on-Hop-off bus tour.
• You want to skip the ticket lines at multiple attractions.

The New York Pass is NOT A GOOD deal if:

• You’re on a super tight budget.
• You only want to see a few paid attractions.
• You’re in NYC for an extended period of time so you can spread out the sightseeing.
• You have a valid student ID — many museums have student prices but you’ll want to double-check.

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New York Pass — The Basics

The New York Pass gives you entry to over 90 attractions so pretty much everything you want to see should be covered by the pass — including the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, Edge Observation platform, Statue of Liberty, 9/11 Memorial, MoMA, Guggenheim, Brooklyn Museum of Art, New Museum, a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, bike rentals, and a handful of walking tours — there are also a handful of other lesser-known museums as well.

Price of the New York Pass (2023)

Adults (ages 13+)

• 1-day: $143
• 2-day: $189 ($95/day)
• 3-day: $229 ($76/day)
• 4-day: $264 ($66/day)
• 5-day: $294 ($59/day)
• 7-day: $334 ($48/day)
• 10-day: $371 ($37/day)

So, as you can see, the pass isn’t cheap… but it can end up being a good deal with a little planning.

NOTE: The New York Pass often runs special deals so check the Official New York Pass Website for any current discounts.

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New York Pass Highlights & Main Attractions

As I said before, the pass covers over 90 attractions. Some aren’t worth your time but pretty much all the major attractions are covered. Here are the highlights…

Note: Visit the New York Pass Website to see all the included attractions.

Attractions On The NY Pass

There are a handful of attractions on the New York Pass but these are some of the most popular.

• Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center Observation Deck): $45
• Empire State Building Observation Deck: $45
• Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island: $18
• Circle Line Harbor Cruise: $44

Museums

New York has a crazy amount of museums and the New York Pass covers most of the must-see ones.

• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): $25 (Free Friday evening, 4:00–9:00 p.m)
• American Natural History Museum: $30 (it’s pay-what-you-want for NY/NJ residents only)
• Guggenheim: $25
• 9/11 Memorial: $24
• Whitney Museum of American Art: $25
• Brooklyn Museum of Art: $16
• New Museum: $18
• Intrepid Aircraft Carrier Sea Air Space Museum: $24

Walking Tours, Bus Tours, River Cruises, Bike Tours, Etc.

Many tours are included in the New York Pass — including multiple walking tours, river cruises, many self-guided bike rentals, and a few building tours (Yankees Stadium, Madison, Square Garden, etc.).

NOTE: The tours offered on the NY Pass seem to change often so it’s best to visit the New York Pass website to see what’s currently on offer.

• Hop-on-hop-off bus tour (one day): $53
• Circle Line Harbor Cruise: $44
• Various Tours and Walking Tours: Most tours included in the pass are valued at around $30-$50.
  • Food on Foot Tours
  • SoHo, Little Italy, and Chinatown Tour
  • Greenwich Village Walking Tour
  • Central Park Tour
  • Central Park Bike Rental and Tours
  • Hudon River Bike Rental Self-Tour
  • Madison Square Garden Tour
  • Yankees Stadium Tour
  • A bunch more

Observation Decks

All the main observation decks are offered on the New York Pass and these are all high-value attractions. Most people only visit one or two but it’s nice to have multiple options.

• Empire State Building Observatory: $48
• Top of the Rock™ Observation Deck: $45
• The Edge: $44
• One World Observatory: $45

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Is The New York Pass Worth The Money? We Did The Math

Obviously, there are hundreds of combinations when it comes to choosing what attractions to visit. However, we’re going to list out the most popular but you’ll have to do some of your own planning based on what interests you.

Note: You get to skip the lines at most attractions — which is certainly a bonus.

One Day New York Pass — $143

Let’s see how much you’d need to do to make the one-day pass worth the money.

• Top of the Rock (Rockafeller Center Observation Deck): $39 [visit in the morning]
• Hop-on-Hop-Off Bus Tour: $53
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): $25
• Empire State Building Observation Deck: $39 [visit at night]
• TOTAL: $156

The key to getting value from the One Day pass is hitting the expensive attractions. If you don’t mind visiting the observation decks for Rockafeller Center and the Empire State Building on the same day then it’s fairly easy to get your money’s worth. We threw in the bus tour because it’s a really good way to see a lot of the city — especially if it’s your first time. The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an excellent museum so you’ll want to see that.

If you didn’t want to do the $53 Hop-on-Hop-Off Bus Tour then it gets a little trickier because it’s such a big-ticket item. If you replace that with something like the Guggenheim ($25) then you’re pretty much breaking even. When it comes to the observation decks, you can replace that with a walking/bike tour or another museum.

Note: The New York Pass sometimes upgrades your hop-on bus tour to a two-day pass for free — but you’ll have to check the current promotions.

One-Day Pass Conclusion: This pass can be worth the money if you don’t mind packing your day with multiple expensive activities (i.e. observation decks), a museum, and you want to do the Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus Tour. Otherwise, you’d have to visit many less-expensive attractions to break even.

Two-Day New York Pass — $169 ($95/day)

The Two Day pass is a little more interesting because it lets you travel at a slightly less frantic pace than the one-day pass and you don’t have to cram all the expensive things into one day.

Day One

• Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center Observation Deck): $39
• Hop-on-Hop-Off Bus Tour: $53
• Central Park Bike Rental/Tour: $35
• Guggenheim: $25
• TOTAL: $152 ($100 without the bus tour)

Day Two

• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): $25
• Circle Line Harbor Cruise: $41
• Whitney Museum of American Art ($25) or a Neighborhood Walking Tour ($30)
• TOTAL: $95. You could add easily add a late-night Empire State Building Observation Deck ($39) so this total would be $135.

Two-Day Pass Conclusion: The Two-Day pass can be a good deal — especially if you add in a few of the expensive attractions. You’ll still have to fill your day with sights but it’s certainly manageable.

Three-Day New York Pass — $229 ($76/day)

A three-day pass is a solid option because it allows you to see a lot of things without having to jam-pack your day with stuff.

Day One

• Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center Observation Deck): $39
• Hop-on-Hop-Off Bus Tour: $53
• Central Park Bike Tour/Rental: $35
• Guggenheim Museum: $25
• TOTAL: $152

Day Two

• Circle Line Harbor Cruise: $41
• MoMA: $25
• Whitney Museum of American Art: $25 (if you have the energy)
• Neighborhood Walking Tour: $32
• TOTAL: $100-$123

Day Three

• 9/11 Memorial: $26
• Neighborhood Walking Tour: $32
• Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island: $18.50
• New Museum: $18
• TOTAL: $95

Three-Day Pass Conclusion: It’s pretty easy to hit the $76/day mark with the three-day pass. That said, you still need to add in a few of the high-value attractions to get the full worth.

Four-Day New York Pass — $264 ($66/day)

The NY Pass recently added a four-day option to the pass and at $66 a day it’s a pretty good deal if you want to see a few sights each day. You’ll want to do a little math to make sure it works with your travel style.

Five-Day New York Pass — $294 ($59/day)

For travelers on an extended tour of NYC, the five-day pass can be a really good deal — especially if you plan on doing a few attractions every day. And you won’t feel rushed because you really only need to see two or maybe three things to make it worth the money. Plus, it gives you a chance to explore Brooklyn for a day.

Day One

• Top of the Rock (Rockefeller Center Observation Deck): $39
• Hop-on-Hop-Off Bus Tour: $53
• Central Park Bike Tour/Rental: $35
• New Museum: $18
• TOTAL: $145 ($92 without bus tour)

Day Two

• Circle Line Harbor Cruise: $41
• MoMA: $25
• Neighborhood Walking Tour: $32
• TOTAL: $98

Day Three

• 9/11 Memorial: $26
• Neighborhood Walking Tour: $32
• Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island: $18
• New Museum: $18
• TOTAL: $94

Day Four

• Guggenheim: $25
• Whitney Museum of American Art: $25
• Neighborhood Walking Tour or Bike Rental: $30
• TOTAL: $80

Day Five

• Brooklyn Museum of Art: $16
• Brooklyn Bridge Bike Rental or Tour: $32
• Brooklyn Botanical Gardens: $12 or a walking tour of Williamsburg: $32
• Empire State Building Observation Deck: $34
• TOTAL: $94

Five-Day Pass Conclusion: This pass ends up costing you $59/day so it is very easy to make this pass worth it. You really only have to do two or three things to come out ahead. This is a great option if you enjoy walking tours since one tour + one museum a day ends up costing over $60.

Seven-Day New York Pass — $334 ($48/day)

At only $48/day, a seven-day pass is a good option if you’ve got a whole week to fill and you want to see a lot of stuff. It’s also a great option if you enjoy walking tours and you only want to see a few things a day. One problem with this pass is that you may want to spend a day or two not doing museums or other attractions — which would make the pass not as good of a value.

Ten-Day New York Pass — $371 ($37/day)

The ten-day pass is the granddaddy passes… coming in at $399 — which is $37/day. If you’re you’re up for seeing a few things each day then this is a really good value. It will allow you to pretty much see all the highlights of the city, do a ton of walking/boat/bike tours, and get some great views of the city.

The main problem with this pass is that someone visiting NYC for 10+ days will probably want to spend a few days doing very few/no “touristy” things — which would eat away at the value of the pass.

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Conclusion: Is The NYC Pass Worth It?

The New York Pass can be a really good deal for travelers wanting to see a lot of what New York City has to offer. However, you’ll have to decide how much you want to see and if your travel style aligns with getting the most value out of the pass.

The pass becomes a great deal if you want to do the expensive Empire State Building Observatory, Rockefeller Observatory, The Edge, and the Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus tour and/or River Cruise. It’s also a great deal if you love walking tours and bike tours because they’re expensive and there are about a dozen included in the pass.

Conversely, if you’re only interested in museums and you don’t want to pack your schedule then you’re better off buying tickets separately.

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Tips For Maximizing The Value Of The New York Pass

Consider the Time of the Year

New York City is a city that’s bustling all year round so there is always something to do. However, you’ll spend a lot more time in museums during the dead of winter but you’ll probably spend a lot less time doing outdoor things like walking tours and Central Park. You might also not be interested in the Hop-On-Hop-Off although they are covered when it gets cold) and the water cruises. And, during the summer, you might be less inclined to do as many indoor things (unless it’s really hot).

Do the Expensive Attractions

You really need to hit most of the expensive attractions to get the most value out of the New York Pass. This includes the Empire State Building, Rockefeller Center, hop-on-hop-off bus, river cruise, and a few others. If these attractions aren’t interesting to you then it’s probably best to skip the pass.

Museum Overload

New York has a ton of amazing museums but you have to be careful about museum overload. We prefer to visit a max of two museums per day and we like to break up museum days so we’re not only doing museums — of course, this is a personal preference.

Start Early

The best way to fit everything into your day is by starting early. Plus, if you hit the most popular sights first you won’t have to deal with all the people.

Plan Your Day

Being smart about what sights you see will save you a ton of time. For example, it’s better to see sights that are near each other so you don’t waste time and energy going all over the city. Also, check opening times so you don’t show up when something is closed.

Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus

I recommend doing the Hop-On-Hop-Off Bus on the first day so you get a general overview of the city. Also, don’t use this bus as a way to get around the city — use the subway for that.

Maximize Sightseeing & Get A Shorter Pass

One strategy is to knock out the bulk of your sightseeing in a day or two and then take it easy for the rest of the trip. With this strategy, you can buy a one or two-day pass and end up saving a lot of money without shelling out for a longer pass.

Activate Your Pass In The Morning

Your pass is activated as soon as you use it — so your first day starts even if you use it at night. So don’t waste a day by using it at night.

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Where To Buy Your New York Pass

The best and cheapest place to buy the pass is directly from the New York Pass website and download it instantly to the NY Pass App. Super easy.