Is the New York Pass 2024 worth it? We review prices and value here
One thing that New York City is famous for is being expensive, and for good reason. It’s an amazing place with some of the world’s most famous attractions, but unfortunately they are almost all pricey. In fact, things like the Empire State Building, Hop-on, hop-off double-decker bus, Circle Line harbor cruise, and Madam Tussauds are all between $40 and $80 EACH! The New York Pass can be a great way to save money and time if you are someone who wants to see the top attractions during a visit of only a few days.
Below we review the New York Pass in full and provide tips for getting the most out of it along with recommendations of who should NOT get the New York Pass. The short version is that the New York Pass can definitely save you money if you are able to plan ahead and start early. New York City also tends to be crowded, but there are great included attractions that are not crowded in the mornings, and others that are open until 10 PM each day. Read on for our advice and feel free to ask questions in the comments at the bottom.
Note: This article was last updated March, 2024. This post contains affiliate links and I will be compensated (at no extra cost to you) if you make a purchase after clicking on my links, which helps keep this site going.
Price of the 2024 New York Pass
Adults (ages 13+)
- 1-day: $154
- 2-day: $214
- 3-day: $259
- 4-day: $299
- 5-day: $339
- 6-day: $359
- 7-day: $379
- 10-day: $399
Children (ages 4 – 12)
- 1-day: $114
- 2-day: $169
- 3-day: $199
- 4-day: $229
- 5-day: $264
- 6-day: $279
- 7-day: $289
- 10-day: $299
The attraction pass is good for one year so you can buy now and validate it anytime in the next 12 months.
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT for PriceOfTravel readers: Save 5% off all New York Passes using the link below and the promo code “GO5POT”. Look for “Have a promo code? Click here” in Review Your Order in the checkout process to enter the code. If a larger discount is available you’ll get the lowest price with the link.
Note: If you decide to purchase you can buy the New York Pass here at 5% off or the lowest available price.
As of 2024, the New York Pass is all online and downloadable instantly for free. You’ll download the New York Pass app and your purchase will activate the valid pass that you’ll show when you enter each attraction.
Most popular attractions included with the New York Pass
- Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off Double Decker Bus Tour: $80
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum: $33
- Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island Ferry: $24
- Empire State Building: $51
- Edge (new open-air glass platform 100 stories high): $50
- Circle Line harbor cruise: Up to $49
- Museum of Modern Art (MOMA): $30
- Guggenheim Museum: $30
- American Museum of Natural History: $28
- Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum: $33
- Madame Tussauds + MARVEL Universe 4D: $48
- Madison Square Garden All Access Tour: $37
- Top of the Rock observation deck: $43
- One World Observatory – New observation deck on the 102nd floor: $48
- RiseNY – Simulated ride over New York’s rooftops and more: $42
Most of the other included attractions are at least a bit cheaper than those listed above, but these are the most popular (and expensive) ones that nearly everyone wants to visit. Interestingly, the New York Pass includes every one of the best attractions in the city. Most passes in other big cities don’t include at least one or two of the most popular sights, but this one is complete unless you want to do the Ground Zero Museum Workshop, which isn’t all that great anyway.
New for 2024: There are now FOUR observation decks included!
The Empire State Building and Top of the Rock observation decks have been included with the New York Pass for decades, but as of 2024 there are two new and very impressive observation decks in town and both of them are also included.
Edge, located in the new Hudson Yards complex might be the most impressive of all of them. It’s a huge glass deck on the 100th floor with views of all of Midtown Manhattan and the Hudson River, with only a glass retainer holding you back so you can get the best photos without all sorts of gates in the way.
One World Observatory is also new in the landmark building where the World Trade Center used to stand, so you’ll be passing by it for sure anyway.
These observation decks each cost around $45, which seems expensive, but isn’t so bad if you have the New York Pass and can literally do all of them in a day or two. Better still, all of them are open until at least 8 or 9 PM each evening, so it’s perfect to save at least one for after sunset. You’ll be tired and almost everything else will be closed for the day, but you don’t need much energy to hop on an elevator that takes you to an observation deck.
Recommended New York Pass attractions in brief
Hop-on, hop-off bus tour ($80)
New York is filled with famous sights and the best way to see most of the top sights in a short time is on the double-decker hop-on, hop-off bus. All two included routes (Downtown Loop and Uptown Loop) have convenient stops in or very near Times Square. I highly recommend taking the full Downtown Loop on your first full morning in town. The Downtown Loop is more interesting and runs more frequently (every 20 minutes compared to every 60 minutes). Both leave from the same place in Times Square, so you can easily jump on the next Uptown Loop after you finish Downtown. The Uptown Loop gives you a great tour of Central Park and Midtown Manhattan.
Circle Line Cruise ($41 to $49)
You’ll see more than half of the famous sights from the hop-on, hop-off bus, and you’ll see all the rest on these excellent Circle Line Cruises. Combine the cruise with one lap on the HOHO bus and you’ll feel like you’ve seen most of New York City in one day.
Better still, they all spend 10 minutes right in front of the Statue of Liberty, so this is the best way to see it up close and to take the best photos. When I lived in NYC I would always take the Circle Line cruise with every visitor who came to town, so I’ve done it at least 6 or 7 times now. It’s a bit of a hassle getting to the dock, but once onboard it’s WAY better than anyone expects.
Empire State Building and Top of the Rock Observation Deck (about $50 each)
Manhattan looks impressive from the ground, and even more impressive from the observation decks on the tops of these buildings near Midtown. Do one during the day and the other at night for the best combination.
Madame Tussauds + MARVEL Universe 4D $48
If you’ve never been in one of these wax museums, you’ll honestly be amazed. You can be in and out in an hour or so, and since it’s included with the New York Pass and located in the heart of Times Square, it’s a quick thrill and excellent value. The attraction now includes a “4D” cinema experience featuring various characters from the Marvel Universe.
Here's a great way to build an itinerary for 2 or 3 days with a New York Pass
If you are like most others, your visit to New York City will be 4 days or fewer and the 2-day or 3-day New York Pass will be all the time you have. If this is the case you can maximize your time AND see the most memorable sights by starting with an itinerary like this.
Day 1: Hop-on, hop-off bus tour, Empire State Building (daytime), Madame Tussauds, and one other attraction of your choice
Day 2: Circle Line Cruise, 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Met Museum (or something else), and Top of the Rock observation deck at night.
Even if you only have two sightseeing days in New York City, you can do the attractions above quite easily in two days. Altogether they would cost around $350 for an adult, and a 2-day New York Pass is still under $200 (using a discount). If you have a third sightseeing day you can usually get a 3-day New York Pass for only a bit more because there are often promotional prices, and you’ll still have another full day to get value and see the things that interest you most.
The New York Pass includes a free smart phone app that is very helpful
Any visitor to New York City might consider downloading the free New York Pass app for iPhone or Android. It’s well organized and a very comprehensive look at the most popular sights in New York City, complete with a map and the opening hours for each. I used the app on a visit in late 2018 and it was a great helper for using my New York Pass, but honestly it’s probably worth a free download even if you don’t buy a New York Pass.
The advantage of the New York Pass
Not only are you very likely to save quite a bit of money if you plan your day well, but you’ll be skipping most of the longest lines at ticket booths, which means you’ll have time for at least one more sight per day than someone paying for each one separately.
And since New York City can be so expensive on a quick visit, locking in literally all of your sightseeing funds at once can help you worry less about the ever-mounting costs. It can be shocking and depressing when the day nears its end and you realize each person has spent $150 on admission fees. Once you download the New York Pass app, which you can do for free before buying, you’ll see that more and more attractions require an advance reservation. You can make most of those reservations in the app as well, so it saves time before you even get there..
The downside of the New York Pass
Of course the price itself seems like a lot of money all at once, so those on tight budgets might be ruled out altogether. Another thing to seriously consider before buying a New York Pass is that doing even 3 or 4 main sights in a day is going to be busy and probably frantic.
There are plenty of free and cheap things to do in New York City, so for many people they are better off visiting perhaps one major sight per day and then spending the rest of the day shopping or visiting neighborhoods or taking photos. A trip like that might be more memorable in the long run, and it will certainly be more unique than rushing from sight to sight. If you prefer a more relaxed sightseeing schedule, don’t buy the pass.
Who SHOULD get the New York Pass?
- Visitors who want to see the most things in a short time
- Anyone who already plans on going to many of the most expensive attractions
Who SHOULD NOT get the New York Pass?
- Backpackers or those on very tight budgets
- Those who’ll be staying in New York City for over a week and would prefer to see sights at a slow pace
Important advice: Start early and plan ahead
Once in a while I’ll get a message from someone who bought the New York Pass and didn’t feel like it was good value. I’ve noticed that these unfortunate visitors tend to make two major mistakes, and if you can avoid them you should be very happy with your purchase.
1. Start early in the day, around 9am if possible
Believe it or not, even New York City’s top attractions tend to be somewhat uncrowded in the morning, so getting an early start is essential. If you can leave your hotel by around 9am you’ll have time for two popular attractions before lunch, and then time for two or three more before dinner. You’ll still have the whole evening open for dinner and other fun, or you can visit the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock observation decks for amazing views as they are at least as impressive at night and you should plan on doing at least one of them after dark. But if you don’t get out until almost noon, you’ll feel rushed and behind schedule all day because every place you go will be crowded.
2. Plan your route ahead of time
Many of NYC’s top attractions are clustered together, so if you plan ahead you can see a few things in a short time on foot. The New York Pass comes with a free and handy smart phone app (you can download it before you even buy a NY Pass), and it has all the included attractions on one map, with the hours and description for each just one click away. If you plan your route before you leave in the morning you can see a lot, but if you only plan one thing at a time you’ll quickly get frustrated.
About the hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus that is included
Even though they are officially “hop-on, hop-off” buses, it’s really not advisable to try to use them as transportation between attractions. While they do come about every 15 minutes in Manhattan, they can get crowded and there are many stops where almost no one ever gets off. This means that you might wait 15 or 20 minutes for the next bus and then find that you’ll have to stand on the bottom floor (instead of the open deck on top), and you might have to squeeze in.
My advice is to take each bus tour all the way around starting from one of the most popular stops, and then maybe ride it a bit more later if it looks to be convenient. That way you get the whole tour at once and if you use it again later it will just be a bonus. If you only need to go one or two stops to see your next attraction, it will be faster to walk. And if you need to go a longer distance you’ll find that the subway system is much faster and also very efficient. You’ll get more out of your New York Pass by moving quickly between attractions rather than waiting around for a tourist bus.
The bottom line
For the New York Pass, it’s actually a really good deal for many people. Honestly, the sights included are almost all very worth visiting, which isn’t true of the expensive sights in some other cities. For example when we investigated if the Paris Pass is worth it, the answer is no for most people. Our review of the London Pass shows that it’s actually very good value as long as you are interested in the famous attractions it includes rather than the many free museums.
On the other hand, New York City is a destination that many people will return to over and over, so you might consider pacing yourself on the major sights, only taking in a few on each trip. On this latest update in early 2024 we noticed that prices of MOST of the top attractions have gone up by around $5 each in the second half of 2023. The New York Pass price went up a bit as well, but it’s still now an even better deal for those who want to see the most famous attractions on their visit.
It might also be worth considering getting only the 1-day or 2-day New York Pass, even if you are in town for much longer, and just planning on fitting as many things as possible into those days. It would be a mistake to try to see 4 major sights every day you are in NYC, so be sure to schedule some time to just wander around and take the city itself in.
Buy your New York Pass
EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT for PriceOfTravel readers: Save 5% off all New York Passes using the link below and the promo code “GO5POT”. Look for “Have a promo code? Click here” in Review Your Order in the checkout process to enter the code. If a larger discount is available you’ll get the lowest price with the link.
Note: If you decide to purchase you can buy the New York Pass here at 5% off or the lowest available price.
I find your site very informative cuts down the stress of planing this trip. We are visiting New York for the first time for 4 days and planning to purchase a 3 days NY Pass. We are staying in Time Square. I know you highly recommend HOHO and The Circle of Line Cruise. I may be using your the best 1, 2, and 3-day itineraries for the New York Pass.
My question is how will I know if I’m boarding the Uptown or Downtown loops? Sorry if the question is dumb. I just like to be prepared. Is reservation needed for The Circle Line cruise? When I went to their website under frequently asks questions it states…
At this time, Reserved Tickets are only available when purchased directly through the Circle Line website. We are unable to reserve cruises for guests with attraction passes like CityPASS, CityPASS’s C3, New York Pass, or Smart Destinations New York Explorer Pass.
What about the rest of the attractions, do they need reservations?
Doreene,
I’m happy this information is helpful. When you are going to take the Big Bus tour in New York you’ll see on the map that the Uptown and Downtown routes don’t stop at the same places. There is only one small stretch where they go on the same street for a few blocks, but Stop 1 for the start of the Downtown route is a full block away from Stop 18, which is the start of the Uptown route. They should also have the route name on the front of the bus.
For the Circle Line cruises you can just go to the box office at the place where you’d prefer to depart and show your pass. The boats are large with plenty of seats inside and out. I’ve done them about 5 times and I’ve never seen one that was sold out. So as long as you arrive around 30 minutes early so you can be in line to get your ticket, you’ll be fine.
The interactive bus tour called The Ride requires a reservation, sort of. They only have a limited number of seats for New York Pass holders, so it’s good to get those from the box office as early as possible. A few of the walking tours might require reservations, but most of those don’t, and I don’t know of any other attractions that require them. When you get your New York Pass info with the pass it will explain how and where to get tickets for everything. And there is a free smartphone app with all the information as well, and you can download that before you even buy the pass. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Hi there, the more I look, the more confused I get, you must be American to see through it all….I can’t. We have three children aged 5 8 and 9, and we would like to visit NY first time,…this month. At least two full days,…yeah I know hardly enough. Buy a hop on off,…pass this or that? I cannot find a page that gives me entrance fees and ages…. . So…lets see, a boat tour around, one of the high buildings to view from, and a museum,…christmas lights…Those are the main. I honestly can’t find my way in the overwhelming lists…I gave up last year…Maybe..just maybe…you can help me, us out! Pffff…
Judith,
I know what you mean about planning a first visit to New York City. Most of the advice seems to assume that everyone knows what all of these things are already. You might be interested in my advice for the best 1, 2, and 3-day itineraries for the New York Pass.
Not everything on those lists are perfectly suited to children under 10, but most of it is. I highly recommend the hop on, hop off bus tour as well as the Circle Line sightseeing cruises, which all spend time near the base of the Statue of Liberty.
You’ll be able to see the Christmas lights of Times Square and Midtown Manhattan without even trying, as most hotels and many attractions are nearby. There are a few attractions meant for kids on those lists on the article I linked to. The New York Pass is really helpful for a fast visit like this, as it includes entrance to both the Empire State Building and the Top of the Rock observation decks. Both of excellent and fairly different. I recommend doing one in the daytime and one at night. Kids should really enjoy those.
If you have other specific questions just ask and I’ll try to help. -Roger
Roger that.
Thank you. Not that I came any closer to “what to do”. Thats not your fault. But thank you for trying, helping so many, what the world needs…more helpfull and caring people.
Hi. I will be in NYC for about 10 days in feb next year for our first honeymoon together with my future husband. I thought of getting the New York Pass. Is it recommended to get the 5 or 7 or even 10 days pass? We would like to cover most of the top attractions. And can you advise me on the 10 days itineraries to NYC. Thanks!
Fath,
I’m sure you could do all of the best and most interesting attractions in the New York Pass in 5 days, but if you will be in town for 10 days then the 10-day version could be ideal because it’s only a bit more expensive than the shorter ones and it will allow you to do 1 or 2 attractions per day and still get good value out of it. In other words, get the 5-day one if you are more interested in doing your sightseeing in more of a hurry, and the longer one if you think you’d prefer to space it out more.
In my article with the best 1, 2, and 3 day New York Pass itineraries I mention all of the attractions that I recommend most. And I include many other options for those with longer passes, including a list of the walking tours. In a longer pass like what you’ll buy you could do ALL of the attractions on my list plus a couple walking tours and whatever else interests you among the NY Pass attractions. It’s hard to be more specific without knowing your tastes, but I’m sure you’ll have plenty of time to do everything you want. -Roger
Hi Roger,
My husband and I are visiting new york from 30th of dec to 4th of january, we’re planning to go to time square on new years eve, can you suggest best thing to do in the morning before we go to time square? Thank you very much
Kriz,
It might be difficult to get into or even near some of the attractions in Times Square itself, so you could do any of the other New York Pass attractions that morning. The Circle Line Cruise is a personal favorite of mine, and they offer several different versions of it, all of which spend some time right near the base of the Statue of Liberty. Have a great trip. -Roger
Forgot two other things:
1. Can we upgrade the 3 hour Central Park Bike Rental to a longer time? Thinking we might want to relax and have lunch/ride in Central Park with the kids.
2. The current Thanksgiving 20% off sale ends Nov 24th. Do you think there might be better discounts for Black Friday or later? We aren’t arriving in NYC until March.
Thanks again
Thought I saw an attractions pass that included a night bus tour but can’t seem to find it now. Does the New York Pass include a night bus tour? Any limitations on only 1 tour per pass or similar?
Thanks
DL,
You might be thinking about The Ride, which is an interactive bus tour that mostly goes in the evenings, and it IS included in the New York Pass. The normal price is US$74, so it’s the most expensive thing in the pass. I believe you need reservations though.
A New York Pass holder can do each attraction exactly once, which means that you can do the hop-on, hop-off bus during the day and also The Ride in the evening. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Nope, wasn’t The Ride. It was a card that allowed a choice of bus tours. One was like the hop on/off and there was a few others including a night tour. Oh well, seems like the NY PASS is the best one for us as we’ll be going like mad to as many attractions as possible
Hi
My wife and i are visiting New York at the end of December, from the 27th of December to the 02nd of January.
I am planning to buy the 3 day pass from the 28th to the 30th. Which are the top attraction that we could cover in those 3 days, considering the cold weather during that time of the year?
And
Are there any other attractions that we could consider that is not included in the pass?
Naukesh,
I used to get this question a lot so I wrote a whole article with my best New York Pass itineraries for 1, 2, or 3 days. The Circle Line cruise is better in warm weather than in colder weather, but it’s still very worthwhile in any weather and there are plenty of inside seats.
It’s the same story with the hop-on, hop-off bus. It’s better in warm weather, but it’s still very interesting and worthwhile even when it’s cold. Most of the other attractions are indoors and I’m sure you’ll find plenty of great things to fill your three days.
The article has the best attractions listed pretty much in order of priority. But if you are doing a 3-day Pass you can do them in any order as long as you make sure you do most of the ones on the top of the list during those three days. Also, the weather in New York is usually chilly in late December, but not always, so you might get lucky and have at least a couple days where it’s way above freezing.
As for other attractions, you’ll want to spend a bit of time in Times Square, but many of the attractions (and many hotels) are in that area, so you’ll be seeing it without having to try. The Circle Line Cruise is the best way to see the Statue of Liberty and take the best photos. If the weather is decent you should see a bit of Central Park. The area along the south border (59th Street) has the most interesting things including the skating rink.
Speaking of skating rinks, the one at Rockefeller Center is worth a look for free. Aside from those things, the New York Pass really does include all the best paid attractions, so you should have a very good time. -Roger
I go to NYC next weekend and I just bought NYPASS for 7days. I stay there for 10 days. I think it’s gonna be great time 🙂
Best regards from Poland 🙂
We are going to NY for 4 days, would you suggest a 3 day pass or spend on a 5 day pass to be more leisurely seeing the sights? Thanks.
Denise,
If I were you I’d go with the 3-day pass. It will be easy enough to fit your top sights into those 3 days, and then you’ll have at least one day where you can just do whatever you feel like without the pressure of having to visit New York Pass attractions just to get good value. As of now it’s about a US$48 difference between those, which is pretty cheap for someone with 5 sightseeing days to use, but harder to justify with only 4 sightseeing days. Have a great trip and let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger
Hi Roger,
Very interesting your article.
We’ll visit NY during the Christmas holidays during 7 days. As we go with children, we don’t want to do more than 2 attractions per day to enjoy the city. But I’m afraid of the queues in the entrance of the attractions, that’s why I’m asking you if it would be better to buy the NY Pass or buy individually in advance the tickets for all the attractions we want to visit. Do you know if people who buy entrance tickets in advance have to queue or can enter directly to the attractions?
Thanks in advance for your feedback.
Séverine,
If you prefer not to do more than 2 attractions in a day, then you’d want to get a 5-day or 7-day New York Pass, or just buy tickets individually. As for the ticket process for advanced purchase, many of them are moving to the system where you get an email with a number or a symbol on it that you can show instead of a ticket. But some attractions probably still use a Will Call system where you have to stand in a different line to pick up your entry tickets. I’d think that most of the more expensive places have moved to the modern system by now, but I haven’t looked into all of them lately.
Whichever way you do it, I recommend starting around 9am each day if you can. The queues for entry at nearly all attractions are quite short at that time, so if you go to the most popular things early in the day, it won’t be a big issue. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help. -Roger