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.
Follow up question, is it worth getting a couple of one day passes a few days apart and would that enable two trips up ESB? I will prob do the rock as well, I’m all about the views!!
Helen,
I think you’d actually be better off getting one longer New York Pass, and then if you want to do the Empire State Building another time, just pay for it separately. The shorter New York Passes aren’t cheap on a per-day basis, so it’s hard to imagine that it would save you money that way.
The views from both are spectacular, and I was just up the Top of the Rock for the first time myself a month ago. Honestly, the views are pretty similar in general, but the Top of the Rock is actually better because you can see all of Central Park, while the ESB is mostly Midtown. So my recommendation is to buy one longer New York Pass for each person, and if you decide you want to do one of them twice (it might be the Top of the Rock), then buy that separately once you are there. -Roger
Hi, can you do attractions more than once? I was thinking it might be nice to do the Empire State Building at night and during the day!?
Helen,
Unfortunately, I believe you only get one entry into each attraction. But in addition to the Empire State Building you also get entry into the Top of the Rock, which actually has even nicer views including Central Park. So do one of those in the day and the other in the evening. Have a great trip. -Roger
I saw that the pass includes empire state building tour till the observation deck. How much of a difference would I have to pay in order to go all the way up to the last floor? Thank you
Calin,
My understanding is that it’s an extra US$17 to get to the 102nd floor at the moment. But honestly, many people don’t find that to be worthwhile because the view is really the same. Either way, have a great trip. -Roger
Thanks Roger.
We incl our 14yo daughter will be spending 4 days in NY early Oct. and have purchased a 3 days NY Pass including hop on off bus. We plan to visit at least 3 attractions a day. Places like Top of Rock, Madame Tussauds, Empire State, NY Skyride,Statue of Liberty, Little Italy/Chinatown, Brooklyn Bridge,Central Park, 9/11 Tribute Centre and Circle Line cruises. Please can you advise which sequence should we follow to achieve this so we don’t waste time going round in circles.
Thanks Roger.
We incl our 14yo daughter will be spending 4 days in NY early Oct. and have purchased a 3 days NY Pass including hop on off bus. We plan to visit at least 3 attractions a day. Places like Top of Rock, Madame Tussauds, Empire State, NY Skyride,Statue of Liberty, Little Italy/Chinatown, Brooklyn Bridge,Central Park, 9/11 Tribute Centre and Circle Line cruises. Please can you advise which sequence should we follow to achieve this so we don’t waste time going round in circles. Thanks for the feedback.
Which transportation is most reliable to get to and from JFK to our hotel near Grand Central? Am considering using NYCairporter but abit concern.
Richard,
A taxi is the simplest and most reliable, for about US$60 for up to 4 people. A cheaper and still reliable option is the JFK AirTrain to Penn Station (in Manhattan) and then the “S” shuttle subway to Grand Central Station. There are also shuttle buses for a bit more, which will drop you near your hotel’s front door. -Roger
Hello,
Thank you for this article. This is my situation and I’m hoping you can help me by answering some of my questions and maybe offering some suggestions. We have never been to NY, my daughter has just asked me to take her for her birthday which I’m am considering, I would probably do NYC for a few days and take some type of transportation over to DC and from there we would fly back home
She wants to see the Statue of Liberty and the empire state building, (she’s 9 yrs old) O want to take advantage of the fact that we are there and get to see more. I’m thinking about the Niagara falls. maybe more of the city. Can you tell what the best way to accomplish this would be? maybe some suggestions on what to see where to go? where to fly into? In from California and clueless when it comes to this.
Thank you!!
Alexa,
There are 3 airports in the New York City area (JFK, Laguardia, and Newark), and you should book tickets into the cheapest one for your particular dates. There isn’t much difference on getting from the airport into the city center, although Laguardia and JFK are a bit cheaper and easier than Newark is prices are the same.
Niagara Falls is a LONG way from NYC, and it would take an entire day each way on the bus. It’s not really practical to visit both of them in just a few days.
As for what to see, it’s tough for me to recommend anything because there are thousands of things to do and I don’t know anything about your tastes. To be honest, the Statue of Liberty is a bit dry for a child. Once they’ve seen it on the outside, they might be bored by seeing it up close or looking at the monument in the base. A visit to Ellis Island is also included in the boat price, and that would be even harder to handle for a kid. One thing to consider is taking the (free) Staten Island Ferry to Staten Island and back, which passes close to the Statue of Liberty and is a nice tour of the harbor.
There are also loads of attractions in Times Square that are child friendly, including a Disney store and an M&Ms store and that sort of thing. That should be fun for a few hours at least.
If you have more specific questions I might help with let me know. NYC is a pretty amazing place to visit and I’m sure you’ll have a great time. -Roger
Thanks for the article.
I have a question about the duration of the pass. I plan on buying a one day pass. My intent is to activate the pass at around 11am the first day, and then see my last sights with the pass at 930/1030 the next morning. I’m wondering if I can use the pass like this, since It’ll be easier for me to see those sites the next morning, and it’s not after the “1-day” limit.
Kal,
Sorry, but the New York Pass works on calendar days so each day of validity is midnight to midnight. Good luck anyway. -Roger
Can you get on both the Blue and Red tour buses with the New York Pass?
Jackie,
If you go with the Hop-on Hop-off New York Bus Package with the New York Pass, it’s only good on the blue (City Sights NY) buses. I’m fairly sure that the buses of both companies do the same routes, and they come by frequently so it really shouldn’t be a problem. Best of luck. -Roger
Hello,
Love this article!! My husband and I and 16 year old son will be visiting NYC at the end of August. We have toured many European cities (Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Milan) but have never obtained any passes. We are power tourers (sp??) and do not usually visit museums. We like nice views, seeing the local architecture and prefer to walk (usually upwards of 20km per day). I’m overwhelmed by the number of passes available (NY Pass, NY Citypass, NY Explorer Pass, GO Select Pass). I’ve read your article and some details speak to me but still not convinced we would be getting our money’s worth. Hoping you can help me decide. Thank you.
Viviene,
I’m glad you found the article helpful. As for which of the passes to get, they are all fairly similar (as you’ve noticed) and they are all legit. The New York Pass is the original of them, and the only one I’ve studied extensively, so I do recommend it for those who fit the goals I describe above. You might actually run into me on your trip because I’ll be using a New York Pass that same week to see some of the new attractions that have been added since I last lived there.
My own travel style is similar to yours in that I tend to walk everywhere that I can, and I generally minimize time in museums. You’ve no doubt noticed that most of the attractions in the New York Pass are not museums, so it really comes in handy for the more adventurous attractions as well as the included tours. Speaking of tours, I highly recommend taking the Circle Line 2-hour cruise, which I’ve done at least 4 or 5 times myself. It’s by far the best way to see the city in a short time, and the narration is really interesting.
Also, in New York City I’d skip the hop-on, hop-off bus tour, which is an add-on on the New York Pass. For one thing, it’s a slow and awkward method of transportation, so it’s really only good as a one-lap bus tour. If you only have maybe 2 days to see NYC, it’s a good tour to see a lot in a hurry, but if you’ll be there 3 or more days you’ll end up seeing most everything while on foot that you’d see from the bus. You’ll want to walk within and in between neighborhoods, and for longer journeys the subway is WAY faster than any bus, especially the tour buses. And the subway is quite easy to use once you’ve had a look at it (and it’s much safer than most people expect).
If you have any specific questions I’ll be happy to try to answer them. Otherwise, you can consider the choices and hopefully find the one that will work best for you. The New York Pass is also 15% off until Monday, although all of these passes are on sale half the time, so look for a discount whichever you choose. -Roger
Hello! My wife and I are going to NYC, staying at the Manhattan at times square! It is going to be our 1st time in NYC! 4 nights (3 dedicated to sight seeing). Do you recommend The New York Pass? I have heard that you need to get tickets at different locations from the actual sight (i don’t know what tour or pass this is). I imagine that the new york pass will let you in directly. should I also buy the bus pass, or the metro is better and cheaper? THANKS
Cesmon,
My recommendations for who should or should not get a New York Pass are all contained in the article above. But if you are planning on three fairly solid days of sightseeing then I think it’s probably a great choice for you. Once you have the New York Pass you can skip the ticket-buying queue for many of the top attractions, so it saves time and usually saves money as well. I’m not sure which thing you are referring to about getting tickets at another site, and I’ve not heard of that with any of the main attractions.
As for the hop-on, hop-off bus packages, I am a fan of those as sightseeing methods, but I don’t recommend trying to use them for general transportation. As you mention, the subway/metro in New York City is cheap and generally much faster than a sightseeing bus for getting from one part of town to another. So it’s a tough call. The bus tours are good as tours, but not really as transport. Best of luck and have a great trip. -Roger
Thanks for the info!!! So the pass guarantees me direct entry into the sight? Here are some comments/reviews i was reading about the NY pass. Let me know if these hold true… THANKS!!!
“Be careful that you dont have to pre-book your tickets ie Top of the Rock. The pass does not automatically give you access, you have to actually convert to paper tickets at the venue and these sell out.Empire State, pay the difference and get the upgrade to bypass the huge queues.”
“DO NOT purchase this pass if you are limited in time … it was a game to redeem the coupons and secure the pass (go to Grand Central, walk 8 blocks to redemption center for pass, walk back 7 blocks to secure tour bus pass, walk back 6 blocks to board bus) … this was the scenario throughout the day … bottom line: we were unable to utilize most of the features due to lack of time .. the two features we did utilize briefly were great – be warned to prepare to walk to multiple locations to have your pass ‘enabled’ to secure the features and only purchase if you have 3+ days in NYC available … we encountered many other people with similar disappointments (we would’ve saved 50% if we had just gone to and paid the attractions individually).”
Cesmon,
Most of the New York Pass reviews I’ve read are very positive, and most people seem quite happy with their decision to buy. But of course other people are less organized and struggle to stay on schedule. As for those specific claims, you are better off contacting people at New York Pass directly. My only function is to help people decide if it might save them money based on the things they want to see. Good luck. -Roger