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.
Hi Roger,
I think we have worked out list of things we would like to see and do over our 3 days in New York (29th – 31st Dec). Can you please let me know your thoughts for the following
Tues 29th Dec- 8am – Top of Rock, 10am – On Locations Movie and TV sites movie tour. The one included on the NY Pass only runs Thursday. So we will probably buy this extra) Wander around Times Square, Discovery Times Square, Macys, 8pm -NY Skyride (If possible), 9pm or later – Empire State Building.
Wed 30th Dec – early – 9/11 Memorial, 9/11 Museum, 12pm – SOHO Little Italy china town walking tour, Wall Street and Financial District.
Thurs 31st Dec – Central Park, American Museum Natural History, 3:30pm – Circle Landmark Cruise.
If time permits will fit in somewhere – Grand Central Station, Carnegie Hall, Madam Tousaads.
Do you think the Circle line cruise will be busy or booked out 3:30pm New Years Eve? What about other attractions after lunch on New Years eve?
Will the 9/11 Museum be booked out online prior to us visiting?
Would there be anything else that might be booked out with timed ticketing.
Sorry for all the questions. Just noticed the 20% discount is back on.
PS I guess The Ride would probably be out of the question this time of the year with the pass.
Thanks again,
Danny
Danny,
I think your plan looks really well put together. It’s a busy schedule but I think you’ll be able to fit all of it in, or at least as much as you want to do while you are actually there.
I’d be extremely surprised if any of the main attractions was really full on New Year’s Eve, including the Circle Line. It’s true that the city is very crowded that day, but pretty much everyone who comes in special for those days will be doing it for the Times Square New Year’s Eve celebration. Anyone who wants to be within the main part of Times Square will have to be in place before noon, so those people obviously won’t be doing the other attractions that day. So as long as you aren’t planning on anything in or near Times Square on NYE, you should be fine. Have a great trip. -Roger
Hi, this seems to be a helpful forum. My girlfriend and I will be visiting NYC for 4 days in September for my birthday treat. We’d like to include a helicopter ride in our plans and have seen that the pass gives discounts on helicopter rides. Is it advised to book the pass and then turn up at the helicopter when we want to book, or book it online once we have the pass? Also, is collecting the pass at the collection points reliable? Is it worthwhile getting a 3-day pass or would a 2-day pass suffice to see the main attractions?
Thanks
Chris
Chris,
I’ve not done the helicopter ride, but it looks like the sort of thing where an advanced reservation seems wise just in case they get a group just ahead of your or something. So I’d buy the New York Pass and after you get the online confirmation I’d email them for a reservation. They will probably ask for your confirmation number by email and definitely in person in order to get the discount.
The in-person collection points for the New York Pass are very reliable so I wouldn’t worry about them. There are 5 of them and they are spread around the main hotel and attraction districts near Midtown, so one of them will probably be a short walk from your hotel. Also, the New York Pass is very popular in general and it’s a pretty big business, so it’s not like some obscure discount card where half the attractions don’t even know what it is. In fact, for the popular attractions there is usually a separate line for New York Pass people to get a ticket or just walk straight in.
As for the 3 days versus 2 day pass, that would depend on how many of the high-price attractions that really appeal to you. The price difference is US$40 per person and it covers many attractions that charge even more than that, so you’d only need to do 1 or 2 things on that third day in order to get value out of it. The Circle Line cruise alone is $40, and I highly recommend that one. And the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock (both great) are around $30 each plus you get to skip the ticket line, so it’s very easy to get at least $40 value out of that third day, even on the top attractions. But that said, if you look at the list of attractions and only see 5 or so that interest you, then you should have no trouble doing those in 2 days. Best of luck and let me know if you have other questions. -Roger
Roger
Thanks very much for taking the time to reply.
What a great site and very informative, reading through all the comments from yourself and all the enquirers.
Keep up the great work, much appreciated!
Chris
2 weeks and counting till NEW YORK!!
hi Roger,
really great info u r giving..
i with my hubby and 2 yr old will be in NY in mid august for 5 days 4 nights..i hv some questions if you can help
if i stay in staten island and take ferry to commute every day..whats your suggestion for a family
can i buy a 24 hour hop on hop off bus tour, for the first day and cover all loops (uptown,downtown,brooklyn and night tour) without hopping off in between to have overall sightseeing from the bus itself.
i plan to visit all major attractions on foot and subway on other days
my child has birthday on the last day, and he enjoys amusement park and beach a lot, shall i go to coney island or i have some other option as well..
divya,
Yes, you could do all of those bus loops in one day, although I’m not sure you’ll want to once you are halfway in. The Uptown and Downtown loops are all loaded with highlights. I haven’t done the Brooklyn one, although I did live in Brooklyn for a couple years. The sights in Brooklyn will mostly be lesser sights and also fairly spread out, so you might not want to do that one if you are tired from the others. The night bus tour could be fun, but again, it might be covering areas that you’ve already seen, and they don’t look all that different at night.
So after you get off the Staten Island Ferry you could hop on the South bus, but for general sightseeing you’ll want to take the subway.
I actually haven’t been to Coney Island in about 5 years, and back then it was still partially closed down. Just recently I read something about it being MUCH nicer than it used to be so maybe it would be fun for your child, as long as the weather is nice that day. It’s a long way from everything so it will take you at least an hour to get there on the subway, although the subway goes right there so at least getting there is cheap and easy.
Let me know if you have other questions and have a great trip. -Roger
I want to activate my 2 day pass on Saturday 1st August 2015 to 2nd August 2015 mid night. Question: As I reach on Friday, 31 July 2015 by 10PM. I wanted to do Empire State building at 12 15 AM (technically Saturday)- Would this be considered Saturday or Friday? Neither the New York Pass nor the Empire State building is giving me a straight answer. I have the pass already and as its a short trip I wanted to make use of the Friday after midnight view!!! please help!!!
Gaurav,
I see what you are trying to do there, but I’m thinking it probably won’t work. I’m not an official of any kind, and I just try to help people with questions I can answer and give advice when I can. Since the admission computer probably counts their whole day as a calendar day, my guess is that going after midnight on Friday would still count as Friday. I’m pretty sure the ESB is the only attraction that is open after midnight on the New York Pass, so I doubt they would adjust their software for that. On the other hand, if that is true then you could visit after midnight on Sunday and it would still count as Sunday.
So long story short, I don’t know either. Best of luck with this. -Roger
Rober, this is a great forum. I’ve read most posts – we are staying at the times sqr first week of august, assuming we buy 3 day pass with the HOHO, could you help us with what to see each day to maximise our value? (2 adults, boys 13 and 9) many many thanks
Nick,
I’m glad that you are finding the information on this page useful. But it would be very difficult for me to confidently recommend what you should see and do without knowing your interests and such. The New York Pass covers nearly all of the top attractions in the city, so just scanning their information should give you many options to consider. Specifically, I highly recommend the Circle Line boat tours, the Empire State Building AND the Top of the Rock observation deck. Aside from those, it’s mostly personal preference. You might hate some museums I like or vice-versa. If you have questions about specific things I’ll be happy to try to help you sort them out. Have a great trip. -Roger
Hi Roger,
This is an excellent forum!
My Family of 6 (children aged 10-17)will be visiting NY from Australia from Dec 28th 2015 to 1st Jan 2016 (3 full days 29th, 30th and 31st Dec). Will the attractions be very busy on these days? I see that the fast track passes are only on limited attractions. We would definitely like to see the following if time permits. ESB, Boat to see statue of liberty, Top of Rock, Madam Tussauds, Central Park (Maybe Bicycle or is it too cold or frozen?), 9/11 Memorial, Times Square, Macys and perhaps some other shopping (Briefly), The other ones I am not sure of are the Brooklyn Bridge, Yankee Stadium and Wall Street. We are staying at the Roosevelt Hotel, which I think is fairly central. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated Roger.
Kind Regards Danny
Danny,
I’m always happy to hear that this information is helpful. Yes, the Roosevelt Hotel is just a few blocks from Times Square so you’ll be spending a bit of time there whether you like it or not. Also, I hope you are aware of the traditional Ball Drop in Times Square on New Years Eve. The streets for several blocks in all directions are closed off to traffic to accommodate the million or so people who go there. I don’t recommend joining that crowd, by the way, and it should help lighten crowds at attractions outside of Times Square.
New York City does get busy on those days, but again, I think most of the attractions away from Times Square might not be overly crowded. You’ll be walking distance to the Empire State Building and also Top of the Rock, and both of those are fantastic. I’d recommend doing one during the day and the other in the evening because the city looks very different in light and dark. Madam Tussaud’s is in Times Square, so plan on seeing that on one of your first two full days.
For the Statue of Liberty I highly recommend the 2-hour Circle Line boat tour, which is also included in the New York Pass. It goes right next to the statue for excellent photo opportunities, but it doesn’t stop at the island. The island itself is a bit boring, to be honest, so this is better, especially if it’s cold out.
The Fact Track feature is available on most of the attractions that get the longest queues, so it works really well.
Wall Street is worth a look and it’s very close to the 9/11 Memorial. The whole south part of Manhattan is really interesting and unlike the rest of the island, so you could take a subway down there and see those things, and then walk over to the Fulton Fish Market area, which also has a few other things that are included in the New York Pass.
On the Circle Line boat tour you’ll get the best views of the Brooklyn Bridge (and a couple others) and that is by far the best way to see it and all of the architecture around it. I wouldn’t bother with Yankee Stadium in the winter. It’s a long way from Midtown Manhattan and there isn’t much to see since there are no games that time of year.
Let me know if you have other questions and I’m sure you’ll have a great trip. -Roger
Thanks Roger,
Would bicycle’s through Central Park be an option as a way to see it?
Danny,
I’d say that during summer cycling through Central Park would be very nice, so it would depend on the weather around New Years. As you have probably learned, temperatures a bit below freezing are not uncommon that time of year, so I’d think that riding a bicycle wouldn’t be too enjoyable in that case. But you might get days as high as 8C that time of year, and if so it could be good.
And I’m not sure about this part, but I believe that bicycles are supposed to stay on the bike paths in Central Park, which are specific lanes and areas, many of which are commuting cyclists going quickly. In other words, I don’t think you can just ride a bike around all of the footpaths and lawn areas. Lastly, Central Park is gorgeous in summer but less so in winter. Pretty much all of it is brown and leafless. But there is the ice rink and a few other nice things that go in winter, so it’s still fun to explore in the area just north of 59th Street (Central Park South). -Roger
IN General the NY pass is worth the money, but be aware that if you enter the intrepid museum you will not be able to see the space shuttle. False advertising on the side of NY pass
Hi
when are the summer school holidays? ive booked for 20-27 june 2016 – will I manage to avoid the crowds during this week? also ive found conflicting info on how much museums are – some say they are around 20 dollars and other say there is a suggested amount,but ultimately you choose how much to pay?
thanks in advance 🙂
Janet,
The summer school holidays in the United States are basically from early June through the first weekend in September, give or take a week depending on the area. In other words, late June is high season and New York City will be packed.
Most of the big museums in New York City charge between US$20 and US$25 for admission. The only exception is the Metropolitan Museum (NYC’s largest and most famous museum), which has a “suggested” admission charge of US$25, but it’s true that you can pay as little as your conscience will allow. Strangely enough, almost 100% of visitors pay the full amount, especially tourists. But personally when I lived in NYC and I had guests in town there were two times that I paid US$5 (back when the suggestion was US$20) to get in because we would only be there for maybe 30 minutes to look around.
So as far as I’ve seen, there are some locals who visit the museum regularly who pay only a small amount, but it’s a far smaller number than you might expect under the circumstances. In other words, you can stand in the line and hand them even US$1 and walk in, although you might feel a bit cheap (rightly or wrongly) about it. All of the other museums in NYC have a firm admission charge. You can see some of the top museum prices on our general New York City prices page. Have a great trip. -Roger
For the City pass. My friend said you still need to check if the time slot is open? Or can You just walk in and say I have a ticket? With City pass, do you just show up if the place is open or you still need to confirm a specific time?
Eryln,
I’m not sure what you mean. It sounds like you are referring to the New York CityPASS rather than the New York Pass discussed above. But they both work essentially the same way in that you can skip the ticket queue for the big attractions and just get in the entrance queue. I’ve not heard of a system where you have to make a reservation in advance. I hope this helps. -Roger
Thank you Roger for your quick and helpful response.
Could you please suggest if I should go to see fireworks (If yes, any recommendations) or should stick to exploring NYC as I am on short trip.
Nishtha,
The NYC fireworks display is out over the East River, and there aren’t too many easy-to-reach vantage points except for Battery Park in the south of Manhattan. It’s a huge show and worth a look, and it doesn’t start until 9:20pm so you’ll be done sightseeing by then. Your hotel will probably be able to suggest a possible viewing spot. Some buildings in Manhattan have a great view, while most will have no view. Good luck and have a great trip. -Roger