New York CityPASS
With the New York CITYPass you can have an 'open bar' and explore New York's best attractions without worrying about your budget
Fifth Avenue | ©Hellotickets
The New York City Pass is a tourist card to make organizing your trip to New York City easier and more convenient, and a way to get discounted admission to the city's top attractions.
Pay only for the number of attractions you want to visit
If you have already chosen the museums, skyscrapers, or attractions you want to visit (you can choose up to six), get this card and pay only for the number of places you want to visit, saving time and money.
From $ 135 at HelloticketsWhen you book the New York CityPass From $ 135, you pay for the number of attractions you want to visit. The pass includes three fixed attractions and three attractions of your choice, for a total of six attractions, which you can visit in a maximum of 9 days from the first use.
When you purchase the New York CityPass, you will receive individual tickets for each attraction that you must present at the ticket office of each site. You can choose to receive these tickets on paper or have them sent to your email, print them out or carry them on your cell phone and scan them at the entrance to each attraction. Once you use the New York CityPass for the first time, you have 9 days to use your pass before the end of its validity period.
In case you choose the option to receive your New York CityPass in physical format, you will receive a ticket booklet with your admission to each attraction. You will have to be careful not to tear off any of the tickets, as they will be considered invalid. Instead, you'll have to find a ticket agent and hand them the booklet - one of the downsides of old-school travel!
Why I like this option: you'll be pleased to know that compared to buying individual tickets to each attraction, you can save up to $ 85 with this pass, plus skip the line to buy a ticket at each site you visit.
What's included in the New York CityPass
Tickets to the Empire State with audio guide
The Empire State Building is one of the icons of the New York skyline, with an emblematic architecture and design that will transport you to the '30s. However, the great attraction of the Empire State are the views from its observatory, undoubtedly one of the most impressive ways to see the city. Put this visit at the top of your list of things to see in the Big Apple!
- Address: 5th Avenue, between 33rd and 34th Streets.
- Nearest subway stop is 34 St. - Herald Square, which most lines connect to.
- Price of tickets if purchased outside the pass: about $ 41.
- Queue time to buy: Between 45 and 60 minutes.
- How the pass works: Skip the queue to buy tickets and go directly to the queue for the security check, where you can show your pass and they will let you through. Please note that the CityPass includes two entrances at different times to the Empire State Building.
- About the attraction: it opens from 8:00 AM to 2:00 AM, and a typical visit lasts 2 hours.
Natural History Museum Tickets
This museum is one of the perfect New York attractions to visit with your family. Its permanent exhibition is dedicated to the history of Planet Earth, with very interesting spaces dedicated to marine life, fossils, and meteorites.
Metropolitan Museum of Art Tickets
The MoMA is a must-see museum in New York if you want to see with your own eyes an extraordinary exhibition of works of art that have defined the last century. You can enjoy works of art such as the famous 'Starry Night' by Van Gogh, as well as paintings by Monet, Pollock, Mondrian, Hellen Frankenthaler, and Andy Warhol among others.
Remember that the MoMa is free on Fridays, so I advise you to avoid this day if you do not want to find the museum crowded.
- Address: Between 5th and 6th avenues and 53rd and 54th streets. The nearest subway is 5th Avenue-53rd St.
- Price buying tickets outside the pass: From $ 27.
- Queue time to buy tickets: The queues to buy tickets are not usually very long, but those for the security check can be up to 30 minutes, and more if you visit the museum on Friday, when it is free for everyone.
- How the pass works: Simply present your pass at the security line and you can enter the museum.
- About the attraction: It's open from 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM every day (Saturday open until 7:00 PM), and as for visiting time it's usually two and a half hours on average (although this depends entirely on what kind of visit you want to do).
9/11 Memorial and 9/11 Museum tickets (optional)
The 9/11 memorial and 9/11 museum tell the story of the 9/11 World Trade Center attacks. This is a very sensitive visit that will give you a very intimate view of what happened during the attacks. Although this experience is not for everyone, it will give you a context about the terrorist attacks on the Twin Towers that you may not otherwise get.
- Address: Between Liberty St. and Fulton St., near West St. The nearest subway stops are WTC-Cortland, Cortland St. Station, and Fulton St. Station.
- Price buying tickets to the museum outside the pass: from $ 28.
- Queue time to buy tickets: Between 10 and 90 minutes.
- How the pass works: Skip the ticket line, go directly to the security checkpoint, and present your pass for direct access to the 9/11 Museum.
- About the attraction: Open from 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM and until 9:00 PM on Fridays and Saturdays. Most people take a 2-hour tour.
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (optional)
This museum is any engineering fan's fantasy, offering the unique opportunity to see inside the Intrepid aircraft carrier, whose deck features a variety of aircraft and helicopters from various eras; the Growler submarine, which can be explored in its entirety; and the supersonic Concorde aircraft.
Top of the Rock tickets (optional)
The Top of the Rock (the name given to the observatory of the Comcast Building in Rockefeller Plaza) offers the best views of New York from a skyscraper: it's from here that all those wonderful postcard photos of the Empire State have been taken. If you're passionate about photography, you're going to be blown away by the photos you'll be able to take of this icon of New York architecture, especially if you climb to the Top of the Rock at sunset or on a foggy morning.
- Address: Between 5th and 6th avenues and 49th and 50th streets. The nearest subway station is the Rockefeller Center Subway Station.
- Price buying tickets outside the pass: from 35 Euros.
- Queue time to buy tickets: Between 15 and 20 minutes.
- How the pass works: You can use your pass to get an online ticket with a set schedule or present the pass at the ticket office to have your ticket validated.
- About the attraction: Opening hours are from 8:00 AM to midnight (last elevator up is at 11:00 PM). The average visit is usually about an hour, but how long you want to stay on the observation deck is up to you.
Guggenheim Museum (optional)
Every Guggenheim in the world is famous for leaving you in awe both inside and out, and New York's is no exception. Its collection of modern art features works by artists such as Van Gogh, Gaugin, Picasso, and Malevich among others, and its gift store is the perfect place to pick up a souvenir of the city.
Ferry to the Statue of Liberty (optional)
The Statue of Liberty represents New York City like no other monument to any other city in the world. Seeing it up close is breathtaking, and almost even more impressive are the views of Manhattan from Liberty Island. To visit it, you will have to take a ferry from Battery Park and with the New York Pass, you don't have to worry about the ticket, because it is included.
In addition, it also includes the ferry to Ellis Island, where you can visit the Immigration Museum and explore an exhibition about the times when New York became a place of welcome for immigrants from all over the world in search of a better future.
- Address: Liberty Island.
- How to get there: The only way to get to the Statue of Liberty is by ferry or boat, and all depart from Battery Park.
- Price buying tickets off the pass: from $ 28.
- Queue time: There is a ferry to the Statue of Liberty every 90 minutes, so depending on what time you arrive, you will have to wait more or less.
- How the pass works: You don't need to buy a ticket, so head straight to the security checkpoint and wait for the ferry to arrive.
- About the attraction: You can go to the Statue of Liberty from 9:30 AM to 5:25 PM The typical visit lasts around 4 to 5 hours.
Manhattan Cruise (optional)
Circle Line cruises are one of the New York attractions I always recommend for one simple reason: seeing Manhattan from the outside is just as impressive as seeing it from the inside. Besides being a way to see New York from another perspective, it's a very relaxing activity that will give you a break from the hustle and bustle of Times Square.
The Ride (optional)
The Ride is a 75-minute bus tour of Manhattan with an interactive experience and a panoramic window to experience the city in a different way, where comedy, dance, and music accompany you throughout the ride. It's like stepping inside a Broadway musical set on the streets of New York.
Before buying a New York CityPass
Too much information! I know: choosing your New York sightseeing pass is not easy. In case you're not entirely clear, here's the rundown to help you make a decision. The New York CityPass is for you if:
- You're going to be in New York for a week
- You want to see the most "typical" of New York
- You have little time to organize your trip
- You like to explore a new city at your own pace
- You have a tight budget for your trip
Recommendations
Note that the New York CityPass lasts 9 days from your first use, so you don't need to do it all in your first two or three days in New York. The best use of your pass is to space your visits and use it at least two or three times a day.
Other passes available
In case the New York CityPass doesn't quite convince you, keep in mind that you have three other types of New York City Passes so maybe there's another one that better fits the trip you're planning for.