New York Tourist Cards

Choosing the right tourist card to make the most of your visit to New York can make the difference between a good trip and an amazing one. To help you do that, here’s a comprehensive comparison of the different passes so you can find the one that’s perfect for you.

When purchasing the New York Pass All Inclusive (formerly known as the New York Pass), keep in mind that it’s a pass valid for a set number of days, and you pay based on the number of days you choose. During the validity period of the New York Pass All Inclusive, you’ll have access to as many attractions as you’d like. Be careful, though—these aren’t 24-hour days. Instead, from the moment you activate the pass, you have until midnight before it counts as a full day, and your pass will vanish like Cinderella’s carriage (or simply stop working at the attractions).

The New York Pass includes 100 attractions, among them New York’s most popular: the Manhattan Sightseeing Bus, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, a Manhattan cruise, the Statue of Liberty, Madame Tussauds, the Empire State Building, and Top of the Rock. You can choose a validity period of one to ten days for this card, but I recommend avoiding the one-day pass, as it most likely won’t be worth it.

More details: Everything about the New York Pass All Inclusive

What’s Included

Practical Information

• Recommended if: you like to make the most of your trips and see a lot in a single day
• Duration: one to ten days
• Price: starting at 168
• You’ll save up to: €450 (on a 7-day pass)

The New York CityPASS® tourist card includes two fixed attractions and three others of your choice from a variety of options, for a total of five attractions, which you can visit within a maximum of 9 days from your first use. It’s the most popular tourist card among visitors to New York, as it includes admission to the city’s essential landmarks and its validity period is tailored to most trips.

Compared to buying individual tickets for each attraction, you can save up to €72 with this pass, plus skip the lines to buy tickets at every place you visit.

More details: Everything you need to know about the New York CityPASS® tourist pass

What’s Included

Practical Information

• Recommended if: you’ll be in New York for less than ten days and want to see the main attractions
• Number of attractions: 5 (New York’s main attractions)
• Duration: 9 days from the time of activation
• Price: starting at 165
• You’ll save up to: €72

Purchasing the New York Explorer Pass is the perfect way to fully customize your New York experience, as you can choose 3, 4, 5, 7, or 10 attractions and pay based on the number of attractions you select. From the moment you activate the pass, you have a full month to visit the attractions you’ve chosen, so you can take your time exploring.

If you want to get the most out of the New York Explorer Pass, I recommend choosing attractions that cost €25 or more to maximize your savings. And again, if you want to save as much as possible, make a list of the places you want to visit and compare whether it’s better to buy tickets separately.

More details: All the details about the New York Explorer Pass

What’s Included

Practical Information

• Recommended if: you know exactly which attractions you want to visit and will be in New York for a couple of weeks
• Number of attractions: 3, 4, 5, 7, or 10
• Duration: 30 days from the moment of activation
• Price: starting at 85
• You’ll save up to: €150 (on a 7-day pass)

Purchasing the Hellotickets New York Attraction Pass is a straightforward way to cover the essentials without wasting time comparing options: it includes a total of 3 experiences (1 observation deck + 2 attractions) to choose from a carefully curated selection. For the observation decks, you can choose between the Empire State Building, The Edge, Top of the Rock, or One World Observatory, and round out your experience with classics like MoMA, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, river cruises, the Intrepid, Madame Tussauds, or a bike ride in Central Park.

The pass is 100% digital; it syncs with the app to manage reservations and schedules. You don’t need to choose attractions at the time of purchase, and it’s valid for 30 days from the first activation (each attraction can be visited only once; some require advance reservations).

What’s included

Practical Information

• Recommended if: you want a package with one guaranteed observation deck and two other iconic attractions, plan to enjoy it at your own pace over 2–5 days, and want to save money compared to individual tickets with easy management via the app.
• You don’t choose when you buy: you decide as you go through the app. Some attractions require advance reservations.
• Validity: 30 days from the moment of activation
• You’ll save up to: 70€
• Estimated price: starting at 81 €

Buying a tourist pass has several advantages, most notably saving money (they let you enter major attractions at a flat or discounted rate) and saving time, since most attractions have a special line for pass holders.

All passes give you access to the city’s main monuments, buildings, and points of interest. What varies between passes is their duration and the number of attractions you can visit. It’ll be much easier to choose a pass if you make a list beforehand of the attractions you want to visit.

Depending on what you’d prefer to pay

Before continuing, the most important thing to keep in mind is that there are two types of New York Pass: by number of days and by number of attractions.

Depending on the type of traveler you are

Finding the perfect pass for you depends entirely on the type of trip you’re taking to New York. This is very important, as it will help you avoid buying a pass that’s too big for your stay in New York—or worse, one that doesn’t cover everything you want to see. Depending on how long you’ll be in New York and the type of traveler you are, I’ll recommend one sightseeing pass or another.

Which passes include fast-track access?

All passes offer fast-track access at certain attractions. The New York CityPASS® includes fast-track access at 5 of its 9 attractions, while the New York Pass offers it at 11 of 100. However, having fast-track access doesn’t exempt you from going through security checks.

Which attractions offer free admission for children?

I recommend checking each site’s specific policy first. Generally, most children under 3 years old can enter all New York attractions for free. If your children get in for free at most of the attractions you plan to visit, don’t buy them a pass!

How do I buy my pass?

You can conveniently purchase any of the passes online and receive all the relevant information via email. There are usually two options: have the pass mailed to your home or pick it up at one of the designated tourist offices in New York.

How do I activate my card?

Generally, by using it at any attraction included on the card. From that first use, the pass’s validity period begins, and at midnight on that same day, the pass will be considered used for one day, and so on.

Final Tips

Buying a tourist pass, in most cases, means planning your trip very specifically. Plan carefully what you want to see, on which day, and at what time. If you’re the type of person who travels more spontaneously and on the fly, I recommend that you don’t buy a tourist pass.

That wraps up our comparison of the different tourist passes you can choose from for your trip to New York. Now, let’s take on the Big Apple!