Are you planning a trip to NYC and wondering is New York CityPASS worth it for you?
Well, you’re in the right place because I’m all about finding great travel deals and using my money wisely on a trip. Plus, I’ve been a local New Yorker for 20+ years and I regularly help others plan amazing trips to the Big Apple.
So, in this New York CityPASS review, I’ve done the math for you so you can decide whether New York CityPASS is worth it for you!
Is the New York CityPASS worth it?
In an effort to share all the best NYC tips (and because I know no one really likes homework), I’ve put together this New York CityPASS guide. After all, who wants to spend more money than necessary?!
So if you’re in a rush and just need the answer to your question…Is the New York CityPASS worth it?
Yes. New York CityPASS is worth it! It can help you save 40% when compared to buying tickets for top attractions individually.
New York CityPASS is the right bundled sightseeing pass for you if the included sights are part of your New York itinerary and especially if you’d like to space out your sightseeing and not do everything on consecutive days.
When helping readers plan their trips to New York City, including my own family and friends, New York CityPASS is one of my top recommendations to help them save money and time.
As a local NYer, I can vouch firsthand for how pricey a destination NYC is. There is also an endless number of things to do in New York City so whenever you can save money and time by skipping the line, there’s incredible value in doing so. (Did you know that tens of millions of people visit NYC every year? Trust me, lines in NYC are not fun.)
Keep reading this New York CityPASS review for all the details and a breakdown of the math.
What is New York CityPASS?
New York CityPASS is a sightseeing pass that lets you save money by bundling costs for NYC’s most popular spots into a fantastic discounted price. It also comes with added perks and benefits, most notably the ability to (in many cases) skip the line.
The classic bestselling New York CityPASS includes entry to 5 of NYC’s top sights. Once you make your cityPASS purchase, you’ll receive an email with your tickets. You can also download the cityPASS app and connect your purchase so that your tickets appear in the app.
York CityPASS includes 2 preset sights and 3 you can choose from a variety of options. The tickets are valid for a period of 9 days, which is such a terrific feature instead of having to cram a lot of attractions into just 1-2 days.
In the end, the $138 (adult price) New York CityPASS will save you up to 40% when compared to paying for each entry ticket individually.
TLDR; New York CityPASS will save you money and time, both of which you never have enough of in New York City.
New York CityPASS Attractions: What’s Included?
Then, you get to choose 3 additional New York attractions from the list below. For each one, you receive 1 admission ticket, plus any of the added inclusions as indicated.
New York CityPASS Math: Numbers Don’t Lie
The real truth is in the numbers because, at the end of the day, the numbers amount to you needing to spend less. Take a look at this comparison chart to see for yourself.
| New York CityPASS | VS. | Individual Entry Tickets |
| Included + 1 same-day P.M. admission ticket | Empire State Building | A: $70-$74 C: $59-$63 (depending on date of visit & tax included, ages 6-12 for child) |
| Included + 1 special exhibition, giant screen film, or space show | American Museum of Natural History | A: $34 C: $16 (ages 3-12 & $22 for students) |
| Included as one of your 3 attraction choices | Top of the Rock Observation Deck | A: $48.99 C: $42.46 (tax & ticket processing fee included) |
| Included as one of your 3 attraction choices | Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island (ferry, museums, audioguide) | A: $24.50 C: $12 (ages 4-12) |
| Included as one of your 3 attraction choices | 9/11 Memorial & Museum | A: $33 C: $21-$27 (depending on age) |
| Included as one of your 3 attraction choices | Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise | A: $41 C: $34 (prices depend on cruise selected, date, & time) |
| Included as one of your 3 attraction choices | Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum | A: $36 C: $26 |
| Included as one of your 3 attraction choices | Guggenheim Museum | A: $30 C: $19 (12+ years old) |
So, let’s say during your trip to New York City you visited the Empire State Building in the morning and again in the evening. You also went on to visit the Museum of Natural History, the Top of the Rock, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
If you bought an adult ticket for each one of these individually, you’d spend $214.49. That total accounts for the AM/PM Empire State Building experience to see the skyline during the day and at night and potentially no ability to skip any of the lines depending on how you book those tickets.
New York CityPASS costs just $138 for the exact same sights plus lets you skip many of the lines!
If you notice, I didn’t choose all the most expensive activities for my 3 choices. I could have selected a more expensive Circleline sightseeing cruise and to visit the Intrepid Sea, Air, and Space Museum. Both of which are higher priced than the Statue of Liberty and the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
With these choices, New York CityPASS would help you save even a few more dollars than my example.
Who is New York CityPASS right for?
If you’re planning a first trip to New York City or you have an itinerary full of sightseeing, New York CityPASS makes sense because it can save you money and time. Of course, the attractions included with New York CityPASS have to also be on your itinerary in the first place.
New York CityPASS is valid for 9 days starting with and including the first day you visit one of the included attractions. So, if you’ve got places like Central Park, Rockefeller Center, the Museum of Modern Art, or maybe a Broadway matinee or a walking tour on your New York itinerary, you don’t need to worry about your New York CityPASS expiring in just 1, 2, or 3 days.
You can split your time between the New York CityPASS attractions and anything else you have on your itinerary, especially if you’re in NYC for 4+ days rather than cram everything into consecutive days.
New York CityPASS Intangibles
As someone who lives in NYC and helps others plan trips here, I wanted to also point out the cost of a New York City trip. While everyone’s travel style is different and people have different budgets to work with, NYC is hardly a budget travel destination. Even with plenty of free things to do in New York, hotels, broadway shows, and dining out add up quickly.
When you choose a sightseeing pass like New York CityPASS, the money you save can help you in other areas of your trip budget. For couples and families, this could add up to hundreds of dollars of savings.
By doing so, maybe you’re able to spend more for a nicer New York City hotel. Or perhaps, it becomes more affordable to just book a private car transfer from JFK, LaGuardia, or Newark so that you can arrive at your hotel without any hassle.
As a seasoned traveler, too, I’ve seen from my own travels how sightseeing passes like New York CityPASS have helped me save a lot of money.
Questions About New York CityPASS
Are you wondering what the catch is? Or do you just have some questions about the value of New York CityPASS?
Below, you’ll find some of the most common questions I’ve been asked when helping readers plan their New York City itinerary.
Why do I need to visit the Empire State Building twice?
I can’t decide whether or not you should visit the Empire State Building twice or what time of day is best. That’s all about personal preference. You could even plan to see the skyline from the Empire State Building in the morning and from the Top of the Rock in the evening.
Personally, I never get tired of looking at the NYC skyline. I’ve seen it from different perspectives, in all 4 seasons, morning, noon, and night and I always seem to notice something I hadn’t noticed before. I also enjoy taking photos of the city views at different hours of the day.
I also must admit that I like that New York CityPASS has an AM/PM Empire State Building experience and the option of the Top of the Rock. Seeing New York City from above is a must, especially if it’s your first trip here. Having multiple observation decks to choose from at different times of the day feels like having a bit of protection against bad weather or cloudy skies.
With New York CityPass’s flexibility to visit attractions over 9 days, you could plan the day/night to visit the Empire State Building and then skip a few days before going to the Top of the Rock to hopefully land on at least 1 good weather day.
Is New York CityPASS worth it for kids?
Many New York CityPASS attractions do offer reduced-price individual tickets for children. Keep in mind for most places, your child must be 12 and under to qualify for the child price.
If your child is older than 12, you’ll likely pay a higher adult/student price for an individual ticket whereas the New York CityPASS child price is just $118 and works for children ages 6-17.
It’ll also make a difference depending on which 3 optional sights you choose. For example, the Guggenheim is free for children under 12, but the Top of the Rock costs $37 plus tax and a processing fee for children ages 6-12.
The child New York CityPASS is also worth considering if everyone else in the family has one. You want to be sure everyone in the group can skip the line.
Isn’t admission to the American Museum of Natural History a pay-what-you-want price?
The American Museum of Natural History allows residents of New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut to pay what they wish for general admission to the museum’s permanent exhibitions. If you’re a resident of one of these states though, and you want to also visit a ticketed exhibition like the Hayden Planetarium Space Show or the Butterfly Vivarium, then your ticket will cost $25.
Anyone living outside of these 3 states will pay the non-resident price, $34 for adults and $16 for children 3-12 years old.
What about the NYC attractions that require a reservation or timed entry?
After purchasing your New York CityPASS, you’ll need to make reservations for most of the activities you choose. This is done to maximize everyone’s overall experience by staggering entries to limit the number of visitors at any one time. Be sure you reserve time slots as soon as you can to get the days and times that work for your New York City itinerary.
CityPASS makes it easy to do by providing all the reservation information you need. Use the My CityPASS app or go to the designated website included in the information that is emailed to you once you purchase your CityPASS.
For the New York CityPASS, you must reserve a day and time to visit the following tourist attractions.
And while not necessary, reservations are highly encouraged for the following attractions.
How can I add Crown Tickets or Pedestal Access for the Statue of Liberty to my New York CityPASS?
The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island are managed by the National Park Service. They have authorized only one booking site to sell tickets for crown tickets or pedestal access. For this reason, it’s not possible to add these extras to your New York CityPASS (or any other sightseeing pass).
If this is something you’re interested in doing, you could book Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island tickets directly from the authorized booking site. Then, use your New York CityPass to choose from the other included attractions.
Having visited Liberty Island and Ellis Island a few times, I can honestly say that the highlights of visiting the Statue of Liberty are seeing it up close and going to the Statue of Liberty Museum. You can do this with just ferry access to the island which is included with New York CityPASS.
Is New York CityPASS the best sightseeing pass to get?
New York CityPASS is one of the most popular sightseeing passes for NYC visitors. It’s a great way to get the best deal with plenty of time to see a number of attractions.
If you’re planning an NYC itinerary with the New York CityPASS attractions but also would like to spread out your sightseeing over several days, this is absolutely the best New York city pass for you.
On the other hand, if you are only in New York City for 1-3 days and you’re looking to cram in as many of New York City’s sights and experiences as possible, you may find The New York Pass to be the better option for you. This pass lets you choose the duration of the pass and, within that timeframe, you can see and do as many of the included attractions as your stamina will allow.
A few more positives about New York CityPASS…
New York CityPASS lets you choose from 3 different Circle Line sightseeing cruises. Having these different options adds to the already great value of the pass. You can choose which cruise you’d like most, as well as have the flexibility to choose from a wide range of dates given CityPASS’s validity of 9 days.
Unlike other sightseeing passes, New York CityPass includes entry to the Space Show or choose from several other ticketed exhibitions when you visit the Natural History Museum. This adds a ton of value to your visit to one of the best attractions in New York City.
New York CityPASS includes the Guggenheim Museum when other passes do not. The Guggenheim is one of the top museums in all of New York City and has a fantastic collection of modern art.
So, is New York CityPASS worth it?
The bottom line is you want the best deal for your trip to New York City. CityPASS helps you do that by saving you money on bundled sightseeing costs and time by helping you skip the line at NYC’s top sights.
But if you’re still not sure, let’s just go back to the math in another example. (It’s the teacher in me…I can’t help it!) This time, I chose the least expensive 3 options when making my attraction choices. Plus, I used only the regular admission ticket for the Empire State Building which doesn’t include the return PM visit.
Let’s plan to visit the:
All of these paid for individually would cost $170.49 with no ability to skip the lines and no second entry to the Empire State Building. That’s more than the New York CityPASS which costs $138.00 no matter which choices you make.
And, keep in mind, my 3 example choices don’t include any of the highest-priced admission tickets either. Choosing one of the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, the Top of the Rock, and the Intrepid Sea, Air, & Space Museum instead would raise the total individual ticket cost even more.
You’d also get 1 less ticket to the Empire State Building and no skip-the-line privileges buying directly from each individual attraction. If it’s value you’re after, in terms of money and time, you won’t find a better deal in NYC.
Plus, you can enjoy each attraction at your own pace with 9 days of flexibility. Even if you’re trip is shorter than 9 days (most people’s are), you can plan out a more balanced New York itinerary with days of sightseeing intermixed with experiences and some of New York City’s best free things to do!
New York CityPASS Review Bottom Line
Yes, the New York CityPASS is worth it!
The pass lets you bundle the cost of admission to 5 different sights to save money plus comes with skipping-the-line privileges and exclusive benefits. As a result, there’s no cheaper way to see all of these top NYC attractions.
Once you’ve purchased your New York CityPASS the only question left to answer is what will you do with the extra money and time you save during your trip to NYC.
Perhaps you’ll splurge on Dim Sum and a massage in Chinatown or have extra time to explore Greenwich Village, Chelsea, or the Upper West Side. Either way, it’s a win-win for your time in the Big Apple.
So, what are your questions about New York CityPASS?
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