The New York Pass vs Citypass – Price, Best Tips, Is It Worth It?

Petr Novák

The New York Pass and New York CityPASS allow you to visit up to 100 attractions for one payment with no additional fees. Simply go to the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock, and you’ll have already saved $71, plus you can visit any third location for free. The more attractions you visit, the higher the savings.

The New York Pass vs Citypass – Price, Best Tips, Is It Worth It? | © CityPASS, © NewYorkPass.com, © Unsplash.com

  1. Table of Contents
    1. How the New York Pass and New York CityPass Work
    2. Comparison of the New York Pass, New York CityPass, and C3 Pass
    3. New York Pass: Unlimited Attractions in One Ticket
    4. New York CityPass: Five Attractions in Nine Days
    5. CityPass C3 New York: Three Attractions in Nine Days
    6. Attractions Included in the New York Pass and CityPass

    How the New York Pass and New York CityPass Work

    Both passes work similarly. You purchase them in advance and either upload them to a mobile app or save them in your email as a QR code. You don’t need to buy anything else when you visit each attraction; in some places, you can even skip the queue of waiting people, while in others, you book the exact time of your visit.

    Both the New York Pass and the New York CityPass are available in several variations that vary in length of validity, number of included attractions, and, of course, price.

    Likewise, the America the Beautiful pass works for admission to national parks. National parks can be visited unlimited times during the year, whereas with both New York passes, each attraction can only be visited once.

  2. Comparison of the New York Pass, New York CityPass, and C3 Pass

    All passes can be purchased online a few weeks in advance; there is no need to physically pick up anything. If your plans change, you can return the unused pass for a 100% refund of the amount paid.

    New York Pass New York CityPass New York C3
    Savings Up to hundreds of dollars Up to 40% Up to 34%
    Validity 1-10 days 9 days 9 days
    Included attractions 100+ 5 3
    Money-Back Guarantee 365 days 365 days 365 days
    Who It’s Worth It If you’ll be in New York for at least 4 days and you want to see as much as possible. If you’ll be in New York for at least 4 days, but you don’t want to just run around the attractions. If you’ll spend a maximum of 4 days in New York.
    Price
  3. New York Pass: Unlimited Attractions in One Ticket

    🎟️ Is the New York Pass Worth It?

    The New York Pass gives you the opportunity to visit an unlimited number of attractions during the validity period. You can visit as many attractions as you like. It is sold with a validity period of 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, or 10 days, and the price depends on that. These are always consecutive days; you can buy the pass well in advance as it is only activated upon first use.

    This pass is the best deal for visitors to New York who will spend at least 4 days in the city and want to see as much as possible. In this case, I recommend buying the New York Pass with a validity of 3 days, during which you can focus your sightseeing on all the most interesting attractions. You will see everything and save tens of dollars. On the remaining days, you can create a more relaxed schedule so you won’t feel like you’re just chasing attractions.

    To get the most out of your pass, use it first thing in the morning on the first day of validity. If you don’t use the pass for the first time until the evening, you’ll unnecessarily deduct one day of validity. You can only ever visit each attraction once.

    I have found it helpful to mark the included attractions with a traffic light. In green, the attractions that I must see at all costs, in red, the attractions that don’t interest me at all, and in orange, the ones I want to see when I have spare time.

    💵 How Much Will You Save with the New York Pass

    It depends on how many attractions you visit. To make the New York Pass worthwhile, I recommend visiting at least three different attractions each day.

    🏷️ New York Pass Price 2024

    For maximum savings, I recommend using a Revolut or Wise card to pay. I last updated the prices on April 27, 2023.

    Validity Period 1 day 2 days 3 days 4 days 5 days 7 days 10 days
    Adult $144 $189 $239 $269 $299 $339 $384
    Child (3-12 years old) $109 $144 $179 $199 $219 $259 $294
  4. New York CityPass: Five Attractions in Nine Days

    🎟️ Is the New York CityPass Worth It?

    If you’re not merely chasing sights in New York City, but still wish to see the highlights, the CityPass is an excellent option for you. It’s valuable if you spend at least four days in the city. The pass is valid for nine consecutive days, with day one commencing the moment you first use it.

    💵 How Much Will You Save With the New York CityPass?

    The New York CityPass can save you approximately 40% off the regular admission price. The exact amount of savings depends on the attractions you choose. These include all the top sights, a cruise around the Statue of Liberty, and popular museums.

    🏷️ New York CityPass Price 2024

    On the official website, the price of a New York CityPass for an adult is $146, and for a child aged 6 to 17, the price is $124. The pass is valid for 9 days from the first use.

  5. CityPass C3 New York: Three Attractions in Nine Days

    🎟️ Is the New York C3 Pass Worth It?

    If you’re planning to spend a maximum of 4 days in New York City and wish to experience the best of it, I recommend the CityPass C3. You can use it to visit any three attractions, and in some places, you can even bypass the queues.

    💵 How Much Will You Save With the New York C3 Pass?

    If you plan to visit the Empire State Building and Top of The Rock in New York simultaneously, the C3 Pass will save you $71 compared to what you would pay for tickets purchased separately. Plus, you can choose a third attraction to visit for free.

    🏷️ CityPass C3 New York Price 2024

    An adult’s price for a CityPass C3 is $104, while a child aged 6 to 17 pays $82.

  6. Attractions Included in the New York Pass and CityPass

    The table below lists only the most interesting attractions on offer. For a complete list, visit The New York Pass and CityPass.

    Attractions marked 🟢 can be visited with the pass, while places marked 🔴 are not included in the pass. From the attractions marked 🟡, you can choose three to visit. The prices of the attractions were updated on March 8, 2024.

    Attraction Cash price The New York Pass New York CityPass New York C3 Pass
    Empire State Building Observatory $51 🟢 🟢 🟡
    American Museum of Natural History $28 🟢 🟢 🟡
    Top of the Rock $44 🟢 🟡 🟡
    9/11 Memorial & Museum $33 🟢 🟡 🟡
    Statue of Liberty Ferry $24.50 🟢 🟡 🟡
    Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum $33 🟢 🟡 🟡
    Guggenheim Museum $25 🟢 🟡 🟡
    Landmark Cruise by Circle Line $41 🟢 🟡 🟡
    Edge $50 🟢 🔴 🟡
    Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) $25 🟢 🔴 🟡
    Big Bus 1-Day Hop-on Hop-off Tour $80 🟢 🔴 🔴
    One World Observatory $48 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Madame Tussauds Admission $48 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Best of NYC Cruise by Circle Line $49 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Central Park Bike Rental by Unlimited Biking $57 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Harbor Lights Cruise by Circle Line $49 🟢 🔴 🔴
    New York Yankees Game Tickets $58 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Madison Square Garden All Access Tour $37 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Liberty Super Express Cruise $29 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Rockefeller Center Tour $29 🟢 🔴 🔴
    RiseNY $43 🟢 🔴 🔴
    St. Patrick’s Cathedral Tour $25 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Food On Foot Tours $49 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Museum of the City of New York $20.00 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Marvel & DC Superheroes Tour $35 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Yankee Stadium Tours $36 🟢 🔴 🔴
    Luna Park at Coney Island $74 🟢 🔴 🔴

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