Heading to New York City and trying to do it all – but still want to save on attraction admission? There are several sightseeing passes in New York geared towards tourists that help visitors save on attraction admission while still getting the full New York City experience.
In this post, we compare four of the most popular New York sightseeing passes: The New York Pass, The Sightseeing Pass - Flex Pass, Go City, and The Sightseeing Pass - Day Pass, so you easily compare the similarities and differences and choose the best pass for your trip.
The comparison chart below shows an at-a-glance comparison of the New York sightseeing passes based on important factors, like how many attractions you can visit, how long the pass is valid for, ease of use, benefits, savings, price ranges, and more.
To better understand the chart, the first two passes are most similar in that they let you choose how many attractions you want to visit. The second two passes are most similar in that they let you choose how many days you want to sightsee. See below.
The Sightseeing Pass – Flex Pass Go City The New York Pass The Sightseeing Pass – Day Pass Number of attractions to choose from 100+ 100+ 130+ 150+ Number of attractions you can visit 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 10, or 12 Depending on the pass you purchase 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 10 Depending on the pass you purchase Unlimited Unlimited Days the pass is valid once activated 7 60 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, or 10Depending on the pass you purchase 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7Depending on the pass you purchase Mobile ticketing? Yes: Print or use on your phone Yes: Print or use on your phone or download mobile app Yes: Print or use on your phone or download mobile app Yes: Print or use on your phone Pass delivery? No No No No Pass pickup available? No No No No Skip the line Select attractions Select attractions Select attractions Select attractions Savings vs buying tickets individually Up to 50% Depending on which attractions you visit Up to 50% Depending on which attractions you visit Up to 70% Depending on which and how many attractions you visit Up to 65% Depending on which and how many attractions you visit Price range $74-$264 $73-$218 $117-$305 $129-$319Things to Consider When Choosing Which Pass to Get:
Each New York sightseeing pass includes everything you need to visit attractions – once you have the pass, you don’t need to pay for admission at any of the included attractions. One of the important differences between the passes you’ll need to consider when choosing is either how many days you want to sightsee, or, how many attractions you want to visit.
The pass you end up choosing will largely depend on how long you plan on being in the city, how many attractions you want to visit, and how many attractions per day you plan to visit.
The unlimited attraction passes (The New York Pass & The Sightseeing Pass – Day Pass) encourage a more active sightseeing itinerary – the more attractions you visit, the more money you can save on admission as you pay a flat fee and can visit as many as you want. The passes that let you choose how many attractions (Go City & The Sightseeing Pass – Flex Pass) allow you to sightsee at your own pace.
However, with Go City, your pass is valid for 30 days, which offers significantly more flexibility than the Sightseeing Pass – Flex Pass, valid for just 7 days. For all of the New York sightseeing pass options, how much you’ll save on attraction admission tickets largely depends on which attractions you visit (more expensive attractions mean more savings) and how many attractions you visit if you’re using an “unlimited” pass (the more attractions you visit, the more you’ll save).
All of the New York sightseeing passes are easy ways to save money when traveling to New York if you want to visit lots of popular attractions, go on tours, and see the sights.
Unlimited Passes – Choose Number of Days You Want to Sightsee
The New York Pass vs. The Sightseeing Pass - Day Pass
The New York Pass and The Sightseeing Pass – Day Pass are very similar; they both offer unlimited admission to 100+ included attractions. Biggest differences?
- The New York Pass offers savings of up to 70%, The Sightseeing Pass is up to 65%.
- Generally, the cost of The New York Pass is less than The SightSeeing Pass.
- The New York Pass comes with a free guidebook, The Sightseeing Pass does not.
Both offer skip-the-line privileges at select attractions, exclusive discounts at restaurants and other entertainment venues, a hop-on hop-off bus tour (though they’re operated by different companies), and lots of popular NYC attractions, including Top of the Rock, the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and more.
The New York Pass:
The New York Pass is valid for the number of days you choose to sightsee. You can buy a 1, 2, 3, 5, 7, or 10-day pass and use it for consecutive days. You can visit as many of the 130+ included attractions as you want while your pass is valid. Each pass comes with a free guidebook you can pick up in-city or access via the mobile app.
The SightSeeing Pass - Day Pass:
The Sightseeing Pass - Day Pass is valid for the number of days you choose to sightsee. You can buy a 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7-day pass and use it for consecutive days. You can visit as many of the 150+ included attractions as you want while your pass is valid.
Passes That Let You Choose How Many Attractions to Visit
Go City vs. The Sightseeing Pass – Flex Pass
Go City and The Sightseeing Pass - Flex Pass are similar in how they work; they both let you choose how many attractions you want to visit, and then you can choose from any of the included attractions at a savings of up to 50%. Biggest differences?
- Your pass with Go City is valid for 30 days, The Sightseeing Pass – Flex Pass is valid for only 7.
- With Go City you get a free guidebook, The Sightseeing Pass – Flex Pass does not offer this.
Both passes offer skip-the-line privileges at select attractions, including a hop-on hop-off bus tour as an attraction choice (though they’re operated by different companies), and tons of popular New York attractions to choose from, including Top of the Rock, the Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, and more.
Go City lets you choose how many attractions you want to visit. You can buy a 3, 4, 5, 7, or 10-attraction pass. You can choose from any of the 100+ included attraction choices and your pass is valid for 30 days from first use. Each pass comes with a free online guidebook and has a free mobile app available.
The Sightseeing Pass – Flex Pass lets you choose how many attractions you want to visit. You can buy a 2, 3, 5, 7, or 10-attraction pass. You can choose from any of the 100+ included attraction choices and your pass is valid for 7 days from first use.
%20(2)?_a=BAVAEyBy0)