Is the New York Pass Worth It: Pros and Cons and How to Best Use It

Thinking of buying the Go City New York pass? This review breaks down the pros and cons to figure out if it’s worth it!

If you’re planning a trip to New York, you’ve probably already figured out that it’s kind of pricey. But luckily, there are hacks to save.

After my first three trips, I’ve discovered that some of my favorite things to do are actually free or low cost, like strolling through Central Park, visiting bookstores and libraries, people watching, and grabbing a slice. BUT, my next favorite things to do unfortunately add up quickly — visiting overlooks for city views, seeing shows on Broadway, taking boat tours around Manhattan.

That’s why on my last couple of trips, I’ve used the Go City New York pass for pretty much all of the paid attractions I go to (except for the theater, unfortunately). If you’re reading this post, you’re probably thinking about buying it for an upcoming trip and wondering if it’s a good deal or not. After all, they have to make money somehow, right?

I’ve used this attraction pass in a few different cities now, and to be perfectly honest, I don’t always think it’s worth the price in every location. It is a highly individual decision, though, depending on the types of things you like to do on your trips. Luckily, the New York City pass has so many attractions, museums, and tours included that it’s hard to imagine anyone not getting value out of it.

I find it a little strange that question forums often say that these types of attraction passes aren’t worth it. That may be true if you’ve already been to the city a bunch of times and don’t want to do any of the big tourist attractions again, but if it’s your first or second or even third trip to New York, you’re probably still checking off a lot of sights that are on the pass. Just crunch the numbers and you’ll quickly find out if it’s a good deal!

Below, I’ll break down my take on the pass, how to figure out if it’s a good deal for your trip, and ways to get the most value out of it. I recommend doing a little bit of math to make the best decision, but if you’re not into all of that and looking for a short answer, read the TLDR.

This post contains affiliate links. If you click on one or buy something, we might receive a commission for telling you about it, at no extra cost to you. We received a Go City New York pass for free to test it out. All opinions are my own.

TLDR: The Go City pass is better in some locations than others, but the New York pass almost always works out more affordably than individual attraction tickets, especially if you plan ahead!

Types of New York Attractions Passes

The first thing to do in evaluating whether the Go City New York pass is a good deal is to familiarize yourself with the different options you can buy. For NYC, there are two options – the Explorer Pass, where you purchase a number of attraction tickets, and the All-Inclusive Pass, where you can visit as many places as you want over the number of days you purchase.

There isn’t a cut and dry best option, as it really depends on your trip and what all you want to see. If it’s your first visit and you want to squeeze in a lot of sightseeing, the All-Inclusive Pass often makes the most sense. Alternatively, if you prefer a slower pace and spreading things out over a longer span, the Explorer Pass could work out better.

I’m going to break down the pass types below and some example costs to help you figure out how to evaluate the pass. HOWEVER, these are just examples based on fluctuating prices and you should do the math for your own visit to determine what makes the most sense financially for you.

Please also note that there can be some differences in the attractions offered on each pass. While both include dozens of attractions, there are a few that are only offered on one pass or the other (this info is displayed pretty clearly on the website).

New York Explorer Pass

With the New York Explorer Pass, you select how many attractions you want to include and visit them over a period of up to 30 days. This pass gets much cheaper per attraction as you add them on, and it’s pretty easy to do the math to figure out whether it’s a good deal.

To determine if this New York pass is a worth the cost, simply select the pass you want and divide the total price by the number of attractions to determine a fee per attraction. You can then compare it to the individual ticket prices at places you want to go, and if the ticket prices are higher than the pass average, the pass will save you money.

For example, if you buy a five attraction pass that works out to about $35 per attraction, and the places you want to go cost $39, $52, $37, $75, and $65 individually, you are saving over $90! If one of the tickets only costs $25 though, it might not make sense to use the pass for that one. 

The big pro of this option is that you won’t have to squeeze a bunch of stuff into one day. For instance, if your trip is three days and you plan to visit one or two paid attractions per day, a three- to six-attraction ticket is cheaper than a three-day all-inclusive ticket. This can also be a great option if you’re staying for a longer period of time (say a week or two).

To help you figure out if this pass is right for you, here are the highlights and some math based on example prices (please check current prices and run the numbers for yourself).

• Includes 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 attractions

• Valid for 30 days from first use

• The more attractions you add, the lower the price per attraction (Example: 2 = $89 = $44.50 each, 5 = $179 = $35.80 each, 10 = $304 = $30.40 each)

• Real life example: In Lower Manhattan, I visited Mercer Labs ($53.55), rode the Clipper City Tall Ship ($83.46), and visited One World Observatory ($62.60) at sunset. Total cost: $199.61. Three attraction pass cost: $119. Savings: $80.61. And that’s just for one person! See the next example below to compare the savings with an all-inclusive pass.

Check here for deals on the New York Explorer Pass

New York All-Inclusive Pass

The All-Inclusive Go City New York Pass can offer HUGE savings, but only if you plan wisely to maximize your time with the pass. If you’re someone who prefers to plan things on the fly, this may not work out best for you.

With the All-Inclusive, you pick how many days you want to purchase the pass for, and you can visit unlimited attractions on those days. The clock starts ticking on the day you activate it, so if you use it 6 p.m. for a sunset overlook, don’t use it the next day, and use it the third day for a couple of attractions, that still would use three pass days. It’s very important to have a plan of action for this pass!

The good thing about this one is that you don’t have to purchase it for the total length of your trip. If you’re visiting for five days, for example, you could just buy a two- or three-day pass and squeeze the most expansive paid attractions into those days. Like the Explorer Pass, it also gets cheaper the more days you add on and you’ll want to do similar math, averaging out the price per day divided by the attractions you plan you visit and comparing it to the ticket prices.

For some example math, let’s say you buy a two-day pass for about $225. If you use the included 2-day hop-on, hop-off bus ($87) and spend the first day in Lower Manhattan at the 9/11 Museum ($36), take a boat tour ($45), visit Mercer Labs ($53) and end the day at One World Observatory ($62), then you’ve already covered the cost with a $283 day. Spending the next day at the Empire State Building ($53), a museum ($35), and a Central Park bike tour or skating at Rockefeller Center ($50), and you will have saved nearly $200 total. 

These are the fast facts with example prices to help you figure it out.

• Includes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 or 10 days

• Valid for the number of calendar days from first use

• The more days you add, the lower the price per day (Example: 1 = $169, 3 = $274 = $91.33 day, 5 = $354 = $70.80 day, 10 = $424 = $42.4 day)

• Real life example: For the same example from the previous section, if I visited the three attractions in one day, this would look like: Mercer Labs ($53.55), the Clipper City Tall Ship ($83.46), and One World Observatory ($62.60). Total cost: $199.61. One day all-inclusive pass: $169. Savings: $30.61. BUT, if I had the all-inclusive pass instead of the three-attraction pass, I would have packed in more by riding the hop-on, hop-off bus ($87), doing a walking tour in DUMBO ($49), and visiting the 9/11 Museum ($36). Total cost: $371.61. One day all-inclusive pass: $169. Savings: $202.61.

Shop for deals on the All-Inclusive Go City New York Pass

Best Price on a New York Pass

While discounts on attraction prices are already built into the regular pass cost, Go City does sometimes run specials and discounts. If you have a trip coming up to one of the pass destinations, I recommend getting on their email list or just checking the website every week or so to see if there is an active sale.

They usually display coupon codes at the top of the website, so it’s pretty easy to find. Since passes don’t activate until you first scan it at an attraction, you can buy it in advance of the trip when you catch a good price. While I was writing this, there was a random winter sale for 10% off the pass.

What’s Included on the New York Pass?

The attractions can change from time to time, but when I’m writing this, there were more than 100 included activities on the Go City New York pass. This is definitely one of the best cities to buy the pass for, since it offers so many options!

Some of the New York attractions you may be interested in include the Empire State Building, the Edge and Top of the Rock observation platforms, One World Observatory, the Museum of Modern Art, the American Museum of Natural History, several different Circle Line sightseeing cruises (I love these), bus tours, New York Yankees game tickets, the Rink at Rockefeller Center, ride passes for Luna Park at Coney Island, several different food tours, and SO MUCH more!

Below are some (but definitely no all) of the attractions you can visit with the pass!

Top Attractions on the NY Pass

• Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry

• Empire State Building Observation Deck

• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises

• Big Bus Hop-On, Hop-Off 2 day ticket

• The Rink at Rockefeller Center Ice Skating

New York Viewpoints on the Pass

• Empire State Building Observation Deck

• The Top of the Rock Observatory

• The Edge New York Sky Deck

• One World Observatory

Museums on the New York Pass

• American Museum of Natural History

• Museum of Modern Art (MOMA)

• 9/11 Memorial and Museum

• Madame Tussauds Wax Museum

• Mercer Labs

• The Whitney Museum of Art

• Guggenheim Museum

Tours and Activities Included in the NYC Pass

• Central Park Bike Rentals

• Food on Foot Tours

• Madison Square Garden Tour Experience

• Clipper City Tall Ship Sailing Tours

• Rockefeller Center Tour

• New York Yankees Game Tickets & Yankee Stadium Tours

• NYC TV & Movie Bus Tour

• Brooklyn Bridge and DUMBO Walking Tour

• Radio City Music Hall Tour

• SOHO, Little Italy, Chinatown Neighborhood Walking Tour

Is the City Pass for New York Worth It?

After using it on a couple of trips, I definitely think that the New York pass with Go City is worth it. I do think you get the best value if you plan ahead so that you don’t let any days or attractions go to waste. But with more than 100 attractions included, there are lots of opportunities to use the pass in New York.

How to Get the Most Out of a New York Pass

If you’re considering buying the Go City New York pass, here are some tips to help you get the most out of the experience. I have used the pass on a couple of visits now, and these things have helped me out! For more details or to purchase, click this link for the two Go City New York Pass options.

Do Vacation Math

It may not be fun, but vacation math is necessary to make sure you’re getting a good deal. Crunch the numbers on ticket prices at the places you want to go vs. pass prices to make your decision easy! Or, use my examples from above to get a general idea based on some of the most popular things to do.

Verify What is Included

Many big New York City attractions are included on this pass, but there are still a few that aren’t. I made the mistake of trying to show my pass at a museum that I was sure I had seen on the pass, but I was wrong. Double check when you’re planning out your day so you can maximize your pass and not waste time at the wrong places.

Try the Trip Planning Tool

The Go City website now offers an intelligent trip planner that will help you figure out the best way to arrange your itinerary and use your pass. It’s a free tool, so definitely try it out to get some ideas for your trip. I tried the AI intuitive option, and I like that it worked in free activities, but I don't think it did a great job of maximizing the pass, so keep that in mind. I was still in beta mode, though, so maybe it will get better!

Check What to Book in Advance

Read the fine print on the pass attraction descriptions to see what you need to book in advance. This is honestly the hardest part about using the pass, because so many places in New York require reserving a time in advance, so you can’t just show up with the pass and expect to get in. You still need to plan ahead and read the instructions for how to make reservations with your pass.

Don’t Buy the Pass for the Whole Trip (Probably)

If you want to spend time meandering between bagel shops, strolling Central Park, popping into bookstores or free museums, and shopping, you don’t need a pass for those things. Either buy a pass for the number of paid attractions you plan to visit, or line them all up on a couple of the trip days and do the non-ticketed stuff on a non-pass day.

Pay for Lower Cost Attractions Separately 

This takes a little more number crunching, but sometimes it works out better to pay for cheaper attraction tickets separately, especially if you’re buying the Explorer Pass for New York. Museums are a good one to watch for, as those ticket prices can be $20 to $40, which may work out cheaper than adding them on to the Explorer Pass. 

Research the Prices on Independent Websites

While the Go City site shows individual prices for attractions for easy comparison, if you want to be precise on your comparison math, I recommend checking the actual prices on individual attraction websites. I’ve found that the price aggregate on the Go City site isn’t always accurate and it won’t include things like coupon codes, group discounts, or fluctuations in dynamic pricing.

If you don’t want to do that much research though, their price comparisons are helpful for a quick look and if you’re calculating enough savings on the pass, that couple of dollars probably won’t make a huge difference.

Look for Hidden Gems

When you’re scrolling through the list of included activities, go past the first dozen of popular attractions to look for hidden gems. Obviously you’ll want to do the big stuff, too, but you can find some under-the-radar walking tours, foodie excursions, and niche museums that you may not have otherwise known about.