New York CityPASS®: Save up to 41% at 5 Top Attractions

New York rewards a well-planned first visit. The New York CityPASS bundles five major sights into one mobile pass, covering the Empire State Building and American Museum of Natural History, then letting you choose three more from seven popular attractions. I like the simple app and the nine-day validity, which gives you room to spread out museum visits, observation decks, and boat trips instead of racing across Manhattan.

I also like the flexibility to change many reservation times, especially when clouds spoil a planned observation-deck visit. The catch is that you must use the Empire State Building and Natural History Museum, even if those are not high on your list, and the pass may be less valuable if you only want two or three sights.

Key points to know before buying

• The pass covers five attractions: Empire State Building and American Museum of Natural History are fixed, with three choices from seven others.
• Nine consecutive days gives you breathing room: The clock starts when you activate the first ticket.
• The Empire State Building includes a bonus return visit: You can visit once by day and again the same night for general admission.
• The app holds your tickets and reservations: You receive a voucher after purchase, then use the My CityPASS app or website to access the actual mobile tickets.
• The Statue of Liberty option is a ferry visit, not a crown tour: Crown Tickets and Pedestal Access are not included.
• The biggest savings come from a full sightseeing plan: At $154 per person, the pass makes the most sense when you use all five admissions.

How the $154 New York CityPASS works

Think of CityPASS as a preloaded sightseeing plan rather than a guided tour. You buy one pass, activate it at your first attraction, and then have nine consecutive days to use the five included admissions.

The fixed attractions are the Empire State Building Observatory and the American Museum of Natural History. You then choose three attractions from Top of the Rock, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Statue City Cruises, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, the Intrepid Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum.

At $154 per person, the pass is not automatically a bargain for every itinerary. It earns its keep when you visit five included sights that you would otherwise pay for separately. If you skip the boat trip, dislike museums, or plan to spend most of your time walking neighborhoods, compare individual prices before buying.

The pass has a strong practical advantage: you are not carrying five separate paper tickets or stopping at five ticket counters. The app keeps the QR codes in one place, and it also shows attraction information and reservation details.

One small trap is easy to avoid. The booking platform provides a voucher, but you need the My CityPASS app or my.citypass.com to access your attraction tickets and make reservations. Download the app before heading out, and save screenshots of your QR codes in case your phone connection becomes unreliable.

Empire State Building: day views and a second look at night

The Empire State Building is one of the pass’s fixed attractions, and CityPASS includes the 86th Floor Observatory plus entry to the second-floor museum. The observatory gives you the classic open-air Manhattan view, while the museum adds context to the building and its place in New York’s story.

The useful extra is the same-night bonus admission. You can visit once during the day and return later that night for another general-admission visit. That turns one ticket into two different views of the city, though the second visit must be on the same day.

I would schedule this carefully. A daytime visit helps you pick out the city’s major sights, while the evening return gives you a very different scene as the lights come on. You will need energy for the return trip, so avoid placing it after an exhausting day at several museums.

The main drawback is choice. If you have already visited the Empire State Building or prefer Top of the Rock’s view, you still need to use this attraction to get the full value of the pass. Some people also dislike paying for a return to a viewpoint they have already seen, so the bonus is helpful only if you actually want both visits.

American Museum of Natural History: plan more time than you expect

The American Museum of Natural History includes permanent halls with more than 40 galleries. You also receive a choice of one ticketed addition, based on availability: a special exhibition, the Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium, a giant-screen film, or the Hayden Planetarium Space Show.

This is a large museum, so do not treat it as a quick stop between two observation decks. The CityPASS admission gives you a reason to choose a few sections in advance rather than trying to cover everything in one sweep.

The extra ticketed choice can add real value, but availability matters. Decide what you want when you reserve, and check the current options in the app. You may not receive every add-on at once.

There is also a practical wrinkle at this museum. Unlike several other attractions, you may need to wait in a line to exchange or validate your CityPASS admission for museum tickets. The pass still saves the trouble of buying admission separately, but it does not always mean walking straight through the front door.

Some people find that the museum has free admission options under certain circumstances, so the real savings can be smaller here than the headline percentage suggests. Check the museum’s current admission terms before you buy, especially if Natural History is the only museum on your list.

Choosing three attractions from seven

The pass gives you a useful choice, but not unlimited choice. After the Empire State Building and Natural History Museum, select three of the following:

• Top of the Rock Observation Deck
• 9/11 Memorial & Museum
• Statue City Cruises
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
• Intrepid Museum
• Guggenheim Museum

That means you can shape the pass around your interests, but you cannot replace the two fixed attractions with other museums. The selection is strongest for a first New York visit, with a mix of views, museums, memorials, and boat rides.

Top of the Rock for the skyline view

Top of the Rock is the natural partner to the Empire State Building. You get a view toward the Empire State Building itself, along with a broad look across Manhattan. If you enjoy observation decks, using both gives you two different angles rather than repeating exactly the same experience.

Weather matters here. If clouds block the view, use the app to look for another available time. The ability to adjust reservations can save a pricey sightseeing stop from becoming a gray blur, though some time slots may be less flexible than others.

9/11 Memorial & Museum for a serious afternoon

The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is a more reflective choice. It is not a light stop to squeeze between two photo opportunities, and you should allow yourself time to take in the material at your own pace.

The memorial and museum add emotional weight to a pass that otherwise leans toward views and entertainment. If you want a fuller sense of modern New York, this is one of the strongest choices.

Statue City Cruises for Liberty Island and Ellis Island

The Statue City Cruises option includes one ferry ride to and from Liberty Island and Ellis Island, audio guides, and admission to the Statue of Liberty Museum and Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration.

This is the pass choice for you if the Statue of Liberty is a priority. The ferry ride gives you a sense of the harbor and lets you visit both islands, but there are firm limits: crown admission and pedestal access are not included.

If you specifically want the crown or pedestal, buy those tickets separately. One visitor planned a separate Statue of Liberty booking for that reason, and that is the right approach if those areas matter to you.

The ferry is also weather-sensitive. A winter visit can be cold, and you may prefer an indoor museum or city viewpoint on a rough day. Keep the schedule flexible when possible.

Circle Line for a lower-effort city overview

Circle Line includes one regularly scheduled cruise. Depending on the current timetable, choices include the Landmarks Cruise, Liberty Midtown Cruise, Liberty Super Express Cruise, or Statue at Sunset Cruise.

This is a good option when you want to see a lot without walking between sights. The sunset sailing can be especially memorable when the weather cooperates, but schedules change, so check circleline.com before planning your day.

Circle Line and Statue City Cruises overlap a little, but they are not identical choices. The Statue option is built around getting to Liberty and Ellis islands. Circle Line is better suited to a sightseeing cruise that lets you view the city from the water.

Intrepid Museum for ships, aircraft, and space history

The Intrepid Museum includes general admission to the Space Shuttle Pavilion, the submarine Growler, the immersive Kamikaze experience, and temporary exhibitions.

This is a strong choice if you prefer machines, military history, aviation, or space exploration to traditional art galleries. It also gives your CityPASS itinerary a different rhythm after several hours of city views and indoor museum halls.

Guggenheim for art and architecture

The Guggenheim includes general admission to its collection and special exhibitions. You also receive access to a free daily architecture tour and a digital guide with content in several languages, accessed on your own phone.

The building itself is part of the attraction, so this choice suits you if modern architecture matters as much as the collection. The digital guide is useful, but remember to bring a charged phone and headphones if you prefer to listen privately.

Some people would like to see the Metropolitan Museum of Art or the Museum of Modern Art in the pass. They are not among the listed choices, so art-focused visitors should compare CityPASS with individual museum admission before committing.

A nine-day plan that avoids a sightseeing sprint

The nine-day validity is one of the pass’s best features. You do not need to visit five attractions in two days, and you should not try unless your trip is very short.

A sensible pattern might look like this:

• Use the first clear day for the Empire State Building.
• Visit the Natural History Museum on a separate day, with time for one ticketed add-on.
• Pair Top of the Rock with nearby Midtown sightseeing.
• Set aside a quieter block for the 9/11 Memorial & Museum.
• Save a boat trip for a clear day, or choose the Intrepid or Guggenheim instead.

You can activate the pass on any included attraction, and the nine-day period begins on that first day. The duration is counted in consecutive days, including the activation day, not nine separate sightseeing days.

For a two-and-a-half-day visit, the pass can still work, but your schedule will be busy. Reserve early, then leave room to adjust around weather and energy. For a longer stay, the pass feels less like a race and more like a useful framework.

Reservations, queues, and the mobile app

The app is central to using CityPASS well. You can view tickets, attraction details, and reservation times there, and many people find it easy to change dates or times when plans shift.

Do not assume every attraction works in exactly the same way. Some accept the mobile QR code at the entrance, while the Natural History Museum may require a ticket exchange line. Reservation rules can also differ, so check each attraction before setting off.

I would reserve the attractions with fixed time slots first, particularly observation decks and cruises. Some bookings can be changed close to the visit, while others may become fixed. The pass gives you flexibility, but it is not a promise that every appointment can be moved at the last minute.

Bring comfortable shoes, water, comfortable clothing, a daypack, and a packed lunch if you want to control costs. Transportation and food are not included, so allow money and time for getting between sights.

The pass is wheelchair accessible, but you should still check the attraction-specific reservation details if you need particular access arrangements.

Who gets the best value at $154?

The best match is a first-time New York visitor who wants the city’s major sights and likes having a ready-made plan. Families and small groups can also benefit because the app keeps everyone’s admissions in one system.

You are most likely to save the advertised amount if you use all five attractions, especially a mix of observation decks, cruises, and museums. The ability to visit the Empire State Building twice in one day adds value if you want both daytime and night views.

The pass is less attractive for repeat visitors who have already seen the Empire State Building or prefer less famous neighborhoods. It may also be a poor fit if you want the Statue of Liberty crown, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, or the Museum of Modern Art, since those are not included.

The overall rating is 4.7 out of 5 from more than 10,000 reviews, and the strongest praise centers on value, simple ticket access, and easy planning. That matches the pass’s real strength: it removes several small decisions from a busy New York trip.

Should you book the New York CityPASS?

Book it if you want five included attractions within nine days and the fixed Empire State Building and Natural History Museum visits suit your plans. At $154, it can save a worthwhile amount while giving you one place to manage tickets and reservations.

Skip it if you only want two sights, need Statue of Liberty crown or pedestal access, or would rather choose museums outside the CityPASS selection. Before paying, list the five attractions you would actually visit and compare their separate prices.

For most first visits, I would buy the pass, download the app before arrival, reserve the busiest sights early, and keep one weather-friendly option in reserve. That turns a complicated city into a manageable plan without taking away the freedom to wander.

FAQ

How much does the New York CityPASS cost?

The listed price is $154 per person.

How long is the New York CityPASS valid?

It is valid for nine consecutive days, beginning on the first day you activate it.

How many attractions are included?

The pass includes admission to five attractions.

Which attractions are fixed?

The Empire State Building Observatory and the American Museum of Natural History are included as fixed attractions.

Which attractions can I choose?

You can choose three from Top of the Rock, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, Statue City Cruises, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, the Intrepid Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum.

Does the pass include the Statue of Liberty crown?

No. Crown Tickets and Pedestal Access are not included.

Can I visit the Empire State Building twice?

Yes. The pass includes a same-day bonus general-admission visit, allowing one daytime visit and one nighttime visit.

Do I need the CityPASS app?

You can use the My CityPASS app or my.citypass.com to access tickets, make required reservations, and see attraction details. The booking voucher is not the same as the mobile attraction tickets.

Are transportation and meals included?

No. Transportation, food, and drinks are not included.

Can I cancel the pass?

Yes. You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund.