New York CityPASS®

New York CityPASS is a smart way to bundle five major attractions into one mobile ticket, with nine days to use it after your first visit. You get the Empire State Building and American Museum of Natural History, then choose three more sights such as Top of the Rock, the Statue of Liberty, or the 9/11 Memorial and Museum.

I like the nine-day window, which gives you room to spread out long museum visits and busy observation decks. I also like the app-based ticketing, especially since you can usually make or change reservations from your phone. The catch is simple: you need to plan ahead, and the pass only pays off if you visit enough of its included sights.

Key points to know before you buy

• Five attractions for $154: Two are fixed, and you choose three from six additional New York sights.
• Nine consecutive days: The clock starts with your first attraction visit, not necessarily on the purchase date.
• Empire State Building bonus: Your ticket includes daytime or evening admission, plus same-night general admission.
• Reservations matter: Popular places such as the 9/11 Museum, Top of the Rock, and some cruises may require a time slot.
• Mobile entry is easy: Show the pass on your phone, save it to your wallet, or print it.
• Not every line disappears: Some places still require you to exchange the pass for an attraction ticket.

How the $154 New York CityPASS works

The pass costs $154 per person and includes admission to five attractions. The Empire State Building and American Museum of Natural History are built in. You then choose three of these six options:

• Top of the Rock Observation Deck
• Ferry access to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
• 9/11 Memorial and Museum
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise
• Intrepid Museum
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum

The math is the heart of the decision. If you visit only two or three places, buying individual tickets may be cheaper. If you use the pass for four or five substantial attractions, the savings become more convincing, particularly when you add the convenience of keeping several admissions in one app.

I would price out your intended visits before buying. The pass is not a magic bargain for every New York trip. It works best when you already want several of these particular sights, not when you are hoping to use random attractions just to reach the break-even point.

The pass is valid for nine consecutive days, including the first day of use. An unused ticket expires one year after purchase. Once activated, though, you cannot pause the nine-day period, so choose your first visit with care.

Empire State Building: use the same-night bonus

Your CityPASS admission includes the Empire State Building’s 86th Floor Observatory and the museum on the second floor. The ticket also includes bonus same-night general admission, which makes this one of the pass’s strongest features.

The 86th floor gives you the classic New York view from a central Midtown position. The observation experience is a good choice in daylight, when you want to identify streets and landmarks, or after sunset, when the city turns into a field of lights. You can visit once during the day and return that evening under the included bonus, subject to the attraction’s current rules and availability.

Allow about three hours here. That gives you time for the museum, entry procedures, the elevator ride, the observatory, and a patient look around rather than a quick photo stop.

The practical point is to reserve your time as early as your plans allow. The building is one of New York’s most popular sights, and a flexible schedule does not mean you can always walk in at the exact moment you want.

American Museum of Natural History: plan for a long afternoon

The American Museum of Natural History is not a quick stop. Your admission covers the permanent museum halls, including more than 40 galleries, plus one ticketed choice: a special exhibition, the Davis Family Butterfly Vivarium, a giant-screen film, or the Hayden Planetarium Space Show, based on availability.

You should allow about four hours, and even that may feel tight if you want to see a broad range of rooms. The museum is a useful counterweight to the city’s observation decks because it rewards a slower pace and gives you shelter from bad weather.

Check the available add-on choice before you arrive. The included option is not guaranteed to be the same every day, and availability affects how you use this part of the pass.

This is also the clearest example of why the pass does not always mean walking straight through. You may need to show your CityPASS and exchange it for the museum’s own ticket. One visitor found that extra queue frustrating, so keep some patience in reserve even when your admission is already paid.

Top of the Rock: pair two city views carefully

Top of the Rock is one of your three optional attractions. General admission is included, and you should allow about three hours, including the timed entry process and time at the observation areas.

Many visitors choose Top of the Rock and the Empire State Building together because the two views show New York from different angles. From Rockefeller Center, the Empire State Building itself becomes part of the view. That makes Top of the Rock a useful complement to, rather than a duplicate of, the Empire State Building.

The drawback is schedule pressure. These observation decks can consume more time than expected, especially if you want good visibility and a relaxed visit. Put your reservation times into the CityPASS app as soon as you know your daily route.

A simple strategy is to place one observation deck on a clear day and keep the other for a different part of your visit. You cannot control the weather, but the nine-day validity gives you more room to adjust than a single-day sightseeing bundle.

Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: ferry access, not crown access

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

This is a substantial half-day outing, even though the suggested visit length is about three hours. Ferry schedules, boarding, time on both islands, and security procedures all affect the pace. Leave extra room if you want to read exhibits rather than simply step ashore for photographs.

The CityPASS does not include Crown Tickets or Pedestal Access. That limitation matters if climbing inside the statue is your main reason for visiting. You still receive ferry access and the two museums, but special statue entry is not part of this pass.

Check the current ferry schedule before setting your day around it. This option works best when you group it with nearby Lower Manhattan sights on another day, rather than trying to cross the city several times.

9/11 Memorial and Museum: allow time for the emotional weight

General admission to the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum is included as one of your three choices. Plan for about three hours, and do not treat it as a quick checkbox between other appointments.

The memorial and museum can be emotionally heavy. Give yourself room to move slowly and process what you are seeing. A tightly packed schedule may be possible on paper, but it is not the best way to approach this visit.

Advance reservations are especially important here. A practical booking window is at least two or three days ahead when possible, since popular times can fill. The CityPASS app makes it easier to manage a reservation, but it does not remove the need to think ahead.

This attraction is often one of the best uses of the pass if it is already on your New York list. It offers a very different experience from the city views, cruises, and museums elsewhere in the package.

Circle Line cruises: a useful break from walking

The Circle Line option includes one regularly scheduled cruise. Depending on the current schedule, your choice may be a Landmarks Cruise, Liberty Midtown Cruise, Liberty Super Express Cruise, or Statue at Sunset Cruise.

The exact schedule matters, so check it before planning the rest of your day. Cruise times can shift with the season and operating calendar.

I like using the boat as a rest period between walking-heavy attractions. One practical family strategy is to place the cruise between two other activities, giving everyone time off their feet without losing a sightseeing window.

The cruise is also a good choice if you want to see New York from the water rather than spend another few hours inside a museum. Just remember that it replaces one of your three optional attractions. If you are choosing between Circle Line and the Statue of Liberty ferry, compare the experience you want: one is a scheduled sightseeing cruise, while the other includes island visits and two museums.

Intrepid Museum: a strong pick for families and technology fans

The Intrepid Museum includes general admission, the Space Shuttle Pavilion, the submarine Growler, the immersive Kamikaze experience, and temporary exhibitions. Plan on roughly three hours.

This is a good use of the pass if you want a museum with large objects and hands-on appeal rather than galleries alone. It also gives your schedule a change of pace after the American Museum of Natural History or the 9/11 Museum.

The museum is on the west side of Manhattan, so location matters. One criticism of the pass is that some included choices are spread across the city. You can make the geography work, but you should group nearby stops rather than assume every attraction is a short walk from the next.

Guggenheim Museum: choose it for art and architecture

The Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum includes general admission to its collection and special exhibitions. Your admission also includes a free daily architecture tour and a digital guide with content in several languages, accessed on your own mobile device.

Allow about three hours. The Guggenheim is a different kind of stop from the city’s major viewpoints and history museums, so it is most valuable if modern and contemporary art appeal to you.

The digital guide is useful if you want more context without joining a scheduled tour. Check the current architecture tour time if that feature matters to you, since a daily offering still requires planning around its start.

This option can be a good fit for a shorter museum visit, but it may be less useful to you if your main goal is outdoor sightseeing or classic New York landmarks.

Mobile tickets and reservations in real life

The CityPASS is delivered as a mobile ticket. You can show it on your phone, save it to a mobile wallet, or print it. In practice, the app puts your attraction choices, tickets, and reservation times in one place, which is much easier than managing five separate confirmations.

You can usually change many reservation times if you arrive early or fall behind. That flexibility is valuable in New York, where subway delays, long walks, weather, and tired children can reshape a day.

Do not confuse flexible reservations with unlimited availability. Popular attractions may still fill, and some venues require you to visit a ticket desk before entry. Check the CityPASS site or app for each attraction’s current reservation rules, access instructions, and opening details.

The pass is offered in English. Most people can participate, and the attractions are near public transportation, but transportation to and from each stop is not included. You are buying admissions, not a sightseeing bus or a guide.

How many days should you allow?

The pass is designed for nine days, but you do not need nine full days to use it. A busy visitor could fit five attractions into three or four days, while a family may prefer to spread them across a week.

I would avoid scheduling two major museums and an observation deck in one day. The attractions are physically demanding, and the city itself takes time. A better rhythm might be one large museum, one nearby meal or neighborhood walk, and one timed attraction.

If you have only two and a half days, the pass can still work. One family used it for five people over that length of stay but found that fatigue and changing plans made all five visits difficult. Four attractions may be a more realistic target for a short visit, especially with children.

Who should buy New York CityPASS?

I would recommend it for you if you already want at least four of the included attractions and can accept a little planning. It suits first visits focused on major landmarks, families who appreciate one mobile pass, and anyone staying long enough to use the nine-day window.

It is less convincing if you prefer neighborhood walks, free parks, food markets, and smaller museums. It is also a poor fit if you want only the Statue of Liberty Crown or Pedestal, since those upgrades are not included.

The pass is non-refundable and cannot be changed after purchase, so check your dates and attraction list before paying. The purchase is best treated as a fixed sightseeing plan with some scheduling flexibility, not as an open-ended coupon book.

Should you book the New York CityPASS?

Book it if your plan includes the Empire State Building, American Museum of Natural History, and three of the optional attractions. At $154, using four or five admissions is the clearest path to value, while the mobile ticket and reservation management reduce some of the usual New York ticket hassle.

Skip it if you will visit only two or three included sights, want attractions outside this set, or dislike fixed sightseeing plans. For the right itinerary, this is a practical money-saving pass. For the wrong one, it is simply a prepaid list you may not finish.

FAQ

How much does the New York CityPASS cost?

The pass costs $154 per person.

How long is the New York CityPASS valid?

It is valid for nine consecutive days, including the first day you use it. An unused ticket expires one year after purchase.

Which attractions are fixed in the pass?

The Empire State Building and American Museum of Natural History are included for everyone.

How many additional attractions can I choose?

You can choose three additional attractions from Top of the Rock, Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island ferry access, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, the Intrepid Museum, and the Guggenheim Museum.

Does the pass include Statue of Liberty Crown or Pedestal access?

No. The pass includes the ferry, audio guides, the Statue of Liberty Museum, and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, but not Crown Tickets or Pedestal Access.

Can I use the pass on my phone?

Yes. You can present the ticket on a mobile device, save it to a mobile wallet, or print it for entry.

Is transportation included?

No. Transportation to and from the attractions is not included.