More about: New York Go City Passes
New York can be two things at once: the most fascinating city in the world and a black hole for your budget. Tickets here, queues there, overlapping bookings… In the end, you spend more time doing the maths than looking up at the sights.
Go City tourist passes take the hassle out of it: they help with planning, save you more than buying individual attraction tickets, and let you get around with a single code on your mobile instead of rummaging through your pockets for tickets.
The benefits of Go City Passes
A tourist card is a pass you buy in advance that gives you access to various attractions in a city (museums, viewing points, tours, cruises, etc.) for a set period of time.
With Go City cards for New York:
- You’ll have access to over a hundred attractions, tours and experiences across the city, such as the Empire State Building or Top of the Rock.
- A digital pass is available via an app (though you can print it out if you prefer a paper copy).
- You’ll save more than if you buy tickets for the attractions separately.
- At many attractions, you can go straight in without queuing.
The two types of Go City passes
No two travellers are the same, which is why Go City offers two types of pass so you can choose the one that best suits your travel style: the New York City Explorer Pass and the New York Pass All Inclusive.
Go City: New York City Explorer Pass - Choose 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 attractions
New York’s best attractions at your fingertips
If you don’t want to miss out on the best of New York, buy this tourist pass to visit the attractions you like best.
Think of the Explorer Pass as an à la carte menu: you choose how many attractions you want to include (from 2 to 10) from over 100 options, ranging from the Empire State Building to Manhattan river cruises and iconic museums. You pay according to the number of activities and then have up to 30 days from the first activation to use them at your own pace.
You don’t need to decide everything before you travel: you buy the pass with a set number of attractions and, once in New York, you simply choose what suits you each day. Depending on the attractions you choose, you can save up to 40 per cent compared to buying tickets separately.
The New York Pass All-Inclusive: 1–10 Days
The best attractions in New York, at the lowest price
If you want to visit New York’s top attractions, get this multi-day sightseeing pass to visit the ones you like best during your trip. You’ll save time and money.
Go City’s New York All-Inclusive Pass is in a league of its own: here, you don’t choose how many attractions, but rather how many consecutive days you want to make the most of the city (between 1 and 10 days). During that period, you can visit as many attractions as you like in a single day: viewpoints, museums, walking tours, river cruises, etc.
It’s ideal if you’re the sort of person who leaves the hotel in the morning and doesn’t return until the lights of Times Square start to wear you out. If you make the most of it, you can save up to 47% compared to individual tickets.
Which attractions are included in the Go City passes
Both Go City passes in New York give you access to over a hundred attractions, tours and experiences, including:
- Empire State Building
- The Edge observation deck in New York
- Top of the Rock
- One World Observatory
- 9/11 National Memorial and Museum
- American Museum of Natural History
- Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
- Intrepid Museum
- Madame Tussauds + MARVEL Universe 4D
- Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Ferry
- 2-day Hop-On Hop-Off sightseeing bus with Big Bus
How Go City tourist passes work
The passes are purchased online and sent to you by email in digital format. You can add the pass to the official Go City app or carry it as a QR code on your mobile (or as a printout, if you prefer).
- The pass is only activated when you scan it at the first attraction.
- For ‘per-day’ passes, the count is based on calendar days (until midnight).
- For ‘per-attraction’ passes, one visit is deducted each time you scan it.
- Some attractions require advance booking (check the official website for details).
How to choose between the two Go City passes
The key here isn’t so much ‘which is better’, but how you’re travelling and how many things you want to do.
The Explorer Pass is a better fit if:
- You have a short list of must-see attractions (for example, between 4 and 6).
- You’d prefer to spread them out at a leisurely pace over several days.
- You like to leave time to wander around without feeling the pressure to ‘make the most of the day’.
- It’s ideal for relaxed trips, repeat visitors, or trips combined with work or shopping.
The All-Inclusive Pass (The New York Pass) makes more sense if:
- It’s your first time in New York and you want to see all the classics.
- You’re only staying for a few days and are planning packed days of activities.
- You want to get the most out of the pass by visiting several attractions a day.
A simple rule of thumb: if you want to visit lots of attractions in just a few days, the All-Inclusive pass is probably the better option. If your list is shorter and you’d prefer to spread your visits out at a more leisurely pace, the Explorer Pass is likely to suit you better.