Planning a trip to New York? Attraction passes will save you a significant amount of money. There are several to choose from and we are here to help you choose the one that suits you best.
The passes
This guide compares the main New York City passes so you can quickly see what's included and pick the best option for your trip.
Interactive calculator
Select any attractions you plan to visit — as many or as few as you like. We’ll automatically find the most cost-effective pass for your exact itinerary.
Tick the attractions you plan to visit
Side-by-side
Not all passes include the same attractions - and this can make a big difference to how much you actually save.
| Attraction | Gate price (from) | Go City | CityPASS | Sesame |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Empire State Building | from $44 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Top of the Rock | from $42 | ✓ | Optional | ✓ |
| Edge Hudson Yards | from $40 | ✓ | - | ✓ |
| SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | from $51 | - | - | ✓ |
| Times Square Skywalk | $30 | - | - | ✓ |
| One World Observatory | from $29 | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Statue of Liberty Ferry | $26 | ✓ | Optional | ✓ |
| 9/11 Memorial and Museum | $36 | ✓ | Optional | - |
| Circle Line Cruise | $55 | ✓ | Optional | ✓ |
| American Museum of Natural History | $43 | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Pass price (5 attractions) | varies by choice | $179 | $164 | $189 |
| Total saving vs gate | up to $104 | up to $119 | up to $191 |
Sky-high views
New York's rooftop observatories are among the most spectacular viewing experiences in the world. Our contributors have visited them all - here's the honest breakdown.
Few buildings carry the weight of New York's story quite like this one. Rising from the heart of Midtown, the Empire State Building has stood as the city's defining symbol for nearly a century. The main deck on the 86th floor delivers a 360-degree panorama that stretches across five states on a clear day, while the top deck at 102 floors offers an intimate, close-to-the-sky experience with unobstructed glass enclosures. Day or night, this is a bucket-list moment done properly.
Sitting atop One World Trade Center - the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere - this observatory is a deeply moving experience, not just a view. You rise 1,268 feet above the city via a glass elevator that plays a time-lapse of Manhattan's evolution. The floor-to-ceiling windows on the 100th floor frame the Statue of Liberty, the bridges of the East River and the sprawl of New Jersey in one breathtaking sweep. The lower Manhattan perspective is uniquely different to those decks further north.
Edge is the highest outdoor sky deck in the Western Hemisphere and the boldest viewing experience in New York. The triangular glass floor projects out from the side of 30 Hudson Yards, giving the unsettling but electrifying sensation of standing in mid-air above the city streets. Unlike the traditional terrace format of other decks, Edge wraps around the building's exterior corner - there is nothing quite like it. If you're comfortable with heights and want to push the experience, make this a priority.
SUMMIT is the most immersive observation experience New York currently offers. Rather than a conventional deck, it's a multi-level art and mirror installation designed to dissolve the boundary between inside and outside. Glass pods called Après extend beyond the building's facade for an outer-air moment, and the reflective chambers create an infinite cityscape effect that is genuinely unlike anything else in the city. It is also exclusive to Sesame Pass holders among the multi-attraction passes - a significant differentiator.
Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center has long been championed by our contributors as the view that defines New York's visual identity. The reason is simple: from here, you can see the Empire State Building. No other deck in Manhattan provides this iconic skyline photograph. The three-tiered observation area is open-air, with protective glass barriers rather than a full enclosure, keeping the experience feeling genuinely exposed and alive. The sunset time slot is particularly special - the light on the Manhattan skyline is extraordinary.
The ball drops from One Times Square on New Year's Eve - and now visitors can access the building year-round for a completely unique perspective on the world's most recognised intersection. The open-air Skywalk on the 19th floor gives a 360-degree wraparound view looking directly down into the organised chaos of Times Square, reached via a glass elevator ride. Visitors can see the Centennial Ball up close and leave wishes at the confetti wishing wall. For anyone who wants to understand the energy of New York's centrepiece from above, this is the vantage point.
Our verdict
Every pass suits a different kind of trip. Here's how to think about each one.
Key things to know
Things the pass providers won't always tell you - but that we've learned from experience.
Questions
Straight answers, no fluff.
Who we are
We are an independent group of contributors acting as advisors to the general public. We specialise in leisure sightseeing in the tourism industry, and for this website we have focused on the city of New York.
Our contributors are native to New York City and bring extensive, hands-on knowledge and experience of the sightseeing experiences that currently exist and can be enjoyed by pass holders. We believe in sharing our expertise with domestic and overseas visitors to help guide their choice of pass.
We are completely independent. We do not accept commission from pass operators, and we do not take payment for featuring or recommending any particular pass. Our comparisons are based entirely on our own research and the collective experience of our contributor network.
Our goal is simple: to give every visitor to New York the best possible information so they can make a confident, well-informed choice.