How I Saved Money on Iconic New York City Attractions With CityPASS

New York City is one of the most exciting cities in the world. The sheer number of attractions, famous landmarks, and things to do may even be a little overwhelming. Fortunately, there are ways to sift through all the available options and save money in the process.

Over the years, CityPASS, which includes several attractions, has been a convenient option for me and my family. The pass has made it easier to plan trips and has saved us money on tickets.

Read on to see if it’s a good option for your upcoming trip to New York (or any of the other 16 destinations in the CityPASS network).

What is CityPASS?

CityPASS offers bundled and discounted attraction tickets for some of the most visited destinations in North America. These tickets include admission to multiple attractions with up to a 50% discount.

You’ll find CityPASS discounted tickets in these cities:

How Does a New York CityPass Work?

The New York CityPASS I used granted me admission to 5 New York City attractions. There were 2 fixed attractions on the pass:

• Empire State Building Observatory
• American Museum of Natural History

Then, I could choose 3 more attractions from the following list:

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

Note that some of those locations will require a reservation, even for CityPASS holders.

Passes are valid for 9 days, starting on and including the first day you visit an attraction or have a reservation. For example, if you visit your first attraction on the 10th of the month, the last day of validity would be the 18th. You have 1 year from the date of purchase to start using the pass.

There are 3 CityPASS options for New York City. The New York C3 pass offers access to 3 attractions, and the New York C-All grants admission to 10. For these 2 versions, you can choose from any of the above-mentioned attractions as well as Edge at Hudson Yards and The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The former is good for shorter stays; the latter works well if you have more time.

Those are both great options, but the standard New York CityPass has been my go-to for years.

How Much Does a New York CityPass Cost?

The price of a CityPASS for New York City depends on which ticket you choose and whether you’re purchasing an adult or child ticket.

There’s a $2 processing fee per ticket.

If you are visiting New York with a kid under 6, note that many of the attractions covered by the CityPASS offer free or reduced admission for children. Depending on which attractions you want to visit, consider whether it makes more sense to just pay for those out of pocket instead of purchasing a child pass.

How To Pay For a CityPASS

CityPASS purchases don’t typically code as travel or as a category where you’ll have any sort of credit card category bonus. So, I recommend paying for your CityPASS either with a credit card for which you’re working on meeting a minimum spending requirement or one that has a solid earnings rate for everyday spending.

This could include cards like the Citi Double Cash^® Card, which earns 2% cash-back on all spending (1% cash-back when you buy, plus an additional 1% when you pay). Another good option would be the Capital One Venture Rewards Credit Card, which earns 2x miles per dollar on every purchase.

Saving Money With a New York CityPASS

The standard CityPASS for New York City advertises savings of up to 41% off the regular price of the attractions included on the pass. This is calculated by combining the highest published box office price of the highest-priced attractions for the year, adding those prices, and comparing that sum to the price of a CityPASS. By those calculations, it is true that a CityPASS will save you money.

However, purchasing a CityPASS also locks you into visiting (and paying for) attractions you may not actually be that interested in. If you definitely want to visit 5 of the attractions on the CityPASS list, then you will save money by purchasing the pass. If you are only interested in 3 or 4, you may come out ahead by purchasing tickets specifically for those attractions (or perhaps considering the New York C3 pass). You may also be able to find discounted tickets by purchasing directly.

Let’s look at how the math works out for the standard New York CityPASS with 5 attractions. A single adult ticket costs $156 (including fees).

Here is what an adult would pay to enter the included New York City attractions:

• Empire State Building Observatory (includes day and night admission): $65
• American Museum of Natural History: $30
• Top of the Rock Observation Deck: $40
• 9/11 Memorial and Museum: $36
• Ferry Access to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island: $25.50
• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises: $26 to $45 (varies based on date and cruise)
• Intrepid Museum: $38
• Guggenheim Museum: $30

As you can see, no matter which 3 additional attractions you choose, you’ll save money. The amount varies based on which activities you choose and ranges from a savings of $20.50 to $68 in this example.

How I Used CityPASS in New York City

I have used CityPASS in New York City on several trips, when taking one of my kids to see the city. Here are a few of the attractions that we’ve visited with a CityPASS to save money.

Empire State Building Observatory

One of our favorites has been the Empire State Building. Located in Midtown Manhattan on 34th Street, it’s close to some of the best hotels in New York City and is easy to get to, no matter where you’re staying. Your CityPASS grants you access to the 86th floor observatory as well as a bonus nighttime admission.

I’ve been to the Empire State Building observatory a few times with a CityPASS, but the most memorable trip was with my older son. We saved the Empire State Building for our last day in New York, a few hours before we were supposed to catch a flight from John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) airport to Greece. Unfortunately, it ended up being in the middle of a blizzard. As we sat in the lobby, the guides warned us: “There is zero visibility today. You are waiting in line to see nothing”. But since we already had the tickets, we figured we might as well go up. And sure enough, we got there to see nothing — but we made a great memory!

The Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island

Your CityPASS also grants you a Statue City Cruises ferry ride to and from Liberty Island and Ellis Island, along with an audio guide and admission to the Statue of Liberty Museum and Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration. It’s important to understand that this is the official Statue City Cruise ferry ride, which is the only authorized ferry provider to Ellis and Liberty Islands.

American Museum of Natural History

Another of my kids’ favorite stops with the CityPASS has been the American Museum of Natural History. While New York City has a ton of amazing museums, the Museum of Natural History holds a special place in my heart. My first visit to the museum was on my first trip to NYC with my daughter, and we had prepared by watching the movie “Night at the Museum.” Watching her explore the museum looking for things she had seen in the movie, like Dum-Dum the Moai statue, is a memory I won’t forget.

Top of the Rock Observation Deck

Another attraction we’ve used our CityPASS on is visiting the Top of the Rock Observation Deck at Rockefeller Center, which is on 50th Street, not too far from Times Square in Manhattan. It’s very similar to the Observation Deck at the Empire State Building, and I don’t know that it is worth visiting both of them since the views are quite similar. Still, it’s nice to have options, and Rockefeller Center can be a fun place to stop and rest while you’re out enjoying the town.

Final Thoughts

CityPASS is an entertainment aggregation program that offers a discount for visiting multiple spots within a single city. I’ve used it to save money several times in New York City (and a few other cities). If the attractions offered on the CityPASS are ones that you’re interested in, you can definitely save money by buying a CityPASS instead of tickets to each individual location.