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The NY Sightseeing Pass or the New York Pass by Go City – Which One is better?

Florian Buechting Just Blogging, Travel Guides No Comments

The still rather cheap flight prices from Europe to New York City are tempting. However, if you book too early, you might have a rude awakening thereafter. Hotel prices tend to have extreme prices in the United States nowadays – and there are so many attractions you would like to see. Enjoying New York from above at the Empire State Building is some 50 USD – and the hop-on-hop-off bus tour is even more. If you do not factor these things in, they may easily blow your travel budget.

A good way to save money are travel passes. Typically for a number of attraction visits or a period of calendar days, they offer you free or reduced admission to key attractions. Regarding the Big Apple, there are two major competitors, which I both used already. One is The New York Sightseeing Pass and the other one The New York Pass by Go City. There are other passes as well, but they majorly are just re-labelings of the one of the other pass. The passes do work similarly, but also have substantial differences. I felt to compare them for you, based on what they offer in 2024.

 

How Do Sightseeing Passes Work?

In general, sightseeing passes are pre-paid admissions, which allow you to visit attractions in a certain city for free (or with a discount, which is not the case here). There are typically two models: either you pre-pay a number of visits or a period of time. I introduce the two models and their pros and cons below: In both cases you get a QR code or barcode which you show at the entrance of the museum or attraction. Some attractions require pre-booking, though. Both peers give you detailed explanation about where and how it is possible.

You activate your pass with your first visit. However if you purchase it in advance, you can also do reservations, where necessary. I saw a few cases, where tour operators charge you an additional fee if you reserve way in advance. You might also have to pay for certain upgrades.

 

Pay-by-Visit Passes

At Go City, this model is called The Explorer Pass, while it is named the FLEX Pass at The Sightseeing Pass. You pre-pay a number of visits at cooperating attractions and can use these visits for a rather long period. Both peers allow you to do your visits within 60 days, which is typically much longer than a tourist stays in the city. Below is a comparison of prices for the packages both peers offer. They are based on the prices you would have to pay on 5th May 2024. There are always some sort of discounts on their website, so you rarely pay the nominal fee. There might also be discounts on sites like Groupon. Prices a are in USD, post tax. If fields are empty, this amount of visits is not offered

Attraction Visits The New York Sightseeing Pass The New York Pass by Go City
1
2 84.00 84.00
3 109.00 109.00
4 144.00 144.00
5 169.00 169.00
6 194.00 194.00
7 219.00 219.00
8
9
10 289.00 289.00
11
12 329.00

The long period you may use the pass makes it of course more relaxed and flexible. You may also mix activities which are included in the pass with those which are not included, when you do your daily schedule. If feel that the “smaller” passes are not too attractive, though. If you for example buy a two-attraction pass for 84 USD / 42 USD per visit, this economically just makes sense if you visit attractions which cost over 42 USD. Otherwise you could buy the ticket straight at the attraction. You should also bear in mind that you tend to compare against the nominal admission – but of course there are coupons or Groupon deals which may reduce the walk-in rate significantly.

On the other side, very often the sightseeing passes act like a flexible ticket. The Museum of Broadway I recently visited for example is about 42 USD nominal if you pre-reserve a time slot. The anytime rates might be up to 80 USD. With The New York Pass by Go City, however, you can just walk in, which may be very handy. This kind of pass is also attractive if you want to visit places, which either take long (like walking tours) or attractions, which require a longer commute.

 

Pay-by-Period Passes

The alternative are passes where you buy a certain period of passes. In general, I feel you can see much ore with them, as you are not limited to the number of visits you take. It also makes sense to visit attractions which have a rather cheap admission, like the lovely Museum at Eldridge Street. However, this also means, they need more preparation. You need to study opening times, make efficient walking routes. If you are bit more masochistic as a traveler, they might give you a great value, as you can visit five or six attractions if you plan it well. You will be rather exhausted after the day, though. But New York City is maybe not the location you choose to have a relaxed hang-out anyway.

Number of Days The New York Sightseeing Pass The New York Pass by Go City
1 154.00 154.00
2 214.00 214.00
3 259.00 259.00
4 299.00 299.00
5 339.00 339.00
6 359.00
7 379.00 379.00
8
9
10 399.00 399.00

Again, the pricing is equivalent, The New York Sightseeing Pass does offer you the 6 day option additionally, though. You also see that the pricing model is very different. The longer you stay, you may significantly less per day. I would say that a five day pass is a good option, which is 339 USD or roughly 68 USD per day. This may pay back by visiting two or three attractions per day. I had a two day pass in 2024 (Go City) and a three day one in 2022 (The Sightseeing Pass) and it was a bit of hectic. Neither of the passes does include public transport, by the way – if you do not see hop-on-hop-off tours as some sort of them.

 

Which one is the better one?

I gave you a full list of the attractions covered (some are limited to one kind of pass, pay-by-visit or pay-by-period, though) below. In total, The New York Sightseeing Pass offers 92 attractions, while The New York Pass is covering 105. Most key attractions are covered by both services, but there are differences. They especially work with different tour operators offering walking, biking, boat and bus tours around the city. My personal preference is The York Pass by Go City, but it strongly depends on your preferences. The New York Sightseeing Pass is stronger in Brooklyn and also includes attractions like the Central Park Zoo. A fun thing which is included in the Go City version is a lunch package at The Perfect Picnic West of Central Park.

 

Travel Postings – New York

Here are all my Travel postings related to New York (city):

 

Free Admission Places

Great sightseeing and experiences do not necessarily have to cost a fortune – here are all my Free Entry postings:

 

 

Appendix – My Full Comparison of the Sightseeing Passes

Here is a table with all attractions in one or both passes. Some might be limited to certain pass types. The list is sorted alphabetically.

Attraction The New York Sightseeing Pass The New York Pass by Go City
9/11 Ground Zero Walking Tour x
9/11 Memorial & Museum x
9/11 Museum Workshop x x
American Museum of Natural History x x
Artechouse New York x x
Beer Spirits & Wine Crawl (Spirits on Foot) x
Best of Brooklyn Walking Tour x x
Big Bus 1-Day Pass x x
Bike Rent NYC E-Bike, Bike Scooter Rental x
Bowlero Times Square x
Broadway & Times Square Tour x
Bronx Zoo x
Brooklyn Botanic Garden x x
Brooklyn Bridge All Day Bike Rental by Fancy Apple x
Brooklyn Bridge and Dumbo NeighborhoodTour x x
Brooklyn Bridge Bike Tour by Unlimited Biking x
Brooklyn Bridge Guided Bike Tour by Fancy Apple x
Brooklyn Children’s Museum x
Brooklyn Cyclones: Friday Fireshows Show, Baseball Game & free baseball cap x
Catacombs by Candlelight Tour x
Central Park All Day Bike Rental by Fancy Apple x
Central Park Bike Rental by Bike Rent NYC x
Central Park Bike Tour by Bike Rent NYC x
Central Park Guided Bike Tour by Fancy Apple x
Central Park TV & Movie Sites Walking Tour x x
Central Park Walking Tour (Manhattan and Beyond Tours) x
Central Park Zoo x
Christmas Lights Walking Tour of Brooklyn (seasonal) x
Circle Line Best of NYC Cruise x
Circle Line Harbor Lights Cruise x
Circle Line Landmark Cruise x
Circle Line Liberty Cruise x x
Circle Line Liberty Super Express Cruise x x
Circle Line Statue at Sunset Cruise x
CIrcle Line Statue of Liberty Landmark Cruise x
Clipper City Tall Ship City Lights Sail x
Clipper City Tall Ship Daytime Sail x x
Downtown Nightlife Tour NYC x
Edge x x
El Museo del Barrio x
Empire State Building x x
Escape Game Brooklyn x
Escape Game New York x
Escape Virtuality x x
Five Neigborhoods Walking Tour x
Food on Foot Tours x x
Fotografiska New York x x
Fraunces Tavern Mseum x x
Freedom Liberty Boat Tour x
Ghosts of Greenwhich Village Tours x
Go Airlink One-way share-ride transfer to Manhattan x
Graffiti & Street Art Walking Tour of Brooklyn x x
Grand Central Terminal Tour x
Greenwhich Village at Night Walking Tour x
Greenwich Village Walking Tour x
Harlem Gospel Experience Tour (Inside Out Tour) x
Harlem Jazz Series x x
Harlem One Stop Harlem Gospel Concert x
Harlem Walking Tours x
Harlem Gospel Series x
Hello Brooklyn (Hush Tours) x
High Line Chelsea Meatpacking Tour x
High Line NYC Immersive Audio Tour x
Holiday Markets & Lights Tour x
How Money Was Made: Wall Street Walking Tour x
Inside Out Tour Harlem Gospel Tour x
International Center of Photography x
Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum x x
Legoland Discovery Center New Jersey x
Legoland Discovery Center Westchester x
Lower East Side Food and Culture Walking Tour x
Luna Park in Coney Island – Thrill Seeker Pass x
Madame Tussauds NY (Admission & Marvel Universe 4D) x x
Madison Square Garden Tour Experience x x
Marvel & DC Superheroes Tour x
Masters of the Camera x
Midtown Rooftop Bar & Lounge Night Tour x
MoMA PS1 x x
Museum at Eldridge Street x x
Museum of Arts and Design x
Museum of Broadway x x
Museum of Jewish Heritage x x
Museum of Modern Art / MoMA x x
Museum of Sex x
Museum of the City of New York x x
National Lighthouse Museum x
New York Aquarium x
New York Botanical Garden x x
New York City News Media Walking Tour x
New York City Sketching Art Tour x
New York Hall of Science x
New York Highlights Bike Tour x
New York Historical Society x x
New York Yankees Game Tickets x x
Northlandz Miniature Wonderland x
NYC Bus Tour of Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens x
NYC Downtown Sightseeing Cruise x
NYC Premium Bus Tour x
NYC Slavery and Underground Railroad Tour x
NYC TV & Movie Bus Tour x x
One World Observatory x x
Perfect Picnic x
Potion Making for Beginners x
Pride Walking Tour x
Queens-Flushing Meadows International Food Excursion x x
Radio City Music Hall Tour Experience x x
RiseNY x x
Rockefeller Center Tour x
Scavenger Hunts – New York x
Sea Life Aquarium New Jersey x
Secrets of the Statue of Liberty Walking Tour (Inside Out Tour) x
See 30+ Top New York Sights Walking Tour x
Shake, Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos Show x x
Shattle, Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos Brunch x
Snug Harbor Cultural Center & Botanical Garden x x
SoHo Little Italy Chinatown Walking Tour x
Solomon R. Guggenhim Museum x x
Solve a Mistery NYC x
South Street Seaport Museum x x
Spirits on Foot: Beer, Spirits & Wine Crawls x
Spyscape x x
St Patrick’s Cathedral Tour x x
Staten Island Children’s Museum x x
Staten Island Museum x x
Staten Island Zoo x
Statue of Liberty Ferry and Ellis Island Immigration Museum x x
Surrey Rental on Governors Island x
Taste of New York Brooklyn Brewery x
The Bowery Historic Distric Walking Tour x
The Cathedral of St. John the Devine x x
The Offical Little Italy Walking Tour x
The Official Chinatown Walking Tour x
The Paley Center for Media x
The Ride NYC x x
The Rink at Rockefeller Center x
The Skyscraper Museum x
Top of the Highline and Hudson Yards Tour x
Top of the Rock x x
Unlimited Biking Brooklyn Bridge Bike Rental x
Unlimited Biking Brooklyn Bridge Guided Tour x
Unlimited Biking Central Park Bike Rental x
Unlimited Biking Central Park Bike Tour x
Walk This Way Harlem Tour (Hush Tours) x
Whitney Museum of American Art x x
Woodbury Common Bus Tour x x
Yankee Stadium Tours x x

 

 

 

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