New York Explorer Pass Review 2024: Is It a Good Value?

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In this New York Explorer Pass review, we explain how the pass works, what it costs, and whether it’s a good fit for you.

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Are you planning a trip to New York City? There are endless things to do in NYC, day or night. Of course, many of them cost a pretty penny.

Luckily, there is an easy way to save money on NYC sightseeing: the New York Explorer Pass.

The New York Explorer Pass by Go City can help you enjoy many of New York City’s attractions for less. With access to over 80 sights, it can save you a lot of money if you use it strategically. But, that doesn’t mean it’s for everyone.

Keep reading to learn how this pass works and whether it is a good fit for your trip!

New York Explorer Pass: How It Works

The Go City New York Explorer Pass helps travelers save big on admission to some of NYC’s most popular sights and tours – more than 80 of them.

Using the New York Explorer Pass is simple: Instead of buying a ticket for the attraction you’re visiting, simply show your pass at the ticket window. With it, you’ll receive “free” entry to the number of attractions you purchased.

Pass options range from 2 to 10 attractions. You’re not even required to choose the attractions ahead of time. Just select the number of attractions you want included and choose where you want to go once you are in New York!

Your pass is activated when you use it for the first time. From there, it is valid for 60 days – which great for travelers who are staying in NYC for a while.

Attractions on the New York Explorer Pass

The Go City New York Explorer Pass gives travelers access to more than 80 different sights and tours. Here are some of our top picks, including their regular price for admission:

• Empire State Building – $47.91
• Top of the Rock Observatory – $43.55
• Big Bus Classic Panorama Tour – $59.99
• Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island Walking Tour – $67.00
• 9/11 Memorial and Museum – $28.00
• 9/11 Museum Workshop: Hands-On 9/11 Tour – $30.00
• NYC TV and Movie Bus Tour – $61.00
• American Museum of Natural History – $28.00
• The Museum of Modern Art – $25.00
• Edge – $43.55
• Landmarks Cruise: Circle Line Sightseeing – $37.00
• Central Park Bike Tour – $51.69
• Luna Park at Coney Island – $69.00
• Hamilton Tour – $40.00
• NYC Bus Tour of Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens – $79.00
• Complete list of attractions found here

(Editor’s Note: Prices are current as of February 10, 2022. Some attractions require reservations. Additionally, some attractions may not be available, have limited hours, or have limited capacity. Please check with individual attractions for their most current information.)

New York Explorer Pass Pricing

Clearly, many of the top attractions in New York are kind of pricey. So, what kind of savings does the Go City New York Explorer Pass offer?

Adult and child prices for each pass option are listed below.

Pass	Adult Price	Child (3-12) Price
2 attractions	$75	$60
3 attractions	$104	$85
4 attractions	$139	$105
5 attractions	$164	$124
6 attractions	$184	$139
7 attractions	$204	$155
10 attractions	$252	$200
*Current as of February 10, 2023

If you’re strategic about the attractions you choose, the New York Explorer Pass can save you some serious cash. Of course, you need to be careful with what you choose.

For example, buying a 4-attraction pass for $139 and using it at four museums that charge $25 each wouldn’t make much sense. You’d actually lose money on the pass.

When you use the pass on more expensive attractions, however, you can save a bundle. If you use the same 4-attraction pass and choose the NYC Bus Tour of Bronx/Brooklyn/Queens, Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island walking tour, and the Central Park Bike Tour, the price of regular admission comes to $245.60. In this case, the 4-attraction pass would save you $106.60 per adult – or 43% off the regular price!

Now that is some serious savings!

Save Big Money in NYC – Buy the New York Explorer Pass and save big at New York City’s top attractions! Get started here.

Top Reasons to Get the New York Explorer Pass

Save Money on Admission Prices

New York City isn’t the cheapest place in the world to visit. So, of course the biggest reason to consider the New York Explorer Pass is to save money.

With Go City’s New York Explorer Pass, you get to choose from over 80 of New York’s top attractions…and you’ll save money while doing it. If you know you want to see some of New York’s biggest sights but you don’t want it to take up your whole trip, the pass is definitely going to deliver value for you.

Explore the City with the NYC Bus Tour

New York City has a lot to explore outside of Manhattan. The NYC Bus Tour of the Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens gets you out of Manhattan and out into the city’s other bouroughs.

This six-hour bus tour is addition to the New York Explorer Pass. It’s also one of the most expensive.

On this tour you’ll see the baseball stadiums of both the Yankees and Mets, experience NYC’s largest Chinatown in Queens, learn about the traditions of Brooklyn’s Hasidic Jewish community, and hear stories about Harlem’s famous Apollo Theater. You’ll also soak up waterfront views of the Manhattan skyline and the Brooklyn Bridge, plus you’ll get to enjoy the graffiti murals of the Bronx and interesting street art in Brooklyn.

Your expert guide will provide commentary in English, helping you understand the history and context of key landmarks along the way. It’s a great way to escape Manhattan and explore the rest of what New York City has to offer, especially if you’re a first-time visitor.

Check Out Attractions at Your Own Pace

Relative to other sightseeing passes, one of the more attractive features of the New York Explorer Pass is that it’s valid for 60 days. While all-inclusive passes are great for heavy planners and sightseers, this pass is better for people who know they want to see a certain number of key attractions but want to leave their schedules a little more open.

Enjoy a Wide Variety of Tours

If guided tours are your thing, you’re going to love that this pass includes a bunch of them. While tours might not be everyone’s cup of tea, they’re an awesome way to learn about the city from real New Yorkers. Meeting other tourists may also be attractive to those who are traveling solo.

Other Benefits of the New York Explorer Pass

Streamlined entry to busy attractions – When you’re on vacation, you want to maximize your time exploring the city you’re visiting, not waiting in line for tickets. With the New York Explorer Pass, you’ll get streamlined entry to some of the busiest attractions, saving you valuable time in the process.

Digital pass & free mobile app – When you purchase the New York Explorer Pass, it’s emailed to you right away. You can print it at home, or simply download their free mobile app to access your pass directly from your phone.

Online or PDF guidebook – This pass also comes with a guidebook that provides info on all the attractions included on the pass. The online version is optimized for mobile phones, and – when you have location services turned on – you can see exactly where you are relative to the attractions you want to hit up. If you prefer to kick it old school, there’s also a PDF version of the guide you can download and print.

Entry to Over 80 of NYC’s Best Attractions – The New York Explorer Pass includes entry to over 80 of New York’s biggest tours and attractions, potentially saving you big money off the cost of regular admission! Get your pass here.

Where the Pass Falls Short

Although entry to the Statue of Liberty is included with the pass, entry to the pedestal and crown are not. If that’s something you really want to do, you’ll want to plan it out in advance.

Additionally, Go City’s New York Explorer Pass does not include any transportation options other than bus tours. This certainly isn’t a deal breaker, however, including subway access would make exploring the city even easier.

Who Is the New York Explorer Pass Good For?

• First-timers – First time in the Big Apple? There are so many things to do in NYC on your first trip. You’ll definitely want to visit several of the city’s iconic attractions, and the New York Explorer Pass will help you do it for less.
• Repeat visitors – If you’ve been to NYC before, you might not be on a power-sightseeing mission. With more than 80 available attractions, however, the 3-attraction pass might meet your needs perfectly!
• Those staying for extended periods – While other passes offer unlimited sightseeing for a set number of days, the New York Explorer Pass includes a set number of attractions and is valid for a full 60 days. So, if you’re staying in NYC for a few weeks, you’ll probably benefit from a 10-attractions pass…and you’ll have plenty of time to use it.
• Travelers who like flexibility – If you’re the kind of traveler who doesn’t like to have your days mapped out, the New York Explorer Pass is probably a good fit for you. Since it’s valid for 60 days, just choose the number of attractions you think you’d like to visit, and hit them up at your leisure. You can spread your sightseeing out over as many days as you like.
• Travelers who like to spend a long time at each attraction – If you’re the type to spend a full day in a museum or another interesting venue, you’ll appreciate the New York Explorer Pass because there’s no pressure to cram 3 or 4 attractions into one day.

Who Should Avoid the Pass?

• Power sightseers – If you love the idea of planning an itinerary for your trip that includes seeing multiple (think 3+) attractions every day, then you might be a power sightseer. If so, you may get more value from a pass that gives you unlimited access to attractions for a set number of days, like the New York Pass.
• Travelers not interested in typical tourist activities – Not everyone goes to NYC with a tourist agenda. If you’re not interested in sightseeing, the pass won’t offer much value.
• Extreme budget travelers – If you’re interested in pursuing mostly free activities in New York, then you’ll want to skip purchasing a sightseeing pass.

Tips for Using Your NYC Explorer Pass

• Use the pass for the most expensive attractions that interest you. – This will ensure you get the best bang for your buck.
• Consider the value of the pass. – Obviously, you don’t want to buy more pass than you’ll use. Still, be aware that the 10-attraction pass offers the best value in terms of savings. The 3 and 4 attraction passes offer roughly equal value, but you start saving more as you move up to the 5, 6, 7, and 10 attraction passes.
• Visit attractions near each other on the same day. – New York City is massive, and it can take a lot of time to get from one side of the city to the other. When visiting multiple attractions in a day, be sure to visit those that are close to each other. That way you won’t lose much time in transit.
• Be aware that certain NYC attractions fill up or have scheduled entry times. – Take this into account and consider arranging tickets in advance when possible.

How to Buy the New York Explorer Pass

Convinced that Go City’s New York Explorer Pass is a good fit for you? Buy your pass online here.

Your pass will be delivered by email as soon as you buy it, and you can either print it at home or keep it on your phone using the Go City app.

Bottom Line: Is the New York Explorer Pass Worth It?

The New York Explorer Pass by Go City offers excellent value to travelers who want to visit New York’s best sights at a flexible pace. Simply choose the number of attractions you wish to visit and save big money off the cost of admission.

In some cases, you can save almost 50% on the cost of regular admission prices! If that sounds like a good deal to you, go for it!

If you’re a heavy sightseer and you plan to visit at least three attractions every day of your trip, you might want to weigh some other options instead.

Thanks for reading and enjoy your trip to New York!

Get the New York Explorer Pass and Save – Enjoy huge savings on admission to over 80 of NYC’s top attractions! Get started here.