In a nutshell
- With the New York Explorer Pass, you can easily save $100 to $200 compared to buying individual tickets.
- Instead of separate tickets, you buy the Explorer Pass and get access to 2 to 10 attractions of your choice — from a pool of over 100 options including top sights, museums, and tours.
- Use our pass calculator to instantly see which pass size is worth it for your specific plans — no guesswork needed.
- Use discount code GO22PLACESCITY05 for 5% off the regular price. Buy the New York Explorer Pass here.
How the New York Explorer Pass Works
The New York Explorer Pass is one of several discount passes for New York and here’s how it works:
You buy the Explorer Pass and choose at the time of purchase how many attractions (2 to 10) you want to visit with it.
In total, you can choose from more than 100 attractions, museums, boat rides, and tours.
Once you have the pass, you can visit the attractions of your choice with complete flexibility. Just show the pass on your phone and walk right in!
Compared to buying individual tickets, you can save a ton with the Explorer Pass. Savings of $100 to $200 are easily achievable.
Buy the pass directly from Go City
Our Pass Calculator: Is the New York Explorer Pass Worth It?
The Explorer Pass is brilliant because it’s so incredibly flexible. You choose a pass for, say, 3, 5, or 7 highlights from a massive pool of options. That way you can plan your New York trip exactly the way you want.
But that’s precisely where it gets tricky: Is the 5-attraction pass worth it for your selection? Or are individual tickets actually cheaper?
That’s exactly why we built our pass calculator. Just click on the attractions you want to see and the calculator will instantly show you whether the Explorer Pass is the most affordable option for your plans.
Cost of the New York Explorer Pass
| Validity | Price | Price per Attraction |
|---|---|---|
| 2 Attractions | $89 | $44.50 |
| 3 Attractions | $119 | $39.66 |
| 4 Attractions | $154 | $38.50 |
| 5 Attractions | $179 | $35.80 |
| 6 Attractions | $204 | $34.00 |
| 7 Attractions | $229 | $32.70 |
| 10 Attractions | $304 | $30.40 |
In the table showing New York Explorer Pass prices, we’ve also listed the price per attraction for each option.
That makes it really easy to figure out whether the pass is worth it for your New York trip — and especially whether it makes sense to visit certain attractions with the pass at all, or whether you’re better off paying for them separately.
An example: If you go with the 5-attraction pass, you’ll pay $179 for it, which works out to $35.80 per attraction. In that case, it wouldn’t be worth using the pass for the Museum of Modern Art or the Statue of Liberty, since individual tickets would actually be cheaper.
Buy the New York Explorer Pass
Included Attractions
With the New York Explorer Pass, you can freely choose what you want to see and experience in New York:
- You have a total of more than 105 options to choose from.
- Admission to top attractions like the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, One World Observatory, Edge, or a visit to the Statue of Liberty.
- Access to more than 20 museums, including the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and the Guggenheim Museum.
- A ride on the hop-on hop-off bus for 48 hours
- A selection of 8 different boat tours
- More than 40 guided tours and city tours covering a wide variety of themes
- You can find a complete overview of all included attractions on the Go City website.
We’ve put together the most important highlights in this table:
| Attraction | Regular price | Reservation required? |
|---|---|---|
| Highlights | ||
| Empire State Building | $49 | Yes |
| Top of the Rock | $43 | recommended |
| One World Observatory | $52 | |
| Edge | $52 | Yes |
| Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island | $28 | Yes |
| Museums | ||
| 9/11 Museum & Memorial | $36 | Yes |
| Guggenheim Museum | $30 | |
| Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) | $30 | |
| American Museum of Natural History | $30 | |
| Experiences | ||
| Hop-on/Hop-off: Big Bus Uptown & Downtown (48 hrs) | $80 | |
| Circle Line Boat Tour: Best of NYC | $50 | |
| Circle Line Boat Tour: Landmarks Tour | $41 | |
| Bike Rental | $50 | |
| Full list of attractions on Go City |
Sample Calculation
In our sample calculation, we’ve picked 7 of the 25 most important sights in New York and compare the price of the Explorer Pass with individual ticket prices.
| without New York Explorer Pass | with New York Explorer Pass | |
|---|---|---|
| Hop-on/Hop-off Bus | $80 | free |
| Empire State Building | $52 | free |
| One World Observatory | $52 | free |
| Top of the Rock | $50 | free |
| Circle Line Boat Tour: Best of NY Tour | $52 | free |
| Edge | $52 | free |
| 9/11 Museum & Memorial | $36 | free |
| Price for the New York Explorer Pass | - | $229 (7 attractions) |
| Total | $374 | $229 |
With the New York Explorer Pass for 7 attractions, our example shows a savings of $145. That’s seriously substantial — and absolutely worth it.
Buy the New York Explorer Pass
Our Review & Experience with the New York Explorer Pass
The pass is an excellent choice if you already know which must-sees you definitely want to tick off.
Thanks to the straightforward pricing model, you can easily calculate which attractions the pass is worth it for and then pick the option with the right number of attractions for you.
Compared to the also very popular New York Pass, you can’t quite reach the same level of savings with the Explorer Pass. However, you get significantly more flexibility — you can visit attractions on your own schedule without feeling pressured to cram in as many as possible in a short amount of time.
Personal experience: We’ve used the New York Explorer Pass in New York multiple times ourselves and recommend it without reservation.
Buy the New York Explorer Pass
Buying the New York Explorer Pass
You can buy the New York Explorer Pass either directly on the Go City website or through GetYourGuide.
Benefits of buying directly from Go City:
- You’re buying straight from the provider.
- You can cancel the pass free of charge within 30 days of purchase.
- There are often promotional deals that are only available directly from Go City.
Benefits of buying through GetYourGuide:
- You can cancel the pass free of charge up to 24 hours in advance.
We’d simply check which site offers the better price. The cancellation policy is more flexible with GetYourGuide. That said, if you’re buying the pass fairly close to your trip anyway, it doesn’t really matter.
Buy the Explorer Pass: at Go City / at GetYourGuide
New York Explorer Pass Discount Code
There’s almost always a deal available for the New York Explorer Pass — it’s very rarely sold at full price.
Right now, the promo code GO22PLACESCITY05 is active. It gets you a 5% discount off the regular price.
Frequently Asked Questions about the New York Explorer Pass
Is there a discount for children?
Yes! Children ages 3 to 12 qualify for a discounted Explorer Pass. The savings range from about 20 to 30 percent depending on the pass size:
- 2 Attractions $74
- 3 Attractions $94
- 4 Attractions $119
- 5 Attractions $139
- 6 Attractions $159
- 7 Attractions $184
- 10 Attractions $244
How do I get the pass?
After purchasing, your pass is sent to you by email. You can either print it out or load it into the Go City app and simply show it on your smartphone at each attraction.
There’s no need to exchange it for a physical pass anywhere on-site.
When should I buy the pass?
Honestly, it doesn’t matter too much. You can technically buy the pass after you’ve already arrived in New York — you’ll receive it immediately after ordering and can use it right away.
That said, we recommend buying it before your trip so you’re not wasting time once you’re there. You can purchase the pass up to a year before your first use.
The pass only activates once you use it to enter the first attraction.
Are the passes cheaper to buy on-site?
No. You’ll always get the best price on the provider’s website.
If you buy the pass in person at one of the Visitor Centers, it’s usually even more expensive.
Do I need to book time slots at individual attractions?
For very popular attractions, yes — you’ll need to reserve a time slot in advance. In the attractions table above, we’ve noted which ones require a reservation.
You can make the reservation easily through the Go City app or on the Go City website.
If no reservation is required, just show your Explorer Pass at the entrance and you’re good to go.
Can I visit the same attraction more than once with the Explorer Pass?
Unfortunately not. Each attraction can only be visited once per pass.
Can I use public transportation with the Explorer Pass?
No, unfortunately not. The New York Explorer Pass doesn’t work as a subway or bus ticket — it only covers the hop-on hop-off buses mentioned above.
For getting around on public transit, your best bet is a MetroCard. You can find everything you need to know in our detailed guide: Taking the Subway in New York and Everything You Need to Know About the MetroCard.
Note: Our article about the New York Explorer Pass is updated regularly. That said, things can sometimes change unexpectedly. We recommend double-checking the terms and included attractions before you make your final decision to purchase. Thanks!
