New York Explorer Pass

If you're planning a trip to New York, the New York Explorer Pass is definitely an option you should consider to save money on your visit and do more. Keep reading and I'll tell you why!

Tourist card

Go City: New York City Explorer Pass - Choose 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 attractions

Choose from over 100 activities and attractions

If you're going to be in New York for several weeks, this pass allows you to choose how many attractions you want to visit and gives you the opportunity to do so for 30 days. It's the longest-lasting pass in the city.

From $89 at Hellotickets

The New York Explorer Pass starts at $89, although you pay for the number of attractions you want to visit. It's perfect for customizing your New York experience, as you can choose 3, 4, 5, 7, or 10 attractions and pay based on the number you select. From the moment you activate the pass, you have a whole month to visit the attractions, which is an advantage over other passes that are usually valid for a shorter period of time.

You will receive your pass in digital format along with a map of New York, a list of included activities, and their opening hours. In addition, with your New York Explorer Pass, you will receive a city guide that will show you the most efficient way to visit the attractions you have selected.

Why I like this option: in addition to allowing you to pay only for the number of attractions you want to visit, it gives you up to 30 days to do so, making it the perfect pass if you are planning a long trip.

A tip: If you want to get the most out of it, I recommend choosing the most expensive attractions to maximize your savings. Make a list of the places you want to visit and compare whether it's better to buy tickets separately.

The New York Explorer Pass is an excellent option for saving money on New York's top attractions, as it allows you to reduce costs by seeing various attractions at a fixed price, as well as offering many other advantages. For example, a ticket to the Empire State Building costs from $50, while the bike tour of Central Park costs $46

Visiting both attractions would cost a total of $88. However, a 2-attraction Explorer Pass costs around $80. What's more, you don't have to choose when you buy, tickets are skip-the-line, discounts are included at shops, restaurants, and shows, and you'll receive a New York travel guide.

• For a family of four, the savings are even greater. If you are going to visit the Empire State Building, the American Museum of Natural History, which costs $31, and take a bike tour of Central Park, with a 3-attraction Explorer Pass, the cost is around €285, while the sum of the individual tickets is considerably higher.
• For couples and individual travelers, the pass also offers savings. For example, a couple visiting the Top of the Rock, which costs $49, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), which costs $31, will spend €142; while a 2-attraction Explorer Pass for two people costs approximately €135.

The New York Explorer Pass is perfect for a comprehensive visit to New York, as it allows you to save the most on the most expensive attractions so you can do the rest on your own. That's why I've done the math for you and found the two best combinations of attractions for the New York Explorer Pass to get the most bang for your buck. As a general rule, if the pass gets you each ticket for $25, you're on the right track.

The best combination if you want 3 activities

The best combination if you want 7 activities from the New York Explorer Pass

• Classic sightseeing bus: The classic Hop On Hop Off bus tour by Big Bus lasts one day and is a perfect way to explore Manhattan in its entirety. With stops from Battery Park (at the southern tip of the island) to Central Park, you can hop on the bus and use it as a form of transportation to visit New York's main attractions, or hop on at the end of your trip to see everything one last time.
• Night sightseeing bus: Exploring the City That Never Sleeps at night is an experience that, as you can imagine, is not to be missed. What makes this night tour of Manhattan by bus so special is that you get to drive through Times Square when all the screens are lit up, as well as marvel at the Empire State Building and One World Observatory illuminated at night.
• Top of the Rock: For me, the Top of the Rock has the best views of New York: not only will you see Manhattan's most famous skyscrapers, but you'll also have a wonderful panoramic view of Central Park, guarded by the new skyscrapers being built in the Big Apple. Tickets for Top of the Rock cost $35 for adults and $29 for children. In this case, you can use your pass to get a ticket online with a set time, or present your pass at the ticket office to have your ticket validated.
• Empire State Building: One of the icons of the New York skyline and a true time capsule, with its impressive Art Deco interior and museum dedicated to the construction of the building. However, the main reason everyone visits is for the views from the observatory, which are undoubtedly one of the most impressive ways to see the city. With the pass, you'll skip the line to buy tickets for the Empire State Building and just go to the security checkpoint, where you can show your pass and they'll let you in.
• NYC TV & Movie Bus Tour: It's no surprise that New York has been the setting for a million movies and TV shows, and on this tour you'll visit over 60 locations that have been featured in them. To name a few, you'll see the apartment from Friends, Washington Square Park (which will ring a bell if you're a fan of Girls), the hotels from Home Alone 2 and Ocean's 8, and filming locations from Avengers: Endgame, Mr. Robot, and Modern Family.
• Luna Park 24 Ride Pass: Luna Park is an amusement park located on the waterfront in Coney Island, south of Brooklyn, with a somewhat decadent and vintage, carnival-like style. With this pass, you can access 24 different attractions, such as a roller coaster and a carousel. In my opinion, the attractions are not that impressive, so visiting Luna Park is more worthwhile for its retro atmosphere.
• Clipper City Sailing Cruise: This is a cruise around Manhattan... but on a sailboat! It's an activity I recommend taking advantage of with your New York Explorer Pass. Don't be fooled by how tacky it may seem to go on a sailboat when you could take a regular cruise, because it has a huge advantage: you'll enjoy a much more peaceful experience, without crowds, avoiding most of the tourists.
• Ripley's Believe It or Not: This famous museum with locations around the world is a must-see if you're visiting New York with children. You'll find rare artifacts and devices, curiosities, and interactive experiences such as a medieval torture chamber and a black hole simulation.

When booking the New York Explorer Pass, please note that some popular attractions, such as The Edge and One World Observatory, require advance booking to guarantee access at your desired date and time. To do this, New York Explorer Pass has a mobile app that allows you to manage your bookings conveniently and easily.

• Download the Go City app: Available for iOS and Android devices.
• Register and link your pass: Once you have installed the app, register with your details and link your Explorer Pass.
• Select attractions: Within the app, browse the list of available attractions and you will see which ones require advance booking. For example, when you select Edge, the app will show the available dates and times.
• Ticket reservation: Choose the date and time and confirm your reservation. You will receive a digital confirmation that will be saved in the "My Reservations" section of the app.

Regarding the cancellation and change policy, if you need to change the date or time of a reservation, modifications are allowed for most attractions as long as they are made at least 24 hours in advance. In case of cancellation, you can do so from the "My Reservations" section, with no penalty in most cases if made at least 24 hours in advance.

After this barrage of information, it's understandable that you might feel a little overwhelmed. Choosing the perfect sightseeing pass for your trip to New York isn't easy, but here's what you need to keep in mind. The New York Explorer Pass is for you if:

The Kids Explorer

Children aged 3 to 12 have their own Explorer pass at a reduced price. The price difference is usually between $20 and $50 less than the adult pass.

As you probably know, New York is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, and as such, there are many different types of passes available to suit all tastes. If you prefer unlimited access to all possible attractions (an all-you-can-do pass), I recommend the New York Pass (you can read my practical guide to the card here: New York Pass).

The New York Pass is booked (and paid for) based on the number of days you want to use it, and while the card is active, you can visit all the attractions you want from the list of 100 available attractions.

The great thing about the New York Explorer Pass, as you already know, is that it is valid for 30 days from the first use, so if you are going on a long trip to New York, you can take your time... as long as you don't choose 10 attractions and plan to spend only 3 days in the city, in which case you'll have to rush!

Finally, remember my most important recommendation:enjoy your visit to New York! Although the New York Explorer Pass requires you to visit as many attractions as possible to maximize your savings, remember to leave a little time each day of your trip to get lost in the streets of the Big Apple and see what you can discover on your own.

If the New York Explorer Pass doesn't quite suit you, there are other passes for New York that may be more suited to the trip you're planning. To make your choice easier, here are the practical guides I've written about other available passes and a comparison chart of all of them:

When traveling to New York, you need to carefully consider which New York tourist card to book. To do this, take into account the length of your stay, the number and type of attractions you want to visit, and, of course, your traveler profile based on the pace you want to set. All of this will allow you to make the most of your time and budget.

• New York Explorer Pass (Go City): Offers the possibility of selecting between 2 and 10 attractions from a list of more than 80 options, valid for 30 days from the first activation. Ideal for those who want a more leisurely pace and a personalized selection of activities that don't have to be the most visited.
• New York CityPASS: Includes access to 5 major attractions, 2 of which are fixed (Empire State Building and American Museum of Natural History) and the other 3 are chosen from 6 options. It is valid for 9 consecutive days and is perfect for those who want to visit New York's most iconic attractions.
• New York Pass: Offers unlimited access to over a hundred attractions for a set number of days (from 1 to 10 days), always consecutive. Ideal for those who want to make the most of their stay.