NEW YORK PLANNING · ATTRACTION PASSES
CenterNYC Editorial · Prices and inclusions checked October 13, 2026
A sightseeing pass should save money, not turn your vacation into a performance review. Start with the places you actually want to visit. If you are choosing a museum simply because there is an unused admission left, the pass has started planning the trip for you.
At a glance: New York CityPASS currently lets you choose five attractions from its ten-option list. It costs $151 for an adult age 18+ or $131 for a child age 6–17, including the listed $2 processing fee. The use window is nine consecutive days; reservations are needed at many participating attractions.
Prices · What is included · Is it worth it? · Reservations and timing
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One brand, three different decisions
| Product | Visits | Adult, including $2 fee | Child, including $2 fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York C3 | Any 3 eligible attractions | $111, ages 13+ | $91, ages 6–12 |
| New York CityPASS | Any 5 from its list | $151, ages 18+ | $131, ages 6–17 |
| New York C-All | 11 listed attractions | $261, ages 13+ | $191, ages 6–12 |
Prices are from the official comparison page, checked October 13, 2026. Product names matter. A 15-year-old falls into the child band for CityPASS, but the adult band for C3 and C-All. The attraction lists and admission packages also differ.
Two adults and two children ages 6–17 would pay $564 for the five-attraction CityPASS at these prices. That buys attraction admissions, not a complete family holiday: meals, local transportation and optional upgrades still need a budget.
Five choices, not entry to the entire list
The current five-attraction CityPASS offers these ten choices:
- Empire State Building Observation Deck
- American Museum of Natural History
- Top of the Rock
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- Statue of Liberty grounds and Ellis Island
- Circle Line sightseeing cruise
- Intrepid Museum
- Guggenheim Museum
- Edge Observation Deck & Immersive Experience
- Whitney Museum of American Art
MoMA appears in the C3 and C-All comparison, but not in this five-attraction product. The Metropolitan Museum of Art is not on the CityPASS list above either. If one museum is the main reason for your trip, settle that detail before choosing the pass.
The admission details are where the value changes
The Statue of Liberty option includes the official ferry to the grounds and Ellis Island, but not the pedestal or crown. If climbing inside the statue is your priority, that is a different booking decision.
At the American Museum of Natural History, the listed package includes general admission and one eligible ticketed experience, subject to availability. At Intrepid, it includes general admission and the Space Shuttle Pavilion; do not assume every separately sold experience is covered. Edge lists sunset upgrades as an additional option.
Empire State Building’s CityPASS inclusion is an AM/PM experience: the 86th-floor observation deck and museum, plus bonus same-night general admission under its conditions. Compare that with the ticket you would otherwise buy. An extra visit has value only if you will enjoy using it.
Do the arithmetic on your trip, not the advertisement
Write down five places you would happily pay to visit. Next to each, record the official price for your date, age and admission type. Include required booking charges. Then compare that total with the pass and any extras you still need.
Here is a hypothetical example, not a current attraction quote: if your five separate tickets total $190 and the adult pass is $151, the difference is $39. If you only use admissions you would otherwise have bought for $140, the pass has cost you $11 more. Adding an unwanted fifth stop does not repair that decision.
For children, repeat the calculation separately. A child who enters a museum free is not saving an adult admission price there. For under-sixes, compare the attraction’s own child tickets and reservation requirements rather than automatically buying a pass.
CityPASS is worth considering for a first visit with several paid attractions on the wish list. It is less convincing for a trip built around Central Park, neighborhood walks and one special museum. New York does not charge admission to every good afternoon.
Nine consecutive days means the calendar keeps moving
The official validity terms start the nine-day period on the first attraction visit or reservation date. A first day on the 10th makes the 18th the last day. You have one year from purchase to begin using the tickets.
For a Shabbat-observant visit, count Friday afternoon and Shabbat as time passing within that window, not as paused days. Put paid sightseeing on suitable weekdays and leave room for your actual travel schedule. A nine-day pass is not nine freely selectable sightseeing days.
Use My CityPASS for reservation instructions. Buying the bundle does not automatically reserve a popular time. A pass also does not remove security screening or guarantee that every queue disappears.
Spread the visits out enough to enjoy them
Pair a museum with a park or neighborhood rather than another large museum just because both are included. Choose the Guggenheim for an exhibition or its architecture, not to fill a box. Give Intrepid time if your family loves ships, aircraft and space.
One observation deck may be plenty. Leave enough flexibility to care about visibility instead of looking at fog from several different heights. A Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island visit deserves a substantial part of the day; the 9/11 Museum can also be an emotionally demanding visit. Combining them is a choice about energy, not just geography.
C3 can be a better starting point when you only want three paid stops. C-All asks a different question: do you really want its broader list, and do you have enough time to enjoy it? The biggest bundle is not automatically the best value.
Quick answers
Is New York CityPASS the same as the New York Pass?
No. They are different products. Compare the exact provider, included admissions and validity before buying.
Does CityPASS include MoMA?
MoMA is not in the five-attraction CityPASS list checked October 13, 2026. It appears in the provider’s C3 and C-All options.
Can I visit the Statue of Liberty crown with CityPASS?
No. The listed inclusion is ferry access to the grounds and Ellis Island, without crown or pedestal admission.
Does the pass include subway travel?
The sightseeing products compared here are attraction tickets, not a subway fare product. Budget local transportation separately.
Do I have to use it on consecutive days?
The validity window is nine consecutive calendar days. You can have rest days, but the window continues running.
Research-based planning guide, not a report of a personal pass purchase. Sources: New York CityPASS inclusions and validity, official product comparison, and reservation guidance. Prices checked October 13, 2026; use the purchase screen for the current total.
Would a different pass fit your trip better?
Our New York Pass comparison explains the day-based pass, Explorer and Essentials, with current adult prices and a worked savings example. It is particularly useful if you want more attraction choices or a longer window between paid visits.
Compare the passes side by side
Still deciding? Our CityPASS vs New York Pass comparison brings the options together by price, family ages and travel pace, including how to plan around Shabbat and when individual tickets make more sense.