New York Explorer Pass

If you are 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 things. 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 are 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 is the pass with the longest duration in the city.

From RM364 at Hellotickets

The New York Explorer Pass is available from RM364, although you pay for the pass based on the number of attractions you want to visit. It's perfect for personalising your New York experience to the max, as you can choose 3, 4, 5, 7 or 10 attractions and pay according to 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 going on a long trip.

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

The New York Explorer Pass is an excellent option for saving money on New York's main 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 RM211, while the bike tour of Central Park costs RM189

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 it, the tickets are skip-the-line, it includes discounts 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 RM125, and take a bike tour of Central Park, a family Explorer Pass for 3 attractions costs around €285, while the sum of the individual tickets is considerably higher.
• For couples and solo travellers, the pass also offers savings. For example, a couple visiting the Top of the Rock, which costs RM192, and the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), which costs RM125, 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 as much as possible on the most expensive attractions so that you can do the rest on your own. That's why I've done the maths for you and found the two best combinations of attractions for the New York Explorer Pass to make it as cost-effective as possible. As a general rule, if the pass brings the cost of each ticket down to £22, 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 transport 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 being amazed by the illuminated Empire State Building and One World Observatory.
• 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 €30 for children. In this case, you can use your pass to get a ticket online with a set time slot, or present your pass at the ticket office to have your ticket validated.
• Empire State Building: It is 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 all visitors go there is for the views from its observatory, which are undoubtedly one of the most impressive ways to see the city. With the pass, you'll skip the queue to buy tickets for the Empire State Building and only have to go through security, where you can show your pass and they'll let you through.
• NYC TV & Movie Bus Tour: It's no surprise that New York has been the setting for a million films and series, and on this tour you'll visit more than 60 locations that have been used as backdrops for 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 seafront in Coney Island, south of Brooklyn, with a somewhat decadent and vintage, fairground-like style. With this pass, you can access 24 different attractions such as a roller coaster and a merry-go-round. In my opinion, the attractions are not particularly 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 sailing when you could take a normal 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 visit I recommend if you are visiting New York with children. You will find rare artefacts and devices, curiosities, and interactive experiences such as a medieval torture chamber and a black hole simulation.

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

• Download the Go City app: Available for iOS and Android devices.
• Register and link your pass: Once the app is installed, register with your details and link your Explorer Pass.
• Selecting attractions: Within the app, browse the list of available attractions and you will see that those requiring advance booking are indicated. For example, when you select Edge, the app will show the available dates and times.
• Booking tickets: Choose the date and time and confirm your booking. You will receive a digital confirmation that will be saved in the "My Bookings" 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, without penalty in most cases if made at least 24 hours in advance.

After this flood of information, it's understandable that you may feel a little overwhelmed. Choosing the perfect tourist pass for your trip to New York is not easy, but in summary, here's what you need to consider. The New York Explorer Pass is for you if:

The Explorer Pass for Children

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 cities for tourists worldwide, and as such, there are many types of passes available to suit all tastes. If you prefer unlimited access to all possible attractions (an all-you-can-eat attraction 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 as many attractions as you want from the list of 100 available attractions.

The great thing about the New York Explorer Pass, as you know, is that it is valid for 30 days from its first use, so if you are going on a long trip to New York, you can take it easy... as long as you don't choose 10 attractions and are only going to be in the city for 3 days, 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 maximise 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 convince you, there are other passes for New York, and one of them may be more suited to the trip you are planning. To make your choice easier, here are the practical guides I have written about other available passes and a comparative summary of all of them:

When travelling 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 traveller profile based on the pace you 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 to select 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 personalised selection of activities that do not 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.
• New York Essentials Pass: Choose one of New York's famous viewpoints (The Edge, the Empire State Building, the One World Observatory or Top of the Rock) and two of the city's best-known attractions. Perfect for those who are only travelling for a few days and don't want to miss the essentials.