***This post contains affiliate links meaning I earn a small commission if you use those links. I only recommend brands that I use and trust and in this case I purchased The New York Pass several years before this blog was created. 


New York City is one of the most populous cities in the world and one that is full of tourist attractions. Visitors to “The Big Apple” go for a variety of reasons, from Broadway to Times Square or the Statue of Liberty to the 9/11 Visitors Memorial. It can be a quick weekend getaway or a longer adventure. I have been lucky enough to visit New York City on two separate occasions, the first with my now husband and the second with my mom and sister. On the latter, we were there from Friday morning to midday on Monday and wanted to see as much of the city as possible. In order to do this and save money, we chose to purchase The New York Pass, a pass that grants you entry to over 90 of New York’s top attractions. They offer 1, 3, 5, 7 and 10 day options available and we chose the 3 day option. Because New York City is so large and everyone has different priorities of what they hope to visit while there, I will not bore you with our exact itinerary. Instead, here are my tips on how to make the most of using the New York Pass:

1. Plan, plan, plan– Did I say that enough? I may have gone crazy with my planning of our trip (i.e. a written itinerary with every hour planned) but we did see everything we were hoping to see. We started by going through the list of all the attractions and deciding which ones we would be interested in visiting. Due to our limited time, we eliminated the tours that were farther away and would take too much time just in travel. We also tried to avoid any tours or attractions that are very similar to each other (i.e. two different cruises).
2. Visit attractions that are close to each other on the same day– This might seem like common sense, but you will save yourself a lot of travel time if you divide the attractions up by areas of the city, say Manhattan or Brooklyn. For example, we did the Inside Broadway Tour the same day as the Radio City Music Hall Tour. We also visited the 9/11 memorial and museum right after going to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
3. Add up the price of the attractions you want/will have time to visit– Although The New York Pass is generally well worth the money, if you are hoping to spend a lot of time at one museum or are only visiting for one day, it might not make sense to purchase the pass.
4. Check the opening/closing times or tour times of each attraction– Some tours may only be offered certain days of the week and some attractions close very early in the day. I definitely don’t want anyone to miss out on a tour because they didn’t check which day it was offered before arriving in NYC.
5. Take advantage of the other discounts the pass provides– There are several restaurant coupons provided by the pass as well as discounts to various attractions and department stores. Check these ahead of time so you can save some extra money on food and shopping 🙂
6. Only buy the pass when there is a discount– The New York Pass always seems to be on sale so save yourself some money and don’t buy it at full price. As I am writing this post, it is 20% off for a fall sale.
   

If you have decided The New York Pass is a good option for you, or if you just want a few ideas of what to see in New York City, here are some of my favorite attractions (all are included in the New York Pass):

• Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island– About 4 million people visit these two places each year so they are not some hidden secret but absolutely worth your time! The museum and audio tour at Ellis Island are unforgettable experiences that everyone should have at least once. Be prepared for long lines to get tickets and try to arrive early in the morning.
  

  

  

  
• 9/11 Memorial and Museum– I’m not sure words can explain how much this memorial and museum tug at your emotions. Most of us can vividly remember September 11, 2001 but the museum provides detailed information about the timeline of the attack as well as stories of both survivors and victims. Be prepared to spend several hours here and you might need a tissue.
  

  
• Top of the Rock Observatory– Anyone wishing to see a view of New York City from above probably thinks of the Empire State Building immediately. Although we did that as well and the views are great, I recommend the Top of the Rock Observatory because you also get to see the Empire State Building. If you have time to do both, I suggest doing one at night and one during the day since this provides very different views.
  

  
• Brooklyn Bridge Sightseeing Bike Tour– This is the most iconic bridge in NYC and one of the most recognizable in the world. Not only did this tour provide some history of the Brooklyn Bridge, it was so much fun to get to ride a bike across it. Do be aware that biking up the bridge can be physically challenging and it was very crowded the day we visited. In other words, make sure you are comfortable on a bike 🙂
  

  
• Radio City Music Hall: Stage Door Tour– I first saw the Radio City Music Hall on TV during the annual Christmas Spectacular so it was awesome to go behind the scenes and learn about what goes into a show at this legendary venue. You also get to learn about the Rockettes and meet one in person.
• Inside Broadway Walking Tour– Our guide for this tour was extremely energetic and had fascinating stories about Broadway, some about current shows and some from throughout Broadway’s history. We went to a Broadway musical (The Lion King, which I highly recommend) but I enjoyed learning more about the industry and seeing nearly all of the Broadway theaters!

If you do a google search for discount passes in New York City, you will also find the CityPASS option. With the CityPASS you can purchase the original option which gives you entry to 6 New York City Attractions or you can choose the C3 option, where you pick 3 attractions in which you are most interested. I want to include the CityPass in this post because this is the option I chose on my first trip to New York City. My husband and I are not too excited by art museums (terrible, I know) so we used the C3 option to visit the 9/11 Memorial, the Top of the Rock Observatory and the Statue of Liberty with Ellis Island.


*** If you are comfortable navigating public transportation such as the subway system in New York, I recommend purchasing an unlimited ride MetroCard. We chose the 7-day card which costs $32 a person, much less expensive than taking a taxi everywhere.