New York – advantages of buying or not the NYPass

Happy 4th of July, fellow friends from the US! When I came back from Mexico to Portugal I stayed one week in New York. When I was planning my trip I understood that to visit most of the main attractions I would have to pay a lot, though there are some museums which have schedules when you pay what you want. So I found the New York Pass, and until today it was the only place where I felt the investment was worth it, not just because it includes all the major attractions but also because it includes several walking tours that seemed very interesting to me, specially because I was traveling alone. The New York Pass prices, online, are the following:

• 1 day 109$
• 2 days 170,10$
• 3 days 191,20$
• 5 days 239,20$
• 7 days 279,20$
• 10 days 319,20$

I chose the 5 day pass and from the 90+ attractions that they offer, from museums, walking and bike tours, sightseeing buses and cruises and points of interest, here is a list of what places I chose and how I organize them through my days:

Day 1:

• Highlights of Midtown (walking tour which includes visits to some of the most emblematic buildings of New York, like the Chrysler Building, the Grand Central Station, the Public Library, the UN Headquarters, etc. – it would cost 35$)
• Musum of Modern Art – MoMA (it would cost 25$, but you can enter for free every friday between 4 and 6p.m.)
• Top of the Rock (observation deck on the top of Rockefeller Center. It is possible to choose the time when you go up and then you can stay upstairs as long as you wish. Without the NYPass it would cost 37$)

Day 2:

• Empire State Building (I preferred the view from Top of the Rock, it would cost 34$)
• Soho, Little Italy and Chinatown Walking Tour (very interesting to learn about the history of these three typical neighborhoods, it would cost 35$)
• Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (visit to both islands, it would cost 18$ – in alternative there is a free ferry to Staten Island from where you can see the Statue from closer and Manhattan’s skyline, it takes half an hour each way)
• Madame Tussauds (I just visited it because it was included, as it would cost 37$)

Day 3:

• Cathedral of Saint John the Divine (just worth it with the NYPass, usually it would cost 10$)
• Lincoln Center Tour (to the music, ballet, theater and architecture lovers, it would cost 18$. Inside most of the buildings it isn’t allowed to take photos)
• Sollomon R. Guggenheim (Frank Loyd Wright’s big spiral,it would cost 25$ but on saturdays from 5.45 p.m. to 7.45 p.m. you pay what you wish)
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art (it is worth to go to the rooftop and watch the sunset – which was just what I did, as I was exhausted. They have an interesting ticket system where you always pay what you wish, but they suggest that adults should pay 25$)

Day 4:

• NYC Gospel Tour (walking tour that starts Wall Street and ends in Brooklyn, with a two hour gospel concert inside the famous Brooklyn Tabernacle. It would cost 45$)
• Skyscraper Museum (just because it was included, I was in the area and had time. Little museum about the evolution of the skyscraper in the world, it would cost 5$)
• 9/11 Memorial & Museum (totally worth it, one of my favorite places in New York City. A very well curated museum and very emotional, take time in there! It would cost 24$ but you can go for free every tuesday from 5p.m. until closing.

Day 5:

• Circle Line Sightseeing Cruise (cruise around Manhattan, it was incredible to understand how green it is the north of Manhattan! It would cost 41$)
• Inside Broadway Tours (not inside, as we didn’t enter any theater, but guided by a Broadway actor. I thought it was time lost… It would cost 35$)
• Rockefeller Center Tour (very interesting from the architectural and artistic points of view and the guide was excellent and funny, it would cost 17$)

Other places I visited withouth the New York Pass:

• 2x Times Square, Bryant Park, Saint Pauls Cathedral, Seagram Building, 3x Central Park, the financial district including Wall Street, Trinity Church, Brooklyn Bridge, Battery Park and the High Line

Concluding, for everything I’ve done and visited I would have payed 466$. Excluding the places I went just because I had the NYPass and if I had tried to adapt my schedule to the “Pay what you wish” schedules I would have payed 262$. So, paying 239,20$ for a five day pass was completely worth it and I could visit even more stuff. I also bought a one week subway ticket, which costs 32$ that you can buy once you’re there.