New York Explorer Pass: the flexible pass

What is the New York Explorer Pass?

• The New York Explorer Pass is a sightseeing package that lets you choose 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 10 activities from a list of over 100 attractions in New York. The pass gives you a flat rate that’s much lower than buying individual tickets at regular prices. In total, the Explorer Pass can save you up to 50% compared to standard admission prices.
• Another benefit: you pick your visits on the spot, based on what interests you. Choose the monuments and museums you want to see.
• When you buy the pass, you simply decide how many visits you want to make. After that, you’re completely free! To book your Explorer Pass, go to the New York Explorer Pass booking module. Note that you’ll need to enter a date when booking—but it doesn’t really matter. Your Explorer Pass is valid for 1 year from the purchase date on our site. So you can enter today’s date or your arrival date. Either way, it makes no difference.
• The Explorer Pass lets you make required reservations for attractions like the Statue of Liberty and Empire State Building. We’re here to help! We’ll send you a help page in French explaining how to make these mandatory bookings. You can also contact us with any questions.

What attractions are included in the Explorer Pass?

The Explorer Pass gives you access to over 100 attractions and experiences in New York at no extra cost. It’s very simple: just show the QR Code from your pass on your smartphone at the entrance. You’ll find this QR Code in the PDF document sent to your email immediately after you pay for your Explorer Pass.

Attractions included in the Explorer Pass

Here’s the updated list as of August 24, 2026, of places, landmarks, museums, and attractions you can access with your New York Explorer Pass. For most of these, just show up at the entrance. You’ll either get direct access or join the next guided tour departure. Some attractions require advance booking—we note these in parentheses and recap them in the section below:

1. Ferry and admission to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island (advance booking required, see below).
2. Empire State Building Observatory (advance booking required, see below).
3. Top of the Rock Observatory (advance booking required, see below).
4. One World Observatory.
5. The Edge Observatory in Hudson Yards.
6. Access to The Vessel in Hudson Yards.
7. American Museum of Natural History.
8. National September 11 Memorial & Museum, the official 9/11 museum at the base of One World Trade Center (advance booking required, see below).
9. 9/11 Museum Workshop, a photographer’s personal museum about 9/11 in the Meatpacking District. This is a private museum.
10. MoMA (Museum of Modern Art), including access to MoMA PS1 in Queens.
11. Guggenheim Museum.
12. Whitney Museum of American Art.
13. Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum.
14. Madame Tussauds Wax Museum with MARVEL Universe 4D show.
15. Butterbeer at the Harry Potter Store.
16. The RiseNY Museum, about New York’s history.
17. Museum of Broadway admission.
18. Museum of Sex.
19. Spyscape Spy Museum.
20. Artechouse admission.
21. Mercer Labs Museum of Art and Technology.
22. Museum of the City of New York admission.
23. Museum of Arts and Design admission.
24. Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum admission.
25. International Center of Photography admission.
26. Paley Center for Media.
27. New York Historical Society Museum.
28. Museum of Jewish Heritage admission.
29. Museum at Eldridge Street.
30. Fraunces Tavern Museum.
31. South Street Seaport Museum admission.
32. Brooklyn Botanic Garden admission.
33. Staten Island Museum.
34. Staten Island Children’s Museum.
35. Choice of New York Harbor cruises with Circle Line: “Liberty Super Express” cruise, “Best of NYC” cruise, “Liberty” cruise, “NYC Landmarks” cruise, The Beast, sailing cruise, and “Harbor Lights” cruise. For cruise routes, visit our dedicated page on New York cruises).
36. Full-day bike rental in Central Park, including helmet, lock, and detailed Manhattan map.
37. E-scooter rental in Central Park.
38. Full-day bike rental at Brooklyn Bridge, including helmet and lock.
39. Bike rental on Governors Island.
40. 2-day pass for Hop-On Hop-Off tourist bus lines with Big Bus.
41. 5-minute photo shoot on a rooftop terrace with Manhattan views.
42. Guided tour of Rockefeller Center in English.
43. Guided tour of Madison Square Garden in English.
44. Guided tour of Radio City Music Hall in English.
45. Carnegie Hall performance hall tour in English.
46. 4-hour pass for 24 rides at Coney Island amusement park.
47. Virtual reality gaming experience ticket at Escape Virtuality.
48. Legoland admission north of New York.
49. Sea Life Aquarium admission in New Jersey.
50. Staten Island Zoo.
51. New York Yankees baseball game ticket at Yankee Stadium.
52. Guided tour of Yankee Stadium in English.
53. Audio guide and skip-the-line admission to St. Patrick’s Cathedral.
54. Guided tour of the catacombs at St. Patrick’s Old Cathedral in English.
55. Rockefeller Center ice skating rink.

Attractions requiring advance booking

Here are the attractions and experiences that require advance booking. You’ll find all the information you need to reserve in the online guide accessible through your voucher.

1. Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. Updated August 2026: You must book a ferry departure time for the Statue of Liberty. Everything is explained on our New York Explorer Pass help page. You’ll receive this page after ordering your passes on CNEWYORK.
2. Empire State Building Observatory, with skip-the-line access to avoid the ticket line. You’ll then join the regular elevator queue. Updated August 2026: You must book your visit time in advance. The process is explained on our Explorer Pass help page. You’ll get access after ordering your passes on CNEWYORK.
3. National September 11 Memorial & Museum. Updated August 2026: You must book your museum visit time in advance. The process is explained on our help page. Easy for booking your tickets.
4. Top of the Rock Observatory.
5. Bronx, Brooklyn, and Queens bus tour with English-speaking guide.
6. Harlem tour with gospel service, English-speaking guide.
7. Guided Statue of Liberty tour with English-speaking guide.
8. Marvel superhero-themed guided tour in English.
9. Movies and TV shows in New York guided tour with English-speaking guide.
10. High Line and Chelsea neighborhood tour in English.
11. Speakeasy bars and Prohibition-themed guided tour with English-speaking guide.
12. Rooftops-themed guided tour with English-speaking guide.
13. Food on Foot culinary guided tour in English.
14. Wall Street and money-themed guided tour in English.
15. Lower East Side food walking tour in English.
16. New York media-themed guided tour in English.
17. LGBTQ+ New York guided tour in English.
18. Brooklyn Bridge and Dumbo neighborhood tour with English-speaking guide.
19. Williamsburg, Brooklyn guided tour in English.
20. Broadway guided tour in English.
21. Greenwich Village evening tour in English.
22. Greenwich Village ghost-themed guided tour in English.
23. Slavery history tour in English.
24. Little Italy guided tour in English.
25. Street art and graffiti tour in Brooklyn in English.
26. Choice of guided bike tours with English-speaking guide.
27. Perfect picnic planning in Central Park.
28. Jazz evening in Harlem.
29. Piano bar evening in Manhattan.
30. Guided tour of Christmas markets in English, available only during the holiday season.

Good to know

• We regularly update the list of attractions and experiences included in the New York Explorer Pass. However, the list may change at any time without notice and without compensation. CNEWYORK cannot be held responsible for changes, including removal of any attraction. Feel free to contact us with any questions.

Book your New York Explorer Pass

• Good to know: The Explorer Pass is personal—you need one pass per person. Book your Explorer Pass in French by clicking here!
• When you book through CNEWYORK, your Explorer Pass appears directly on your smartphone. You’ll receive your passes by email less than an hour after your purchase confirmation.
• Handy: we’ve set up a special help page to guide you through using your Explorer Pass. This help page is password-protected and only available to those who booked their pass on our site. If you didn’t receive the password, contact us! 

How does buying an Explorer Pass on our site work?

• Once payment is complete, you’ll receive a confirmation email confirming your order has been received.
• Within the hour, you’ll get a second email with your Explorer Pass as an attachment. The document has multiple pages, and if you ordered several passes, they’re listed one after another. The passes are simply the QR Codes you’ll see in the top right corners. These are the QR Codes you’ll show at each entrance—nothing more.
• A few minutes after receiving your Explorer Pass, you’ll get a third and final email with the password for our exclusive help page. This page tells you everything you need to know to get the most from your pass. Enjoy your trip!

Contact us for mandatory bookings

• The New York Explorer Pass lets you make all required reservations in advance. As soon as you buy the pass on our site, you’ll receive an email with a link to a help page.
• If you have questions, don’t hesitate to contact us. We’re here to help you use your New York Explorer Pass.

Frequently asked questions