Five days in NYC with the New York Pass

Morning: Big Bus sightseeing tour. There’s really no better way to acquaint yourself with NYC’s many charms than aboard the Big Bus. Your whistle-stop tour takes in all of the city’s greatest hits – looking at you, Empire State Building, Times Square, Central Park and Brooklyn Bridge – and allows you to hop off (and back on) whenever and wherever the mood takes you. Need more convincing? Then hop aboard our complete guide to the New York Big Bus!

Normal ticket value (for a two-day pass): $87

Afternoon: Madame Tussauds. Sure, if you hang out on Times Square long enough  it’s likely you’ll spot a real celeb. But who has the patience for that? Instead, get your A-list fix at the mighty Madame Tussauds, where you can say hey to Harry Styles, grab a swift selfie with Tay-Tay and hang out with Spidey. Your pass also bags you entry to the quite marvelous MARVEL Universe 4D cinema experience, starring Thor, Hulk, the Black Panther and other superhero pals. We wax a little more lyrical about Madame Tussauds here.

Normal ticket value: $50.07

Evening: Empire State Building Observatory. Come over all King Kong with a trip to the top of the planet’s most iconic skyscraper – though please do take the elevator rather than scaling that beautiful Art Deco exterior. Your reward? Far-reaching views of the Manhattan skyline and beyond, from more than 1,000 feet up in the 86th floor observatory. Magical. Uncover the secrets of the Empire State Building here.

Normal ticket value: $53.35

Morning: Best of NYC cruise by Circle Line. Start your second day in New York with a gentle circuit of Manhattan Island that takes in some 130 famous landmarks – hello, One World Trade Center, Lady Liberty, Yankee Stadium and George Washington Bridge! Trust us when we say your Insta reels will thank you for it. Get the lowdown on which Circle Line cruises are included with the New York Pass.

Normal ticket value: $52

Afternoon: Intrepid Museum. You’d have to be plane crazy to skip this Hell’s Kitchen icon. And you couldn't really miss it even if you tried: its hulking great hull completely dominates the harbor here. Step aboard to admire its epic collection of stealth jets and fighter planes of yore, plus a gleaming British Airways concorde and – perhaps most impressively of all – Cold War submarine the USS Growler, and the sensational space shuttle Enterprise. Here’s what to see at Intrepid if you’re short of time.

Normal ticket value: $38

Evening: Edge. Another day, another dizzyingly high observation deck. This time it’s Edge, an angular al fresco glass platform that juts shard-like from the side of 30 Hudson Yards, a nerve-jangling 1,131 feet above terra firma – the highest outdoor observation deck in the Western Hemisphere, fact fans. Brave souls can lean out into its angled walls and gawp straight down beneath their feet at the city streets far, far below. Here’s everything else you can expect to see from Edge.

Normal ticket value: $51.17

Morning: Statue of Liberty Ferry and Ellis Island Immigration Museum. This one needs little introduction, but we’re going to give it one anyway. Perhaps the most recognizable monument on the planet (shove over, Eiffel Tower), Lady Liberty is a vision in copper verdigris; the ultimate statement of American freedom, power and democracy. Catch the first ferry out in the morning so you’ll have time to take in the Ellis Island Immigration Museum as well as filling your camera roll with statue selfies and extreme close-ups of the Green Goddess.

Normal ticket value: $26

Afternoon: One World Observatory. Another observation platform? Oh go on then, if you insist. This one’s a doozy, providing a fine vantage point from the 102nd floor of the Western Hemisphere’s tallest building; 1,776 feet of gleaming glass, concrete and steel, to be precise. If there’s a better aerial view of Lady Liberty, the Brooklyn Bridge and north across Manhattan’s sea of skyscrapers, we’ve yet to find it. What’s that you say? What else can you see from way up there? Well, here’s what.

Normal ticket value: $62.60

Afternoon: 9/11 Memorial & Museum. With two great reflecting pools set into the footprints of the former World Trade Center’s North and South towers, this moving memorial and museum features artifacts, testimonies and first-hand accounts from the tragic events of September 11, 2001. Pay your respects at the tranquil pavilion and hear deeply affecting human stories of heroism, resilience and unity from that day.

Normal ticket value: $36

Morning: Top of the Rock Observation Deck. You’ve come this far, so you might as well complete New York’s big four. Last but by no means least of the city’s sky-high observation decks, Top of the Rock sits at a relatively modest 850 feet up, but promises some of the best uninterrupted views of the Empire State Building you’re likely to find anywhere, as well as a cool bird’s-eye perspective on the soaring Gothic Revival towers of stunning St Patrick’s Cathedral. Here’s our complete Top of the Rock guide for your delectation.

Normal ticket value: $58.79

Afternoon: Rockefeller Center tour. As you’re already there, you might as well make the best of it, with a guided tour of the Depression-era Art Deco masterpiece that is the ravishing Rockefeller Center. Discover the secrets of José Maria Sert and Diego Rivera's murals, explore the grandeur of Radio City Music Hall and take a stroll through the lush Channel Gardens. If you’re there during the festive season, you can also ogle that ma-hoo-sive Christmas tree and take a spin on the famous winter ice rink.

Normal ticket value: $29.40

Afternoon: St. Patrick's Cathedral tour. St Patrick's Cathedral sits directly opposite the Rockefeller Center, its Gothic spires providing an interesting counterpoint to 30 Rock’s distinctly Art Deco facade. Check out its awe-inspiring interiors, kaleidoscopic rose window, epic 9,000-pipe organ, William Ordway Partridge’s La Pietà statue and more on an audio tour narrated by Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Monsignor Ritchie. 

Normal ticket value: $22.97

Morning: Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). As good an overview of late 19th-century and 20th-century art as you’ll find anywhere on the planet, MoMA is home to an absolute treasure trove of masterpieces – think starry nights, water lilies, tins of Campbell’s soup and Jackson Pollock’s great paint-spattered canvases. Our guide to the museum’s must-sees (and where to find them) has you covered for a perfect final morning in NYC.

Normal ticket value: $30

Afternoon: Central Park bike tour. Sure, you could go it alone in Central Park, but there’s every chance you’ll wind up mistaking the Cherry Hill Fountain for Bethesda Fountain or getting yourself hopelessly lost in The Ramble. This two-hour guided tour ticks off highlights including Bow Bridge and Strawberry Fields and pretty much eliminates any debate over which park attraction to see next, whether it’s left, right or straight on, and which idiot went and left the map at the hotel.

Normal ticket value: $51.69

Afternoon: American Museum of Natural History. Have we saved the best for last? Quite possibly. It’s one of the largest natural history museums on the planet, with some 32 million specimens in its vast collection. If near-perfect dinosaur skeletons, massive prehistoric meteorites, lifelike animal dioramas and 563-carat sapphires sound like your vibe, you won’t want to miss this one. You can discover more about what to expect in our AMNH guide here.

Normal ticket value: $43