Sightseeing FLEX Pass

❌ UPDATE June 2025: The provider Sightseeingpass has filed for bankruptcy! The FLEX and DAY passes can no longer be purchased or redeemed!

Here, you can find out everything about the Sightseeing FLEX Pass for New York.

We show you how to use the Sightseeing FLEX Pass, which attractions are included, and which are not. We also go into all the advantages and disadvantages.

At the end, we answer the most common questions and share our experiences with the FLEX Pass with you.

🤗 How does the FLEX Pass work?

Note: Sometimes, you need a reservation for certain attractions. You can find out which ones here.

🗽Which attractions are included?

The New York Sightseeing FLEX Pass includes many famous sights, city tours, boat tours, and museums. There are over 100 highlights to choose from!

We will introduce you to the best of them in the following sections. You will then have a good overview of the attractions included.

🌃 Viewing platforms

The viewing platforms are among the most popular sights in New York. The view of the city from the top is very impressive both during the day and at night. You can visit four of them with the FLEX Pass:

• Empire State Building (Ticket price: 48 Dollar)
• One World Observatory (Ticket price: 45 Dollar)
• The Edge at Hudson Yards (Ticket price: 44 Dollar)
• Top of the Rock (Ticket price: 44 Dollar)

Reservations are required for the Empire State Building. You can do this via the Sightseeing Pass reservation page. You will receive the link after purchasing the pass.

You do not need a reservation for the other three viewing platforms. If you would like to visit these, simply go to the entrance. You will usually be allocated a time slot within 15 minutes to four hours. However, it is also possible that all tickets are fully booked. In this case, please try again later.

Please note that SUMMIT One Vanderbilt, a skyscraper opening in 2022, is not included in the New York Passes. Tickets for One Vanderbilt are available here.

🖼️ Museums with the Sightseeing FLEX Pass

The FLEX Pass has over 20 museums and exhibitions to choose from.

These museums are included:

• American Museum of Natural History (Ticket price: $28)
• ARTECHOUSE New York (Ticket price: $35)
• Fotografiska New York (Ticket price: $30)
• Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum (Ticket price: $33)
• Museum of Modern Art (MoMA): Ticket price: $30
• Museum of Broadway (Ticket price: $39)
• Guggenheim Museum (Ticket price: $30)
• Madame Tussauds (Ticket price: $48)
• Whitney Museum of American Art (Ticket price: $25)

See all museums.

However, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum and the Metropolitan Museum of Art are not included.

Our tip: The 9/11 Memorial & Museum is included in the comparable Explorer Pass from Go City. If you are planning to visit this museum, then take a look at the New York Pass.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art is not included in any of the New York City Passes.

🚌 Sightseeing tours

If you would like to take city tours with the Sightseeing FLEX Pass, the hop-on, hop-off bus tours from BIG BUS are perfect. They give you a great first impression of New York.

Included in the day ticket are the Downtown and Uptown routes, which together count as one attraction.

Simply show your FLEX Pass on the bus.

The Downtown loop starts at Times Square and takes you to highlights such as the Empire State Building, along Broadway, through SoHo, and to Battery Park. You will also see the One World Trade Center.

The Uptown loop takes you from Times Square through Central Park, on to Harlem, and then along 5th Avenue.

Note: You can hop on and off at over 20 stops, but we recommend starting at Times Square to make sure you get a seat.

These bus tours are included:

• Big Bus New York Essential Ticket – 1 day Hop-on Hop-off Tour (Ticket price: $60)
• THE RIDE (Ticket price: $79)
• NYC TV and Movie Tour by Bus (Ticket price: $61)
• Woodbury Common Premium Outlets (Ticket price: $47)

See all sightseeing tours.

Our tip: You don’t need a reservation for the city tour with BIG BUS; for all others, you need to book an appointment in advance.

🚢 Boat trips

The Sightseeing FLEX Pass also includes boat trips. You can choose from five different boat trips, including the 1.5-hour Circle Line Landmarks Cruise.

For most boat trips, except the Tall Ship Sailing Tour (available from May to October), you do not need a reservation.

It is advisable to be at the pier one hour before departure. Simply show your FLEX Pass at the ticket counter, and you will receive your tickets for the tour.

These boat tours are included:

• Circle Line NYC Landmarks Cruise (Ticket price: $41)
• Circle Line Liberty Cruise (Ticket price: $29)
• Circle Line Liberty Super Express (Ticket price: $29)
• Manhattan By Sail – Clipper City Daytime Statue Sail (Ticket price: $55, from May til October)

See all cruises.

🎡 Attractions with the Sightseeing FLEX Pass

In addition to the viewpoints and many museums, you can also explore other attractions with the FLEX Pass.

These sights are included:

• 9/11 Museum Workshop (Ticket price: $30)
• Brooklyn Botanic Garden (Ticket price: $18)
• Madison Square Garden Tour (Ticket price: $37)
• Radio City Music Hall (Ticket price: $33)
• RiseNY (Ticket price: $43)
• Central Park Zoo & Bronx Zoo (Ticket price $40)
• Harlem Gospel Tour (Ticket price: $55)
• New York Botanical Garden (Ticket price: $35) 
• New York Aquarium (Ticket price: $30) 
• Luna Park at Coney Island (Ticket price: $70)

See all attractions.

🕺 Walking tours

Walking tours through New York City are very popular. On these tours, a local guide accompanies you through various parts of the city. With the Sightseeing FLEX Pass, you can experience many of these tours free of charge. There is a suitable tour for almost every well-known neighborhood.

These walking tours are included in the Sightseeing FLEX Pass:

• Brooklyn Bridge & DUMBO Walking Tour (Ticket price: $39)
• Central Park Walking Tour (Ticket price: $36)
• Grand Central Tour (Ticket price: $35)
• Food on Foot Tours (Ticket price: $49)
• Graffiti & Street Art Walking Tour of Brooklyn (Ticket price: $32)

See all walking tours.

Important: You need a reservation for all tours.

🚲 Bike rental with the Sightseeing FLEX Pass

In good weather, a bike tour through New York City is an experience. With the FLEX Pass, you can cycle at no extra cost. Included in the pass are:

• Central Park Bike Rental
• Central Park Bike Tours
• Brooklyn Bridge Bike Rental
• Brooklyn Bridge Bike Tours

📅 Reservations with the pass

Some attractions require an additional time ticket in addition to the pass, which is free of charge.

This mainly applies to guided tours and some highlights such as the Empire State Building or the American Museum of Natural History.

Please check which attractions require a reservation before traveling. You can find the current overview under the link for the respective attractions.

If there are no times available on your preferred date, it is best to try another day.

🫰What does the FLEX Pass cost?

The cost of the Sightseeing FLEX Pass varies depending on the number of attractions you choose. For two attractions, you pay 79 dollars, while the pass for twelve attractions costs 299 dollars.

The most popular is the seven-attraction pass, which costs $209.

The age limit for children is 3 to 12 years.

Our tip: Also purchase insurance when you buy your pass.

This allows you to cancel the pass free of charge if the worst comes to the worst. It costs 6% extra and can be selected directly during the purchase process. Cancellation is not possible without this insurance.

💻 Does the FLEX Pass pay for itself?

Visiting the sights in New York City can be expensive. A standard ticket for the Empire State Building costs $48 without the FLEX Pass, the BIG BUS hop-on, hop-off tour costs $60, and a boat trip on the Circle Line costs $41.

If you would also like to visit One World Trade Center, the Top of the Rock, the Edge observation deck, and Madame Tussauds, you would pay a total of $330 without the FLEX Pass.

With the FLEX Pass for seven attractions, you only pay 209 dollars, saving 121 dollars per person. That’s a discount of 37%.

So, if you visit more of the high-priced attractions, the FLEX Pass becomes even more valuable.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👧 Sightseeing FLEX Pass for children

Admission to many attractions is free for children up to the age of five. If your child is in this age group, the FLEX Pass may not be worthwhile.

These are the age limits for selected attractions:

📲 Purchase, download, and free app

After your purchase, you will receive an email with your personalized passes. In this email, you will also find a digital travel guide with details of the attractions, including those for which a reservation is required.

You can then choose to either save the passes as a PDF and print them out or use the app from Sightseeing Pass, which is free of charge. A third option is to save the passes directly in your pre-installed smartphone wallet app.

The apps also work without an internet connection – so you don’t need a SIM card or Wi-Fi.

If you have purchased passes for several people, they will all be displayed in the app. Each pass is a QR code that you show at the ticket counters of the attractions.

The passes are not activated when you download them. When and how they are activated is explained in the following section.

🚀 Activation of the FLEX Pass in New York

Activation of the pass means the first use at an attraction in NYC.

When you use the FLEX Pass for the first time at an attraction in New York, when it is scanned, it will be activated. This happens automatically; you don’t have to do anything else.

From this point on, you have 60 days to visit the attractions in New York.

🚨 Disadvantages of the FLEX Pass

Although the FLEX Pass offers many advantages, we would like to mention a few disadvantages.

• Price: The pass is more worthwhile if you visit more expensive attractions, not a few cheap ones.
• Reservations: You will need an additional reservation for some attractions.
• No fast entry: There are separate entrances for pass holders, but no special fast lane tickets that skip all queues.
• Limit: You can visit a maximum of 12 attractions with the FLEX Pass.
• No additional bookings: You cannot add more attractions to the pass after purchase.
• Missing attractions: Some attractions, such as the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Summit One Vanderbilt, are not included in the FLEX Pass. This applies to all New York Passes.
• No Statue of Liberty Ferry: The FLEX Pass is the only one that does not offer this attraction.

👉 FLEX Pass alternatives

In addition to the FLEX Pass, there is a very similar product: the New York Explorer Pass from Go City.

It works in exactly the same way as the FLEX Pass and offers an even greater selection of attractions. Only the trip to the Woodbury Common Outlet is not included compared to the FLEX Pass.

We have put together more details on this in the comparison of the Explorer Pass vs. the Sightseeing FLEX Pass.

If you would like to visit more than 12 attractions, then take a look at the New York Pass and the Sightseeing DAY Pass. With these passes, you can visit unlimited attractions and get the most out of New York City.

You can see what other NYC passes are available in our New York Pass comparison.

👍 My experience with the Sightseeing FLEX Pass

Until recently, we used the FLEX Pass the most. However, since the 9/11 Memorial Museum and the ferry to the Statue of Liberty are no longer included, it has become much less attractive than the Explorer Pass.

However, if you don’t want to visit these attractions, it is still a very good option. The combination of excellent value for money and time flexibility makes the FLEX Pass one of the most popular passes for New York.

🔎 Conclusion: Who is the pass suitable for?

The Sightseeing FLEX Pass is ideal for those who want to experience the highlights of New York spread over several days.

You can also save money on attractions and city tours with this pass.

The flexible passes are perfect for families with children, as there is no sightseeing pressure, and the pass is also worthwhile even if you only visit one attraction per day.

☝️FAQ