Brought to you by the same company responsible for the New York CityPASS, New York C3 is a travel pass that grants you admission to 3 of New York City’s most popular attractions at one low price. The New York C3 is accepted at a dozen iconic New York City venues, including some of the most famous museums and historical landmarks found anywhere in the world. Attractions available to you as a New York C3 passholder include the Empire State Building, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and several other acclaimed tours and cruises (see below for a full list of available attractions). It’s a smart attraction pass option for those visitors wanting a convenient way to see 3 New York City highlights at one flat, discounted rate.
Included New York Attractions (Choose 3)
- Empire State Building
- Top of the Rock Observation Deck
- Ferry Access to Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island
- 9/11 Memorial & Museum
- American Museum of Natural History
- The Metropolitan Museum of Art
- The Museum of Modern Art
- Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises
- Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum
- Guggenheim Museum
- City Cruises
- Edge at Hudson Yards
How the New York C3 Pass Works
The New York C3 pass is simple and easy to use. You pay one flat fee for the New York C3 pass, which entitles you to admission at 3 beloved New York City attractions. You won’t need to pay a single cent out of pocket at the gate of any of these attractions, you’ll just get your C3 pass scanned at the door and be on your way.
As a digital product, you can download your New York C3 pass directly to your smartphone mere seconds after you purchase it online. Or, if you prefer, you can print out your C3 pass at home before heading out on your New York sightseeing excursion. Ultimately, it’ll work just the same that way.
On the first day you use your New York C3 pass at an attraction, it becomes activated. From that point on, you’ll have 9 consecutive days to use your New York C3 pass at the two remaining attractions.
What the New York C3 Pass Does Well
Once you purchase your New York C3 pass, you have an entire year (365 days) to activate it. This feature of the C3 pass gives you tremendous flexibility as you go about planning your New York adventure.
Even though the New York C3 pass covers admission to just 3 different attractions, you have 9 consecutive days to use it. If your schedule allows for it, this provides you plenty of time to spread out your visits to the different attractions, ensuring you’ll never feel too rushed.
Since your New York C3 pass is e-mailed to you just moments after you buy it, and you can scan it for admission at your chosen attractions straight from your smartphone, you’ll never have to worry ever again about losing a paper ticket. As long as you have your smartphone on you, you’re in business. On the other hand, some visitors appreciate being able to print out a paper copy of the New York C3 pass. It’s good to have options!
What Could Get Better?
The most obvious concern regarding the New York C3 pass is its limited focus: it only covers your admission to 3 attractions, drawn from a narrow list of 12 possible attractions. This isn’t a flaw, of course, it just means that the C3 pass is best suited for visitors with a very specific set of sightseeing needs.
When it comes to ticket pricing, the New York C3 pass considers anyone over the age of 12 years an adult. If you’re traveling with teenagers, this means you’ll need to pay adult prices for them, too. This might not be a problem for some visitors, but it’s worth noting that many other attraction passes on the market don’t enforce adult prices until the age of 18.
Get Your Money’s Worth with a New York C3 Pass
Like all attraction passes, the amount of money you’ll save using a New York C3 pass depends on which attractions you visit while using it as your entry ticket. As a general rule, you’re going to want to use your C3 pass at those attractions with the highest admission prices. Ticket prices are always subject to change, but of all the attractions covered by the New York C3 pass the most expensive are typically the Empire State Building, Edge at Hudson Yards, and any one of the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises on offer.
If you were an adult paying out of pocket at each one of those three attractions, you’d be liable to spend about $125 in total. With the current cost of a New York C3 pass at $87, you’re looking at a savings of $38, or just about 33% off the list price. For children, it’d be roughly $97 for individual tickets versus $67 for a kids C3 pass—again, almost 33% in total savings.
New York C3 Pass Insider Tips
Some attractions, like the Empire State Building, 9/11 Memorial & Museum, and the Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises (just to name a few), require you to make advance reservations. This doesn’t mean you need to pay any extra costs when visiting these attractions with your New York C3 pass, it just means you’ll need to plan ahead a bit in order to be certain you can visit them at the time that works best for your schedule.
Even if reservations aren’t required at an attraction you want to visit, given the high-profile nature of the attractions available through the New York C3 pass, it’s a good idea to make one if at all possible. This is especially true during peak periods like the spring and summer months, and the festive holiday season.
Families traveling with small children will want to pay close attention to the fine print at several attractions covered by the New York C3 pass, as many of these famous spots already offer free admission to young kids. For instance, children 4 years old and younger can enter the Empire State Building and Top of the Rock Observation Deck for free. At the American Museum of Natural History, there’s a special discounted rate for children between the ages of 2 and 4 years old, with children under the age of 1 allowed to enter at no cost. It’s a good idea to look into these details as you plan your trip.
Where to Buy the New York C3 Pass
The New York C3 may be purchased online, over the phone, or in person at select participating area attractions.