New York does not have a single must-do ticket. It has five observation decks selling the same skyline, three helicopter tours selling the same flight path, and a ferry market where only one operator is actually authorized to land on Liberty Island. I went through this week’s best-selling New York City listings on GetYourGuide and kept eight that are genuinely different from each other: two decks that could not be less alike, a memorial, a ferry, two museums, a helicopter flight, and one pass that bundles half the list. Where a category was commoditized, I kept the single best representative and cut the rest. That means no Edge, no Top of the Rock, and no One World Observatory here, not because they are bad, but because a third, fourth, and fifth deck would not have told you anything new. Prices run from $25 to $272. Here is how the current lineup breaks down.
My quick guide to the best things to do while traveling through the USA already flags New York City as the first stop for a reason. This guide is the ticket-level version of that advice.
1. SUMMIT One Vanderbilt Tickets
This is the deck I would pick if you only pick one, and it is not close. SUMMIT is a 91st to 93rd floor art installation as much as a viewpoint: two floors of mirrored rooms, glass ledges suspended 1,063 feet above Madison Avenue, and an outdoor terrace on the 93rd floor. It holds a 4.7 rating across more than 61,000 reviews, the largest review base of any single New York attraction ticket on this list. The honest tradeoff is that it is an experience first and a view second. If you want a quiet, classic panorama with no mirrors and no crowds playing with silver balloons, the Empire State Building below is your deck. If you want the version of New York that photographs like nothing else in the city, this is it. Check the official site at SUMMIT One Vanderbilt for sunset pricing before you book, since sunset slots cost more than daytime ones.
Price: From $48
Who it’s for: First-timers and photographers who want the most distinctive view in Manhattan, not just the highest one.
2. 9/11 Memorial and Museum Timed Ticket
The highest rated ticket on this list at 4.8 stars across more than 35,000 reviews, and the cheapest at $25. Timed entry covers the museum, with complimentary access to the outdoor memorial, the Survivor Tree, and the Memorial Glades. The museum holds more than 10,000 artifacts across three sections covering the day itself, the years before it, and the aftermath, plus the Memorial Exhibition and the Foundation Hall with the last column and the slurry wall. Two facts worth knowing before you go: the outdoor memorial itself is free, so this ticket is really buying museum entry and a timed slot, and the subject matter is heavy. The museum advises that some content may not suit children under 10. The 9/11 Memorial and Museum official site lists free Monday evening admission, which is worth checking if your dates are flexible.
Price: From $25
Who it’s for: Any visitor to Lower Manhattan who wants the museum done properly, with a timed slot instead of a gamble on the day.
3. Empire State Building Observation Deck and Museum Ticket
The classic deck, and the deliberate contrast to SUMMIT above. This is an open-air 86th floor deck in an Art Deco tower, reached through museum galleries covering the building’s construction and pop culture history, with an optional upgrade to the enclosed 102nd floor. It is rated 4.7 across roughly 29,000 reviews and was voted a top US attraction in TripAdvisor’s 2026 Travelers’ Choice awards, according to the listing. Where SUMMIT sells immersion, this sells the building itself. The view is the familiar one, Central Park to the north and the Brooklyn Bridge to the south, and for a lot of visitors that familiarity is the point. Do not buy the $93 express version of this same ticket unless you are genuinely short on time. The standard ticket below is the same deck.
Price: From $50
Who it’s for: Travelers who want the iconic New York view without mirrors, installations, or a modern art experience attached to it.
4. Statue City Cruises: Official Statue of Liberty Tickets
This is the one entry where the seller matters more than the price. Statue City Cruises is the only official and authorized ferry service to Liberty Island and Ellis Island, and this listing is that ferry, not a sightseeing boat that sails past the statue. You get the ferry from Battery Park or Liberty State Park, the Statue of Liberty Museum and grounds, and the Ellis Island National Museum of Immigration, with audio guides at both stops. It is rated 4.5 across nearly 20,000 reviews. Note what it does not include: crown and pedestal access, which books separately and months ahead. I cut the $49 guided Statue of Liberty tour from this list on purpose. The guided version adds narration to the same ferry route, but at $16 more than this official ticket, and the audio guide here already covers the history.
Price: From $33
Who it’s for: First-time visitors who want to actually set foot on Liberty Island and Ellis Island, not just photograph the statue from a boat.
5. Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Entry Ticket
Pre-booked admission that skips the ticket desk at one of the most visited art museums in the world, with Monet, Kahlo, Matisse, Dali, and Warhol among the permanent collection. It is rated 4.6 across more than 14,000 reviews. The practical detail that changes the math for families: children 16 and under always get free admission, and the Art Lab and Creativity Lab visits are included. That makes this a far better value for a family than the headline $30 suggests. Solo visitors should weigh it against the American Museum of Natural History below. MoMA is the tighter, more focused museum day. The Natural History museum is the bigger, longer one.
Price: From $30
Who it’s for: Art lovers, and families, since kids 16 and under get in free.
6. American Museum of Natural History Ticket
More than 40 galleries across from Central Park, with all-day entry, the Rose Center for Earth and Space, the Hall of Biodiversity, and the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life. It is rated 4.5 across more than 17,000 reviews. The ticketed exhibitions are the upsell to watch: Invisible Worlds, the 360-degree immersive theater, and the space show are available with the higher ticket types, not the base one. This is the museum to pick if you have a full day and kids in tow, or if dinosaurs and the planetarium beat modern art for your group. It is also the one entry here where trying to see everything is a mistake. Pick two halls, see them properly, and leave the rest for a return trip.
Price: From $37
Who it’s for: Families and science lovers with a full day to spend, who would rather wander 40 halls than queue for one viewpoint.
7. Manhattan Sightseeing Helicopter Tour
The deliberate splurge. A 15 to 30 minute flight in a helicopter with floor-to-ceiling convex windows, past Central Park, the Hudson River, the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, the Empire State Building, and the Brooklyn Bridge, with narration. It is rated 4.8 across more than 7,700 reviews, the joint highest score on this list. The price is the whole story: $272 is more than the other seven entries combined at their starting prices, except for the pass. I kept one helicopter listing and cut the other two near-identical ones, including a Statue of Liberty focused flight at a similar price, because the Manhattan route covers the same landmarks and more. Book this for a special occasion or a first trip you want to remember, not as a default sightseeing move.
Price: From $272
Who it’s for: Special occasion travelers and photographers who want the whole skyline in half an hour and accept the price for it.
8. New York CityPASS: Save up to 51% at 5 Top Attractions
The pass that quietly makes several entries above cheaper, if you use it. One purchase covers five attractions over nine days, chosen from a list that includes the Empire State Building, the American Museum of Natural History, Top of the Rock, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, the official Statue of Liberty ferry, Circle Line cruises, the Intrepid Museum, the Guggenheim, Edge, and the Whitney. It is rated 4.7 across more than 11,000 reviews. The math is simple: the Empire State Building, Natural History, and 9/11 entries above already total $112 at starting prices, and the Statue ferry adds $33, so five well-chosen stops clear the $149 pass price fast. The catch is also simple: if you only want two or three attractions, buy them individually. A pass only saves money when you actually use it.
Price: From $149
Who it’s for: First-time visitors staying several days who know they will hit at least four or five major attractions.
Eight tickets, none selling the same thing twice, and the range tells you how New York pricing actually works. The cheapest ways into the city are the $25 memorial ticket and the $30 MoMA ticket. The decks are where the choice matters most, and the honest answer is to pick one: SUMMIT for the experience, Empire State for the classic view, not both on the same trip unless you collect skylines. The Statue ferry is the one place where buying the official operator matters, and the helicopter is the one place where the price is the experience. If I had to book one thing blind, it would be the 9/11 Memorial and Museum ticket: the highest rated, the cheapest, and the one visit that stays with you longest. If you are building a longer trip around it, I used the same comparison format for my Vatican Museums tickets guide, and the structure holds up the same way there.
Quick Comparison of New York City Tours
| Tour | Rating | Reviews | Price | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUMMIT One Vanderbilt | 4.7 | 61K+ | $48 | Most distinctive view |
| 9/11 Memorial and Museum | 4.8 | 35K+ | $25 | Best value |
| Empire State Building | 4.7 | 29K | $50 | Classic view |
| Statue of Liberty Official Ferry | 4.5 | 19K+ | $33 | Island access |
| MoMA Entry | 4.6 | 14K+ | $30 | Art lovers, families |
| American Museum of Natural History | 4.5 | 17K+ | $37 | Full museum day |
| Manhattan Helicopter Tour | 4.8 | 7.7K | $272 | Splurge |
| New York CityPASS | 4.7 | 11K+ | $149 | Multi-day first trip |
Image credits: GetYourGuide
