The real challenge isn’t finding what to do — it’s deciding how much you can fit in (and how to afford it all). That’s where attraction passes come in. The Go City All-Inclusive Pass Las Vegas promises a smart way to explore more for less. For one fixed price, you can access dozens of top Las Vegas attractions, tours, and activities — plus a premium experience on the longer passes. It’s designed to help travellers save money while packing more fun into their Vegas itinerary.

But does it really deliver on those savings? Is it the best sightseeing pass for Las Vegas visitors? In this Go City Las Vegas Pass review, we’ll dive into what’s included, how it works, and — most importantly — whether the Go City Pass is actually worth it for your Vegas trip.

We take a detailed look at the pass. We look at the attractions, which are worth your time, how much you could save, how best to use the pass, who it suits, and if the pass is worth your money! The truth is there is no one right answer, the pass suits some travelers and not others. Vegas offers so many different kinds of experiences, some people love the pass while others would rather just hit the casinos.

We do find most people can use a pass in one way or another and there are loads of different options for passes so you can find one to suit your needs, so read on to see if the Go City Las Vegas pass is right for you or if a different pass might suit you better, or if you just don’t need a pass at all!

Go City Las Vegas Pass Review

• Product: Go Las Vegas Pass – All Inclusive
• Price: $135- $306
• Price Child: $125 – $281 (Child 3-12yrs)
• Where to Buy: GoCity.com
• Number Of Attractions: 39+ Top Attractions + 1 Premium
• Time Limit: 2-5 days unlimited (Consecutive Days)
• Expiry: 90 Days Refund (No Quibble) – 2 Year Expiry for First Use
• Rating: – 4.7/5

Attractions Included – 56 + 1 Premium Attraction Per Pass (3,4, and 5-day Passes only)

Premium Attractions:

• Strip Highlights Night Flight on Papillon Helicopters! – $124
• Mad Apple by Cirque Du Soleil- $88
• KA by Cirque du Soleil – $102
• Ultimate Gourmet Dine-Around: A Self-Guided Downtown Foodie Adventure! – $125
• National Parks Choice of Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon Full-Day Tour – $169

Unlimited All-Inclusive Attractions:

• High Roller Observation Wheel – Daytime Ticket – $35.80
• The Mob Museum – $34.95
• Neon Museum – $35.00
• Skypod at the Strat – Open – $26.95
• Madame Tussauds – $36.99
• Big Bus Tour -$53.00
• Real Bodies Exhibit – $32
• Fly Linq Zipline – $47.50
• Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris Las Vegas – $30
• and Many more…

Check Our Promo Code to save even more!!!

Check out our Promo Code Page to see if you could save EVEN more when purchasing a Go Las Vegas Pass. Click here to check out our available discount codes. Or click the Reveal button below to UNLOCK our BEST current Code!

Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the Go Las Vegas Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page

What is the Go City Las Vegas Pass?

The Go City Las Vegas Pass is an All-Inclusive attraction pass offering you the chance to experience as many of the available attractions as you can manage from the available list within a certain timescale. 2,3,4 or 5 consecutive days.

The Las Vegas version of the Go Pass also has the added benefit of allowing you to visit any one of 8 “premium” attractions per card when you buy a 3-day, 4-day, or 5-day card. These premium attractions are all really high-quality attractions; however, we feel some are better quality and value than the others and it’s obviously a shame you only get one of these. We will have an in-depth look at the best and worst attractions later on.

What is the Las Vegas Explorer Pass?

Another option, instead of the All-inclusive option, is the Explorer pass. In short, you purchase a number of attractions, as opposed to days, and visit them at your leisure over a 30-day period. Perfect for those who just want to see a few attractions at their own pace rather than tearing around the city doing everything. Read our full review here.

How much does the Go City Las Vegas Pass Cost?

Each pass is a fairly significant outlay; however, the price per day drops the more days you buy. This relieves a bit of the pressure to try and cram too much into each day.

The only exception is the 2-day pass, where the price per day is less than a 3-day pass. However, this is because the 2 Day pass does not include Premium Attractions.

• 2 Day Pass – Adult – $135* ($67 per day) Child – $125 – *$121 with our Code
• 3 Day Pass – Adult – $236* ($78 per day) Child – $221 – *$242 with our Code
• 4 Day Pass – Adult – $291* ($72 per day) Child – $276 – *$261 with our Code
• 5 Day Pass – Adult – $306* ($61 per day) Child – $281 – *$275 with our Code

We do regularly get discount codes made available to use so check our Promo Code Page to see if we have any available right now for you to save EVEN more money!

How Long is the Pass Valid for and Can You Cancel?

Covid-19 has injected a huge amount of uncertainty and fear into Travel. We feel Go City has done the best it can to remedy this situation as much as possible!

The Go City Passes used to be valid for a single year after purchase. However, due to the uncertainty surrounding the Pandemic, people really didn’t know when they were going to be able to re-book their trips. To help with this Go City has extended its validity period to 2 years from the date of purchase.

This only really helped out with people who had already bought a Pass but had their trips postponed. People who were yet to buy obviously held off and we think you were right to do so. A pass is only really something you buy when you know you are going somewhere. However, if you have a trip coming up and are considering a Pass, it may be causing you concern that things may flair up again and you need to postpone, so having the 2-year validity date helps ease those fears!

They have also increased the Cancellation period up to 90 days. This means if you buy less than three months before your trip and something changes and you cannot travel you can get a quibble-free refund, no questions asked. They really have done everything possible to keep the Pass relevant and workable for people Visiting the City.

How does it Work?

The Las Vegas GO pass is a digital pass. It is emailed to you after ordering and you then either use the pass directly from your phone (See Image right) or you can print it out and use it that way. Either way, it is a QR Barcode that is scanned at the attractions allowing you entry to the attractions.

The Pass is activated on the first day you use it and then you have the number of days you purchased to enjoy as many attractions as you like from the list. These are consecutive Calendar days, not 24-hour periods. So make sure you activate it early on your first day or you will lose that portion of the day prior to activating.

As some of the attractions require pre-booking it’s important to read the details of how to book your attractions before visiting to ensure you get to do the activities you choose. We have handily marked any that require pre-booking.

Is the Go City Las Vegas Pass Right for Me?

Vegas is a very diverse city and many very different people visit for many different reasons. A large number simply come to party, drink, and gamble. And that is fine, but it’s unlikely these people are going to get much value out of an Attraction Pass.

However, as you are reading this, and have got this far, this is probably not you. You are probably interested in visiting attractions and making good use of your time while in Vegas. So an attraction Pass may be the right choice for you.

The Las Vegas GO Pass is by nature designed to be used a lot. It is fairly steep on the price front and as such you need to visit a lot of attractions to get the value from it. If you are just considering taking in a few attractions at a more leisurely pace may be the Explorer pass would be more suited? Here you select a number of attractions you wish to visit and then have 30 days to visit those attractions at your leisure.

The 2-day pass offers pretty good value and you can easily cram enough into two days to make it well worth the outlay. The 3,4 and 5-Day Pass are really only great value if one of the 4 Premium Attractions is very attractive to you. Basically, take a look below at our descriptions of the 5 Premium attractions, and if one Jumps out at you then you are probably going to find great value in the Go Pass. The Premium attractions cover nearly 50% of the value of the Pass!

Other Passes?

There are several passes available for Las Vegas and some may suit you more than the Las Vegas Go Pass:

Las Vegas Attraction Pass Comparison

The Las Vegas Pass Review – Discontinued

The Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass Review

The Las Vegas Explorer Pass Review

The Go Las Vegas Build Your Own Pass – Discontinued

I’m not sure a Pass Sounds Right for Me!

We know the pass is not for everyone, and while we do believe for most people, if the attractions are appealing a pass is a great idea, for some, they just don’t like the feeling of being tied to something. So while the Passes are not for everyone, most people do like saving money!

Vegas is a city where everything can be gotten cheaper, where getting a deal is all part of the experience. There are loads of ways to visit attractions for less while visiting Vegas. We feel the attraction passes offer some of the best savings, but there are other options. Read of full guide on Saving Money in Las Vegas.

How do We Test?

We make sure we try the Passes and the Attractions in person. We visit the destinations, try out the passes, and see exactly how they work and what is both good and bad about the passes AND the attractions. We travel in a way we expect other people to travel as well. In Vegas, we spend time by the pool, time in the casinos, time eating incredible food, and time visiting attractions. We try and find some time to sleep but that is fairly optional!

If you want to see exactly how the Las Vegas Go Card can be used for an AWESOME trip check out our latest Live Blog entry where we hit Vegas Hard, Pass in hand! We got fantastic value out of the Pass but it didn’t stop us from hitting the pools, Casino’s shops, and a ton of other things not covered on the pass. The Pass simply enhanced the experience, exactly what a pass is supposed to do! See more, Pay Less!

How are things Post Covid? Well, we have that covered too, we headed back to Vegas in March 2022 to check out the Pass and see how the City is recovering from the Pandemic. Spoiler, it’s recovering really really well!

Attractions

The pass is ALL about attractions, if the attractions do not appeal there is really no point in getting the pass. While we often find some of the least appealing attractions for us, end up being our favorites, if the roster of things to do doesn’t get you going, you should probably skip the pass.

With this in mind let’s take a look at the best of the line-up so you can see if the pass is worth it for you. If by the end of this, you are super excited about all the things you can see and do with the pass, we promise you are going to have an awesome time using it!

Premium Attractions:

When Buying a 3-Day, 4-Day, or 5-Day Pass You are able to choose one Premium attraction from the following but Remember it’s ONE premium Attraction per PASS.

Full-Day Grand Canyon National Park Tour – $169

One of the most popular attractions for Visitors to Vegas is a trip to the Grand Canyon. However, most people end up at the West Rim. This is much closer to Vegas and has a very touristy feel. However, the actual canyon at this viewing spot is poor in relation to the fantastic South Rim.

With the Las Vegas GO Pass, you get the opportunity to travel to the South Rim and see the absolute best of the canyon. Here you will see it at its widest and deepest, and most spectacular. Many leave the west rim a little underwhelmed, as the canyon is not what they had imagined from all the photos and films they have seen. That is because all those were shot at the South Rim. This part of the Canyon really will take your breath away!

Read more about West Rim vs South Rim here

So why do most go to the West Rim? Well, the South Rim is an awfully long way. This trip has a 5-hour coach journey each way! This makes for an awfully long day. While this is broken up with stops, it’s still going to be a grueling trek by the end. We wish we could say it will be fine but 10+ hours on a coach is going to be tough for anyone! Is it worth it? Oh yes, it’s worth it, but only if the Grand Canyon is really high on your list and then only if you can afford a FULL day out of your trip to see it. If you are not 100% determined to see the Grand Canyon in all its glory, then this isn’t for you. There are also other options to see the south rim that are not as grueling, such as an overnight stop close to the Canyon or a flight out to it. Or if you just want a taster the West Rim is still a very impressive place.

These Coach tours are not our favorite so we tend to suggest seeing the canyon a different way and choosing one of the other Premium Attractions. But if seeing the Canyon is a lifetime dream, and a coach trip is your only option, this is a very high-value item, and $119 is 60+% of the 3 Day pass price!

There is also now an option to visit Bryce Canyon, another amazing National Park, and the Journey is not quite as long as the Grand Canyon, so there is more time in the park and less on the bus! This also gives you the bonus of visiting Zion Canyon as well, 2 for 1 and both utterly stunning!

Las Vegas Helicopter Tour – Night Flight ($154) Pre-Book

A really fantastic option for an experience of a lifetime. Seeing Vegas at night from the Air is an unforgettable experience. The strip is an awesome sight at night, but from the air, it takes on a whole new level of spectacular. You will have seen Ariel footage in films, and with this option, you get to fulfill that vision as you fly low, taking all the incredible visual delights the City has to offer.

The obvious downside is that if you have a severe fear of flying or even heights, then you are going to want to give this a wide berth. But for everyone else, this could be the experience of a lifetime! And unlike the South Rim Tour, it’s not going to take a full day of your trip (and your Pass!)

We love this option and feel it is easily the highest-rated and most popular choice of premium attraction. There really is nothing better than soaring over Vegas at night! Check out our video below!

Cirque Du Soleil – KA ($102)

Our favorite Cirque Show and really welcome addition to the Pass. KA is a mind-blowing show with a heavy oriental and martial arts theme. The Entire Set moves and shifts on a huge hydraulic platform as the Stars journey through an epic lifetime adventure of Love, Betrayal war, and triumph.

It really is spectacular and something everyone visiting Vegas should see. Incredible stunts, costumes, music, and drama.

Cirque Du Soleil – MAD APPLE ($88)

This is Cirque’s newest show, and it’s very fitting that they have located it in New York, New York Casino, as the show is entirely centered around the Big Apple. So expect all the highlights of America’s brashest City.

Incredible Circus feats and dance acts all set to an Iconic New York York-inspired score, it’s one of Cirque’s best shows to date and well worth getting to see. However, it’s at the cheaper end of the premium attractions, so has adds less value to he pass than the others.

Ultimate Gourmet Dine-Around: A Self-Guided Downtown Foodie Adventure! ($125)

This is a new attraction on the Pass, and we are going to be honest, we have not managed to check this one out yet. But it is intriguing, and we have been hearing the buzz about these tours for a while.

For $125, we are not sure these are going to be amazing value, but on the pass, it might be worth a shot. You basically get to visit 3 restaurants, each providing 3 dishes (appetizer size) for you to try. That’s $13 a dish, so if these are all higher-end dining experiences, that’s pretty good, but honestly, we can usually find a restaurant ourselves, so not sure if we need a tour. And remember, this is downtown, so it’s not going to be the fancy, glitzy strip establishments. From reviews and reports, you can expect:

• Carson Kitchen – Gourmet Burgers
• 7th & Carson – Modern American
• Eureka! – Eureka! Discover American Craft

But these can and do change. As we said, we are intrigued, but with SO much food on offer, we are not sure we would spend 2-3 hours downtown just eating!

Standard Attractions:

With all the passes you can visit as many of the following attractions within the set number of days you have purchased. The List of available attractions is far larger than we could ever feature in this post, but these are a selection of our favorites and that we feel are the best value.

High Roller Observation Wheel – Daytime Ticket – Open ($35.80)

The High Roller is really a fantastic attraction and something everyone should do in Vegas. The Highlight of the HighRoller for us is the Open Bar; unfortunately, this is no longer an option due to Social Distancing, but the View from one of the world’s tallest observation wheels is still incredible. Read more about the Wheel here. The Day Price is included in the Pass, but you can pay the difference and upgrade to the nighttime experience, which is quite a bit better.

The Mob Museum – Open ($34.95)

A great little museum featuring the history of organized crime in the USA. Vegas was a big mob city back in the Day. It’s the perfect place for a museum of this type. Not your usual heavy museum. One of Las Vegas’s Best Museums.

The Stratosphere Observation Deck – Open ($26.95)

We love the Stratosphere observation deck and consider it one of Vegas’s must-do activities, so having it on a pass really helps. Unfortunately, none of the rides are included on the pass, but still the skip the line entry is a nice plus, and you can pay extra for the rides when up there, should you be so brave!

The View from up top is quite unlike any other in Vegas and gives a great perspective down the strip, but also out over the vast Las Vegas valley with the stunning Spring Mountains rearing up in the distance!

Currently, you can also get 50% off the Skyjump when using the pass, just in case you want to throw yourself off the top!

Madame Tussaud’s – Open – $36.99

While we enjoy a good Madame Tussauds, the truth is a lot of them are not exactly that good, mentioning no names (<Cough> New <Cough> York <Cough>). The Vegas Location however, is actually one of our favorites! While London is our hands-down winner and the original, the Vegas edition really hits the right note of the City. It’s fun, young, and full of hangover references. It is super touristy, but if you are just looking for a fun break from drinking or gambling, it really is a hoot, with a ton of awesome Selfie opportunities.

Read more…

Big Bus Tour – Open -$62

Get out and see Vegas from the open-top deck of the Big Bus Tours! These tours are very touristy, but if this is your first time in Vegas it is a great way to check out the strip. It is a Hop On Hop Off Bus, but the truth is they do not work very well as transport; they are fairly infrequent and a slow means of getting around. Treat them more like a tour, but definitely hop on and off a couple of times and they are a great way to get to grips with the layout of Vegas.

The view from the open-air top deck is pretty awesome, but be prepared to sock it in as the bus will spend a lot of time in traffic! The bottom line, if you need to get somewhere fast, don’t use the Big Bus HOHO, but if you are just sightseeing it’s great!

Real Bodies Exhibit – Open ($39.95)

Certainly, this exhibit only appeals to a certain type of person, but if that is you, this exhibit is incredibly fascinating. We really do recommend this to anyone with a curious mind and a strong stomach. Remember, these are REAL bodies of deceased people!

It is a very strange sensation looking directly into the eyes of a real deceased person, but it is also fascinating and hugely informative. We headed to the Exhibit hosted at the Horseshoe Hotel and Casino (previously known as Bally’s)

Hoover Dam Tour – Pre-Book – Open ($65)

While probably not on your list if you chose the South Rim Grand Canyon tour, as you will have stopped here on that excursion. If you chose one of the others or are on a two-day card, then this is a great option. The Hoover Dam is a must-see in Vegas and it’s well worth visiting. The only issue is it’s a 5-6 hour trip, which, while well worth it, will limit the number of other attractions you could visit that day.

Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris Las Vegas ($30)

We love getting up high, and the Eiffel Tower gives yet another opportunity to get up high and see the city from another angle. The Experience is more than just an observation deck though, as you are taken through a history of France before riding the glass elevator to the top.

More info here on the Eiffel Tower Viewing Deck

Area 15 –  Illuminarium Experiences ($29)

Area 15 is a new sprawling attraction that has recently opened in Vegas. Filled with wild and varied interactive and technological attractions and art installations and experiences. One of these is the very impressive Illuminarium. Essentially this is a large projections screen, like a cinema, only the projections are all around you allowing you to feel like you are entering the actual space.

There are various experiences included, such as Space, an Africa Safari, or even taking a drink in Tokoyo! It’s a really cool and unique experience.

There are many different experiences at Area 15, but for now, only the Illuminarium is included.

Vegas Rockstar Club Tour – Pre-Book – ($99.00)

A fantastic night on the tiles. After pre-drinks, you are chauffeured around in a party bus to some of the best nightclubs in the world, let alone Vegas. This really is one for the party animals, and it’s sure to be a wild night. Great if you don’t really know where you want to go as you will visit a few different clubs. Also, you will likely be in a group so if you are alone or a couple or a small group, you should hopefully pick up a few new friends! This includes booze on the Party bus but not in the clubs. Club drinks are really pricey, so make sure you pre-load and take advantage of the party bus!

We checked out this tour on our last trip to Vegas here…it got pretty messy, as the party bus host definitely was not short with the measures!

The lineup is changeable, but we have seen Voodoo Lounge, Fondation Room, On The Record, and AZILO Ultra Lounge all appear on the tour.

Rockstar Pool Party Tour – Pre-Book – $89.00

A chance to check out some of the hottest pool parties in town. This can be as wild or as chilled as you like. It’s a great way to have a good look at some of the pools outside of your hotel. While you are transported around checking out the parties. You can either party hard or if last night was rough spend time chilling in the sun.

These two rockstar tours are horrendously over-priced, and many guests do not feel they get great value from them; however, when used on the Pass they are a total bargain, the tours feel practically free and you get a good amount of free drinks and access to some of the best Pool Parties and Clubs in town!

Is the Las Vegas Pass Good Value?

If you take at face value, all the “gate” prices listed, then the Pass is clearly exceptional value. You can potentially save an absolute fortune. However, the “Gate” Price can be misleading as we explain below. First here is a quick breakdown of easily achievable savings using a 3-day Pass:

Day 1 – Tourist Traps!

Using the Bus to get to and from Downtown and the Stratosphere.

• Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tour ($65)
• Madame Tussauds ($37)
• The Stratosphere ($27)
• Mob Museum ($35)
• The Big Apple Roller Coaster ($25)

Total – $189

Day 2 – Explore

• Flyover Las Vegas ($32)
• Area 15 – Illuminarium ($39)
• Night Club Tour ($99)

Total – $170

Day 1 – Flying High

• High Roller Observation Wheel ($36)
• Fly Linq ($25)
• Eiffel Tower Experience ($31)
• Las Vegas Strip Helicopter Tour ($124) – Premium

Total – $216

Breakdown

• Total Cost: $ 575
• Cost of Pass: $ 279
• Total Saving: $ 296!!! over 55% Saving!

Of Course, these are incredible figures. However, in Vegas, nothing needs to cost what it’s meant to. There are always savings to be had and costs to be cut. So really, you could easily save at least part of that saving without purchasing a pass. But that would mean quite a bit of work hunting around and searching out all the best deals. With a Las Vegas GO Pass, it’s really very simple to achieve very large savings with minimal effort.

The above Itinerary would lead to an utterly fantastic trip and is completely achievable. All for $279.

Alternatively, take a look at our Live Blog and see how we used the Las Vegas Go Pass very recently to have an awesome time in Vegas!

AND you could possibly save EVEN more with our Promo Code page, which could snag you even more discounts! Currently, we have a 10% Code, making the 3-Day Pass only $250, another $29 saving, enough for an extra drink or two by the pool!

AND REMEMBER ALL THESE SAVINGS ARE PER PERSON!

Check Our Promo Code to save even more!!!

Check out our Promo Code Page to see if you could save EVEN more when purchasing a Go Las Vegas Pass. Click here to check out our available discount codes. Or click the Reveal button below to unlock our BEST current Code!

Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the Go Las Vegas Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page

It is not all about cost either. It’s very clear there are large savings to be made but the additional benefits of using a pass all help add hidden value to the GO pass.

Planning

Knowing what attractions you would like to visit helps greatly in planning what you will do and where you will go. It’s amazing how many people rock up in Las Vegas with no real idea of what to do. Having the pass gives you a real plan of action and something to base your planning around.

Budgeting

The fact the pass is one simple fee really helps with budgeting. it can be very hard to know how much you will spend on any trip but especially so in Vegas where everyone seems to be trying to get money out of you in one way or another. Having your entire attraction budget nailed down to one fixed price is quite a reassuring thing.

Less Hassle

As we mentioned you could save part of the total savings by hunting around and getting as many deals as possible. after all, Vegas is the home of the cut-price and coupon savings. Almost any price can be lowered by one saving or another. But that’s quite a chore. You would also have multiple tickets and coupons etc. With the Go pass, it’s one quick online purchase and you have all your tickets in one place as a hand QR Barcode ready to scan.

Well, almost it should be noted that some attractions require pre-booking. You can’t expect to just show up the morning of your south rim tour and just hop on. these things need to be planned. But it greatly reduces the workload. Just remember to read all the Detail about each attraction you wish to visit!

Inspiration

A pass can really help you understand what is on offer and available while in Vegas. Simply looking at the list of attractions can easily give you ideas for attractions that you really didn’t know existed. While of course, you don’t need to purchase a pass to use it for inspiration, you can just look at it online and use that as your guide. We still think it’s worth mentioning.

On their own maybe the following is not enough to recommend a Go Pass but when you consider the savings as well as the advantages it’s a pretty fantastic deal In our opinion.

See More, Pay Less

In Reality, the pass does not actually save people THAT much money. Our Suggested Itinerary above is not something someone without a Pass would ever really consider. However having the pass really does let you get out and see the BEST of the City, while only paying a limited amount of money. It can really be the Holy Grail of paying less and seeing more! On trips, before we found the pass we penny-pinched and really did very little but wandered around the City.

With the Pass we hit everything! There is no longer a cost element to consider and you simply throw yourself headfirst into the experience. For this reason, we love the Pass!

What We don’t like!

We also query quite a few of the listed prices for some attractions. These are the worst-case prices and in a lot of cases in Vegas, they could be had for a lot less. But the pass still represents good value if you get use out of it.

It’s a shame that the pass has to be used on consecutive days. The option to have pool days/days where you don’t use the pass is a real bonus on some passes. But all Vegas passes work this way apart from the Explorer pass.

It is also worth noting that a number of different shows are included on the pass. One limitation of this is you may only visit one show per day of the Pass. For us, this is not a big deal as we tend to just do the whole dinner and a show thing and don’t really want to plan too many shows in. But if you are planning on using the pass to see as many shows as possible this can be a bit of an issue for some people.

As ever with all-inclusive Attraction passes you need to be careful not to chase the pass. Trying to cram in just too much in an attempt to get maximum value! We find it best to really just focus on the Attraction you really like the sound of, if you are not sure just give it a miss and head off and do something you really want to.

Check Our Promo Code to save even more!!!

Check out our Promo Code Page to see if you could save EVEN more when Purchasing a Go Las Vegas Pass. Click here to check out our available discount codes. or Click the Reveal button Below to Unlock our BEST current Code!

Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the Go Las Vegas Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page

Conclusion.

We really like the Go City Las Vegas Pass and think it offers really good value and ease of use to the right traveler. The Premium attractions are a great selling point of the pass assuming they are something that interests you. If not stick to a 2-day or look elsewhere. But for a fairly significant outlay, the pass enables you to greatly maximize your trip potential. There are plenty of really good high-value attractions, way more than anyone could visit in 5 days, so you will never be short of things to do.

The value of the pass cannot really be doubted even if some of the headline prices are a little above what you would pay if you shop around. You would be hard-pressed to get the sort of savings the pass offers, but we think Super savvy buyers may be able to get close, but that’s a lot of legwork.

It is hard to ignore the fact the Pass really has, on our previous trips, really opened up the City. We tried things and visited places we never bothered to when all we saw was the entry fees and some of these have been our favorite things to do. So many times we considered whether we should do A, B, or C? High Roller, Stratosphere, or the Eiffel Tower? With the pass, we did all three!

For anyone wanting a super busy action-packed break in Vegas that they are sure to remember. One where they will get to see and do everything, The Go Las Vegas Pass is pretty hard to beat!

Have Your Say?

Let us know if you have used the Las Vegas Go Pass. Did you find it useful and good value? Which Premium Attraction did you go for? Let us know if you have any questions about the attractions listed or how they work. Or if you have any comments or questions at all just leave us a comment below and we will get back to you.

You May Also Like:

• Las Vegas Explorer Pass
• Las Vegas Attractions
• The Las Vegas Pass (Formely Power Pass)
• Las Vegas Pass Comparison

In our Go City Oahu Pass review, we dive into how this pass works, who it benefits most, and which attractions offer the best value. We’ll break down the potential savings on a realistic itinerary, not just by choosing the most expensive activities.

We’ll also explore other perks of the pass, such as convenience and flexibility, and any possible downsides. By the end, you’ll have a clear answer: is the Go City Oahu Pass a great deal for your trip, or are you better off exploring on your own?

We tested the pass firsthand in Oahu, providing insights from our real experience. This way, you’ll get an honest look at whether it’s worth your money—or just another tourist expense. So read on, and let’s see if the Go City Oahu Pass is the right fit for you!

• Product: GO City Oahu Pass – All-Inclusive (previously known as the Go Oahu Card/Pass)
• Price: $99- $376
• Price Child: $89 – $326 (Child 3-12yrs)
• Where to Buy: GoCity.com
• Number Of Attractions: 44+ Top Attractions + 1 Premium from all over the Island
• Time Limit: 1,2,3,5 or 7 days unlimited over a 2-week period
• Expiry – 2 Years plus 90 Day Money Back Guarantee
• Rating: 4.7/5 Stars

What attractions are included in the Go Oahu Pass?

44 + 1 Premium Attraction Per Pass (3,5 and 7-day Passes only)

Premium Attractions: Choice of 1 per Pass (3,4,5 and 7-day Passes only)

• Moana Splash Luau @ Sea Life Park – $169
• Aloha Kai Luau at Sea Life Park – $185.75

Unlimited All-Inclusive Attractions:

• Makani Catamaran Sail – $138 ($20 Upgrade to Sunset)
• Waikiki Turtle Canyon Cruise and Snorkeling – $125 – Explorer Only
• Circle Island Tour: Hidden Gems, Byodo-In Temple & Turtle Spotting –$154
• Polynesian Cultural Center – $98
• Snorkel Rental –$27
• Pacific Aviation Museum –$26
• Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum –$22
• Battleship Missouri –$35
• Waimea Valley – $26
• SUP and Kayak Rental – $75
• Kualoa Ranch Tours –$54
• and Many more…

What is the GO City Oahu Pass?

The GO City Oahu Pass is an attraction pass from Go City allowing the user to visit as many attractions as they like from the list available on a given number of days. On top of this If you purchase a 3,5, or 7 days pass you can also choose one of 6 Premium attractions per Pass.

How does the Go City Oahu Pass Work?

The GO City Oahu Pass is a digital pass (not a Card). It is emailed to you after ordering and you then either use the pass directly from your phone or you can print it out and use it that way. Either way, it is a QR Barcode that is scanned at the attractions allowing you entry to the attractions.

This is a great system that is so simple to use. All the Passes can be stored on the same phone and you just open up the App (No Data Needed) and scan the pass. There is also an included guide and Map so finding the Attractions and planning your day is simple.

The Pass is activated on the first day you use it and you then have that calendar day to visit as many attractions as you please. It is important to remember it is a calendar day, not a 24-hour period. So if you activate it late afternoon It will only be active until midnight that day. Multi-day passes can be used ANY day afterward for a two-week period.

This is a Great Feature of the Pass. Most Passes run for Consecutive days and once Activated the clock is ticking! But With the Go Oahu Pass, The Days are NON-Consecutive.

So if you are in Oahu for a 2-week trip, and purchase a 7-day Pass, for example, you have your entire two weeks to space out the attraction days.

On vacations to Hawaii, people are unlikely to want to spend the entire trip running around doing activities. Some days will be Beach days where you simply kick back with a Mai Tai or time spent chilling out by the pool or exploring downtown Waikiki. With the GO Oahu pass, you are not losing a day of your pass by doing this. The pass is simply activated the first time you use it each day.

How Much Does the Go City Oahu Pass Cost?

• 2-Day Pass – Adult $ 184 ($92 per day) – Child $139
• 3-Day Pass* – Adult $ 234 ($78 per day) – Child $199
• 4-Day Pass* – Adult $ 299 ($75 per day) – Child $259
• 5-Day Pass* – Adult $ 329 ($66 per day) – Child $289
• 7-Day Pass* – Adult $ 374 ($53 per day) – Child $324

*Includes 1 Premium Attraction

Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the Go Oahu Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page

We like to focus on the Per Day Cost.

As you can see the Price Per Day decreases as the number of days increases. Making the Pass better value in theory. In reality, you will start to exhaust the more costly and expensive attractions as you use the pass. This means you will normally see a similar percentage saving overall whatever length of pass you choose. Of course, the potential is there for greater savings on the longer passes

With the average attraction price being $50-55, and some being worth over $100, even topping out at $188, it becomes very quickly clear how much it is possible to save even with the 3-day Pass and the highest per-day price, you only need to visit 2+ attractions per day to make significant savings! – You can see here how much we saved on our recent trip!

And as you can see with a 7-day pass visiting just one attraction can make the pass worthwhile. And when you factor in the Non-Consecutive nature of the Pass, you can still have a really relaxing trip, see a whole bunch and save a ton of money.

The Go City Oahu Pass in Action

Sometimes these sorts of Passes can look really good on paper, but when you actually try and use them they do not work out so well. We make sure our product tests are as reliable as possible and head to the destinations in person to try out the Passes. We have used passes for years but we now run our LIVE BLOG where you can follow along with our trips (and look back) and see us use the Passes in person. Our recent trip to Ohau went great and we used the pass to great effect, saving money and seeing more. And this was on top of a really hectic schedule with loads of other things to do as well. in the end we saved over $353…incredible

The Pass works really seamlessly in Oahu, and at every attraction, we visited the pass was welcomed and caused absolutely zero fuss or issue. It is worth noting that with the majority of higher-priced attractions booking was essential, however, these were the sort of attractions that you would expect to book as they were tours or events and it’s perfectly usual to pre-book, such as a Luau or Catamaran Cruise.

We have some Tips below on how to get the best out of the Pass

Is the Go Oahu Pass Right for me?

Attraction Passes do not suit everyone. We all have our own habits and ways of traveling. The Go Oahu Pass can suit a wide range of travelers though. Due to its feature of non-consecutive days, most travelers can benefit from using the pass in some way. Even if it’s just to use the add-ons for Pearl Habour. although in that case, you may be better off with the Passport to Pearl Habour.

Obviously, anyone with no intention of seeing or doing any attractions while in Oahu would not benefit from a pass, If all you plan to do is sit on a beach, or by the pool, and sip cocktails there is no point in buying a pass (And there is nothing wrong with this!) If however, you plan on mixing a few attraction days in with your relaxation, then the Oahu GO Pass is perfect. Likewise, if you like your trips all singing and all dancing a GO Pass is a fantastic way of getting the max out of your trip without breaking the bank.

Really Oahu is a stunning Island and it does really pay to get out and see it. Waikiki is OK, but it’s not a patch on the beauty of the rest of the island! The Go Oahu Pass can really help you plan and organize this in a BIG way, breaking you free from the confines of Honolulu!

The Go City Oahu pass Also suits people who will not have a car as a lot of the tours and trips include hotel pick-up from Honolulu, although not all of them, do so check if your desired attractions do before basing your decision on that. If they don’t then it is normally available for a fee, which you would have to pay with or without a pass.

The Tours included on the pass are great for those not planning on driving as you really can get out and see the wilder side of Oahu, something that is hard without your own transport! We tend to do this via Self Guided tours but if that is not an option the tours really are a great way to see the Island. There is SO much more to Oahu than Waikiki!

But the pass really works even better for self-drivers and explorers as it naturally leads you to other parts of the Island and to places you may not have visited without the Pass. It can take you to the North Shore surf breaks, the wild and rugged eastern coastline, the central valleys, the lost worlds of the Kualoa Valley, and even out onto the open ocean.

When Deciding if a pass is a good option for you the main point to consider is do you REALLY want to do the attractions on the list, there is so much to see and do on Oahu are the options on the Pass really the things you and your family want to do? You can take a look at our Oahu Must See list to see the best the Island has to offer. Then have a look below as we take a look at what the PASS has to offer to see if it fits with your wish list.

But the Pass also offers the chance to try things that you maybe would not otherwise. We use Passes in every city we travel to and there are ALWAYS attractions we know we would have skipped without a Pass, that we absolutely LOVE. Take the North Shore Fishing, SUP Yoga, all things you might not think of trying, but do so due to the Pass, these could be Vacation Highlights and you could possibly have never experienced them without the PASS!

Go Oahu Pass Attractions

Premium Attractions:

When Buying a 3-Day, 5-Day, or 7-Day Pass You are able to choose one Premium attraction from the following but Remember it’s ONE premium Attraction per PASS which makes choosing the right Premium attraction very important. And as they keep adding new premium attractions to the pass it’s getting harder and harder to choose!

Your premium attraction will need to be booked after purchasing your pass. Check the details for how to book your chosen attraction. Normally only a reservation Phone number is given to book with. This can be an issue for visitors from outside the US. But you can normally find a reservations Email address that should be able to help you with your reservation, No Guarantees though, but we have never received a no!

Moana Splash Luau  ($169) – Booking Required

NEW LOCATION

Visiting a Luau is high up on most people’s Must-Do Lists when Visiting Hawaii. However, these are far from cheap affairs run into several hundred dollars per Person and seem to have skyrocketed since Covid. So having a Luau included on the Pass is a real bonus!

The Moana Luau is Now located at the Aloha Tower in Downtown Honolulu. Included on the Pass is the Upgraded Splash Package offering 2 Drinks per Person and Upgraded seating.

The Luau itself is a pretty good one, we rate it pretty highly on our Best Luaus in Oahu list. It has all the standard highlights of a great luau, The Buffet is good quality Luau food with an intricate and lively show. The Cultural presentations beforehand are fun and the setting is quite unique, oceanside and right under the Icinic Aloha Tower.

The new location is not quite as scenic as the old Sea Life Park Location, but it’s still very special and is far more convenient for most people. You can add on transportation from most Waikiki Hotels, or just jump in an Uber or Taxi/ With two free drinks and a full bar, we don’t advise driving!

The new location is a little smaller than before, so ensure there is availability on your desired dates before committing to a Pass. Check Availability here. The old Location was right next to the Sea Life Park and offered free entry to that as well, this is no longer the case, but entry to the park IS included on the Pass anyway.

We visited the Moana Luau on our last trip and had a great time (although this was the old location).

Aloha Kai Luau at Sea Life Park ($185.75) – Booking Required

To be honest, we were a little disappointed when the Ka Moana Luau moved from the Sea Life Park to the new location, and a little disappointed that we lost the option of the Sea Life Luau from the Pass. So we were really happy to see it back! You now have a choice of two Luau’s, both quite different.

The main advantage of the Ka Moana is its convenient location, but every other advantage in our opinion, goes to the Aloha Kai Luau, and this would be our pick for your Premium Attraction if you were wanting to choose a Luau.

The location of the Aloha Kai is really stunning. You are overlooking the Ocean, under a dramatic Cliff line, surrounded by palm trees and greenery. It’s a beautiful setting as the sun sets, turning the sky into a stunning range of colors, as per usual with Oahu’s amazing sunset.

You get the Silver Package, which comes with two drinks, good seats, and a real Flower Lei(you only get a shell lei at Ka Moama). The Buffet is good, if not exactly fine dining, and offers a good range of traditional and familiar foods, but could use a little more choice, especially in the traditional range.

There are plenty of fun activities before the Buffet, with Palm Weaving and amazing Coconut Tree climbing demonstrations. You also get a 5-day Unlimited General Admission pass to Sea Life Park* and discounts at the gift shop.

We also found the show to be one of the better performances. Bright, Vibrant, and excellently performed, the Host performers had a real passion and energy about them. The fire dancers were also particularly good, with regional and state champions on display!

We love the fact that by choosing a luau, you are picking an evening activity, meaning you can spend the day doing other things on the pass to maximize the value! Both Luau are amazing value and really help you get the most out of your trip.

Note – The listed price of $185.75 is the standard price (including booking fees), but if you are organized, you can get the Luau for $148.10 at present. So we will use this figure for our calculations later.

*Entry to the Sea Life Park is included on the pass anyway, but this perk is still valuable as it’s independent of the pass, so you can visit the park on a day when you are NOT using the pass. The visit is valid for 5 days on either side of your booked Luau!

Sunset Dinner Sail on Makani Catamaran ($149) – Booking Required

If you are looking for a spot of romance when in Oahu, it doesn’t get much more romantic than a dinner cruise on a catamaran at sunset on one of the most beautiful ocean coastlines in the world. Some dinner cruises can be overcrowded cattle markets where any hint of romance is lost. The Makani Catamaran is a smaller vessel that is not too overcrowded, even when full. The dinner is an Island-style Buffet Menu. Not the most Gourmet offering, but perfectly delicious and fitting with the cruise.

With Drinks included, the stresses of daily life seriously melt away as you cruise slowly past Diamond Head with Waikiki lights sparkling in the background.

UPDATE! – This is no longer a Premium Attraction, but you can still do the cruise by booking this as a Standard Attraction and upgrading to the Sunset Option. This will not count as a Premium Attractions and offers amazing Value!!!

Standard Attractions:

With all the passes you can visit as many of the following attractions within the set number of days you have purchased. The List of available attractions is far larger than we could ever feature in this post but these are a selection of our favorites and that we feel are the best value.

Makani Catamaran Sail – $138 – Booking Required

Drinks are not included here though, but there is a cash bar! This is really good during Whale Season as the chances of a sighting are pretty high!

We recently took this cruise and had such a good time. This was combined with a Pearl Harbour visit as well to male a really amazing day of activities.

Upgrade to Sunset

Note – The Makani Daytime Cruise is included on the list of Standard Attractions and You can now upgrade this for $20 to the Sunset Cruise. That way you basically get TWO Premium Attractions which is a crazy good deal. It also gives you another evening activity so you have more time in the day to do other things!

Waikiki Turtle Canyon Cruise and Snorkeling – $125 – Booking Required

Note – This attraction has recently been removed from the All Inclusive Pass. Now only available on the Explorer pass, which is a bit of a shame as this was incredible Value.

Turtle Canyon is a large reef that sits just off the coast right in front of the Waikiki Shoreline. This reef is home to a large number of everyone’s Hawaii favorite Hawaii Residents, Green Sea Turtles (Honu). While there is never a guarantee with nature, the chances of seeing turtles here are about as good as you could imagine, it’s about as close to 100% as possible.

The Go Tours Hawaii Waikiki Turtle Canyon Cruise takes on a short boat ride put to the canyon where you get plenty of time to hit the water and share the ocean with the magical creatures. The boats can get a bit crowded and the water will be filled with other snorkellers but the water here is really clear and there is a huge abundance of life including the Turtles that call the reef home.

This is a New attraction to the Pass and we have not been out to the canyon with them but we have been out to the (underwater) canyon before and it’s an amazing experience. Swimming with the beautiful Honu is something you will never forget.

Hidden gems, Byodo-In Temple & turtle spotting ($154) – Booking Required

Note – Like the Snorkelling Cruise above – This attraction used to be a Premium, but is now a Standard attraction and offers amazing value and gets you out to really see the island!

This Island tour provided by Go Hawaii Tours is a great chance to get out and see some of the less well-known sights of the island, as well as some more popular tourist attractions. The Tour guides work really hard to make sure you have a fantastic tour and get to see some Real Hawaii that most tourists miss. Turtle Spotting is included on the tour and is one of most people’s desired sightings when visiting Hawaii. It is pretty unlikely the tour won’t find your turtles as thanks to conservation efforts turtles are now abundant on the Islands, as long as you know where to look.

We are usually self-drivers so have not taken this tour but really, we have been to every stop listed on the tour and it’s an incredible Itinerary.

A great tour for people who are not driving as the tour offers pick-ups from your hotel so you can get out of Honolulu and see the island. You really MUST get out of Waikiki at some point, regardless of purchasing the pass or taking this tour. There is just so much more to this magical island, and this tour takes all the stress out of finding that magic and navigating Honolulu’s pretty dier road network!

Polynesian Cultural Center – $98

The Polynesian Cultural Center is a must-see in our opinion and as one of the most visited attractions on the island, most people seem to agree. The pass allows you to visit the Center even if you don’t take up the option of the Luau Feast and Show. It’s a big place with so much to see so get there at noon at the latest to get the best of the Center.

Read Our Full Review Here

Pearl Harbor Add-Ons – up to $90.99

A visit to Pearl Harbor is on most people’s lists and we really feel it is the number one must-not-miss sight in all of Hawaii. But Such an important attraction is rightfully FREE to all. No pass is needed to Visit Pearl Harbor or the USS Arizona Memorial. However, there are a number of exhibits and museums there that do require a fee to visit.

• USS Battleship Missouri ($35)
• Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum – USS Bowfin($22)
• Pacific Aviation Museum ($26)
• USS Arizona Narrated Tour($7.99)
• Total ($90.99)

One Day Go Oahu Pass – $84 – $6.99 saving (even more with our Promo Code)

Passport to Pearl Harbor – $89.99 – $0.99 saving

All of the Above is included on the Go Oahu Pass, meaning your trip to Pearl Harbor will be incredibly memorable. While you could just purchase a one-day pass just for the Pearl Harbor add-ons and save a few $$$ that way, we actually recommend the Passport to Pearl Habour instead. This also includes a timed ticket to the Arizona Memorial.

However, if you plan on doing other attractions as well as all four Pearl Harbor attractions, then the pass is way better value, essentially any other attractions you fit in are FREE. Also, this option works well if you only want to visit a couple of the Pearl Habor sites. The Arizona and Missouri are real MUST-SEE’s but the others are a little more…optional. You can then use your pass to see other attractions in the area, or even back at Waikiki.

Of course, with any Multi-Day Pass, you save on your Peal Harbor trip and can then enjoy all the other attractions on other Pass days.

It is important to remember that you are advised to book a timed ticket to the Arizona memorial as early as possible (tickets go on sale 2 months in advance) to secure your place. These tickets are very popular and sell out fast. They are free apart from a $1.50 booking fee and can be booked here.

We have more detailed info on Pearl Harbour trips here

Kualoa Ranch Tours – $54.50 Each – Booking Required

The Kualoa Ranch is a very popular location in Oahu. The Ranch offers many tours of popular areas contained within its 4000 acres of land. 5 different tours are included on the Oahu Go Pass. Unfortunately, these are limited to one Tour per day. This is a bit of a shame as you will need to travel multiple times to the ranch (40-50 min drive from Honolulu) to experience multiple tours. A big drawback but it’s clearly imposed on the Go Pass by the ranch itself. And as long as you are aware of this restriction you can deal with it and maybe combine stops at the ranch with other excursions if there are multiple tours you really want to do.

The available tours are as follows:

Taste of Kualoa Farm Trolley Tour – This Tour takes you on a tour around the lush tropical gardens, and farm of the Ranch where you can sample and taste the fruits grown here in a traditional way. Before heading out into an ancient Hawaiian fishpond to learn how the Hawaiians manipulated Nature to feed their culture while remaining in balance. A fantastic tour to learn more about the Hawaiian culture and way of life.

Ocean Voyage Adventure – Take a ride on Kualoa Ranch’s own Catamaran. Head out over Kāneohe Bay to experience the calm shallow waters of Hawaii’s largest shallow-water Reef. The views out over the Mountains and the Islets are seriously stunning and the whole voyage is deeply relaxing.

Secret Beach Tour – One look at Waikiki Beach and the crowds that frequent it will have you yearning for a little bit of seclusion. The Secret Beach tour gives you just that. A private beach* for just you and your fellow tour guests. And it’s one incredible beach with stunning views of the coast and Chinaman’s Hat Island.

Malama Experience – A Eco adventure looking at sustainable and traditional farming methods used in both current and ancient times. This is a hands-on tour where you actually get your hands dirty and involved in the actual farming of the Ranch.

While this remote Picture perfect beach is a relaxation paradise some people get pretty bored doing nothing, even in paradise. Children and significant others complaining they are bored can really ruin your sun-kissed relaxation! Fortunately, the Secret Beach Tour offers a multitude of included activities to keep them occupied. Send them off Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, or playing Volleyball while you kick back with a book under a palm tree. Utter Bliss.

*No Beach in Hawaii is private and the Secret Beach is no exception, it is however very hard to access publically so the only beachgoers most days are ranch visitors.

More Information on the Kualoa Ranch Tours can be found here. 

UPGRADE TO MOVIE SITES TOUR FOR $15!!!

If you choose the Secret Beach Tour or the Kualoa Farm Tour You now have the option to upgrade to the Movie Sites or Jungle Expedition Tours! Both these tours are brilliant and well worth the upgrade fee. Remember though they will replace the tour you booked and are not in addition to them.

Movie Sights Tour – Easily our favorite Tour at the Ranch. The Kualoa Ranch is known as the Backlot of Hawaii, as this is the Hollywood go-to filming location any time a remote, jungle setting is required. Hundreds of movies have been shot here. Pearl Harbor, Mike, and Dave Need Wedding Dates, Godzilla, Kong: Skull Island, 50 First Dates, Mighty Joe Young, Windtalkers, Lost, and of course the New Jumanji Films. The Tour takes you around many of the filming locations for these films and showcases the breathtaking natural beauty of the Valley. It’s like a Hollywood tour, in Paradise!

But no one really cares about any of that. You do this tour for one reason and for one reason ONLY. This is Jurassic Park! Many Iconic scenes from the franchise have been shot here including the “they’re flocking this way” scene, and yes the T-Rex tree is still there! The T-Rex and Gallimimus are sadly missing, however.

Read more here when we took the Movie Sites Tour

Jungle Expedition – The Jungle Expedition is similar and takes you around a lot of the movie sights but also deeper into the lush and remote jungle habitat. You ride rugged Jungle Trucks and this can access areas the Movie Tour buses just can’t get to.

Second Tour Discount – Alternatively, if you want to do a second tour, then the pass offers you a 15% discount on any other activity. This works out at around $46 for your second tour, or just come back on another day and it will be included on the pass once more.

It is definitely advisable to book these tours beforehand as they can be incredibly popular, turning up at the ranch hoping to get on your desired tour is a risky game liable to disappointment, especially at busy times. Call (808) 237-7321 to make a reservation. For visitors from outside the US not wanting to rack up international phone calls you can try emailing Kualoa Ranch (reservation@kualoa.com) or wait until you are at your hotel and use the phone there most hotels offer free (included) Local phone calls.  Remember to mention you are using an Oahu Go Pass.

Waimea Valley – $27

Not the most valuable attraction, but it’s one not to be missed out on. If you spend any time in the Waimea Area, it’s definitely worth checking out the Waimea Vally. A beautiful natural valley that showcases Hawaiian culture and traditional farming.

It’s a beautiful location and you can take a self-guided tour of the botanical gardens and Hawaiian archaeological sites.

Ocean Sports and Outdoor Activities

There are several different options for outdoor and ocean activities included on the Pass. Some are based up at the north shore while others are back in Waikiki. The Hawaiian lifestyle is all about the Ocean and outdoor living so it’s really important to get out and experience this way of life!

• Snorkel Rental on the North Shore -$27 – North Shore – Explorer Pass Only
• Three-Hour Kayak Rental – $75 – North Shore
• Stand Up Paddle Board Three-Hour Rental – $75 – North Shore
• Hawaiian Lei Making on Sunset Beach – $75 – North Shore
• Guided Hike on the North Shore – $90 – North Shore
• Fire Dance Workshop – $50 – North Shore

1. Diamond Head: Shuttle & Self-Guided Hike – $44 – Waikiki
2. Waikiki Surfboard Rental – $35 – Waikiki
3. Morning Yoga Under the Palms – $21 – Waikiki
4. Hawaiian Style Rentals: Moped, Bike, or E-Bike Rentals – $28 – Waikiki – Explorer Pass Only

North Shore Fishing – $99 – Booking Required

We did not get around to trying out this tour but it certainly appeals to us. We have done plenty of Fishing in Hawaii but never had too much success, so getting a full guided tour and expert advice on how to actually catch something would be priceless. All gear and bait are included so you don’t need to lug heavy fishing gear in your luggage.

We definitely plan on trying this out on our next trip.

These are just our favorite Picks, there are loads of other attractions, just take a look and see what interests you the most. Often we find the Attractions we were not so sure about end up being our favorites!

Shaka Guide: Driving and Walking Audio Tours – $29.99

These Mobile Audio guides are very popular and it’s great to see them added to the Pass. They are not something we use ourselves as we consider ourselves our own guge, but for those looking for a cheap and convenient way of exploring the City without doing a tour, these are a great option.

The downside is these could use almost a full day and you may not get to use other attractions. However, as you will be out exploring then they may well allow you to combine them with other remote attractions the North Shore Kualoa Ranch and such like.

Go Oahu Pass Strategy – Hints and Tips

With Attractions spaced across the Island, it can be hard to get the best out of the pass. it is very important to ensure you plan your itinerary to get the most value out of your pass. With attractions all over the island without proper planning, you could find yourself covering many miles and wasting time traveling between attractions.

When Planning our days we base it on our priority attractions and then try and find other things we want to do near that attraction. For instance, when planning the below itinerary we used a trip based in Waikiki. We decided Day-one would be the Kauloa Ranch Movie Sites tour. So we looked at what was nearby and realized the trip there and back would take us past Hanauma Bay.

So we planned to pick up Snorkel Gear before leaving Waikiki so we could visit the bay After the tour, before heading back to Waikiki to get changed before an evening at the Ka Moana Luau.

Same with the Pearl Habour Add-ons. We knew we would be on the leeward side, so decided to head to Wet And wild Afterwards, as a great way to cool down and refresh as pearl harbor can be a hot tiring experience and one that is pretty intense, so this would be the perfect antidote. You could also try SUP, or Kayaking at Waialua Bay, both included on the Pass.

Hopefully, you get the point. Pick what you want to do most then see what can be added on to make that day better. The more days you have the less you need to do each day to get the best value from your pass.

Is The Go City Oahu Pass Good Value?

It would be very easy to go through the list of attractions pick out the most expensive, add them up, and see the cost is way higher than the Pass price, but that’s not how you will use the pass, and would not answer the question of is it a good value. Instead, we picked an example itinerary that is both appealing and realistic in terms of time, Based on using a 3-day Pass.

Day 1:

• Diamond Head / Hanauma Bay Explore Beaches and Hikes on the Windward Coast.
• Taste of Kualoa Farm – $54.50 (Recommend Movie Sites Upgrade)
• Aloha Kai Luau at Sea Life Park – $148

Total –$202

With the 3-Day pass costing $235 (less with our Promo code), you have already Nearly Broken Even! Anything from here on is basically FREE! although we have used our Premium Attraction! We have also shown how we are not ONLY targeting attractions and visiting other top Oahu Attractions.

*You will need a booking for Hanauma Bay, and it can be hard to actually get in, but you could use the Snorkelling Gear at another location – Best Snorkelling Sites Oahu

Day 2:

• Pearl Habour – USS Arizona Memorial (N\A)
• USS Battleship Missouri ($35)
• Pacific Fleet Submarine Museum – USS Bowfin($22)
• USS Arizona Narrated Tour($9.99)
• Makani Catamaran Sail ($137)

Total – $204

Head to Peal Harbor bright and early and take in one of the most historical sites on the planet. Then head back to Waikiki for an amazing Cruise along the Waikiki shoreline. We have only included two Museums on the Pearl Harbor Tour as time may be tight. But you can upgrade the Cruise ($20) to the Sunset Cruise and have more time at Pearl Harbor.

Day 3:

• Waimea Valley – $26
• Three-Hour Kayak/SUP Rental – $75
• Polynesian Cultural Centre $87

Total – $ 188

An Amazing Day out to the North Shore where you can visit the Stunning Waimea Valley, and enjoy a Kayak Experience at Haleiwa Beach (or you could try out Stand Up Paddle Boarding/SUP). Then in the afternoon head to the Polynesian Cultural Center for an incredible insight into Hawaiin and Polynesian Culture, one of the Island’s must-do attractions.

• Full Price $594+
• Pass Price $234
• Saving $360+

That’s a saving of over 60% Saving over paying full price on the gate. The above itinerary would be quite hectic on some Activity days but would allow plenty of time for down days on the beach. And by choosing the Aloha Kai Luau you have that 5-day pass to Sea Life Park that can be used on NON-Pass days.

Adding extra days to the Pass is a fairly modest outlay and would allow you to experience even more while reducing the busyness of the schedule somewhat. Remember the more days you pay for, the less the cost per day would be.

Upgrade to 5 days and add on just the Circle Island Tour ($154) and the shoreline Fishing Experience on the North Shore ($99) for a staggering saving of:

• Full Price $847+
• 5-Day Pass Price $329
• Saving $518+

That is a staggering saving and would lead to an unforgettable trip to the Island! And remember these prices are per person! For a couple, double everything, for a family of 4 you could be saving upwards of $1500, think what else that money could buy. We think the reality is most families would not spend nearly $2500 on activities and attractions on their trip, so what the pass is really getting you is MORE of the island for less of an outlay.

Still, We would say plan for around half your vacation time to be covered by the pass so a 7-day trip is best with a 3-day Pass and a 2-week stay for a 7-day Pass. The 5-Day Pass is the sweet spot for longer trips to allow you to see everything but in a relaxed manner with LOADS of downtime! Those Mai-Tais won’t drink themselves!

So as you can see from a pure value perspective the pass is simply incredible value! And with the Code below you can save even more! We normally have codes for an EXTRA 10% off the purchase price…see below VVV

Finally here is what we did the last time we visited the Island

Check Our Promo code page to see if you could save even more!!! 

With our 10% off code, you can save even more! The above Itinary would still cost the same but with the pass being only $235.80 you are now saving over $400 with that Itinary!

Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the Go Oahu Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page

Advantages of the Go City Oahu Pass

On Top of the Above savings, there are a few material advantages to having a Pass in Oahu. These advantages probably don’t add up to enough to really make the pass worthwhile on their own, and may even be offset by the negatives, however when combined with the above financial benefits it can make the Oahu Go Pass a very attractive proposition.

Planning

A pass can add real structure to your trip planning. Instead of simply arriving at the destination with very little idea of what to see and do The pass lets you structure a plan for your trip. Having a Go Pass and knowing which days, you want to do which attractions, gives you the structure to build the rest of your itinerary around. If you have a Busy activity day one day, then you know to plan a relaxed beach day the day after! Hitting the Luau, you know not to plan early morning activities for the day after.

Budgeting

The price of attractions, along with everything else can really add up. Especially in a world of easy plastic transactions. Those credit card bills when you get home can really jolt the heart! At least with a Go Oahu Pass, you know upfront, how much you will be spending on Attractions. So along with the savings, you can rest assured any large bills will be down to your overindulgence on Mai Tais.

You can purchase the passes ahead of time also making it easier to spread the costs. We find budgeting, one of the passes strongest appeals, along with the substantial savings.

The Extension of both the validity period to two years and the 90-day Money Back Guarantee really helps in these uncertain times!

Inspiration

A lot of people don’t always know what is available when they visit a new location or what prices they should be paying. They rely on Overpriced hotel or tour operator tours to offer trips and excursions. A pass can show what is available and what is important to you. Simply reading this article may have alerted you to things you may want to do that you were previously unaware of.

There are loads more on the Pass, like the Moana Chocolate Factory Tour, The Waimea Valley, and a North Shore Fishing Tour, all things you may just never have thought of that may end up being your favorite! The two included Luaus are also two of the best on the island so you are not sacrificing quality just to save money.

Flexibility

The Nature of the pass allows for a lot of flexibility in your planning. While it’s important to plan days quite precisely to get the most of them as per our strategy section, it’s less important which days you actually do the attractions on. This means there is some flexibility on what days you do which attractions, based on the weather or how you feel. While a lot of attractions do require prior booking Such as tours and Cruises along with ALL the Premium attractions, some are just turn up and enjoy.

Overall

We find using a Pass really does Open up the Island. It allows users the rare possibility of genuinely paying less to do more. We have spent many a vacation sitting by a pool wondering what to do, but with the pass, you really do get out there and see more of the island. And So many people miss out on the wonders of Oahu that lie just outside of Waikiki and you really must get out and see the Island Properly!

Of course, there is no such thing as a free lunch and the pass naturally has a few drawbacks.

What We don’t like about the Go Oahu Pass!

Transport – As we have pointed out some attractions really require you to have a car. You can get to all the attractions by public transport, but some journeys would be long and complex and a very poor way to spend your Trip. We would prefer to see a lot more options for hotel pick-up. But even those that do can often charge for the service which can end up adding substantial amounts to the Cost. While some of the tours are great for getting you out and seeing the Island if you don’t drive, others really mean you need your own car.

Kualoa Ranch – The one Kualoa Ranch Tour per day is unfortunate. But this is clearly enforced by the ranch to try and get you to spend more while there. If you could do everything people would probably take advantage. We also find it a shame you have to pay an upgrade for the Movie Sites and Jungle Expedition.

Hidden Extras – Some of the attractions cannot be fully experienced without further spending. For Example, the Sea Life Park has many extras that you may wish to pay for such as the dolphin, reef, and Sealion encounters. Most are inclusive but there are some hidden extras, Parking, etc… This can be fairly disheartening after already paying for the Pass, but most of these would still be the case if you were visiting without a PASS!

Most activities that offer drinks only give you one or 2 whereas we would much prefer open bars. This is, however, a problem with the attractions themselves, not the pass.

Chasing the Pass – As with all passes, one big downside can be the temptation to try and cram in too much, in an effort to get the most value. We call this chasing the pass. it is important to plan sensibly and only aim to do attractions you really want to do and not try and cram in attractions you don’t really want to just because it’s “on the pass”.

It’s better to skip something you are not sure about to do something you really want to do. Even if that’s not included on the Pass, even if that’s just sitting on the beach. Don’t let chasing Value on the Pass stop you from enjoying your trip.

Of course, Do try things. Some of the attractions may only arise your intrigue, but we have found these are often the most memorable attractions and lead you to new places off the beaten track.

Geography – This one is not really the pass’s fault, they didn’t build the Island, But it is something you need to be aware of. The attractions are spread all over the island and some are not in really very convenient locations. Careful planning is needed to get the best out of the Pass.

Complex Booking – Passes are supposed to make things easier but really the Go Oahu Pass is quite fiddly to use in reality. For many locations in the world, these passes work great, you just turn up scan your pass and you are in. With the Oahu Pass, so many attractions require pre-booking, which makes the process pretty complicated.

The flip side is these bookings would be needed regardless so it’s not making things worse, but it is just all a bit fiddly and takes some of the spontaneity out of the trip with such careful planning needed. You also need to make sure you understand what is required for each attraction you want to visit in case you turn up without the required booking and are turned away!

Conclusion – Is the Go City Oahu Pass Worth It?

We really feel for a lot of people traveling to Oahu the Go Oahu Pass offers not only exceptional value but also a fantastic way of adding real structure to your trip to get the most out of your time on the island. Apart from a few Niche activities, there is very little we would want to do on Oahu that isn’t included.

The non-consecutive nature of the pass fits perfectly with the type of trips most people have on Oahu. We all want down days where the focus is on rest and relaxation and other days where exploration and activities are the order of the day.

The downsides are quite few and far between and really are outweighed by the positives, not to mention the large cost savings. The money saved really can go a long way towards other things…such as more Mai Tais!

The overall Promise of seeing more for less is a bit of a holy grail in travel and can seem a bit too good to be true. But if you are aware of the limitations and quirks then the pass really does fulfill this promise. for $2-300 per person, you are getting a whole heap of fun and excitement. The included attractions really are some of the Island Highlights and will make the trip one to remember.

If you have dreamed of visiting the Island and are finally making it a reality the Pass can be the perfect way to add the required sparkle to your dream.

<<< Click Here To Buy Direct >>>

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Have Your Say?

Let us know if you have had experience either with the Go Oahu Pass or any of the included attractions. What were your favorite attractions? Did you feel you got good value from the pass? Let us know if you bought a pass after reading this. Or if you just have any questions about the pass or Oahu in general, just drop us a comment below, We would love to hear from you.

You May Also Like:

• Things to Do in Oahu
• Best Luau’s in Oahu
• Free Oahu Activities
• Visiting Oahu on a Budget

Attraction Passes can get a bad rep on some internet travel boards, and they do not suit every type of traveler but on the whole, we are fans of the products and we think, especially first-time visitors can get great value from them. So in our Go City Chicago Pass Review post, we take a look at the Pass to see if the Go City Chicago Pass is Worth it. if the attractions included are worthwhile and analyze the Pros and Cons of the Pass. A family could spend hundreds of dollars on a pass like this or on attractions in general so it is important to be sure it’s a good deal!

• Product: GO City Chicago Pass – All Inclusive
• Price: $124 – $248
• Price Child: $86 – $180 (Child 3-12yrs)
• Where to Buy: GoCity.com – Direct
• Number Of Attractions: 29+ Top Attractions
• Time Limit: 1,2,3, or 5 Consecutive Calander Days.
• Time Limit: 2-5 days unlimited (Consecutive Days)
• Expiry: 90 Days Refund (No Quibble) – 2 Year Expiry for First Use
• Rating: 4.3/5 Stars

Attractions Included – Unlimited All-Inclusive Attractions:

• Shedd Aquarium
• Skydeck Chicago
• Art Institute of Chicago
• 360 Chicago
• Hop On Hop Off Big Bus Chicago – 1 Day Classic Tour
• Field Museum
• Museum of Science and Industry
• Shoreline Architecture River Cruise
• and Many more…

What is the GO City Chicago Pass?

The Go City Chicago Pass is an All-inclusive Pass that allows you to visit any number of attractions you like for a set number of days, 1, 2, 3, or 5 days. This allows you to visit as many attractions as you like from the list of 29+ attractions. This list covers most of the city’s most popular headline attractions and should have something for everyone. You simply arrive at your chosen attraction scan the pass and you are in. Most attractions require no pre Booking, however, since COVID some attractions do require you to make a reservation. Doing this does not activate your pass but it is a requirement for entry to some attractions.

The Go Chicago Pass is the All-Inclusive option but there are a few other passes available from the Go City People. Such as the Explorer Pass, Build your Own, and Package Options.

What is the Go City Chicago Explorer pass?

The alternative to the Go City Pass – All-Inclusive is the Chicago Explorer Pass. This is similar but works in a slightly different way. Here you pick the number of attractions (3, 4, or 5 attractions) you wish to visit and can visit them at your leisure during a 30-Day Period. As we discuss below a major downside to the all-inclusive pass is trying to cram too much in or chasing the pass, the way Explorer Pass works stops the temptation to do this, as you only have so much to get packed it.

In Practice, it works pretty much the same as the Go City Chicago Pass so you can continue reading this review and decide later if the Go City Chicago All-Inclusive Pass or explorer options are right for you. However it is important to remember the Shedd Aquarium which is very highly rated by us, is missing from the Explorer pass.

Click here to buy the Explorer Pass

Which is the best?

We do really like the GO All-Inclusive Pass in this instance. The Inclusion of the Shedd aquarium really sells it. The Nature of any Visit to Chicago is always quite hectic and the all-inclusive pass suits this quite well. For short trips, the Explorer pass does work very well though simply having a few good attractions to visit in the City really helps make the trip special without the stress of cramming things in. For longer visits, we prefer the Go All-Inclusive Pass though.

How Much is the Go City Chicago Pass?

Go City Chicago All Inclusive

• 1-Day – $124 – Adult – $86 Child (3-12)
• 2-Day – $174 – Adult – $129 Child (3-12)
• 3-Day – $207 – Adult – $153 Child (3-12)
• 5-Day – $248 – Adult – $180 Child (3-12)

Go City Chicago Explorer Pass

• 2 – Choice Pass – $69 Adult – $40 Child(3-12) – $34.50 Per Attraction
• 3 – Choice Pass – $86 Adult – $59 Child(3-12) – $28 Per Attraction
• 4 – Choice Pass – $116 Adult – $78 Child(3-12) – $29 Per Attraction
• 5 – Choice Pass – $126 Adult – $90 Child(3-12) – $25.20 Per Attraction
• 6 – Choice Pass – $144 Adult – $99 Child(3-12) – $24 Per Attraction
• 7 – Choice Pass – $153 Adult – $109 Child(3-12) – $22 Per Attraction

Check Our Promo code page to see if you could save even more!!! 

Check out our Promo Code Page to see if you could save EVEN more when Purchasing a Go City Chicago Pass. Click here to check out our available discount codes. or Click the Reveal button Below to Unlock our BEST current Code!

Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the Go Chicago Pass Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page

Go City Chicago Pass in Practice?

The pass is a Digital Pass. This means there is no physical item to be delivered and as such you get the pass instantly. It is then used directly from your phone or you can print it out and use it that way. It’s basically just a QR code that you show and scan at the attractions.

The Go Pass is activated upon first use and then you have 1,2,3 or 5 consecutive calendar days to use the pass as much as you like.

It is important to remember that the pass is CONSECUTIVE CALENDER Days. Meaning, If you activate a 3-day pass on a Tuesday, you have Tuesday Wednesday, and Thursday to use the pass. It is not 24hr blocks. So if you activate late on Tuesday you only have till midnight that day, so it’s important to visit your first attractions early to get the FULL day, or you may only be getting 2 1\2 days or less!

Using the pass is very simple it’s a simple scan of the QR code at the attraction’s entrance, and you are in. Some attractions offer Priority entry, This is essentially the fact your Pass is your ticket meaning you head straight for the entry queue whereas walk-up visitors will have to queue for tickets first.

The exception to this is the cruise where you need a timed ticket or a reservation. For this, you will have to queue up to get the timed ticket and then queue for the cruise. This is a bit of a pain really and could be avoided if you bought a timed ticket online beforehand. However, in practice, we often miss our timed slots and need to queue for new tickets anyway (they will swap missed slots for free). Since Covid, a few of the attractions require reservations to be booked beforehand. This does not activate your Pass but it will allow you to visit the attraction of your choice. Unfortunately, this does take away the spontaneity of the pass but the good news it is only applicable for a few attractions, many on the Pass still work on the walk-up system.

On the plus side, the Cruises sail from Navy Pier which is one of our favorite places in Chicago. So it’s easy to arrive at the pier, grab a timed ticket for the next hour or two, and then explore the Pier while you wait for the ticket! It makes for a fun afternoon/ evening.

Overall the pass does work very well and is incredibly simple. We use these passes all over the States and never had a serious issue. There are always drawbacks, which we discuss below,  but on the whole, they make our trips SO much more rewarding and can turn a pretty mundane aimless trip into a trip to remember for a lifetime! While the pass is a great idea for many people, they are not the right choice for everyone.

Is the Pass Right for me?

With the Choice between the Go City Chicago All-Inclusive and the Explorer pass, most types of visitors are covered by these passes. For very short trips or trips where your reason for visiting is a Festival, Convention, or some specific reason but you also have time to get out and see a bit of the city the Explorer pass is fantastic. You can get just the highlights at a huge discount with no time pressure at all.

For longer trips or where the City is the reason for visiting the Go Pass All Inclusive is the perfect option, The pass gets you right t the heart of the best attractions the city has to offer and you will find yourself touring the best tourist part of the city as you travel from attraction to attraction.

For those who detest planning, the Go Pass All Inclusive is a poor choice, it does require a certain amount of planning so those with an aversion will hate it. A lot of people want to experience what they feel is the “real” City or get an “authentic” experience. The pass encourages an unashamedly Touristy approach to sightseeing. Those attempting this type of travel will probably be disappointed.

But for most, those wanting to see the City from on high, For those wanting to see the city’s world-class museums and exhibits, for those wanting to really explore everything the City has to offer the Go Pass All-Inclusive gives you everything you could want, at a fixed low price!

Really the most important aspect of any pass, is that the Attractions are the ones you WANT to visit! So on that basis, we take a look at what is on the pass and point out our favorites.

Attractions:

The Attractions included on the Go City All Inclusive card are some of the best attractions in the City. We put together our list of the best things to do in Chicago and most of the attractions included on the pass came up on the list! So really we do think for most people the pass does have almost everything they would want to do in Chicago included, as far as paid attractions go that is.

One big omission currently is the Art Institute which used to be included on the pass, but is still on the CityPASS.

Shedd Aquarium – $45.88

We Make no secret of the fact we love Auqauriums, most Cities we visit we head to the Aquarium (if there is one) and love seeing the wonders of the undersea world. In Chicago, The Shedd Aquarium is one of the best in the country. We would rank it at number 3 just behind the Monterey Bay Aquarium and the Georgia Aquarium, which both rank as some of the best in the world. The Shedd is a little behind but it is absolutely world-class.

We couldn’t visit Chicago without heading to the Shedd, and it’s great to see it on the pass, it’s a good half-day attraction so make sure you factor in a full morning or afternoon to get the best of it!

Reservation Required

Skydeck Chicago – $36

In any City getting up high and getting a good view of the Skyline is one of our favorite attractions. This is especially true in such heavily vertically built cities such as Chicago. The Willis Tower, Formally the Sears Tower was the tallest tower in the USA and has only just been surpassed by the Freedom Tower in New York. The Skydeck Chicago is the Towers 103’rd floor oversedation deck, and at 1353ft is the highest observation deck in the country.

The View is simply mind-blowing. From the Skydeck, you have 360 views of the entire city and can see 4 States, Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, and across Lake Michigan into Michigan itself.

You also have the gut-churning “ledge”! A glass Balcony that suspends you over the 1353ft drop to the pavement below. It is perfectly safe, but try telling your brain that!

Reservation Required

360 Chicago – $35

Another observation deck is 360 Chicago. While it might seem unnecessary to have two observation decks on the pass, The 360 is a fairly different experience. It’s not as high as the Willis Tower but the 1000ft + is pretty tall. The John Hancock Building is located on the shore of Lake Michigan and gives stunning views of the City, the Magnificent Mile, and the Coastline. Unlike the Willis tower which is right in the heart of things, the 360 is away from the downtown area meaning you get a better view of the imposing skyline of the City.

As is the case with most towers these days the view is apparently not enough. They need a Gimmick like the “ledge” on the Skydeck or the SkySlide in L.A. The 360 has “Tilt”. This is a window that tilts outwards over the City as you hold on leaving you face-first over the plunge. It’s a bit gimmicky and not as terrifying as it sounds and has an extra fee on top of the Go Card!

Most people ask which Observation platform is best. Our answer is if you are going for the Pass, do BOTH. They are both great in their own right and quite short experiences, so it’s well worth making your own mind up! It also gives you the opportunity to see Chicago from heights both day AND night!

Reservation Required

Art Institute of Chicago – $35.00

Not as Famous as the Louvre (Paris), The Britsh Museum (London), or the Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, but in reality, every bit as good a museum) the Art Institute is a genuine world-class museum. What it lacks in prestige it makes up for in incredible pieces of art, culture, and history. This Monster of a Museum can take a full day to see properly, which can be a problem for pass users wanting to pack a bit more in! However, a good half day will easily pack in the highlights and give you a great idea of just how special this collection is! Personally, we don’t really want to spend a whole day in a museum anyway?

Any art lover will need little enticement to visit the location, but many of us are not the biggest art fans. We might pretend to be artier than we are just to appear a bit more cultured. But there are works of art here that are truly awe-inspiring such as Edward Hopper’s famous Nighthawks, Chagalls, America windows, Grants American Gothic, and Matisse Bathers by a river. 

It’s not just old paintings, however, There are huge pottery collections, Sculptures, Modern and Contemporary art, suits of armor on horseback. The varied collection ranges from Ancient artifacts to modern-day masterpieces. Really you would have to really really hate art to not be very impressed with this wonderland of culture!

This is one of the reasons we love passes. We would probably skip places like this without the pass, but not having to pay means we check them out and are normally very thankful we did! The Art Institute of Chicago is a revelation in that sense!

Unfortunately, the Art Institute of Chicago has been removed from the Go City Pass, if this is important to you it’s still available on the Official Chicago CityPASS

Hop On Hop Off Big Bus Chicago – 1 Day Classic Tour – $49.99

Hop On Hop Off Buses are pretty poor in terms of transport. They are irregular, slow, have long queues, and are pretty packed. For getting around, we don’t really recommend them! However, that doesn’t mean we don’t like them!

When arriving in a new City, your bearing can be shot to hell and you have no idea where you or anything else is. These tours are great an orientating yourself and learning the basics of the City. The elevated views from the top decks are great and it really can be the perfect intro into the City. This tour is worthwhile in its own right.

However, it’s not completely useless as transport. It certainly links up many of the top attractions so on the first day we always use it and hop off a few times at certain points before hopping back on and completing the loop. After that, we revert to more reliable and regular forms of transport!

Field Museum – $35.00

The Art Institute of Chicago is one of Chicago’s top museums and is ranked in the world’s top 10…So Don’t tell anyone, but we prefer the Field Museum!

Really they are completely different offerings. The field is a natural History Museum showing the wonder and beauty of the world in a really modern and spectacular way. With huge Dinosaur Skeletons, Egyptian Tombs, a Giant Insect room, and many enthralling exhibits of the wonders of our planet it’s anything but a stuffy exhibit of stuffed animals. We love the Field Museum and it’s a great addition to the Pass

Museum of Science and Industry – $33.95

Another really fantastic Museum that shuns the concept of boring stuffy museums. This interactive playground museum showcases all things science and does so in a really fun way that is really suited to younger audiences, as well as adults. If the regular museums are a bit too grown-up for you the Science and Industry Museum is far more likely to excite you.

Navy Pier, Centennial Wheel, and 4 Ride Pass – $45.00

Chicago is a fairly serious city. Filled with Museums and culture. Fun can often be pretty hard to come by so the Navy Pier can be a welcome relief. An old town-type fair with rides and attractions for all ages. The Highlight of the pier, apart from the fantastic setting, of course, is the 200 ft Centennial Wheel. And really this is where the pass’s value comes into its own. The Pier itself is actually free to explore but to actually do or see anything costs extra. With the PAss, you get access to any of the pier rides, including the Centennial wheel.

You can also board one of 3 Cruises included on the pass from the pier and we highly recommend arriving at the pier booking your cruise then enjoying the pier until your time slot. Head out on the cruise then carry on at the pier into the evening!

Remember that during the summer on Wednesdays and Saturday Evenings, there are fireworks at the pier too so plan your trip here for one of those days…but count on it being busy!

If you have kids do not miss the pier, but with loads of food and drink options, and a generally fantastic setting even an adult-only trip should definitely head to the pier too.

Shoreline Architecture River Cruise – $51.23

As we mentioned before there are three cruises available on the pass. Whenever a location is on the water we really love getting out onto the waves to see the city from a different angle. All three Cruises can be boarded at the Navy Pier and use timed tickets. So you turn up show the pass and then wait until your allotted time. The Navy Pier is the perfect place to pass that time.

• Architecture River Cruise
• Classic Lake Tour
• Tall Ship WINDY

Our Favourite is the Architecture tour. It isn’t your regular boat tour as it explores the city from the 3 branches of the river as it winds around the city. This 70 Min cruise takes in many of the City’s amazing landmarks, highlighting the impressive architecture of the city. Real Architecture buffs may be disappointed as it’s a friendly take on the city’s buildings but it gets you up close and personal to the city from a completely different angle to what you would expect, and after all most of us are not real architecture buffs!

Unfortunately, you can only do one cruise per day with the pass. But TBH how much time do you want to spend on a boat each day?

So, Is the Go City Chicago Pass Worth it?

From a purely financial point of view, it’s pretty hard to argue a case against the pass. It really can save you a stack of money. Below is a costed example of a very reasonable and do ale itinerary. We always take care not to suggest too much or pack out the pass to give unrealistic expectations. Of course, simple maths is not the only thing to consider with a pass so we take a look at the pros and cons afterward.

*We have done a little funding up/down just to ease the maths, but we are only taking a few cents either way

Day 1:

• Hop On Hop Off Big Bus Chicago – 1 Day Classic Tour – $49.99
• Skydeck Chicago – $36
• Magnificent Mile Shopping – Free

Total –$ 85.99

Day 2:

• Shedd Aquarium – $45.88
• Field Museum -$35.00
• Navy Pier – $45.00
• Shoreline Architecture River Cruise – $51.23
• Centennial Wheel and Rides – $included with Pier

Total – $177.11

Day 3:

• Alder Planetarium – $35
• Museum of Science and Industry – $33.95
• 360 Chicago – $35 (Sunset)

Total – $ 103.95

• Full Price $ 367.05
• Pass Price $ 207
• Saving $ 160.05

That’s a saving of 54+% Saving over paying full price on the gate. That’s a big lump of cash you could put toward something else! But as we said it’s not just about the money. there are some pretty meaningful advantages to getting a pass.

Check Our Promo code page to see if you could save even more!!! 

Check out our Promo Code Page to see if you could save EVEN more when Purchasing a Go Chicago Pass. Click here to check out our available discount codes. or Click the Reveal button Below to Unlock our BEST current Code!

Clicking Reveal takes you directly to the Go Chicago Pass Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page

Advantages of the Go City Chicago Pass

Inspiration

Often when Visiting any new City you do not always really know what there is to actually do. We have headed to many new places only to arrive and not really know what we should do or where we should go. The pass solves this problem pretty well. With access to many of the Citys best attractions, we find ourselves doing and seeing a lot more than we would if we just winged it!

You may have found just scanning our list of attractions something you didn’t know about but actually really like the look of.

Budgeting

While we would all love money to not be an issue, unfortunately for most it is the defining characteristic of any trip. It’s awful to miss out on things because the budget won’t stretch, or worse get home to building credit card bills you didn’t plan for. With a pass in hand, you know all this is taken care of beforehand! As far as attractions go you know exactly what you will spend and can even get that out of the way before the trip.

Then you only have spiraling food and drink costs to contend with!

Do MORE!

Equally, Once this is paid for, you can do as much as you like. We find with a Pass we will do a lot more than we would without. We will see and do things we would not have considered before and often have a great time. How often have you looked at an entry fee and just thought “I am not paying that!” With a pass, you can check it out knowing it’s all covered! After all, Travelling is all about seeing and doing new things!

Planning

Planning is most people’s least favorite part of any trip and it can always be hard to know where to start. The pass can really help out on this front as you map out the attractions you most want to visit on the pass. You can then tie these up to free attractions and other things you want to do in the city. It really does help pull a trip together.

Flexibility

The other great thing about the pass is it makes that planning very flexible. With pre-booked timed tickets and rigid planning then it’s all set in stone. But life doesn’t really work that way. If you have your River Cruise all booked and the day breaks and it’s given torrential rain all day, then said cruise will be pretty miserable, Same with an open-top bus ride. This would be doubly frustrating if yesterday’s sunshine was enjoyed inside a museum!

With the Pass and the fact that nothing is set in stone means you can chop and change to suit mood and weather! We recommend planning days. lumping attractions together based on location and weather appropriateness. Then these days can be taken in any order as you see fit! So if the forecast is for rain head to the museums, sunny, and do the outdoor options.

What We don’t like!

Not everything is as rosy as you may think, however. There are always downsides to everything. And really these passes can get some pretty severe stick from online travel forums. Most of this stems from timed ticket issues.

Things like cruises cannot be pre-booked beforehand with the passes. So you need to turn up at the cruise, use the pass to get a timed ticket then wait for your allotted time. This is fine when quiet but at busy times it can be quite a bit of queueing. As we have pointed out though the Cruises depart from Navy Pier Which is a great place to pass time waiting for your cruise. Also, some other attractions such as the Shedd Aquarium and the Art Institute offer priority entry so it’s kind of swings and roundabouts.

It is a shame that the pass is consecutive days as some passes offer Non Consecutive days. This means packing quite a lot into a short window. This is fine on shorter trips, and most people’s trips to Chicago tend to be shorter trips, but if you have more time to spend it can make things a bit hectic. It’s not a big thing with Chicago but it’s always nice to have the option of having days where you don’t do paid attractions and just relax, shop, or maybe explore further afield

As with all passes, the temptation can be to Chase the Pass. This is where you attempt to pack too much in and not properly enjoy what you do see as you are in a race to get to the next attraction. A pass should improve your enjoyment of the City, so worry less about getting value and more about enjoying the city the best you can.

Cramming too much in can also be very very tiring, you need to factor in getting to and from the attractions, and tearing around the City will leave you pretty exhausted. It’s likely you will be ready for your bed whatever you plan in Chicago but planning too much can leave you feeling like you have run a Marathon!

You also should not skip the free things the City has to offer that are not included on the pass, the many parks, the incredible coastline of Lake Michigan, and Lincoln Park Zoo. These are all free and as such not included. You should not skip these though just to get the best use of the pass or you will not be getting the best of the City!

We find a lot of complaints come from people not knowing properly what they are getting, and not properly planning out how to use the pass. If you have got this far in our review we like to think we have helped you understand exactly what the pass is and how to maximize its use. But we hear all the time from people who felt it wasn’t good value, or they were misled. We think most of these complaints come from a lack of understanding as everything is in black and white and we have never personally experienced any issues in using any pass that we were not aware of prior!

We are also really disappointed to see one of the best Museums in the world, The Art Institute of Chicago, being dropped from the Pass. This is a big loss, and it makes us lean toward the CityPASS instead!

Conclusion.

Overall we are big fans of the Chicago Go Pass. It really does help you get to see the best Chicago offers. In most, cases it adds to your experience far more than it takes away. We find ourselves visiting far more than we would ever do without a pass and for us, it’s the biggest strength of the pass. Money-saving should always be secondary to an improved experience (after all we could just stay at home for free!) and we find the Go Chicago Pass really gets us to the best Chicago has to offer.

Check Our Promo code page to see if you could save even more!!! 

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Have Your Say?

Have you tried a pass? Did you get good value from it? Did it help or hinder your trip? Would you recommend it to friends and family? We certainly would but would love to hear your take on it. Just drop us a comment below. Also if you have any questions regarding the Pass just fire away in the comments below and we will get right back to you.

You May Also Like:

• Chicago Attractions
• Chicago Visitors Guide
• Getting Around Chicago

Just a quick re-cap, We are embarking on a road trip up the East Coast of the United States and today is the 8th day of this trip after hitting New York and then Boston it’s time to move on.

Day 8 was the one we had both been looking forward to. We don’t really need a REASON to do these trips, but we tend to have a theme and a main purpose, a goal if you like. And everything else is planned around that purpose. For this trip, it was spending Halloween on the East Coast.

Last year we did Halloween on the West Coast, and it was EPIC! However, whenever you think of Halloween, images of New England come more to mind. White Picket fences, decorated with pumpkins, while black cats and witches prowl in the shadows it’s the stuff of childhood dreams and Hollywood incarnations.

Of course, when thinking of New England Halloween locations, and those perfect iconic scenes, there is one place that will ALWAYS jump out more than any other. Salem.

Home of the Witch Trials, setting of umpteen Hollywood Films and TV Shows with Halloween themes, and the picture-perfect New England Halloween town. We both had this as the highlight of the trip and were so excited to actually get to Salem. It’s really not too far from Boston and there are several attractions in the Town that are covered by the Go City Pass, so we just needed to get over there and start exploring. But first, we needed to get to the Airport!

It would be madness to fly to Salem, a little over 20 miles away, but we got the best price on the hire car renting from Logan Airport, so we hopped into an Uber to head over to the rental center to pick up our car.

Hire Car Pick up

This is a Road Trip…however apart from a few Uber rides, we have not actually done much road-tripping! We flew into NYC and used public transport, and then got the train to Boston, where again we utilized the public transport system. But today, finally, we get a car.

While our automotive part of this trip is delayed…we will be making up for it in the next few days as we embark on an epic journey over 1000 miles through mountains, forests, great lakes, and even into Canada as we head upstate New York and deep into the Midwest. Make sure you are subscribed to the Channel so you can follow along.

We had just rented a basic medium SUV, with plenty of room but nothing special, and got a good price with AVIS for 7 days as we headed one-way right across the country. The Mitsubishi Outlander was a little basic, and a touch beat-up, but gave good mileage and was perfect for our cross-country slog.

Salem

The drive to Salem was nice and easy, a single highway just passing through the Massachusetts suburbs on a glorious Fall morning. We arrived in Salem with a really strong feeling of Halloween. New York had been dressed pretty well for Halloween, but Boston had been really uninterested, however, Salem was full-on embracing it. We had been warned often in Boston that Salem would be CRazy on the last few days before Halloween, but on arrival, things were pretty quiet. We arrived shortly after 9 am so had a full day to explore. We got right on to hunting out some filming locations from our favorite Halloween Film…

Hocus Pocus

While many scenes of the film were shot in the main part of town, most of the iconic locations are just out of town so we headed there first before returning to the centre to check in to the Hotel. We had brought along our Own Binx in the way of a Loungefly backpack and were really excited about getting out and seeing some of the Movie Sites!

Salem Pioneer Village

The first point of call was Salems Pioneer Village. This is the first location of the Movie, but we did not plan it that way. The Pioneer Village is a replica of the kind of dwellings the first Pilgrims to the country set up as their homes as they established colonies in the new world. It was also the kind of village where the hysteria of the witch trials first began.

The Village was also used as the opening location in Hocus Pocus where the Sanderson sisters first run Amok and get banished to their cabin in the woods. Thackery Bink’s home is located here along with most of the scenes shot in the village. Unfortunate the Witches Cabin was shot on a Sound Stage in LA.

Despite being so close to Halloween the Village operates a weekend-only opening policy and was closed today, which was very annoying. But we headed along to see what we could see over the fences. We got an ok view and could grab some shots.

4 Ocean Avenue (Max and Dani’s House)

The next stop was Max and Dani’s house. This is the new home of the family as they move to Salem and only really appears briefly, apart from the indoor shots, but is still an Iconic location. This is a PRIVATE residence and the owners do not mind respectful visitors.

The road at this time of year is CLOSED to non-residential traffic. so we parked up respectfully a little distance away and walked down. The VERY clear road closure signs didn’t seem to be so clear to everyone at least one car while we were there ignored them and drove down to the house. Sat outside with their engine running while taking photos. We even questioned them on it and they proclaimed “Oh we didn’t think that applied to US!” Ok, guys who did you think it applied to, the Tooth Fairy?!

We took a few photos, only used our quiet indoor voices, stayed entirely on public property then moved along. The short walk down Ocean Av was really fun as the houses were really dressed up for the season with some really good spooky displays!

Old Burial Hill Cemetery

The final out-of-town stop was the Old Burial Hill Cemetary. We considered not visiting this location as it’s a fair way out of town and is only briefly if importantly, featured in the film. However, we decided to make the trek and we were very happy we did. If nothing more it was such a gorgeous location.

The Old cemetery sits atop a hill situated on the Marblehead peninsular and offers stunning views of the area. The fall colors were in full effect and the temperatures were an unseasonal 70 degrees and would top 80 later in the day, and we just enjoyed the area, the bonus Halloween houses… we even ended up on Elm Street!

As a filming location, this is where Max meets Ice and Jay and has his shoes stolen. It’s a short scene, but important, and it’s a really fun one to hunt out even though we could not quite find the exact angle at which the scene was shot.

Salem Inn

We were still a little early for Check-in, but we decided to head to the hotel to check out the parking situation and see if we could leave our luggage while we explored downtown Salem. Upon arrival, we were greeted with a warm welcome and told our room was ready and we could go ahead and check-in. We are only staying a night and after seeing our room, the property, and the warm welcome we wished we were staying a little longer. That’s the issue with these sorts of trips where we do SO much, we need to stay on the move and keep plowing on and packing things in.

Our room was pretty Vintage, but it had a real charm about it and was flooded with natural light and space, two things we seemed to have been lacking so far on our accommodation for this trip. The only problem was the strange door to a weird cupboard that felt a little ominous, more on this later…

After dumping our stuff, we geared up and headed out to explore Salem itself.

The Witch House

What you will find over and over again when reading about our trips is we value one thing in accommodation more than ANYTHING else…Location. And the Salem Inn is basically perfect. Slap bang in the missle and literally steps from two Iconic Salem locations, first, the Witch House.

This is the only structure in Salem still standing that was actually related to the Witch Trials, making this a very iconic location. It is an incredibly well-preserved building and dates right back to 1642, maybe earlier, and was the home of Jonathan Corwin one of the Judges who sent 19 innocent women to the Gallows

You can pay to go in and visit the Museum, but we were happy just viewing from the outside.

Ropes Mansion (Alison’s House)

Next Stop was the Ropes Mansion, another Hocus Pocus Location and the home of the Character Alison. The mansion is a real stunner and is heavily decorated for the season. Again there are garden tours but we just wanted a look and planned to come back when the sun had gone down.

Salem Town Center

Both these sites were right next to our hotel, but the center of Salem was a bit further away, still only 250m thought to the Town Center. This was heavily in the Halloween spirit with Characters wandering around posing for photographs (they do expect a tip however) all the Witchy shops fully decorated in the Halloween regalia, and various pop-up attractions here just for the Halloween season. The Town really embraces its Spooky heritage.

Just walking through the center was great fun, but it was time to head to our first attraction on the Boston Go City pass. We had one day left on our pass and it covers several attractions in the Salem area.

Peabody Museum – $20 (Closed)

Annoyingly the first Attraction we planned to hit was closed. We were getting a little frustrated that so many attractions were just shut down on random days in this part of the world. We are used to 24/7 sightseeing and had kind of assumed this would be the case most here, especially at Halloween. But this is not the case and we missed out on this one, and lost $20 of value on the pass.

The Witch Museum – $17.50

We had much more luck at the Witch Museum. This needed pre-booking and was only bookable on the morning off and we made sure we were up bright and early to snag the booking. But we ended up booking 1:45 and had planned to spend the time beforehand in the Peabody Museum. As this was not possible we had some time to kill, so grabbed some lunch at the Village Tavern, before heading over to the Common for some more sightseeing and hunting out another Hocus Pocus Filming Location.

Phillips Elementary School Building

This was the setting for the High School scenes in the film. It is no longer a school but just a large old brick building on the side of the common.

After Lunch and exploring this part of the town we headed back to the Witch Museum. The Museum is an interesting exhibit, Unfortunately, they have a very strict NO FILMING policy, which meant we were not able to get any inside footage.

The Museum opened in 1972 and its main exhibit has remained exactly the same for over 50 years. So do not expect too much in terms of technology. The main presentation takes place in a large very dark hall. The lights go out and a series of Diarahmas are illuminated in sequence around the upper edges of the room. An ominously voiced narrator tells the story of the trials as these Sets light up.

The detail of the various models is pretty impressive as the lifesize sets depict key moments of the Events that took place. It’s really quite creepy mainly as it’s so static with the manikins just staring lifelessly back at you.

It’s one of those things that really, is quite awful, but it’s just SO iconic and totally a part of Vsinting Salem.

There is a newer additional presentation afterwards about how witches are portrayed in Hollywood and the media and how that’s evolved over time, it was pretty interesting, but overall the Main Presentation is why you are here.

Real Pirates Salem – $18.50

After the Museum we continued our exploration of the Town, heading to the bottom end of the town and visiting the Real Pirates exhibition. This tells the tale of an actual Pirate Ship that was found just off the coast.

The Exhibit has several artifacts recovered from the wreck along with exhibits and recreations of life aboard a real Pirate ship that used to operate in the waters of the East Coast.

The highlight for us was actually seeing REAL pieces of eight and the opportunity to actually touch some real Pirate Booty…pretty cool!

House of the Seven Gables – $6.00

The last attraction we visited was the House of the Seven Gables. This is the closest you are going to get to the Sanderson Sister’s House. This was the inspiration, but unfortunately, the actual house was built on a soundstage, making this a must-see.

Unfortunately, you have to pay to see the house properly. You can scab a basic view from the road down the side, and we saw a few people doing just that, but to see the house properly there is a charge. It’s only $6 but feels a bit steep to look at a house. You can pat more for a tour or entry to the interiors, but we just wanted a look and were really happy the pass covered it.

The house is stunning and the grounds beautiful, so we spent some time enjoying the peace.

This was the last attraction on the pass so let’s do a little summing up on our overall pass experience. We had the pass for 3 Days’

Wine Hour at the Salem Inn – Burning the Place Down!

After the house, we worked our way back to the Hotel. Taking in one last Filming location.

Old Town Hall Halloween Party

This is the location of the Halloween party where the Sanderson Sisters Bewitch the Townsfolk with their hypnotic Number, “I put a spell on You“, again just a quick snap, and off we go, but we return to this later tonight as it is supposed to be pretty haunted.

We arrived back at the Hotel just in time for Wine Hour…only things went south pretty quickly. We went to our room, just as the Fire Alarm went off! A quick evacuation and we were out on th street waiting for Salems Fire Department …hoping it was a false alarm.

Seconds later the trucks arrived and the Fire Fighters bravely entered the Hotel to shut the alarms up. It was indeed a false alarm and it was all over in a matter of moments and we were off to Wine Hour after the brief moments of excitement!

What is Wine Hour…well it’s an hour …with wine… sounds good. Honestly, we didn’t know the hotel provided this when we booked and it was a welcome surprise, but essentially for one hour a day the hotel just gives you free pours of wine, as many as you like. We took full advantage of this and sunk a few glasses while we relaxed in the courtyard of this historic hotel.

We headed back to our room afterwards only to find the door to the creepy cupboard was open. We have both been sure this was closed but it was open upon our return. We ensured it was shut and then headed out for dinner.

Rockafellas Restaurant

The Bartender at wine hour had pointed us in the right location for dinner and we took her advice and ended up at Rocerfellas.

This was a nice Bar and Grill type restaurant that offered standard American dishes all done really well. We had a Buffalo Chicken Flatbread and a Balck and Blue Burger along with a few drinks to get us ready for the fantastic night we had planned in Salem.

Salem Ghost Tour – Black Cate Shoppe – $25.00 (Not on the Pass)

With so many strange and spooky goings on in Salem there really is only one thing to do in the evening and that is a Ghost Tour. There is a lot of competition in Salem for ghost tours and in October, in particular, there are hundreds of tours going on every night. We chose to go with one of the market leaders and our top tip for Ghost Tors in Salem, the Black Cat Shoppe, mainly because we are just a little obsessed with Black Cats.

The tour started at 8 pm sharp with the meeting point just across from the Shoppe at the Bewitched Statue. Our guide was dressed in a fantastic Halloween outfit something of a cross between a witch and a Pirate which is perfect for Salem.

The tour takes you around some of Salam’s most haunted and interesting sites while the tour guide regales you with tales of the undead and unfortunate. Murders, mysteries, ghosts, witches, and even Magigians, all feature as the guide takes you around the town center.

You are encouraged to take as many photos as you like but to keep filming to a minimum so we just grabbed a few short clips and lots of photos. Photos seem to work best as there is a higher chance of something showing up later on…although we could find no real anomalies in our photos.

The tour was really fun, although not quite as good as our last Ghost Hunting tour in San Francisco. The Town was just too busy with too much going on and this seemed to disturb the spirits.

We don’t take these tours too seriously and they are a lot of fun if treated as such, and this was especially so here where the busy streets meant there was very little in the way of spookiness. As ever the most interesting part is the history lessons that go with the tours as the guide sheds a light on the grisly past of one of the county’s oldest settlements.

The tour wrapped up on the back streets of the Town near a cemetery but the guide ensured we all made it back to familiar territory. It was now quite late and we headed back to our hotel. Where once again, the Creepy cupboard door was open…

…It would be an interesting night’s sleep in the almost certainly haunted room!

Tomorrow we really hit the road and start properly piling the miles onto the clock. We have 1000+ miles to do over the next few days as we move back into New York Stae, Head Upstate through the Valleys and mountains of the Catskills, up to Buffalo and into Canada to see the Falls, then traverse the edge of the Great lakes stopping off at Cedar Point for Halloween Horror, before ending the trip in Chicago.

City New York All Inclusive 3-Day Pass – Running Total

• Attractions Today – 3
• Total Attractions – 10
• Attractions Cost – $42
• Running Total – Day 1 of 3: $275
• Cost Of Pass – $139

• Savings – $136

The pass has been excellent. We really felt it opened up Boston in a way we would not have found without it. We did 10 attractions in total and based most of our time around it, although we still got to see a lot of the City as well.

It was great to have a few attractions included in Salem as this was always going to be part of our visit to New England.

Overall we saved a whopping $136 … however we used a 10% discount code so our actual savings were EVEN higher, with the Pass only costing $125.10 and the savings a huge $150!

If you are heading to Boston we highly recommend the Pass as it really did make the trip so much better and we had almost no issues with it. Annoyingly a lot of the attractions we wanted to visit were closed…but that would have been the case without a pass!

Walking Total – 21,015 Steps – 10.2 Miles

We were back to some pretty big step counts today. We did a lot of driving, but we were on the go from 7 am right through until 11 pm so clocked up some steady miles. We finally get a nice and easy day tomorrow as we spend a lot of time in the car.

Live Blog – Trip Report

<<< Day 7 – USS Constitution – View Boston – Harvard

Day 9 – Salem to Rhinebeck – Fall Foliage Leaf Peeping >>>

The Las Vegas Power Pass was a great value pass that offered unlimited access to many of Las Vegas’s best attractions. But the Pass is DEAD. Forget about it and if you are seeing reviews and opinions of the Power Pass Ignore them. The revamped Las Vegas pass Bears almost no resemblance to the Power pass of old. It is now a Super-Charged Beast of a Pass that offers access to some staggering top-tier Premium attractions and shows! So let’s take a look and see if the Las Vegas Pass is worth it?

NOTE: The Las Vegas Pass is Currently Discontinued Due to the Covid-19 Pandemic, all links now divert you to the Las Vegas Go Pass. The Las Vegas Pass was heavily reliant on Shows and without these ruining the Pass was not Viable. We anticipate this pass becoming available again once Las Vegas shows start back up! For now, look at the Go Las Vegas Pass as the premier Las Vegas Pass.

• Product: The Las Vegas Pass
• Price: $299- $569
• Price Child: $269 – $489 (Child 3-12yrs)
• Where to Buy: LasVegasPass.com
• Number Of Attractions: 55+ Top Attractions
• Time Limit: 2-5 days unlimited (Consecutive Days)
• Rating: 4.7/5

Attractions Included

The Line up of attractions is really staggering

• SHOWS SHOWS SHOWS! Some of Las Vegas’s Best shows included including KA, Zumanity, And Love By Cirque Du Soleil, Magic Mike, Carrot Top, Mat Franco, and the Blue Man Group!
• TOURS Grand Canyon South Rim, Hoover Dam, and Horseshoe Bend and Glen Canyon Tour.
• Richard Petter Drive Along Experience
• Las Vegas Nighttime Helicopter Tour
• 2 Day Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour
• High Roller Observation Wheel – Daytime Ticket
• The Stratosphere Observation Deck
• Voodoo Zipline
• Vegas Rockstar Club Tour
• Rockstar Pool Party Tour
• And Many More…

What is the Las Vegas Pass?

The Las Vegas Pass is an all-inclusive pass where you can visit as many attractions from the list as you like with the specified time scale. Either 2, 3, or five days. The Pass includes over 55 of Las Vegas’s best attractions including some great shows and some really good tours out in the surrounding desert.

How Much Does the Las Vegas Pass Cost?

It’s not Cheap! But the Pass includes a whole heap of top high-end attractions that would set you back a fortune if bought separately. If your Vegas Trip is to be once in a lifetime “all-in” trip then this pass includes everything you need to make it a trip you will not forget. But that sort of expense doesn’t come cheap.

The Las Vegas Pass is far and away the MOST expensive pass on the market. Later in the Review, we will break down how this all works out and if these rather High Prices are good value or not. But it’s clear from the off this is an incredibly high-cost pass.

• 2 Day Pass – Adult – $299 ($149.50 per day)
• 3 Day Pass – Adult – $419 ($139 per day)
• 5 Day Pass – Adult – $569 ($113.80per day)

Honestly, at this sort of cost, it is hard to really recommend the pass over some of its rivals you have to work REALLY hard to get value, and even then some of the “recommended” prices are dubious, again we look at this later.

The good news is, The Las Vegas pass Regularly has Sales and discount codes. These are good for up to 20% off and at those sorts of Prices, things change somewhat. Keep an eye on our The Las Vegas Pass Promotion Page to See if any codes are available. If not, consider holding off and waiting until a sale comes live before buying. However, These sales are NEAR perpetual meaning there is almost always a promotion Running. With prices below typical:

• 2 Day Pass – Adult – $259 ($129.50 per day)
• 3 Day Pass – Adult – $359 ($119.66 per day)
• 5 Day Pass – Adult – $499 ($99.80per day)

How Does the Pass Work?

The Pass is a Digital Pass meaning you don’t need a card or anything physical to use it. Simply download the APP and scan your phone right at the attraction to get right in.

Tours and a few other attractions must be booked in advance and then you scan your pass on the day when you actually attend the tour. Shows can only be booked the morning of the show you wish to see, which is a bit of an issue that we look at later in the Review.

Is the Las Vegas Pass Right For Me?

First of all, not everyone suits a pass, and not everyone suits the Las Vegas Pass. So the First question is Do you really want to do the activities listed?

Are you the type that just wants to chill by the pool, gamble, and get wasted in the evening? Then Repeat. If so a pass may not be a good idea at all.

However, if you want more out of your trip than that and want to see the best Las Vegas has to offer and enjoy trips that are packed full of things to see and do then a Pass is a very good way of saving a lot of money.

The Las Vegas Pass is best suited to people who really want to See and Do EVERYTHING. The pass has almost endless high-end premium attractions and you will find the main issue packing it all in. It will result in an unforgettable once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Another point of interest is there are NO child prices, yes you could pay the adult price but that would be expensive and a lot of the shows are adult only and hence why there are no child passes available!

However, with the HIGH purchase price and need to pack a lot into your days it may not be the best pass for everyone. There are plenty of others to take a look at, however.

Other Las Vegas Pass Options?

There are several other passes available in Las Vegas and we have reviewed them all. People always vacation in different ways and the different pass options suite some people more than others. Let’s take a quick look at the other options before looking at the attractions included on the Las Vegas Pass.

Las Vegas Go- Card – One of Our Favourite passes offering all-inclusive attraction with added premium attractions at a very competitive price. $134-$319

Las Vegas Explorer Pass – A Cheaper and simpler option. Here you choose the number of attractions you want to visit and can then do so at your leisure. Perfect for those wanting to just visit a few attractions. $80-$140

Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass – Another Premium Pass offering both Day passes and Attractions Passes with included Premium attractions. This is very similar to the Las Vegas pass with slightly different attractions included and is a good option if the line up is more suited to your taste. t does lack some of the big name shows though $169-$499

AS you can see there are some far more affordable options but some are not as “premium” as the Las Vegas Pass. Check out our Pass Comparison page to see which would suit you best!

LAS VEGAS PASS COMPARISON

Attractions

With over 55 Attractions we can’t possibly go into detail on them all so instead we focus on our favorites and the ones that give the most value in terms of enjoyment. If you already know what attractions are available you can just skip past this section to the next where we ask if the Las Vegas Pass is Good Value and take a look at its real Pros and Cons.

Shows

The Pass is the first we have seen to include a whole host of top A-list Shows that can all cost $100’s each. Most Vegas passes include some shows but they are normally the slightly less popular shows and while normally good options you would have to miss out or pay separately if you want to see a BIG show. While there are no big stat residencies including with the Las Vegas Pass there are some big, big shows.

You are restricted to ONE Show per day. But really who wants to see two shows a day in a City that has SO much to see and do. You are also limited to booking the show on the morning of the show. This is a pretty disappointing restriction. And we discuss it in detail below. While it’s not the end of the world if a show is REALLY important to you we don’t advise relying on the Pass and just booking ahead. But if you are just looking for a show or two and not particularly fussed about which this is a killer option. Just look a the list Of Shows

We have also included some more realistic price options as the pass website lists the most expensive ticket and there is no guarantee you will get the “premium” seats, in fact, you will get what is left! It probably won’t be the cheapest seats as they sell out quite quickly but probably not the best either!

KA By Cirque Du Soleil – MGM Grand – $69.99 – $159.99

Our Favourite Soleil Show ever. KA Is a staggering spectacle. Almost impossible to describe here, it is a staggering feat of theatre. Blending unimaginable Human Feats of Acrobatics with a Giant Robotic Stage and stunning sets. It is scarcely believable what you are seeing. The Theme is Oriental and focuses on a love story endured within a war between two tribes, a kind of Romeo and Juliet story. But told in the most staggering way.

Zumanity by Cirque Du Soleil – New York New York $69 – $104.99

Zumanity is more of an acquired taste and for a mature audience, it attempts to explore sensuality and sexuality. It’s a cross between Burlesque and Acrobatic Cirque style feats. It has all the wows and thrills of a Cirque show just a bit sexier!

Love By Cirque Du Soleil – The Mirage $79.99 – 159.65

Love is a Beatles tribute in the Style of a Cirque Du Soleil Show. As huge Beatles fans we do like the show but the Beatles story is probably the least fitting for a Cirque show. Still, Jaw-dropping feats of acrobatics set to the best music in the world (just my opinion) makes for a very enjoyable evening.

The Blue Man Group – Luxor $59 – $151

The Blue Man Group is a USA Phenomenon. This hugely popular act has become a firm favorite and must-see show. It is not actually really to our tastes and the do split opinion, but the popularity is undeniable. The Act is a blend of percussion, stunning light show and a bit of slapstick thrown in. If the Blue Man Group is your thing this is a great addition.

Magic Mike Live – Hard Rock $85 – $145

One for the Ladies. Vegas is all about indulgence and the Magic Mike Live show is certainly that. Don’t expect a sleazy strip show here though these are talented dancers performing their art in an incredible and elaborate stage show. But don’t worry, there are not many clothes and the show pays adequate lip service to the Films.

Magic Mike is currently not running in Vegas after the takeover of Hard Rock Hotel, The show will be back soon and hopefully re-added to the Pass!

Criss Angel – Mind Freak – Planet Hollywood – $91.96 – $120

Criss Angels Mind Freak Vegas is a seriously stunning work of art. The show is breathtaking from start to end and one of our favorite shows on the strip. We are not huge magic fans, to be honest, but the dramatic set, thrilling visuals and thundering soundtrack elevate this to a level FAR above a magic show. That said the Magic is completely jaw-dropping! This is a seriously fantastic addition to the Pass!

Mat Franco Magic Reinvented – The Linq $49 – $108

Mat Franco, winner of America’s Got Talent brought his incredible show to Las Vegas and has taken a town already renowned for fantastic magic shows by storm. Now one of Vegas’s must-see magic shows.

And more!

• Absinthe – Caesars Palace
• Nathan Burton Comedy Magic
• Vegas – The Show
• V – Ultimate Variety
• Australian Bee Gees
• Carrot Top
• Opium
• Thunder From Down Under
• Jokesters Comedy Club
• Defending The Caveman
• Adam London Laughter Room
• Beatleshow
• Las Vegas Live Comedy Club
• Marc Savard Comedy Hypnosis
• Popovich Comedy Pet Theater
• The Mentalist
• Zombie Burlesque

As you can see there is an incredible variety of shows on the list and something there for most people.

Tours

There are also a number of tours available. As much as Vegas is an incredible place it’s setting in the Mojave Desert does encourage you to get out and see some of the incredible natural surroundings within the vicinity of Las Vegas.

Grand Canyon South Rim Tour – $159.99

Most tours of the Grand Canyon take you to the West Rim area. Here the Canyon is narrow, shallow and fairly disappointing for some. To see the REAL Grand canyon you need to head for the South Rim and the Grand Canyon National Park. This tour does just that!

Why then do so many tours head for the west rim? Simple really it’s much closer and the South Rim is a LONG drive from Las Vegas. This Bus tour will set you back 13 HOURS and cost a 5 AM Wake-up call getting you back to your hotel around 7 PM. That’s a long hard day on a Coach.

Is it worth it? Hell yes. The Grand Canyon is a true wonder of the world and at the South Rim where you can see the canyon in all it’s glory. It is easily worth a 13-hour bus tour.

There are better ways to see the canyon, such as driving yourself and staying over in Tusayan but if you are only able to give one day to visit the canyon this is a great way to see it. Driving there and back in on day is hard work (over 550 Miles!) and the Bus Tour provides breakfast and lunch with no chance of getting lost along the way.

Hoover Dam Half Day – $59.99

IF you are wanting to get out but not cost a full day the Hoover damn is a great choice. This stunning piece of engineering is an American Icon and well worth getting away from the strip for a few hours to see. The Trip has a much gentler wake-up call and should have you back by the pool for midday.

Horseshoe bend and Glen Canyon – $150

If the Idea of 13 hours on a bus is not enough the Horseshoe Bend and Glen Canyon tour could be the one for you. Over 14 hours and 600miles of travel. It better be worth it!

It is. Horseshoe bend is at the upper reaches of the Grand Canyon before it has formed properly and is the result of the Colorado River cutting through the rock. The Stunning bend in the river is the stuff of dream for photographers. It is a piece of natural beauty to rival anything anywhere in the world. They type of place you think isn’t real and the imagining of a Hollywood director. A real gem.

Glen Canyon and the Glen Canyon Dam are next. The dam is a worthwhile rival to the Hoover damn but even more dramatic due to the incredible natural beauty of the lake and the canyon where it’s located. Lake Powell is a stunning lake and nearly as big as Lake Mead and is a stunning blue azure color. The narrow Canyon walls really do make this an impressive awe-inspiring location.

The Final Location on the tour is Page Arizona. This small town is nothing to write home about but it allows you to upgrade the tour for a visit Antelope Canyon. An absolute MUST SEE!

It is not included in the tour but, do not come all this way and not upgrade to visit this absolute natural wonder. It is the type of place you don’t think can exist let alone be visited and the colors and formations of the slot canyons walls defy belief. If you have an Instagram account. You need to visit here!!!

It is, of course, a very specialized trip and most my just find this an awfully long day on a bus. And it is no doubt a tough old ride, but they payoffs are staggering.

Attractions

Las Vegas Strip Helicopter Tour $124

Las Vegas at night is one of the most stunning visual feasts you can imagine. The bright lights and shimmering glass and steel just come alive once the sun goes down. One of the absolute best ways to witness this from the Air. The Nigh time Helicopter Tour is a real once in a lifetime experience as you soar over the strip feeling like a millionaire Movie Star.

We can’t think of a more perfect way to spend an evening and anyone using this pass should jump at the chance of seeing Vegas form the air at night.

Unless you are scared of flying …then maybe not.

Richard Petty Driving Experience: Ride Along $149.99

Ever dreamed of riding in a real NASCAR? … No? well, this will probably not interest you too much. However, if you have spent your life growing watching and Loving NASCAR then this could be right up your street. It’s not often you get the chance to ride in an actual NASCAR alongside a pro Driver, on a track doing real NASCAR Speeds. Even a Visit to the Raceway is a pretty good experience if you are into racing and there will be cars out on the track regularly to see and hear. But when it’s time for your 3-Laps it will be a truly unforgettable experience.

If your other half has always wanted to experience a real NASCAR but the thought of spending hours at a race track in the burning sun sounds like hell, maybe don’t let them know about this one? Joking…Sort off.

High Roller – $25

We love Observation wheels and the Highroller is a great one. It is the world’s tallest observation wheel and the view from the top is like nothing in the world. Vegas really is built to be seen from above.

It’s a shame the Ticket is only for a day ride and a double shame it’s not a Happy hour Pod too. But guess you can’t have everything and the high roller is definitely one not to be missed.

Read More Here.

2 Day Hop On Hop Off Bus – $52

Hop On Hop Off Buses are great fun, Vegas is not the best place to experience these are really they just go up and down the strip so it’s not really a tour. But it’s still handy to have as a way of getting around. On top of this there is a 24-hour monorail pass so travel is covered for most of the life of the pass. If you get a 5-day pass and want to use public transport after this use the Duece.

Rock Star Club Tour -$99.99

Vegas is the Ultimate Party Destination, and what better way to experience the Stips clubs than with a Limo Party bus, with free Booze onboard and a VIP Host to get you into the best clubs on the Strip. Rockstar have been running these club tours for years and offers up a really good experience.

These tours are especially suited to people who don’t really know what clubs they want to visit or are a small group or couples as you will meet plenty of new people on the tour. Rockstar Tours get almost 100% 5 Star reviews on TripAdvisor and they do take you to the best clubs (Hyde, 1Oak, The Bank, etc) not some low rent dive off the strip.

Rock Star Pool Party Tour $ 89.99

Like the Club Tour only for pool Parties. If it’s pool party season this is a fantastic tour that really gets you a taste for what Vegas Pool Parties are all about. Again it will be a top party (Liquid or Wet Republic) and you get free transportation in the Party Limo.

MORE?

Oh yes there is more!

• Shark Reef at Mandalay Bay
• Madame Tussauds
• Marvel Avenger Station
• Stripper 101 – Learn how to Pole Dance
• Stratosphere Tower
• Valley Of Fire Hikes
• Lion Habitat Ranch
• Lake Mead Cruise
• Hollywood Cars Museum
• National Atomic Testing Museum
• Sky Zone Trampoline Park
• Springs Reserve
• Las Vegas Nation History Museum
• Secret Garden And Dolphin Habitat
• Erotic Heritage Museum
• Monster Golf
• BIG APPLE ROASTER AT NY, NY HOTEL

Is the Las Vegas Pass Good Value?

Let us take a look at some Example Itineraries and see how the pass works out. We have taken the Headline Price but Remember you can nearly always get another 20-25% off this!

3 Day Pass Itinerary 1

Day 1

• 2 Day Hop On Hop Off Bus – $52
  
• High Roller $25
• Stratosphere Tower $30
• Las Vegas Helicopter Tour $124

Day 2

• Hoover Dam Tour $59.99
• Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden $26
• Rockstar Night Club Tour $99

Day 3

• Rockstar Pool Party Tour $89
• Voodoo Zipline $28
• KA Cirque Du Soliel $69

Totals

• Regular Price $602
• Pass Price $419
• Saving $183 – 30%

3 Day Pass Itinerary 2

Day 1

• 2 Day Hop On Hop Off Bus – $52
• High Roller $25
• Siegfried and Roy’s Secret Garden $25
• Las Vegas Helicopter Tour $124

Day 2

• Grand Canyon South Rim Tour $159

Day 3

• Richard Petty Drive Along Experience $149
• Voodoo Zipline $28
• KA Cirque Du Soleil $69

Totals

• Regular Price $631
• Pass Price $419
• Saving $212 33% 

So the Totals are not as stunning as some of the other Pass options. But we have been VERY Barebones in our itineraries, you could pack a lot more in. We have also done what no other pass Review has done and taken the LOWEST price for a Show ticket. In all the other calculations they have just rehashed the Las Vegas Pass Websites quoted prices. These are not a fair reflection of what you would have paid!

And Still, the pass works out very favorably, and a Five-day pass even more so If you take our itineraries but on a five-day pass and do all five days it works out at:

• Regular Price $1007
• Pass Price $569
• Saving $438 – 44%

If you are in Vegas a week or more the 5 Day Pass is great value. Finally, we are Quoting the MAXIMUM price you will pay for the Pass. We don’t recommend paying that. As we have said there are regular deals and offers and we see no reason not to wait for these (unless you are traveling tomorrow)

It’s hard to ignore the HUGE purchase price of these cards but even with everything skewed against them, they come out saving you loads of cash. It doesn’t take much to make then appear far better value, like a 20% off code or a big sale, or maybe you bag some super seats to your shows.

There are also a few things we like about the pass on top of just savings but these could be attributed to any attractions pass.

Why we love the Las Vegas Pass

So the Pass has a HUGE roster of really high-quality attractions and the savings are pretty staggering. There are a few other benefits to getting The Las Vegas Pass. These are fairly intangible benefits but they can really make a trip more memorable and special. We use passes everywhere we go and the unseen benefits can really make having a pass in your back pocket (figuratively) worthwhile. On top of the already great savings.

Budgeting

Las Vegas trips can be EXPENSIVE. While headline prices can seem super cheap, when you start adding in food costs, gambling expenses, buffets, Drinks shopping etc… It all really adds up. Attraction costs can often be overlooked meaning one of two scenarios, you end up doing very little as you can’t afford the extra expense or you blow your budget and run out of money early or return home to a terrifying credit card bill.

Buying a Pass allows you to take care of all this upfront and not give it a second thought.

Inspiration

First-time visitors are not often aware of exactly what is available to do In Las Vegas, they think it’s all drinking and gambling. The list of available attractions can provide a great guide and an inspiration to visitors showing them a whole new side of the City and doing things they would never have considered before when planning a trip. You may even have been inspired as you read through the list of available attractions? Did you know you could visit Antelope canyon or take a ride in a Nascar before seeing it on the Pass?

Often some of the things we do on a pass end up our favorite things and we would almost certainly have not bothered without the pass.

Planning

To Properly experience a place you need a plan. Many people just turn up ad hoc and expect the city to fall into their lap. It won’t. Instead, you will just end up doing and seeing less. Having a pass offer a great start to build up an itinerary. Knowing what attractions or shows you are going to see is the perfect start. Knowing where you will be on the stip gives you the base to then build out around it.

By simply visiting attractions will have you visit different parts of the strips different casinos and help you really get the best out of the City, while the tours should help you get out and see some of the surrounding area. We always find trips using a Pass are far more varied and in-depth than ad hoc trips with no real plan.

Flexibility

That said, rigid itineraries are the stuff of nightmares. Harking back to school trip days with teachers barking orders at you. No one wants that. Having a pass allows you a huge amount of flexibility to chop and change your trip based on mood, weather, simply how much you drank the day before! It’s great to have a plan but things change and with the pass, you can simply alter the plan as you go.

Less Hassle

It is quite possible to save money by shopping around and getting deals on various shows and attractions. We doubt you will save nearly as much as the Pass if you use the pass wisely. Still, this would be quite a faff and require you to cart a load of tickets and papers around with you. You would also need to stick to a more rigid itinerary. It’s a small thing but using the pass really does simplify things quite a lot. Just turn up, Scan the pass and away you go.

Day and Night Attractions

The Las Vegas Pass has a really good selection of Day and Night Attractions and shows so you can maximize the pass, using it both day and night. A day checking out the Strip and its attractions followed by a show in the evening, or out on the club tour. This way it is really easy to get value from the pass!

Time Share Sharks

This advantage is a bit tenuous but what the hell. Walking the strip you WILL be inundated by Time Share Sharks. Every time you pass, “Free Tickets to a show?”. They are very persistent and it can take quite a bit to just walk by ignoring them, which is the only way. Any form of engagement and they have you hooked. But with a pass in your back pocket knowing all your attractions are all sorted, it’s much easier to say “I’m all sorted thanks” and move along. You can even tell them this and they will realize you are not a fish worth catching.

What we Don’t Like about the Las Vegas Pass

Show Booking

First off, and it’s a BIG issue. You cannot Book the Shows in advance. From experience Shows in Vegas do not Sell out every night and there is “normally” availability for the shows on the morning of the show. So in most cases, you will be fine. However, this brings up a couple of other issues.

The Headline price for the show and how much you “could” save is a little misleading. Show Tickets are a live market and some seats are better and more expensive than others. The Las Vegas Pass, Website have chosen to List the Most expensive ticket as their “Original Pass” Most Reviews have simply taken them at this face value. We have done it differently and quoted you the lowest price.

You will be fairly limited to what seats are available. You are going to get what’s left rather than what you want. The importance of which depends on how much you really want to see any particular show. Which leads us on to our next point.

While Availability is likely, especially for the less popular shows it is not guaranteed. If a show is particularly popular (New) or the City is exceptionally busy or you are just unlucky with your timing, you could miss out on a particular show.

The importance of this depends on how essential a particular show is to you. If you JUST HAVE to see a particular production it might just pay to book it anyway. If the whole trip will be ruined because you didn’t get to see Magic Mike or your heart is set on seeing the breathtaking KA, or if the Blue Man Group has been on your list for ages, maybe don’t chance it?

We can certainly make no promises there will be tickets on any given night and nor can the pass companies. We do say for the less popular shows there is almost always ticket availability and even with the in-demand shows such as Blue Man and Criss Angel, there are normally seats available. After all, that is why the productions have agreed to be featured on the Passes, as there are empty seats and they would prefer them filled. But if a particular show is absolutely your heart’s desire we would hate to see you miss it!

It’s a shame as a pre-booking system would negate all this negativity and make the pass a truly fantastic option.

Chasing the Pass

This is a problem with most passes. It refers to the tenancy to plan or try to cram too much in to try and get the best value out of the pass. There are only so many hours in the day and we only have so much tolerance to charging around visiting attractions. Trying to cram too much in will just lead to disappointment and exhaustion. Time should be spent seeing the City, Checking out the Casinos Gambling (if you like), Relaxing by the pool etc.

People sometimes lose sight of this and just want to do as much as possible just to make the pass seem better value.

Consecutive Calendar Days

The Pass user our least favorite activation method. Consecutive Calendar Days. This means whatever time you activate the card this counts as your first full day it’s not a 24hour period but the calendar day.

So if you activate a 3-day pass on a Saturday and you will get Saturday, Sunday, and Monday to use the pass. This is fine if you activate at 9:00 AM but if you activate at 5:00 PM then you have lost most of your day. Of course, the onus is on you to only activate early in the day.

It is also consecutive days which we don’t like as much as non-consecutive days. You don’t get time off to relax and sit by the pool but must keep visiting attractions for the life of the card. We prefer having activity day interspersed with relaxing days like some passes offer. However, no Vegas passes offer this.

Missing Attractions

There are few attractions missing from the line up in Our Opinion. The fantastic Mob Museum, and The Bodies Exhibits. These are quality and fun attractions that are on most other passes and it’s a shame they are missing. There is still tons to see and do but we do think these are a missed opportunity.

Overall

The Las Vegas Pass is a real heavyweight on the Vegas Pass Scene. It combines so A+ Shows with great tours and some really good attractions. You are going to need to be interested in the High-End attractions to get value from the very high Purchase price.

While it is expensive the attractions shows and tours are also very high end and very expensive as well so if you are looking for that all singing all dancing tour the Las Vegas Pass could be right up your street.

We do advise hunting out sales and Promo codes however as if you can find 10-20% off that eye-watering Price becomes a lot more swallow-able and the Value goes through the roof!

Have Your Say

Have you tried the Las Vegas Pass? Did you think you got good value? What did you like about it and what did you find disappointing? Let us know your feedback as the pass is quite new we have not had a chance to use it in person (YET, The Trip is booked) So your real-world feedback would be great.

As always if you have any questions Fire away. The Las Vegas Pass is a complex beast so if there is anything you are unsure of please drop us a comment.

You May Also Like:

• Las Vegas attractions
• Go Las Vegas Pass
• Las Vegas Pass Comparison

One such Pass is the Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass. This pass offers two different ways to potentially save money while visiting Las Vega and claims to save visitors huge sums of money. We take a look at the Pass in or Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass Review to see if the pass is worth buying or simply a gimmick that will actually make your trip worse.

“How could it not be worth it if the cost of the attractions is less than the normal entry?” Well, actually Attraction passes, on the whole, get a bit of a rough ride from some online sources. So we delve deep into this pass to see how it will affect both your wallet and your trip!

• Product: Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass
• Price Flex Pass: $79 – 139
• Price Day Pass: $109- $239
• Where to Buy: SightseeingPass.com
• Number Of Attractions: Unlimited from 21+ Top Attractions or Choose 3, 4, 5, or 7 on the Flex Pass
• Time Limit: 30 Days Flex or 2, 3, 4, or 5 Day Pass
• Validity: 12 months from Purchase or buy Refund Insurance for a 4% fee and get a full refund within 12 months
• Rating: 3.1/5

Attractions Available – 18+

• Grand Canyon South Rim Tour by Sweet Tours – $165 (Day Pass Only)
• Night Strip Tour – $69.00
• Axe Throwing Range – Axe Monkeys – $25
• Machine Guns Las Vegas Experience – AK47 – $49.99
• The Mob Museum – $29.95
• Night Strip Tour – $69
• Sweetours Hoover Dam Bus Tour – $71 (Day Pass Only)
• Madame Tussauds – $29.95
• Erotic Heritage Museum – $40
• and Many more…

What is the Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass?

The Pass has two main options the Day Pass and the Flex Pass.

With the Flex Pass, You choose the number of attractions you wish to visit from the list of attractions. You then have 30 Days, from the first attraction, to visit the attractions you purchased. You don’t need to pick the attractions beforehand just the number so you can easily change your mind at any time before visiting, which offers great flexibility.

With the Day Pass, you have unlimited Attractions for the slightly expanded list that you can visit anytime within the number of Days you Purchased.

Prices: Flex Pass

• 3 Attraction Pass – Adult $79 – Child $60.48 – CPA $26
• 4 Attraction Pass – Adult $99 – Child $75.60 – CPA $24.75
• 5 Attraction Pass – Adult $119 – Child $95.20 – CPA $23.80
• 7 Attraction Pass – Adult $139 – Child $119.20 – CPA $19.85

Prices: Day Pass

• 2 Day Pass – Adult $109 – Child $99
• 3 Day Pass – Adult $169 – Child $159
• 4 Day Pass – Adult $199 – Child $189
• 5 Day Pass – Adult $239 – Child $219

CPA = Cost Per Attraction

As you can see, with the Flex Pass the Price Per Attraction drops the more Attractions you purchase. With the 7 Attractions Pass at only $19.75 per attraction, it’s not hard to get good value when most attractions are well over $30

The Day Pass is a little more expansive but it still offers incredible value. The per-day price is between $54.50 and $47.80 meaning you only need to fit 2-3 attractions in per day to make the pass worth buying and with some attractions valued at $60-70 it is very easy to save $2-300 with the pass.

The Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass in Practice

The Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass is a Digital Pass. The Web Page and Marketing conjure up images of an actual card that you need to swipe to access the attractions. This is the Digital Age however and such things are largely confined to the rubbish bin. Instead, the Pass will be instantly Emailed to you and you can then use it directly from your phone. The pass is a QR code that is simply Scanned at the attraction to grant you access.

If you are Old School you can always print out your QR Codes and use the Pass that way, and in our experience, this is always a good idea in case of a technology issue such as a flat battery.

Some attractions allow pre-booking, and for some it is essential. Really if pre-booking is available we strongly advise it or you may be in for a long wait or miss out completely. We point out any of the attractions that you need or should pre-book as we discuss them below. Look for the Calendar Symbol on the Attractions Page.

While this does detract a little from the flexibility it does provide peace of mind that you won’t miss out. In fact, we would prefer if a few more of the shows would have this option rather than having to attend the Ticket Office the day of the show.

Advantages

Inspiration

When Visiting any New city it is not always inherently obvious what attractions are available. There is inevitably a whole host of different things to do but finding out exactly what is the most desirable to you can be hard. Purchasing a Pass can open your eye’s to a whole host of things you were completely unaware of. Some of which could end up being your favorite part of the trip. We endlessly hear from people who found something they loved they just didn’t know was available. And have ourselves found the same on most occasions we have used a Pass!

Planning

Having a Pass is also a great way to begin planning your itinerary for your trip. Knowing exactly what attractions you are going to visit helps build out the skeleton of the trip that you can then flesh out with other ideas and things to do, eat, drink or see! It really can be one of the best ways to begin planning your trip. Simply take a look around the area of any planned attractions and see what else might appeal!

Flexibility

While Planning is important to any trip and especially to ensure you get the best out any pass, it is also important to be flexible. Things change, weather may have an impact or you may just not be in the mood. Maybe you planned something early but stayed up until 3 shooting Craps and drinking, and just don’t fancy what you had penciled in. No problem, for a lot of the attractions on the pass you just show up whenever you want and in you go, giving you the flexibility, to tinker with your itinerary to suit anything your trip may throw at you.

Some attractions do require booking and obviously, these require a little more rigidity in your plan, but that would be the case regardless.

Budgeting

Vegas is expensive. Everywhere you go and everything you do it seems someone is trying to get a little bit more cash out of you. While it’s easy to have a great time on a budget there is always the pressure to spend a little more. That Wheel of Fortune Slot machine just begging you to slip that $20 in! At least with a Pass, you have the attraction side all sown up beforehand. No Nasty surprises when you open your credit card bill and No blowing all your cash on blackjack and have nothing left to do but sit by the pool!

Simplicity

There are loads of ways to Save Money on Attractions in Vegas and you never need to pay the gate price. So some of the headline savings of the pass can be a little misleading. However, doing so requires a lot of time-consuming research, hunting out the best deals and Groupons. Striking while the iron is hot and then printing out and carrying around a host of E-mails, Coupons, and tickets. Alternatively, You could just buy the pass, save more, and get on with planning your trip and researching gambling techniques!

Disadvantages

There are some inherent disadvantages of buying the Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass. These are problems inherent in most Passes and some specific to this pass. As we said Some online travel Forums, “Experts” and message boards are dead against Passes. While we think they generally overstate the negatives and miss the fact you can save up to 70% on gate prices, they do have some valid points, not everything about a Pass is positive.

One problem is what we call Chasing the Pass. This is the feeling that as you have to cram as much in as possible to get value from the Pass. This is less of an issue on the Sightseeing pass as by choosing the number of attractions you are less pressured to cram stuff in than on the All-inclusive passes where the more you do the more you save.

The other side of this is planning too much. As the Price per attraction drops the more attractions you buy it’s tempting to buy more and cram a lot into your trip but this can be a mistake! There are only so many hours in the day and getting to and from attractions takes time and you are definitely going to want to do other things while in town such as eating, drinking, gambling, etc. It is best to plan in a Maximum of 2-3 attractions a day, and one evening attraction, if possible. Some attractions will easily take up a full half-day and some, such as the Grand Canyon Tour will eat an entire day. Plan accordingly and don’t try to cram too much in. The general rule is if you are worried it much be too much it probably is.

We have also said before in Vegas there are always ways to save money and few people pay FULL entry for anything, so the pass is probably not as great value as it first appears, but it can still be of great value, and as we said much easier than collating many different offers.

Finally, the Las Vegas Sightseeing pass is actually quite limited in the variety of attractions. We will explore this later but there are far fewer practical options than on the rival passes such as the Go Las Vegas Card or the Las Vegas Explorer Pass.

Do We need a Pass At All?

Not really, It all depends on the type of trip you want. If it’s all about partying Gambling and drinking then there is not much sense on buying a pass. However, even if you only plan to visit a couple of attractions using a pass can be a good way to save money.

What Attractions are included?

The most important part of any pass is the attractions. These should really appeal. You should look at the list and see several things that make you go, Wow I really want to do that. Even if you have never heard about it before if it has instant appeal then the pass could be a great way to go. If the list of attractions is of little interest to you it probably isn’t a good investment.

With that in mind, we will take an in-depth look at our favorite attractions on the Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass.

Covid-19 – The Pandemic has really taken a dump on Travel and there are far fewer attraction options available in town ATM. the loss of shows is a particular blow to the Sightseeing Pass

Premium Attractions

Unlike the Las Vegas Go Card, which also has a good list of fantastic Premium attractions, You are not limited to choosing one! With the Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass, you are able to choose ANY or indeed ALL of the Premium Attractions! this makes the pass very good value and the only real limit on the premium attractions is having time to fit them in! However, due to the pandemic, there are only 1-2 premium attractions listed on the Pass so this benefit has largely evaporated.

Grand Canyon South Rim Tour by Sweetours – $165 – Pre Book

The Grand Canyon is a very popular excursion from Las Vegas. While visiting one of the modern wonders of the world why not head out and see one of the natural wonders of the world? The only problem, while looking on a map the Canyon seems pretty close. In reality, it’s one hell of a trip. Most people take the easy option and visit the Hualapai “west” rim section of the Canyon. This is the tourist area and is to many, a disappointment. To reach the South Rim and the “real” canyon it is a 270+ Miles journey through the desert.

It is so worth it though! The size and color of the canyon at the distant South Rim is beyond description Even photos fail to do this justice. over a MILE deep and 18 Miles wide and carved from red and orange sandstone, it’s a jaw-dropping view. If anyone has told you they went to the Grand Canyon and it was ok. They went to the West Rim.

The Sweetours trip is a FULL day and it’s a long full day at that. Expect an early start and a nighttime return where all you will be seeking is a bed, and maybe a stiff drink or two. This is a great chance to really see one of the natural wonders of the world.

Sweetours Hoover Dam Bus Tour – $71 – Pre Book

Only included o the Day pass and of reasonably high value this just about counts as a premium. Much like the Grand Canyon tour, this is a long bus tour out into the desert this time takes you to the Hoover Dam.

If the thought of spending 10 hours on a bus fills you with dread but you still want to get out of the city and see some sights this is a much shorter and more compact tour with only 1 hour or so each way on the bus. The Dam needs little introduction and is a wonderful spectacle towering 660ft above the river below and holding back up to 9,198,470,824,231 Gallons, that’s over 9 trillion!

It’s a great little tour that gets you away from the city for around 5-6 hours with 2 hours+ exploring the dam.

Closed – Drifting Ride Along in a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat – 2 laps – $99 – Pre Book

This is a very expensive ride in a very fast and very powerful Musclecar, that is being driven by a complete hooligan! Two laps of an approx 2km track are not going to take very long at 120+mph and as such, this is very much a short but intense thrill ride.

The 700+hp hellcat is one hell of a beast and not many of us get to experience power such as this and in the hands of a professional driver, it is a ride of a lifetime. However, it’s a lot of money, I would certainly think long and hard if $99 was worth it, if it wasn’t included on the pass. It is a great opportunity to head over to the Las Vegas Speedway, and get your thrill on. You are bound to see a whole heap of fast cars on your visit and it is a really fun excursion for the petrol heads among you!

Standard Attractions

The Mob Museum – $29.95

We love the Mob Museum. Vegas Being Vegas, a fine art Museum would not go down too well, so instead we get a Museum dedicated to organized crime. Excellent. It really is one not to be missed.

Night Strip Tour – $69 – Pre Book

Enjoy a full sightseeing tour of the entire Las Vegas Strip. Starting with champagne at the Welcome to Las Vegas Sign and ending at the Freemont Street Light show it is a great way to see Vegas!

Axe Throwing Range – Axe Monkeys – $25

This is only found on the Sightseeing Pass and is a great fun little attraction. Really le of steam as you learn the art of Axe Throwing and skewer the targets with your lethal throwing awe. It takes a bit of getting used to but once you have the technique it is super satisfying!

Machine Guns Las Vegas Experience – AK47 – $49.99

Another Sightseeing Exclusive, the chance to get your hands on a real AK47 and let off some rounds at Machine Guns Las Vegas Shootin Range. We love shooting experiences in Vegas and they are pretty unique to the City being able to fire some of the world’s most iconic and best known weapons.

Read more about shooting experiences here

The one BIG drawback to this inclusion on the pass is you only get one gun and 25 rounds. That’s great but we doubt that’s going to be enough for you so expect to get the soft sell at the range to purchase more rounds and ammo for their huge range of firearms. Once you have fired the AK47 you are definitely going to want to try something else!

Is the Las Vegas Sightseeing Pass Worth it? – Costed Examples

With the very prices of the Attractions that are included on the Sightseeing Pass, it is very easy to see how easy it is to save a whole bunch of cash with the pass. However, we do see lower savings than might be possible with the Passes competitors which we look at later.

The best way to look at this is with a few examples.

Examples –

Flex Pass 4 attraction pass ($24.75 Per Attraction) – 

• Machine Gun AK47 – $49
• Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour – $50
• Mob Museum – $30
• Madame Tussauds – $36

• Gate Price – $165
• Pass Price – $99
• Saving – $65 – 40%

Flex Pass 5 attraction pass ($23.80 Per Attraction) – 

• Machine Gun AK47 – $49
• Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour – $50
• Mob Museum – $30
• Madame Tussauds – $36
• Big Apple Rollercoaster – $19

• Gate Price – $184
• Pass Price – $119
• Saving – $65 -35%

As you can see choosing the Flex Pass means savings are modest, but $65 is still a good saving and it’s better in your pocket than anyone else’s. We have chosen popular attractions as opposed to the highest cost, so you could save even more if you picked higher-priced attractions but we have gone for our favs!

Day Pass 3 Day Pass ($56 Per Day)- 

The Day pass allows for much greater savings but you will still be limited by time more than anything else.

Day 1

Day one kicks off with some real tourist treats. Heading downtown on the Hop On Hop Off Bust then visiting the Amazing Mob Museum and a tour around the Freemont Street Experience. Finally back on the strip taking in the Madame Tussauds Exhibit that has some really Vegas-inspired Wax Works.

• Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour – $50
• Mob Museum – $30
• Walking Tour of Downtown Las Vegas – $30
• Madame Tussauds – $30

Total – $140

Day 2

As the only premium option on the pass then we do recommend heading to the Grand Canyon, if this premium is not of interest to you, maybe this is not the right pass, see below for options. This is a long day and you are not going to have a chance to see anything else.

• Premium – Grand Canyon South Rim Tour by Sweetours – $165

Total – $165

Day 3

Day 3 focuses on some real fun, with the amazing AK47 Experience and then some Axe Throwing. Finally, in the evening you head out to see the city in its glorious evening dress as the VEgas lights really sparkle.

• Machine Gun AK47 – $49
• Axe Throwing – $25
• Night Strip Tour – $69

Total – $143

• Gate Price – $448
• Pass Price – $169
• Saving – $279 – 62%

We really have been fairly light on this itinerary if you really tried you could fit in one or two more attractions on days 1 and 3, but we wanted to show just how easy it is without really trying hard.

You can see from these Examples the Savings can be very significant. But it does not answer the whole question. There is more to Value than just monetary Savings. The key part of the question is are the attractions worth the cost to visit. Are you going to visit them anyway? If so then it makes a whole heap of sense to get a pass and save potentially hundreds of dollars. You will be sure to find another way to spend those $ in Vegas!

Alternative Passes

There are several other Passes available in Las Vegas. The Las Vegas Explorer Pass is similar to the Standard Flex pass, however, we think it has better more varied attractions and works out a little cheaper in most cases!

The Las Vegas Go Card is an All-Inclusive pass, meaning you can do as many attractions from the list as you like in the number of days you purchase. This pass also has Premium attractions* similar to the Flex Premium but you only get to choose one from the list, it is a bit cheaper though, and has a better choice of standard attractions!

*Premium Attractions only on 3, 4, and 5 Day Passes.

Basically, these passes cost about the same as the Sightseeing pass but their list of available attractions really puts the sightseeing pass to shame. The Sightseeing pass has some unique experiences and if these really suit you then the pass is worth considering but on the whole, there is just So much more on the Go City Pass and this extra choice does not come at an extra cost. Overall we much prefer these line-ups and as such we prefer the Passes.

You can find the FULL round-up on our Las Vegas Pass Comparison Page here.

Conclusion

Overall we like the Las Vegas sightseeing pass but the attraction lust is just too limited compared to its rivals. There are just too many must-sees not listed and the Premium Line up of the Go City Las Vegas Pass is now back to its best. There are just so many choices that really will make your trip better.

However, there are a few unique attractions on the Sightseeing pass, and if these appeal more to you than the Go City line up that is always going to be the deciding factor. All the Las Vegas Passes work really well and you are sure to save a packet so choose the pass that has the attractions most suited to your personal tastes.

Have Your Say?

Let us know in the comments below if you have tried either the Las Vegas Sightseeing Flex or Day Pass? What did you think? Was it value for money for you? Did you enjoy the attractions? or did you find it was all too much to pack in? Let us know in the comments if you have any questions about the Pass, the Attractions, or how it all works.

You May Also Like

• Las Vegas Pass Comparison
• Best Las Vegas Attractions
• Las Vegas Money Saving Guide

In this article, we take a look at the London Explorer Pass from the Go City Group. We explain how the pass works in practice and which attractions included are worth your time. We ask if the London Explorer Pass is worth it and explain all the Pros and cons of having a Pass. After all, it’s not just a simple case of money savings the Pass should help improve your trip not make it worse! So read on and let our London Explorer Pass Review help you decide if the Pass is right for YOU.

Our site is primarily a Guide for visiting USA cities so on the face of it you might ask what business do we have reviewing a London city pass? We have huge experience with passes in general and as we actually hail from the UK, we also have a huge amount of experience visiting London and all its attractions, after all, we have family in the City and it is only a few hours down the motorway meaning we visit regularly. We are also very keen on saving money wherever possible and have such great experiences using passes in all cities we have visited worldwide!

• Product: London Explorer Pass
• Price: £34-£94
• Price Child: £22-62 (Child 3-15yrs)
• Where to Buy: Londonexplorerpass.com
• Number Of Attractions: choose 2, 3, 5, 6, or 7 attractions from 60 Top Attractions
• Time Limit: 60 Days
• Validity Period: 2 Years from Purchase – 90 Days Cancelations Guarantee
• Rating: 4/5 Stars

Attractions Available – 32

• Tower Of London – £29.90
• 1 Day Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tour – £29
• City Cruises Thames River Pass – £20.50
• View From the Shard – £32
• London Zoo – £37.50
• Kew Gardens – £19.50
• Westminister Abbey – £23
• Stadium Tours – £21-27
• and many more…

How Much Does the London Explorer Pass Cost?

• 2 Attractions – Adult – £34 ( 17 Per Attraction) Child – £22
• 3 Attractions – Adult – £49 ( £16.30 Per Attraction) Child – £34
• 5 Attractions – Adult – £74 ( £14.80 Per Attraction) Child – £49
• 6 Attractions – Adult – £84 ( £14.00 Per Attraction) Child – £56
• 7 Attractions – Adult – £94 ( £13.40 Per Attraction) Child – £62

The most important factor here is the Per Attraction Price. As you will see some attractions are high-value £30-38+ whereas others are quite cheap some as low as £7. Even with the best value pass, the 7 Attractions the per attraction price is £13.40 if the attractions that have caught your eye are less than this then there is little point in getting it on the pass. More on this later as we look at some sample itineraries.

Save an Extra 10% per Explorer Pass

Use the Code Below to get even more off your Explorer Pass Purchases, keep reading to see how much you can save, but you will save even more with our exclusive discount code!

Note – Clinking the Link will take you directly to the London Explorer Pass Site, Any purchases made will provide us with a small commission, this is how we support the site, thanks

What is the London Explorer Pass?

The London Explorer Pass is an attraction pass where you choose a set number of attractions and then choose, as you go, which attractions you wish to visit while in the City. There are over 60 attractions to choose from and many of them are top-tier London attractions, things most people want to do when they visit the city. The pass is valid for 60 days after your first attraction which means you can plan your trip as you want and not chase a pass around the City. The pass offers the chance to save up to 40% over paying separately, meaning a load of extra cash to spend on other things! Well, that is how the pass works in Theory but how does it play out in practice?

The London Explorer Pass in Practice

The Explorer pass now operates as a Digital pass with the physical form being retired. Now great news for those still operating in the 20th century!

However, the reason a lot of passes have become digital is it is just SO much easier and simpler. So we recommend this option. With the London Explorer App downloaded to your phone you simply scan the QR-Code at the attraction and you are in! There is no need for delivery or any hassle of getting to the Collection point. It couldn’t be easier!

The App doubles as your guidebook to help you choose and locate which attractions you want to visit. The App is an offline app so if you don’t have data this is no problem and it contains all the information you need for any of the attractions. We have used passes like this all over the world and never had any issue with the use of digital passes. The only potential issue is your battery. The app itself is very low power but if you are taking loads of photos and videos you do run the risk of flattening your phone’s battery. But simply carrying a charger or power bank should help negate this issue.

For most attractions, it is a simple matter of presenting the pass and entering the attraction but there is the issue of Timed tickets. Some would have you believe this makes the pass impossible to use and a waste of money. We disagree and have used the Timed Ticket system countless times often to our advantage, we discuss this later on in detail.

Overall the pass really couldn’t be simpler to use, while there are a few inherent disadvantages which we detail later the Pro’s out weight those in our opinion and that is without really considering the Real advantage, the up to 40% money Saving.

In reality, these Passes are ALL about the attractions. They have to be super high quality and be things you really want to see. Otherwise, the pass is a waste of money, there is no point in seeing and doing things you don’t want to just because they are on the pass, So let’s take a look at what we think are the Best Attractions included on the Pass.

Attractions

1 Day Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tour – £29

Open Top bus tours are a fantastic way to get around and see any new City. And these bus tours have been operating in London longer than just about anywhere else. In fact, the Originals were horse-drawn and were just used as regular buses only becoming tourist attractions much later.

While the upper deck is very weather dependent when it is fine and dry the top deck really does offer fantastic views as the bus travels around the Cities best sightseeing locations. London’s Subway system is one of the best in the world so getting about will be no issue, but the tours really offer a very enjoyable way of linking up your attractions.

Among many things London is known for its less than fantastic weather, it does rain a lot and being atop an unprotected bus is not the most enjoyable of activities. This is where the flexibility of the Explorer Pass really comes into its own as if the weather is really just diabolical for part of your trip just put off the bus tour until a drier day, we do get them every so often! Often with attraction passes for bus tours you need to head to a ticket center to get a bus ticket before boarding but with the London Explorer Pass, you just show your Pass to the Bus Driver!

Hop-On Hop-Off River Cruise 24hr Pass- £20.50

With London bisected its entire length by the River Thames a River cruise is a must-do method of seeing the City. The fact this tour is a Hop On Hop Off trip only makes it more appealing. While its usefulness as transportation is limited, as the boats only sail every 40 mins, as a fantastic attraction in itself that can link up several landmarks it is fantastic.

The Boat sails between Westminster and Greenwich Park via all of London’s best Waterside attractions. Stopping off at the London Eye and Tower Bridge along the way. It’s a fantastic way to see the city and the only downside is the fact it would only cost you £19.25 even without the pass so this attraction only really makes sense on the 5 and 7 attraction passes

Tower Of London – £29.90

The Tower of London is one of the most iconic attractions in the City. Its historic and bloody past is seriously fascinating and the tower now acts as a living museum to all of London’s long and sordid history. The tower is nearly 4 times as old as the entire United States and even pre-dates the Aztec Empire by several hundred years! Its ancient halls hose some really fascinating medieval Armour and weapons and various other displays of historical artifacts.

The Towers are also home to the priceless Crown Jewels, which are mostly on display to the public. These stunning Jewels, Crowns, Sceptres, and Maces are guarded by the Famos London Beefeaters who stand guard 24/7 outside the Jewel House. They are also responsible for the Ravens housed at the Tower who bring good fortune to the empire (they have not been doing too well of late!). Visitors to the Tower will be able to meet both!

The Tower of London really is one of the Citys most historic sites and a must-visit. Apart from Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, the tower ranks as one of the most visited locations in the City and is far more fun as you can actually go inside the tower and explore the exhibits, whereas the others are closed to the public!

View from The Shard – £32

In Stark Contrast to the Tower, the Shard is an ultra-modern Skyscraper, the tallest in the United Kingdom and the Tallest in Europe outside of Russia! The Tower sits just across the Thames from the Tower, accessed either by London Bridge or the Iconic Tower Bridge. This makes Visiting both a Breeze and would save nearly £30 if you just bought a 2 attraction pass.

From the Top of the Shard, the view is absolutely breathtaking. Situated up on the 72nd Floor the contrast of the City really comes into focus, the incredibly old contrasted with the ultra-modern. The Thames snaking through the middle of it all, it’s the best view in London at present!

ZSL London Zoo – £37.50

Ranked as the second-best Zoo in the UK, (only falling behind Chester Zoo one of the best in the world) the Zoo is one of London’s best attractions. With over 670 species including Gorillas, Lions. Tigers, Zebras, Giraffes, Primates, and even Komodo Dragons, the City Centre Zoo is quite a spectacle.

Easily accessible via the Underground (Regents Park on the Bakerloo line), The Zoo Sits in Regents park and is a great morning or afternoon attraction. On top of the larger animals, there is a huge array of smaller critters in the amazing Retile House and BUGS Building.

Westminister Abbey – £23

Westminster Abbey is a real highlight of London and one absolutely not to miss! Its Central location right next to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben means it is a definite must-see with its stunning Gothic Architecture. However you can visit the Abbey for free, you just need to pay to go inside.

This, however, is well worth it. The interior is just as stunning as the exterior and has been the location of countless historical events such as the Coronations of just about every Monarch in the last 1000 years along with countless royal weddings such as the Current Queen of England along with Willaim and Kate.

It is also the final resting place for some of history’s most notable figures including
Charles Darwin, and Charles Dickens, and more recently Stephen Hawkins. Along with a Large number of Royals. If the Royal Family and British history is your thing the Westminster Abbey is the absolute personification of this!

Football Stadium Tours – Arsenal -£27 / Chelsea -£25 / Wembley -£24 / London – £21

Football, or Soccer if you must, is ingrained in the British psyche and culture. So nothing can be apter than a tour around a Major football Stadium. While we would not be seen dead in the Emirates (Arsenal) Or Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) or the London Stadium (West Ham) most people are not so discerning as our objections are solely based on the tribal lines of the sport (Man Utd all the way here) We would happily visit Wembly however, and as we said most visitors would love visiting any of these iconic stadiums.

Wembley is a modern and genuinely huge stadium that serves as our National Stadium. Not affiliated to any club it hosts cup finals and major events rather than, week in and week out, football. The Emirates Stadium is Arsenal FC’s brand new Stadium, this ultra-modern 60,000+ seater stadium is seriously impressive. Stamford Bridge is much older and smaller than the others but with that comes heritage.

All the Stadium tours allow you access to changing rooms trophy rooms (probably disappointing at Arsenal ), pitchside access, and player tunnels, along with other behind-the-scenes locations.

Care should be taken when planning these tours as they will not be available on matchdays or if a major event is on at Wembley.

Advantages

We take a look below at the value of the pass and how much you can save but on top of this there are some other material benefits to having a Pass, we take a look at these next, followed by the downsides, hey nothing is perfect!

Inspiration

Most people have a dream of visiting a City or Location and feel they know exactly what they want to see and do but then when the process of turning this dream into a reality they suddenly realize they know very little about the practicality of what is actually available in the City. This often leads to people having very little idea and tuning up and relying on finding things when there. Instead, Buying a Pass allows you to really know exactly what is on offer and what it is you want to do. We have lost count of the number of times we have discovered an attraction simply because it was on a pass we bought. Often these turn out to be highlights of the trip!

Planning

Likewise Having the pass gives a real Focus on the trip. A lot of attractions in London are free, such as the parks and visiting Buckingham Palace or a spot of shopping on Oxford Street or at Harrods. But planning out your trip can be confusing, With a pass you can plan your trip around the Paid attractions and fit in the free things around this. Knowing exactly what you are planning on doing really helps you plan out a trip.

Flexibility

While we strongly advise planning your trip out to get the absolute best of it, a completely rigid itinerary is pretty boring and also can make the trip less fun. Things change, such as weather and even just your mood and it’s important to have the flexibility to chop and change as needed during your trip. A great example is the Open-top Bus tour. This will be pretty miserable in the pouring rain. With a pre-booked ticket you are stuck but with the Explorer pass, just switch it out for another day! This applies to many other attractions such as the river cruise, the London Eye (poor vis), etc, and conversely, if you have indoor attractions (Madame Tussauds, The Dungeon, Sealife) planned for good weather you could swap these out for a day that is less wonderful.

Do not underestimate this advantage in London, If the weather is good, take advantage, it probably won’t last!

Budgeting

Budgeting is a boring but unavoidable part of any trip. Knowing how much you have to spend and how much you need can be a depressing business. With a pass, it’s one simple sum to cover all your spending needs as far as attractions go. This means no unexpected credit card bills and now burning through your holiday cash in only a couple of days…well unless you go mad in Harrods that is!

It also helps that you can buy the pass before the trip meaning you can spread the cost of the trip out nicely. With the Explorer Pass, you have 30 days to get any refund on unused passes so if you buy around 1 month before the trip and something happens you can get your money back.

No Rushing

The London Explorer Pass works by choosing the number of attractions, we really like this way of doing things as it takes the pressure off. There can be a desire with all-inclusive passes to rush around the City seeing everything just to get maximum value from the pass. With the pass only having a set number off attractions you can tour the City at your leisure only doing attractions as you choose.

Disadvantages

Some attractions use what is known as a timed ticket. This means you need to visit the ticket office and present the pass. This is then scanned and a ticket is presented for a specific time, normally the next available, or you can choose a later time if it suits you. This does cause an issue at very busy times as the next available can be much later and they even sell out on very busy dates. Pre-Booking means you can select this Time-slot ahead of time and avoid the issue. However, this has its own drawback meaning you are set to a rigid schedule and have to arrive at an allotted time and date. The Explorer Pass approach allows you to chop and change as you please!

Following the Pandemic, the Pass Roster has changed somewhat, and the pass has lost some BIG London attractions. Namely the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, and The London Dungeon.

The London Eye is very disappointing but is somewhat made up for by the Shard Viewing Deck, whereas Madame Tussauds and the Dungeon are irreplaceable. This has been slightly made up for by reducing the prices and adding a large number of attractions but both all three are much-loved attractions and we wish they were still present! There is still so much to do, but if you have to pay for Tussauds and the dungeon separately then the pass falls apart somewhat.

It is worth saying these are really touristy attractions and could be considered traps, so if you are looking for a more cultural visit to London they are not a big loss!

Care must be taken to not plan too much. Many people overestimate how many attractions they can fit in a day. 3 Attraction a day is certainly doable but you are unlikely to fit much else in and you are not really going to get 5 attractions in a day, over a 3-day trip 7 attractions is doable but it will be a hectic trip. The worst thing you can do is plan too much a then miss out on some attractions or rush through things to get your money’s worth. You may even find yourself skipping things you wanted to do, such as free attractions to fit in the paid-for ones. People can forget to take into account traveling time and the human body’s finite amount of energy and attention to keep rolling all day. Check the hints and tips section for ideas on how to plan your trip.

Is the London Explorer Pass Worth It?

With everything taken into account, we love the Pass, and we really feel it will massively help your trip to London be everything you want it to be. But the reality is most of us buy the passes primarily with cost savings in mind. So let’s take a look at some possible cost savings with the pass:

• 2 Attractions – Adult – £34 ( 17 Per Attraction) Child – £22
• 3 Attractions – Adult – £49 ( £16.30 Per Attraction) Child – £34
• 5 Attractions – Adult – £74 ( £14.80 Per Attraction) Child – £49
• 6 Attractions – Adult – £84 ( £14.00 Per Attraction) Child – £56
• 7 Attractions – Adult – £94 ( £13.40 Per Attraction) Child – £62

3-Attraction Pass – £ per Attraction

• Tower of London – £30
• 1 Day Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tour – £29
• View from the Shard – £32

• Normal Price: £91
• Pass Price: £49
• Savings: £42 – 45%+

5-Attraction Pass

• Tower of London – £30
• 1 Day Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tour – £29
• View from the Shard – £32
• London Zoo- £37.50
• Westminister Abbey- £ 23

• Normal Price: £151
• Pass Price: £74
• Savings: £77 – 50%+

7-Attraction Pass

• Tower of London – £30
• 1 Day Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tour – £29
• View from the Shard – £32
• London Zoo- £37.50
• Wembly Stadium Tour – £ 25
• Hop-On Hop-Off River Cruise – £20.50
• Westminister Abbey – £23

• Normal Price: £197
• Pass Price: £94
• Savings: £103 – 55%+

As you can see there are clearly huge savings to be made! These are our favorite itineraries but they are not especially the BEST value if you try harder you could save even more, but that is not the right way to use the pass. The key is to only do the things you want to not save the most money. You could save even more by doing nothing but what is the point in that.

However, we would be remiss to not point out it is also possible to not save any money at all. Some of the attractions are low value and can limit the potential savings if the price per attraction is more than the normal price. If the attraction you want to do consider getting a pass with less attraction and just paying the entry fee on the cheaper attractions at the gate.

Tips And Tricks – How best to use the Pass

Groups attractions, Paid AND free – While London is not the biggest city, especially not Central London where most of the attractions are based it still pays to visit Attractions that are clustered together at the same time. For instance, the Tower of London and The shard are both stone’s throw away from each other.

Keep in mind this applies to free attractions as well, when planning the paid attractions always look at what is in the area to do free of charge as well!

Work out the cost of YOUR attractions – As the London Pass works on a set number of attractions the cost per attraction is the most important factor but it doesn’t always work out as cleanly as you imagine. So the best way to work out what is cheaper is to run the maths.

By going from a 3 attraction pass to a 5 attraction pass the price per attraction drops £2.50 but that applies to ALL attractions, not just the extra ones, so you will save more on the original three! See it’s quite complicated so the easiest way is to add up all permutations and just see which will cost you the least.

Don’t plan too much – We always say 3 attractions MAX per day anymore and you risk not fitting things in or rushing so much you won’t enjoy yourselves. With only one day in the City, a 3 attraction pass is fine as you can visit the London Eye and the Dungeon and also do the Big Bus Tour, allowing you to visit some free attractions.

Use the Bus Tours and Boat Tours to link attractions – The Bus and Boat tours are a very poor means of transport but the tours themselves are really fun and get you to some great sights of the City. We use the tours as attractions themselves but you can still take advantage and hop off at certain locations to visit other attractions or just take a better look at something.

Book Timed Tickets early then do something else – As mentioned above if an attraction requires a timed ticket and availability is low and you can’t get into the attraction until later it’s best to visit another attraction while you wait for your timed slot.

Visit indoor attractions in the rain and outdoor attractions when the weather is better – The Pass allows great flexibility and unless you have a crystal ball you cannot plan for weather until much nearer the time. We tend to plan “days” and that way we can move these days around to suit the weather. It’s not a complete RE-Plan on the fly just a case we were meant to do this on Friday, but it’s given rain so we will do that plan on Saturday and move Saturday’s plan on Friday as it’s more suitable to poor weather.

Have Backups – Sometimes attractions are unavailable for unforeseen circumstances always have backups in mind. It can be massively disappointing to miss out but it is better to do something else rather than lose out completely.

Don’t Rush – Like planning too much there is also a desire to rush each attraction to get onto the next. This is a mistake. Take your time and fully immerse yourself in the attraction.

Finally, Don’t Pay Full Price!!! – Yep the Pass offers staggering value, well over 50% off the attraction prices, along with all the other advantages of the Pass, however, if the Passes were cheaper, you could save EVEN MORE!

Well, with our exclusive discount code they ARE! Currently, we have a 10% off code, saving you another 10% off the purchase price of the London Explorer Pass! Click the Link Below then use your code at the checkout for even more savings!

Note – Clinking the Link will take you directly to the London Explorer Pass Site, Any purchases made will provide us with a small commission, this is how we support the site, thanks

Alternatives?

The London Pass is one excellent alternative to the London Explorer Pass. This is a more expensive option but it is an all-inclusive Pass with over 80 attractions and quite a few excellent options such as the Tower of London and the View from the Shard. It is a fantastic option and well worth a look

Have Your Say

Have you tried the London Explorer Pass? Did you think it was good value or did you not get full value from it for some reason? Were the attraction all you expected or were some of them a letdown? Let us know in the comments below as we use your feedback to help better advise our readers!

If you have any comments or questions feel free to leave a comment. The London Explorer Pass can be quite a complicated thing to fully understand so if you have any comments or queries just fire away in the comments, We love hearing from our readers.

<<< Buy Your London Explorer Pass Here >>>

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• The London Pass

With Our San Francisco CityPASS review we take an in-depth look at the pass, find out about the attractions included on the Pass, How it works, and if it saves you money along with looking at the pros and cons of the pass and if other passes may suit you better. This should help answer the question, Is the San Francisco CityPASS worth it?

• Product: San Francisco CityPASS
• Price: $84 (12+)
• Price Child: $64 (5-11)
• Where to Buy: CityPASS.com
• Number of Attractions: choose 4 of 7
• Time Limit: 9 consecutive days
• Expiry: 365-day Money Back Guarantee
• Rating: 4 – Stars

Attractions Included:

Both:

• California Academy of Sciences
• Blue & Gold Fleet Bay Cruise Adventure

2 further Choices:

• Aquarium of the Bay
• The Walt Disney Family Museum
• San Francisco Zoo & Gardens
• Exploratorium
• San Francisco Museum of Modern Art

What is the San Francisco CityPASS

The San Francisco CityPASS is an attraction pass that allows you to visit multiple attractions for one flat fee. This fee is significantly less than the prices you will pay for visiting all the attractions separately. Depending on which attractions you choose you could save over $70 per person or 46%. Money that could be spent on any number of great things.

So on the face of it, it’s a really good idea. But there are always potential drawbacks. Are the attractions included, the things you really want to do? if they are not, and you are only considering them because they are “on the pass”, it may be better to just do the things you want to do separately and use your time to do things you REALLY want to do. Often time is the most valuable commodity on shorter city breaks.

So let’s look at the attractions in a little more detail to see if this pass is the right for you.

What are the Attractions, are they any good?

On the whole, the Attraction lineup is pretty limited. However, the options on the Pass are all really top-quality attractions. These are mainly the things we most want to do in the City. In fact, as you only get to choose 4 it can be hard to actually choose!

Also, there are a couple of big misses too, attractions we want to see but are not on the pass.

The First two attractions are fixed. The California Academy of Sciences and Blue & Gold Fleet – Bay Cruise Adventure. Then you get to choose 2 of the remaining 5 attractions

The California Academy of Sciences – $43.00 – Fixed

The Academy of Sciences is a unique place that really captivates the mind and immerses you in the Sciences. It’s hard to fully explain what this place really is. It’s kind of a cross between a Natural History Museum and a Zoo. We rate it as one of the best Attractions in San Francisco and is definitely one not to be missed.

The Exhibits, while all based around Science and Nature, differ greatly from your standard Natural History Museum. It is far more than Diarahnmas of stuffed animals. While the Dinosaur Hall is your regular collection of Fossils, which is no bad thing, other exhibits literally come alive. The Living Rainforest is an immersive Biosphere with walkways allowing you to explore the canopy tops. There is a fantastic Aquarium with Coral Reefs, California Oceans, and even Penguins and a Gay Albino Alligator. And don’t miss the Planetarium

Overall it is a fantastic place with so much to see and do and it’s all situated in the phenomenal Golden Gate Park which is well worth a visit on its own! This is a full half-day experience at least.

Read more about the Acadamy here or check out their website for the latest information.

Blue & Gold Fleet – Bay Cruise Adventure – $37.00 – Fixed

A Cruise out into the San Francisco Bay is a wonderful way to get a different view of the City, During your 1-Hour aboard the Blue & Gold Fleets cruise ships, you will see stunning views of the City Skyline, Take in the various watercraft and wildlife that inhabit the bay, get up close and personal with the world-famous Golden Gate Bridge and finally swing back via The Rock For some Close-up views of the Alcatraz Penitentiary.

It is a great way to see so much of the Bay area in a very short time, and we always just love being out on the water. The Cruise Sails from Next to Pier 39 so you can also get a close-up view of the Noisy and quite Smelly, SeaLion Colony residing there.

Read our full Guide to Bay Cruises to find out more

Aquarium Of The Bay – $31.75 – Choice 1

While we really like the Aquarium of the Bay we have to acknowledge it is not a World Class Aquarium of the likes of Monterey Bay or Georgia Aquarium. The exhibits are more humble and the species less diverse with no huge show-stopping attractions or giant tanks. It is not, however, a bad aquarium and beats many big branded aquariums (sea life etc..) it is just not quite up there with the BEST.

The Aquarium focuses heavily on marine life in and around the Bay area and for that we give it majors Kudos. It is fascinating to see the extent and diversity of life under your feet as you explore the bay. Staring into the muddy water off Fisherman’s wharf you would be forgiven for thinking the bay was dead but the Aquarium shines a light on just how much is going on under the waves!

If you like Aquariums or are just interested in expanding your knowledge of the bay’s natural life you will love the aquarium. The Shark tank holds some impressive 7-gilled sharks, You will also find White Sturgeon, Bat Rays, Pacific Octopus, and incredibly cute River Otters. It is a great way to spend a few hours and really helps you understand the goings-on of the bay.

Walt Disney Family Museum – $25 – Choice 2

If you are big Disney Fans, or just fans of motion pictures and the history of film, a Visit to the Walt Disney Family Museum is a MUST. It’s a bit of an odd location as Walk never really had any big ties to the Bay Area, and this museum is primarily about him. His life and works, rather than about the motion picture company.

It’s a great little museum dedicated to the genius that was Walt and for us, it’s a must-see. It’s also right near the HQ for industrial light and magic and the Yoda Fountain.

Exploratorium -$39.95

the Exploratorium is a hands-on science museum. With hundreds of different exhibits that encourage you to have a go and explore the world of science practically. It’s kind of like a giant School Science class. And while it is definitely geared toward kids, adults should be able to enjoy it as well. It is the perfect choice for families who have no chance of getting their kids to traipse around a museum!

San Francisco Zoo And Gardens – $25 – Choice 4

The San Francisco Zoo is not one of America’s top Zoo attractions, but we feel it is quite underrated. The Setting is pretty stunning, with the exhibits nestled amongst lush pacific gardens down by the coast. There are some good animal exhibits but the enclosures are pretty dated and not really up to the standard of some of the more modernized Zoo’s.

There is plenty to see and it’s a wonderful half-day experience. But will probably suit kids more than adults as they can overlook the Zoo’s flaws and just enjoy the experience.

San Francisco Museum Of Modern Art – SFMoMA – $25 – Choice 5

You will need a good 2-3 days at least to pack all that in without rushing around quite a bit. You could pack it into a shorter timescale but may miss a lot of other things the City has to offer.

San Francisco CityPASS in Practice

The San Francisco CityPASS is now a Digital Pass, having replaced the old Booklet Style pass that was frankly quite cumbersome and awkward to use in the Digital Age. Now the pass is instantly delivered to your Email Address.

The Pass is essentially a barcode that is scanned at each attraction to grant entry. This can be Scanned directly from your Phone or printed out and scanned from the hard copy. We tend to do both, just so we have a hard copy backup in case of technical issues, or a digital backup in case we lose or damage the hard copies!

The Pass gives you 9 days from the first use to use all the attractions. Meaning you can Visit attractions at your own Pace and not rush around trying to pack things in. you can only use 4 attractions so there is no issue getting around and seeing everything you want.

One issue with the Pass in Practice is the Blue And Gold Fleet Cruise. You need to purchase a timed ticket which means queuing at the ticket kiosk to receive a timed ticket for an actual Cruise then waiting around for the cruise time and joining another queue to board the cruise. In total, we used up a good hour before even boarding a boat and it’s all a bit of a faff. If you booked online you would already have your timed slot and can just jump straight into the Boarding Quee (although this presents its own issues in making sure you don’t miss your cruise)

Is the San Francisco CityPASS Worth it?

So let’s sum up if San Francisco CityPASS is Worth it? Well clearly if you are going to visit all the attractions it is pretty good value, we look at a costed example below:

• California Acadamy Of Sciences – $43
• Blue and Gold Fleet Cruise – $37
• Aquarium Of The Bay – $31.75
• SanFrancisco Zoo and Gardens – $25

Total Price – $136.75

Pass Price – $84

Saving – $52.75 or 40%

That is a big saving that is bordering on Half Price. Meaning if these are the attractions you want to visit the Pass is a great deal.

But are all the attractions really the exact ones you are wanting to visit during your trip? The CityPASS does not offer much scope to tailor your trip and as such it kind of dictates what you must see. On the plus side, every attraction is first-rate and well worth visiting but they may just not be your cup of tea.

However, for a lot of people, they really don’t know what they want to see and do in a City and the pass may just inspire you. The Blue and Gold Fleet Cruise and California Academy of sciences are really top-quality must-see attractions and if these are on your list, it makes the Pass good value. See it as getting those 2 at a modest discount (-$1) with two other attractions thrown in for FREE. Even if the other two attractions are not as high up on your list, as freebies they are really quite good.

Overall we think the CityPASS is a good option for those looking for a light itinerary, but we would definitely suggest looking at the competition as the Go City Pass in particular offers a MUCH better Choice and value.

• San Francisco Attraction Pass Comparison

Advantages

Inspiration – When first visiting a City it can be hard to know exactly what is available to do. We often hear people who discover the pass find things to do that they love that they never knew were available. The pass can really help you discover the City and what is on offer.

Planning – Knowing in advance what attractions you are going to do adds real structure to your trip and helps flesh out any itinerary. We know some people don’t like to rigidly plan out their trips and we agree with this, but with zero planning, people who just wing it, tend to do very little on their trips but wander about aimlessly. Having some structure like the pass provides really does help you get the best out of your trip.

Budgeting – Of course, the cost savings are the big draw for any Pass but knowing exactly what you will spend before the trip is also a big plus. You don’t have to worry about running out of cash and not seeing something you really wanted. There will also be no nasty surprises when your Credit card bill turns up…Unless you go crazy on something else!

Flexibility – While the CityPASS can help with building an Itinerary it also remains flexible so you don’t need to stick too religiously to it. Knowing what you have to do is great but you can always mix it up depending on the weather and mood to get the best from the trip. If it’s given rain and fog on the day you planned a cruise. Head to the Academy of Sciences instead, for example.

Disadvantages

Limited Attractions – The San Francisco CityPASS is fairly limited in which attractions are included. There is very little choice and it’s pretty much what you see is what you get. Luckily the Attractions included are mainly top-shelf fantastic attractions but if they are not what you want to see the pass is a poor choice.

If that is the case with you check out the other pass options in San Francisco. 

Alcatraz – And then there is the elephant in the room. Probably the number 1 attraction in San Francisco, after seeing the Golden Gate Bridge, is a Visit to Alcatraz. This is no longer included on the CityPASS (it used to be an upgrade option), which is a real shame.

This is true of the other Passes too, but the issue here is the Blue and Gold Fllet Crusie, is not something we would want to do AS WELL as Alcatraz. But with CityPASS, you have no real option.

If getting out on the water and getting close to Alcatraz is all you want then the Cruise is brilliant. But if setting foot on the infamous island is essential for your trip. Then it’s a bit of an issue. With the other passes, you can just avoid the cruises and do something else, but that is not the case here.

Where to Buy

The best place to buy the San Francisco CityPASS is Direct from the Website.

<<< Official San Francisco CityPASS website >>>

Other Options

There are a number of different Attraction Passes available for San Francisco. Take a look at our Comparison page to see if the other Passes suit you better, they certainly have more choices!

Have Your Say

Let us know if you have used a San Francisco CityPASS. Did you think it was worth the money? Did you like all the attractions? Which was your favorite? We would love to hear from you. Also, for any further questions about the CityPASS or just San Francisco in general, just drop us a comment below.

You May Also Like

• San Francisco Attractions
• San Francisco Attraction Pass Comparison
• San Francisco Visitors Guide

This is where an Attraction Pass can help out. Attraction passes promise to not only save you money but help you see more and really get the best out of a City. We use these passes all over the world and on the whole, find they transform a trip into real bucket list adventures. The LONDON PASS is one such pass gear to the City Of London UK. In The LONDON PASS Review, we take a close look at this all-inclusive pass to see both what the pass offers and what it actually delivers when visiting London so you can find out if the LONDON PASS is worth it for your trip.

One thing that we should address early on is the site you are reading this on, YourUSACityGuide.com, not the most obvious place for a London attractions pass review! While our specialty is USA Cities we have a deep affiliation with London and the UK in general, seeing as we were born here. We have extensive experience with Attractions passes the world over and have visited pretty much every attraction featured on the pass and in London in general so have a pretty good grasp of the up and downsides of using the Pass and what visiting London both with and without a Pass is like.

• Product: THE LONDON PASS
• Price: £59-£144
• Price Child: £38-98 (Child 3-15yrs)
• Where to Buy: Londonpass.com
• Number Of Attractions: Unlimited attractions from 80 Top Attractions
• Time Limit: Consecutive Days
• Validity Period: 2 Years from Purchase – 90 Days Cancelations Guarantee
• Rating: 4.3/5 Stars

Attractions Available – 80+

• Tower Of London – £29.90
• 1 Day Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tour – £29
• City Cruises Thames River Pass – £20.50
• View From the Shard – £32
• London Zoo – £37.50
• Kew Gardens – £19.50
• Westminister Abbey – £23
• Stadium Tours – £21-27
• and many more…

What is the LONDON PASS?

The LONDON PASS is what we call an All-Inclusive Attraction Pass. This means the pass lasts for a set number of days and you can visit as many attractions as you like during that time. This ranges from 1 day to 10 days and offers a selection of over 80 top London Attractions. The pass is digital and you simply scan the attraction when visiting any of the list sites around London.

The Pass offers to save over 50% compared to buying at the gate and is often the absolute cheapest way to see a large number of London’s best attractions. We also find The Pass helps in a number of other ways such as providing inspiration, planning, and Flexibility to your trip meaning you really can See More and Pay Less! Of Course, there is no such thing as a free lunch, and if these Passes sound too good to be true, we take a deep look at Them to see if this is really a complete No-Brainer or a Terrible Tourist Trap!

How Much Does the LONDON PASS Cost?

• 1 day – Adult – £59 ( £59.00 Per Day) Child – £38
• 2 day – Adult – £81 ( £40.50 Per Day) Child – £50
• 3 day – Adult – £93 ( £31.00 Per Day) Child – £62
• 4 day – Adult – £119 ( £29.75 Per Day) Child – £75
• 5 day – Adult – £124 ( £24.80 Per Day) Child – £78
• 7 day – Adult – £135 ( £19.30 Per Day) Child – £89
• 10 day – Adult – £144 ( £14.40 Per Day) Child – £98

Save an Extra 5% per LONDON PASS

Use the Code Below to get even more off your LONDON PASS Purchases, keep reading to see how much you can save, but you will save even more with our exclusive discount code!

Note – Clinking the Link will take you directly to the LONDON PASS Site, Any purchases made will provide us with a small commission, this is how we support the site, thanks

How Does the LONDON PASS Work?

The LONDON PASS in Practice

The Pass is a Digital Product that is sent to either your phone, E-Mail, or LONDON PASS App. The Pass comprises of a QR Code that is simply Scanned directly at the attractions. You can either scan the pass directly from your phone or print out the code and use it that way. In this respect, it could not be easier.

The issue with the pass can arise here. Some Attractions the Pass now requires Pre-Booking. This is quite rare for London Attractions and for the majority, you get straight in. The Shard and Kew Gardens though for Example require you to book a time and date beforehand. This can be done easily online but it does add a layer of complexity and takes away a little spontaneity! Also for any Tours, you are likely to have to wait until the next tour and most require you to arrive beforehand. But both these issues would apply if you were to book separately without using the PASS.

For the majority of attractions though the Pass is your Ticket and it really is just a case of arriving and scanning the pass to gain entry! The Pass works really well in London as the City is really quite compact, well at least the areas you will want to visit are, and besides the Subway or London Underground is pretty much the best urban transport system on the planet*.

Overall the PASS works fantastically. With so many attractions so close together and minimal complications, you really can visit quite a few in a short space of time and get the best out of the City.

*Note – Why do we think the London Underground is the best on the Planet? Coverage! The system really does go where you need it to, and that after all is the most important thing! London’s Spider-web layout gets you exactly where you need to be with minimum fuss and minimum walking! As we are so used to this we actually find pretty much every USA Metro System pretty frustrating, and some (L.A) basically useless!

Do we really Need a LONDON PASS?

Who does the London Pass Suit?

London is such an incredible city that many people simply wandering the hallowed streets is enough. Standing outside Buckingham Palace, Wandering the Mall, Crossing Tower Bridge, hearing Big Ben chime, and exploring St James Park is more than enough, along with the incredible shopping at Harrods, Oxford Street, and Bond Street. On top of this Many of London’s BEST Museums are actually completely free! The British Museum, the Tate Modern, and the National Gallery are all free. So London has a lot to offer without spending a dime!

However many of the most popular attractions do incur fees to enter, and this is where the Pass comes in. While you can aimlessly wander the streets of London for nothing most of the places you visit will cost if you actually want to go inside them. Most people want to do at least a few of the Paid Attractions and with the Pass, this becomes a nonissue.

Most people purchase a Pass for the Cost Savings, and this is definitely not to be ignored, but we see them differently, they are more like a key to the City allowing you to do and see so much more than you ever would without!

So if you are genuinely content with just exploring the City on your own then a pass may not be the best deal, but even if you just want to visit a few Paid attractions the pass can be a great option, Even if the LONDON PASS doesn’t suit there are a number of other options that may be more suitable, we look at these below

So the best way to decide if the Pass is right for you is to check out the attractions available on the ass and decide if these are the things you REALLY want to see when visiting London. Even if only a few are attractive, you may find that simply having the pass gets you to try out things you possibly would not have done otherwise. Some of these can turn out to be your favorite attractions in the city, this has happened to us countless times!

Take a look at all the attractions available here, and we take a look at our favorites below!

What are the Best Attractions on the LONDON PASS?

1 Day Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tour – £29

Open Top bus tours are a fantastic way to get around and see any new City. And these bus tours have been operating in London longer than just about anywhere else. In fact, the Originals were horse-drawn and were just used as regular buses only becoming tourist attractions much later.

While the upper deck is very weather dependent when it is fine and dry the top deck really does offer fantastic views as the bus travels around the Cities best sightseeing locations. London’s Subway system is one of the best in the world so getting about will be no issue, but the tours really offer a very enjoyable way of linking up your attractions.

Among many things London is known for its less than fantastic weather, it does rain a lot and being atop an unprotected bus is not the most enjoyable of activities. This is where the flexibility of the Explorer Pass really comes into its own as if the weather is really just diabolical for part of your trip just put off the bus tour until a drier day, we do get them every so often! Often with attraction passes for bus tours you need to head to a ticket center to get a bus ticket before boarding but with the London Explorer Pass, you just show your Pass to the Bus Driver!

Hop-On Hop-Off River Cruise 24hr Pass- £20.50

With London bisected its entire length by the River Thames a River cruise is a must-do method of seeing the City. The fact this tour is a Hop On Hop Off trip only makes it more appealing. While its usefulness as transportation is limited, as the boats only sail every 40 mins, as a fantastic attraction in itself that can link up several landmarks it is fantastic.

The Boat sails between Westminster and Greenwich Park via all of London’s best Waterside attractions. Stopping off at the London Eye and Tower Bridge along the way. It’s a fantastic way to see the city and the only downside is the fact it would only cost you £19.25 even without the pass so this attraction only really makes sense on the 5 and 7 attraction passes

Tower Of London – £29.90

The Tower of London is one of the most iconic attractions in the City. Its historic and bloody past is seriously fascinating and the tower now acts as a living museum to all of London’s long and sordid history. The tower is nearly 4 times as old as the entire United States and even pre-dates the Aztec Empire by several hundred years! Its ancient halls hose some really fascinating medieval Armour and weapons and various other displays of historical artifacts.

The Towers are also home to the priceless Crown Jewels, which are mostly on display to the public. These stunning Jewels, Crowns, Sceptres, and Maces are guarded by the Famos London Beefeaters who stand guard 24/7 outside the Jewel House. They are also responsible for the Ravens housed at the Tower who bring good fortune to the empire (they have not been doing too well of late!). Visitors to the Tower will be able to meet both!

The Tower of London really is one of the Citys most historic sites and a must-visit. Apart from Buckingham Palace and Big Ben, the tower ranks as one of the most visited locations in the City and is far more fun as you can actually go inside the tower and explore the exhibits, whereas the others are closed to the public!

View from The Shard – £32

In Stark Contrast to the Tower, the Shard is an ultra-modern Skyscraper, the tallest in the United Kingdom and the Tallest in Europe outside of Russia! The Tower sits just across the Thames from the Tower, accessed either by London Bridge or the Iconic Tower Bridge. This makes Visiting both a Breeze and would save nearly £30 if you just bought a 2 attraction pass.

From the Top of the Shard, the view is absolutely breathtaking. Situated up on the 72nd Floor the contrast of the City really comes into focus, the incredibly old contrasted with the ultra-modern. The Thames snaking through the middle of it all, it’s the best view in London at present!

ZSL London Zoo – £37.50

Ranked as the second-best Zoo in the UK, (only falling behind Chester Zoo one of the best in the world) the Zoo is one of London’s best attractions. With over 670 species including Gorillas, Lions. Tigers, Zebras, Giraffes, Primates, and even Komodo Dragons, the City Centre Zoo is quite a spectacle.

Easily accessible via the Underground (Regents Park on the Bakerloo line), The Zoo Sits in Regents Park and is a great morning or afternoon attraction. On top of the larger animals, there is a huge array of smaller critters in the amazing Retile House and BUGS Building.

Westminister Abbey – £23

Westminster Abbey is a real highlight of London and one absolutely not to miss! Its central location right next to the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben means it is a definite must-see with its stunning Gothic Architecture. However you can visit the Abbey for free, you just need to pay to go inside.

This, however, is well worth it. The interior is just as stunning as the exterior and has been the location of countless historical events such as the Coronations of just about every Monarch in the last 1000 years along with countless royal weddings such as the Current Queen of England along with Willaim and Kate.

It is also the final resting place for some of history’s most notable figures including
Charles Darwin, and Charles Dickens, and more recently Stephen Hawkins. Along with a Large number of Royals. If the Royal Family and British history is your thing the Westminster Abbey is the absolute personification of this!

Football Stadium Tours – Arsenal -£27 / Chelsea -£25 / Wembley -£24 / London – £21

Football, or Soccer if you must, is ingrained in the British Psycy and culture. So nothing can be apter than a tour around a Major football Stadium. While we would not be seen dead in the Emirates (Arsenal) Or Stamford Bridge (Chelsea) or the London Stadium (West Ham) most people are not so discerning as our objections are solely based on the tribal lines of the sport (Man Utd all the way here) We would happily visit Wembly however, and as we said most visitors would love visiting any of these iconic stadiums.

Wembley is a modern and genuinely huge stadium that serves as our National Stadium. Not affiliated to any club it hosts cup finals and major events rather than, week in week out, football. The Emirates Stadium is Arsenal FC’s brand new Stadium, this ultra-modern 60,000+ seater stadium is seriously impressive. Stamford Bridge is much older and smaller than the others but with that comes heritage.

All the Stadium tours allow you access to changing rooms trophy rooms (probably disappointing at arsenal ), pitchside access, and player tunnels, along with other behind-the-scenes locations.

Care should be taken when planning these tours as they will not be available on matchdays or if a major event is on at Wembley.

Pros and Cons of the LONDON PASS

The main reason for getting a Pass is the money-saving a Pass can offer, But as we have stated there are other tangible benefits to the Pass, as well as a few things we like less about having a pass. As always you need to weigh up the pros and cons yourself as we all have different priorities and one thing that might mean very little to us might be a deal-breaker (or maker) to you! So let us just lay it out so you can decide.

Advantages of the LONDON PASS

Savings

Naturally saving money is the biggest draw. With the Pass, you can save over 60% on attractions quite easily. We go into more detail on this below.

Inspiration

When visiting a new city, you suddenly realize that despite dreaming of visiting for years you actually know very little about the place in practical terms. What is there to actually see and do? The pass is fantastic at providing real inspiration for your trip. It lets you get under the skin of the city and see what is on offer and gives you the financial freedom to visit everything you want, without worrying about the costs.

Planning

Once inspired the Pass is also a great tool to help actually plan out the Itineraries of your days. You can pick out the main attractions and plan your day around these supplementing your trip with the cheaper sights and attractions along with Free activities and sights in the immediate area!

Flexibility

Planning can be the nemesis of some travelers. Rigid itineraries bore the hell out of people and it’s not a fun way to travel. So while the Pass does require a modicum of panning, you are not stuck to your plans, it’s so easy to chop and change things, find something new, drop attractions you don’t fancy that day, or rework your trip due to weather and mood on the fly. Trust us, you want flexibility with the weather in London!

Budgeting

It really is great to know exactly what your attraction spend will be beforehand. Costs on travel pretty much always spiral out of control and no matter how much you thought you would spend it’s always more, a few extra drinks, a nice meal you hadn’t planned, it all mounts up and your Travel money evaporates or you get home to a nasty shock when the Credit Card Bill Arrives! With the Pass at least attractions won’t add to this issue!

We used to recommend buying a month out but now we leave it till only a week or so before the trip, so much can change in an instant in the current pandemic climate! Leaving it late gives you maximum flexibility to cancel your plans.

Exploration

The Pass really can open up new experiences and attractions that you never thought you would try. These can sometimes be as unrewarding as you thought, but at least you tried and with the PASS it cost nothing. But often we find some of these the most rewarding things we do on our travels. Some people Shun the Open Top Bus Tours, they are too expensive and too touristy, but in reality, they are really fun, and the pass lets you hop on and find out for yourself. Many times we have wanted to see what it’s like inside somewhere only to be put off by the entrance fee, with the pass many of these are opened up. Simply paying out at every attraction becomes distinctly tiresome, again with the Pass this concern is irrelevant.

We think this is the best thing about the LONDON PASS, it really opens up the city and lets you explore. Simply put whenever we visit a City with a PASS we have a much better experience than without.

Disadvantages

Some of the downsides are specific to the London Pass some passes in general, most are pretty minor but to some are deal-breakers, we find a lot of the time a different pass is a better option than no pass at all.

London’s Free Attractions – There is a lot to see and do in London and you do not need a pass for any of these things. Just seeing the City is enough for many and having a pass can mean you ignore some of the free stuff in favor of paid attractions included on the pass. We think it’s really important to take your time and only visit the attractions you really want to otherwise the ass can make the trip less fun than if you included more of the free stuff.

Merlin Attractions – It’s unfortunate but there are non of the Merlin attractions included n the Pass. These used to be on there and made the pass really special, but Go City and Merlin no longer have a working relationship so the attractions are missing. These were important attractions too, some of London’s most popular. Go City has offered some alternatives but it’s still a shame.

• The London Eye – (Replaced with the Shard)
• The London Dungeon – (Repaced with the London Bridge Experience)
• Madame Tussauds – Irreplaceable.

We find the new Pass lineup is far more Cultured and you really can get into all the best historical sites and attractions, such as the Tower of London. But if you were coming for the big Merlin attractions the pass is no longer an option. Check out the Alternatives section below for ways to get the best of both worlds!

Chasing the Pass – All too often People see the huge list of attractions and try and plan far too much into the day. They chase around the City trying to bag as much value as possible. This is a mistake and you are not getting the best of the City, the Pass, or the attractions. Slow down and take your time. Only plan a reasonable amount of attractions onto a day and allow for time between them, dining, and general downtime, along with getting to see the Free sights and attractions surrounding them!

Consecutive Days – The LONDON PASS is a consecutive day pass, this is our least favorite type of pass as there is no opportunity for downtime. You really need to visit something from the pass every day to get the best value which is not always the best way to experience the City. It is not too bad in London as visits are usually short and you need to cram stuff in, but it is not ideal and we much prefer passes that offer NON-Consecutive days.

Remember – Days, not 24h periods – The Pass days are CALENDER days so be careful to make sure you activate in the morning (you do this by visiting an attraction) so you have the full day, as soon as you hit midnight the day is over, no matter what time toy activated.

Bus Tours – Don’t fall into the trap that Hop on Hop Off bus tours can be used for transportation. They are a tour of the City and should be treated as such. Yes, you can hop off a few times and visit attractions near the stops, but it’s not as fluid as people think. There are long waits for busses and queues, Treat it as a fun tour around the City that can be broken up with a few stops. You are still going to need to use the Underground to get about!

Is the LONDON PASS Worth It?

Really we think on the most part the pros far outweigh the cons and we think this will be a great addition to your London trip. However, the reality is most people care most about simply the cost savings. And these can be pretty extreme! Let’s take a look at a suggested Itinerary below. This is REALLY light, you could do a lot more than we suggest, but we have kept it light to show how easy it really is to save, and give you time to check out other things in the City, still, the savings come out at staggering levels!

3-Day Pass – £93

Day 1

Start the visit off with the Hop on Hop off tour. This gives you a great introduction to the City. Hp Off at Westminister, to see Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Buckingham Palace, being sure to pop into Westminster Abbey! then continue the tour, with multiple opportunities to hop off and see some of London’s best sites. You could visit far more attractions than the couple we have suggested.

• 1 Day Hop-on Hop-Off Bus Tour – £29
• Westminister Abbey – £23
• St Pauls Cathedral – £20

Total – £71

Day 2

Start off in the incredible Tower of London before heading across the river to take in the view from the Shard. After lunch, head across town to Regents Park and check out the London Zoo. You could also check out Tower Bridge and/or take in the Tower Bridge Experience!

• Tower of London – £30
• View from the Shard – £32
• London Zoo- £37.50

Total – £99.50

Day 3

Day 3 Starts off with a wonderful cruise down the Thames on the Uber Clipper. This could be the highlight of the day, but also stop off at the world-famous Greenwich Park and check out the Observatory, Roayl College and board the Cutty Sark, a historic Clipper that sealed the high seas during the 1800s. Again there are many other possible stops on this cruise where you can hop off and use the London Pass.

• Hop-On Hop-Off River Cruise – £20.50
• Royal Observatory Greenwich – £16.00
• Cutty Sark – £15
• Old Royal Navy College – £13.50

£65

• Normal Price: £235.50
• Pass Price: £93
• Savings: £142+ -65%+

With Longer passes you can cram less into your days and still come out on top and visit some of the further away sights such as Kew Gardens and the Football Stadium tours, These are time-consuming but as the cost per day drops significantly the more days you buy this is less important!

So on the whole the Pass offers incredible value when used correctly. It requires a little planning to get the best of it, But even if you ONLY did the Hop on Hop off Bus, Tower of London, Shard, and River Cruise, you have saved over £9, it’s almost impossible to not save money using the pass!

On top of this the advantages, we listed, meaning you really are going to see more and Pay Less which is pretty much the Holy Grail of Travelling! With the Added Protections, the Pass has added for the Pandemic, the 90-day Money Back Gurenttewe and 2 Year Validity Period means you are not going to be out of pocket whatever happens with the current travel situation.

We really think it’s a fantastic product at a crazy cheap price if only some of the Merlin, Marquee attractions were available!

Tips And Tricks – How to Get the Best out of the LONDON PASS

Group Attractions

Make sure you plan to Visit Attractions that are close together to minimize travel time. In our example itinerary, all attractions are really close together or linked by a tour. This gives you the most time at the attractions and surrounding areas. Always check for free attractions in the area too.

Plan Days flexibly

Planning to some degree is always needed to get the best of the pass, but avoid stuffy and regimented itineraries. We find one on the best way is to plan your days out, but not actually which day you will do these on, that way if you have a largely outdoor day, such as with an open-top bus, and it’s given pouring rain, you can just swap the days around and do the outdoor day when the weather is better (if it is ever better in London!)

Check for Pre Bookings

Some Attractions require you to pre-book so make sure you check the small print!

Booking Required at:

• The Shard
• Kew Gardens
• Kensington Palace

Use the London Underground

The London Underground Subway System is one of the best in the world! Use this to get around all the best attractions. There is almost always a stop close by to any London attraction.

Longer Passes reduce the need to rush/Cram

The more days you buy the more the cost per day goes down, this means you have to cram less and less into a day and still get great value. on the longest passes, you can even get away with off days and still get amazing value.

Use the Bus and River Tours to link up Attractions

The Bus Tours and River Trips should not be seen as transport but as tours in their own right. But always hop off at places with high concentrations of attractions and stretch the tours out into a full day of sightseeing.

Enjoy the City

There is so much to see and do in London, do not be a slave to the Pass. Link Paid attractions to Free ones. For example, when visiting Westminister Abbey, you are in the heart of London! The Abbey is Steps from the Houses of Palimetm Big Ben, The Mall, Buckingham Palace, St Jams Park, and Downing Street! Take it ALL in!

Finally, Don’t Pay Full Price!!!

Yep, the Pass offers staggering value, over 60% off the attraction prices, along with all the other advantages of the Pass, however, if the Passes were cheaper, you could save EVEN MORE!

Well, with our exclusive discount code, they ARE! Currently, we have a 5% off code, saving you another 5% off the purchase price of the LONDON PASS! Click the Link Below then use your code at the checkout for even more savings!

Note – Clinking the Link will take you directly to the LONDON PASS Site, Any purchases made will provide us with a small commission, this is how we support the site, thanks

Alternatives?

The London Pass requires a certain level of commitment and packing things into the day. This may not be for you. However, there are other Pass options that may suit you better.

London Explorer Pass

The London Explorer pass is from the Same People that bring you the LONDON PASS, Go City. There are our favorite Pass Providers and we use them the world over. The Explorer pass has a near-identical line-up of attractions, the big difference is the way the pass works. With the Explorer you select the number of attractions you wish to visit and then can visit these at your leisure there are no strict time restrictions forcing you to charge around the City.

You are limited to how much you can save and cheaper attractions are poor value when using the Pass but it still offers a great way to see the City without the pressures of the All-Inclusive Day Passes. They still offer up to 50% off, however!

Read our full review of the London Explorer Pass here.

Merlin Packages

We mentioned above how we miss the Marquee attractions offered by the Merlin Group in London. Namely The London Eye, the London Dungeon, and Madame Tussauds. These are big losses to the Pass, but you can still buy these as a package directly from Merlin. $60 gets you all three which is a good saving and could be bought as well as a pass giving you access to basically everything good in London!

BUY NOW

Final Word on the LONDON PASS

Overall the LONDON PASS can be a serious weapon in your sightseeing arsenal. It includes so many of London’s best attractions with a particular edge on the history and culture of the City. There are some distinct advantages to having the Pass on top of the really great money-saving the Pass offers. While the Merlin Attractions are a big loss, even bought alongside the Melin Pass, you really can get the best out of London at what is a pretty low price point.

We think for most people the Pass really will open up the City of London and let you explore and enjoy so much more than you would without a pass!

<<< Buy Your LONDON PASS Here >>>

Have Your Say

Have you used the LONDON PASS? What were your thoughts and experiences of the Pass? Did you get value for money? Were you able to see the best of the city or did you find it all a bit too rushed? Whatever you have to say about the pass let us know below in the comments. Or if you have any questions just fire away below.

You May Also Like:

• Visiting Downton Abbey
• Visiting Stonehenge
• The London Explorer Pass

Mot people ration their attraction visits to meet their budget missing out on things they want to see and do to keep within a budget. But there is another way. Attraction passes allow you to visit a number of top attractions all for one set price. Meaning you can do more for the same money. The Go California Explorer Pass is one such pass and can save you money on some of California’s top attractions. But how does the pass stack up against the competition and is The Go California Explorer Pass Worth Buying? Find out in our Go California Explorer Pass Review.

• Product: Go California Explorer Pass
• Price: $219 – $334
• Price Child: $204 – $299 (Child 3-12yrs)
• Where to Buy: GoCity.com – Direct
• Number Of Attractions: 12+ Top Attractions
• Time Limit: 30 Days
• Rating: 3.6/5

Attractions Included – 12+

Premium – Choose between:

• UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD – $124
• LEGOLAND California 2-Day – $155

Regular – Choose Any

• Warner Bros Studio Tour – $72
• SeaWorld San Diego – Multi-Day – $91.99
• San Diego Zoo – $56
• San Diego Zoo Safari Park – $56
• Six Flags Magic Mountain – $92.99
• Knott’s Berry Farm – $84
• Six Flags Discovery Kingdom – $75
• California Acadamy Of Sciences – $39.95
• Knott’s Berry Soak City Water Park – $53
• Hop On Hop Off LA Bus Tour – $50
• Belmont Park All Access Combo Pass – $56
• California’s Great America – $59.99

What is the Go California Explorer Pass

The Go California Pass is an attraction pass that unlike most attractions Passes, which focus on a City, it covers attractions spread across the entire state of California. It is also far more restricted than most passes and only covers a few of the Top high-cost attractions.

Coming with a fairly hefty price tag itself it is geared towards the Traveler who is looking at long road trips across the USA taking in a few of the absolute best attractions on the way.

The Pass is a Per Attraction pass, meaning you get a set number of attractions for a fixed price and can visit those in at your leisure over a 30 day period from first use.

Go California Explorer Pass in Practice

The Pass is a digital Pass, meaning there is no physical pass. After purchase, the pass is emailed to you where you can either print it off or use it directly from your phone. Once synced with the Go City App the pass is on your phone and requires no Data to use.

To use the pass you simply pull up the QR code and scan it at your desired attraction. Most of the attractions are straight to the gate, so there is no need to visit the ticket booths at the attraction, you simply head straight in. There are some exceptions to that so read the instructions before queueing!

You do not need to choose your attractions ahead of time you simply scan the Pass and that counts as your choice, this helps keep things flexible as you can visit attractions anytime within 30 days of first use.

Really this pass system works very well out in the field and we have encountered no significant issues using the pass ver conventional pre-bought tickets or buying at the gate.

How Much Does the Go California Explorer Pass Cost?

This is a High-End Pass and includes some really high-value attractions. So while the headline figure is very expensive you are saving considerable sums as we explore later. The key figure here is the Per Attraction Price.

• 3 Attraction Pass – Adult – $219 ($73 per Attraction) Child – $204
• 4 Attraction Pass – Adult – $284 ($71 per Attraction) Child – $259
• 5 Attraction Pass – Adult – $334 ($66.8 per Attraction) Child – $299

Is the Go California Explorer Pass right for me?

The pass suits people who are planning on hitting some of the big theme parks and covering a fair portion of the state. While there is enough for those stating solely in L.A the pass works better if you take in San Diego in San Francisco as well.

The type of trip this pass suits is fairly limited. We find most people like the mix of big-ticket attractions and smaller local attractions that most passes offer. With the Go California Pass, you are just getting the big-ticket items. The Focus on Big theme parks can mean this is of limited use to families with younger children.

Attractions

The attraction list is very limited with the Go California Explorer Pass. While it’s Limited that is because it only includes the big hitters. Universal Studios, LEGOLAND, Six Flags Magic Mountain, SeaWorld and more. There is very little filler on this pass as is common with most passes.

Premium Attractions – Choose one

With the Go California Pass, you get a choice of two Premium Attractions. These count as one of your attractions but you can only pick one of these whereas with all the other attractions you can pick any.

UNIVERSAL STUDIOS HOLLYWOOD – $124 – Los Angeles

Universal Studios is one of California’s premier attractions and very high up on most people’s wish lists. We love the Studios. The combination of thrilling and fun rides combined with the Incredible Studio Tours means this is a really high-end and unique theme park. If you are visiting Hollywood you really should visit HOLLYWOOD and the Studio’s tour gives you exactly that

If you want to know more about the Studio’s check out our full Guide.

LEGOLAND California 2-Day – $155 – Nr San Diego

Legoland is right at the top of many kids must visit’s. As adults, the draw of Legoland has diminished somewhat but back when Lego was my life the desire to visit and entire land filled with the biggest and best Lego creations drove me to distraction. If your kids are big builders this can literally be a dream come true.

The Highest value attraction on the pass the 2-day you are getting real value if you choose Legoland as your premium. However, as we will explore later, both the Go Los Angeles Pass and the Go San Diego Pass also both include Legoland, for a much-reduced price. Yes, it is only a one-day pass, but Legoland need not take 2 full days.

That said this is a two-day resort pass, so you get the park, the water park, and the Sealife Aquarium! If you are planning on staying up near Legoland to get full use of the parks this can be a great value option. The only negative is you lose the incredible universal studios!

Regular – Choose Any

After picking between the two premium attractions you can then chose as many regular attractions as you have left on the pass. Of Course, you do NOT have to choose a premium, but it makes less sense financially if not.

Our Recommended –

Not all The Regular attractions are equal. Some are really big hitters and high-value ticket items. Others are still great attractions but the price of these attractions is below the “per attraction” price of the pass. While you can include one of these and still get good value from the pass any more and it stops making financial sense. First off we take a look at the attractions we really recommend choosing these will mean you really make the most of the pass.

Warner Bros Studio Tour – $72 – Los Angeles

While universal Studios is a full one theme park with a Studio tour thrown in, the Warner Bros Studio Tour is a full-on studio tour. Your tour takes you around the world-famous Studios taking in loads of really famous sets and locations. It is a working set so there is a good chance you will see actual filming taking place and the chance to see real Movie/TV Stars.

It is a really great tour and well worth checking out if one of your reasons for visiting L.A is the Movies! Check out our recent trip there.

SeaWorld San Diego – Multi-Day – $91.99 – San Diego

This can be a contentious choice as some people are moving away from the idea that Whales and Dolphins should be kept in captivity. However, the Park is moving away from that model and there is a lot to see and do at the park. We really enjoyed our latest visit and urge you to make your own moral decision.

The Park certainly offers great value from the pass and it is one of San Diego’s iconic attractions. Read our full guide to SeaWorld San Diego here.

Six Flags Magic Mountain – $92.99 – Nr Los Angeles

Six Flags are the market leader in Big Thrill Theme Parks and Magic Mountain is the biggest and baddest theme park on the west coast. The Park has more roller coasters than any other park in the world and is constantly at the forefront of ride tech. While the Park does have family areas and rides for children this is primarily a thrill-junkies park. Themeing and immersion take a back seat here to out and out thrill.

Knott’s Berry Farm – $84 – Nr Los Angeles

Another world-class theme park, packed with big roller coasters and thrill rides. The Park is better themed and more family-friendly than Six Flags and this shows in the fact it receives more visitors a year despite being a little more low key than Magic Mountain.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom – $75 – Nr San Francisco

Another Six Flags park this time in northern California. The Park has plenty of big rides and while being slightly behind Magic Mountain and Knotts berry it has a lot more going on besides just rides. Think of it as a cross between a Six Flags park and Sea World. It is a bit of an Outlier in terms of location making it a great choice for Road Trips.

We really love the park and if it fits your itinerary it is well worth visiting.

San Diego Zoo – $56 – San Diego

This is at the lower end of the attraction price point and only just works out at a saving. But the attraction is just SO good we have to include it on our recommended list. San Diego zoo is one of the best zoos anywhere in the world and an absolute must-visit if you are in the San Diego Area.

You can read all about the San Diego Zoo here

Only include this if you are buying the 5-day pass. The upgrade cost from 4 to 5 attractions is $50 making this just worth adding to the pass.

Our Less Recommended –

Let’s be clear, we only less recommend these due to the price point. These are all excellent attractions and well worth a visit but using the pass for these becomes less and less good value. In fact, any 5 of these added together cost significantly less than the purchase price. This Pass ONLY works if you choose the higher valued attractions.

That said you should not choose your attractions based on cost but on what you want to do. If any of the below attractions interests you then that is more important than how much they cost, so you should definitely visit them. Just DON’T use the pass. Either pay the entry fee separately or consider one of the other passes available that cover these…more on those next.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park – $56 – San Diego

While we love the San Diego Zoo Safari Park we would always pick the zoo first. if you pick both the pass stops making sense. If you really want to do both, take a look at the Go San Diego Pass.

California Acadamy Of Sciences – $39.95 – San Francisco

We love the Academy of Sciences, and wholly recommend everyone checks it out but at only $39.99 it does not make a good choice for this pass. Try any of the San Francisco Passes or just pay at the gate.

Knott’s Berry Soak City Water Park – $53 – Nr Los Angeles

Again a fun and worthwhile attraction but the value is just not there.

Hop On Hop Off LA Bus Tour – $50 – Los Angeles

We like Hop On Hop Off Tours, even though they get some stick, however, the headline price is always too high. That is why we love seeing them on passes as the value is pretty irrelevant, Not here, the value is not enough to warrant you using it even at headline price, and it is worth less than that as well.

Belmont Park All Access Combo Pass – $56 – San Diego

Like the Bus Tour, this is another attraction we don’t think it warrants its $56 price tag. There are not enough rides and attractions at the park to really justify the $56. On the Go San Diego Pass, it’s fine as it’s all-inclusive but you would be wasting an attraction off this pass.

California’s Great America – $59.99 Nr San Francisco

If you are in the San Sanfrisco area and looking for a brilliant theme park, then we would choose Six Flags Discovery Kingdom over California’s Great America all day long. Couple this with the fact there are just better parks down south. and finally if you are not heading south you would probably do better with another San Francisco Pass.

So once again out less recommended attractions are only less recommended when using THIS pass. This is an expensive pass and to get the best from it you have to be visiting the more expensive attractions.

Is the Go California Explorer Pass Worth it?

Let’s take a look at some sample Itinarys and see how the Pass works out and also see if it stands up to the competition.

5 Attractions $349

• $124 – Universal Studios Hollywood
• $92 – Sea World San Diego Multi-Day Pass
• $56 – San Diego Zoo
• $92 – Six Flags Magic Mountain
• $72 – Warner Bros Studio Tour

• Gate Price – $436
• Pass Price – $334
• Saving – $105 – 24%

As you can see the pass offers a fairly substantial saving of over $100 per person. While this is a good chunk of cash the percentage saving is fairly low, meaning there is room for a more competitive product to save you even more.

Alternative!

Go Los Angeles Card + Buy Sea World Seperatly!

• Gate Price – $436
• 3 Day Pass – $238 + Sea World $73.99 = $311.99
• Saving $124 – 28%

A Much bigger saving! However, You would need to cram Warner Bros and Universal into the same day, which is definitely doable. Or if Seaworld is not on your list the 5-Day Go L.A. Pass is only $307 and covers “most” of the attractions the Go California Pass offers, and a whole lot more besides!

Really for most cases, we find a combination of Go San Diego, the Go Los Angeles, and the Go San Francisco pass offers better value and cheaper experience and are the passes we would turn to. The Go California pass just doesn’t seem to hit quite the high notes the other passes manage!

The Go California Pass has the advantage of being an Explorer-style pass meaning you can spread the attractions out and give each attraction your FULL attention and not be tempted into rushing attractions, which can be the case on the All-Inclusive Passes.

Overall the key is to match the pass to the attractions you most want to do. We prefer the Go Los Angeles pass as it suits our style of traveling much better. We like packing in busy days where we see and do a lot, often trying things we wouldn’t have done usually. The Go California Pass misses that out, just giving you the headline attractions. If that is what you want and you plan on hitting the beach or the shops on other days the Go Californing Pass might be right up your street.

Have Your Say

Have you tried a Go California Explorer Pass? How did you find it? Did it work out as good value or was it overpriced? Which attractions did you visit? Could you have saved more by choosing other attractions? What type of trip were you on? Whatever you have to say about the pass just fire away in the comments below. We love hearing from you, and if you have any questions at all just fire away.

You May Also Like

• Go Los Angeles Pass
• Los Angeles Visitors Guide
• San Diego Visitors Guide