San Francisco is a fantastic city to visit with so much to see and do. Things can quickly get out of hand and the cost of attractions really adds up. One way to keep costs under control is with an Attraction Pass. On top of this, Passes claim to Save you time, and help you see far more than you would without one, So we test these claims and see if the San Francisco Go Pass is really any good, and if you really can Pay Less and See more.
The Go San Francisco Pass is one of the major passes for San Francisco and on the face of it, it’s quite a beast of a Pass, with low prices and stacked with all the top attractions in the City. But Is the Go San Francisco Pass Worth It? It’s not a simple question as there are a few Pass options on the Go Pass, Meaning there surely is a Pass to suit everyone. Our Go San Francisco Pass Review post is intended to help you navigate the myriad of options and choose a PASS that’s right for you, and check if the pass still holds up in the current Travel Landscape.
**This post contains affiliate links and we will be compensated if you make a purchase after clicking on my links
- Product: Go City San Francisco Pass All-Inclusive / Explorer Pass
- Price: $79 – $169
- Price Child: $64 – $144 (Child 3-12yrs)
- Where to Buy: GoCity.com
- Number Of Attractions: 26+ Top Attractions
- Time Limit: 30 consecutive days or 1-5 days unlimited
- Expiry: 2 Years or 90 Day Money Back Guarantee
- Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ 4.5 – Stars
Attractions Included – 26 +
- California Academy of Sciences
- Escape From the Rock Cruise
- Hop on Hop off Big Bus Tour
- Aquarium of the Bay
- Exploratorium
- SFMOMA
- Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
- California’s Great America
- Madame Tussauds
- San Francisco Zoo & Gardens
- All-Day Comfort Bike Rental by Blazing Saddles
- and Many more…
IN A NUTSHELL
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Price
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Ease of Use
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Attractions
Summary
The All inclusive Go card Offers fantastic Value for people looking for an action-packed trip whereas the Explorer pass offers a more relaxed pace but still great value. Most of San Francisco’s top attractions are covered and you can achieve excellent cost savings, along with the usual perks of using a pass. Using a Go card to Visit San Francisco will help you see more of the City and fraction of the cost.
Hands-On – 2023
As we have not visited the City since before the Pandemic we headed up to San Fran to try the pass out again in PERSON. We had an amazing trip and saved a fortune on some really amazing attractions ...you can read about this trip here
Go City San Francisco Pass Review Video
Our latest Trip to San Francisco
What is the Go San Francisco Pass
The Go San Francisco Pass is an attraction pass that allows the user to pay one Purchase price and then visit a number of top San Francisco Attractions. This can potentially save the user upwards of 50% off the regular entry fee if you had paid for the attractions separately.
The Pass is a Digital Pass meaning you simply have a QR Barcode that you scan at any attraction to gain entry. On the face of it, this sounds pretty awesome, you are saving money and opening u a whole world of San Francisco Attractions to really boost your visit. But as with all things, there are a few drawbacks to buying a pass that we look into below.
The Pass also has a couple of options, these are basically down to how the pass works and which pass would suit you better. These are the All-inclusive and the Explorer Pass.
GO San Francisco Pass – All Inclusive
The all-inclusive is the Simplest pass to understand. You simply choose how many days you want the pass to be valid for, 1,2,3, or 5 Days, you can then visit as many attractions as you like from a specified list of 26+ Attractions during that period.
This is the most expensive option but can be of exceptional value if you visit many attractions during your stay. Having a limited amount of time might mean a few hectic days as you rush to cram in as much as possible to get the max value, but as San Francisco is such a compact city, we find you really can cram a lot into a short space of time.
Prices:
- 1 Day – $79 Adult $64 Child
- 2 Days – $119 Adult $94 Child
- 3 Days – $139 Adult $114 Child
- 5 Days – $169 Adult $144 Child
San Francisco Explorer Pass
The Explorer Pass works differently here you choose the number of attractions. 2, 3, 4, or 5 attractions. However, you do not need to choose your attractions upfront. This is fantastic as it allows you to still be very flexible on your trip, also families are not required to go to the same attractions. So maybe Mum and Little Brother can go check out Madame Tussauds, while Dad and big sister Brave the San Francisco Dungeon, then the whole family visit the California Academy of Sciences and go on a Bay Cruise together…or any other number of thousands of possible configurations.
It’s a great pass targeted at a leisurely paced trip where you can take your time to visit the attractions at a pace that suits you, anytime within 30 days of activating the Pass. This gives you the full opportunity to explore the City and take in its breathtaking parks, sights, and landmarks.
Prices:
- 2 Attractions – $64 Adult $49 Child ( $32 per Attraction)
- 3 Attractions – $74 Adult $64 Child ( $24 per Attraction)
- 4 Attractions – $94 Adult $79 Child ( $23 per Attraction)
- 5 Attractions – $116 Adult $99 Child ( $23 per Attraction)
Which Pass to Choose?
Now we understand the Passes we need to decide which is the best option for you. This will largely depend on the trip you are planning, and which attractions interest you.
Go San Francisco Pass – All Inclusive or Explorer Pass?
In our opinion, both of these are very good options. They provide exceptional savings and have a very broad list of mainly top-quality attractions. We are more than happy to recommend either. The decision should be based on the type of trip you plan to have.
If it’s a short whirlwind trip where you plan to cram as much into your time as possible the All-inclusive is a fantastic option. However, a longer more sedate trip where you plan to take your time and immerse yourself in the city, maybe taking in a lot of the food and drink culture, then having a card with a few top attractions loaded on ready to use whenever you want could be the best option.
To get the best out of the All-inclusive Pass you really need to cram plenty in, whereas the Explorer pass gives you 30 days to use up your allotted attractions. While not many people will be in San Francisco that long it still means even on shorter trips you won’t feel the need to chase the Pass, and can enjoy the attractions at your leisure.
There is no doubt if you want to see a lot then the All-Inclusive is the way to go, the amount of attractions you can visit on the Explorer is limited to 5, which is still pretty good, but the savings and sightseeing are limited by this amount. With the All-inclusive the only limit is hours in the day and the number of attractions available. But it’s important to make sure the attractions available are the ones you want to visit.
San Francisco Go Pass in Practice
The San Francisco Go Pass uses a really easy-to-use system. No Booklets or voucher swapping. The Pass uses a Smartphone-based System and you simply download the app to your Smartphone and scan it at the attractions. The app has a built-in Guide to help you plan and find the attractions. If that is all a bit high tech you can Print the pass out beforehand and use that. It’s just a Simple QR card that can be scanned at the attractions.
Remember the All-Inclusive Pass uses consecutive calendar days which are activated from when you use the pass at the first attraction. It, therefore, pays to activate it early in the morning so you get a full day to use the pass. Activating it, later on in the day, will mean you lose most of a full day.
TIP – We always use the Mobile option as it’s so simple. But we do carry a printout of our codes… just in case we have tech issues.
Check Our Promo code to save even more!!! – Currently 10% Off
Check out our Promo Code Page to see if you could save EVEN more when Purchasing a Go San Francisco 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 San Francisco Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page
Are the attractions any good?
In short, yes. The Pass in one guise or another covers most of the city’s top attractions. The different attractions cover a wide array of appeals with everything from museums, Cruises, tours, and even bicycle rentals. It’s quite a potential lineup. Some Passes from other cities have a habit of loading the lineups with dud attractions to get the numbers up. Here most of the attractions are the city’s Top Choices. Let’s take a look at a few of the Standouts.
California Academy of Sciences – $46.00
One of San Francisco’s must-see attractions. It’s so much more than just a Museum. It features an aquarium, a planetarium, a natural history museum even a living rainforest. It really is a world-class science attraction and we advise anyone visiting San Francisco to add it to their list.
The Attractions and Exhibits in the Academy a really unique and you are getting multiple attractions in one. The Living Rainforest is multi-leveled allowing you to explore the canopies and treetops while the creatures go about their business. The Aquarium features coral reefs, California wildlife, and even a rare Albino Crocodile. The Natural history museum features an intact T-Rex, a Full-size Blue Whale Skeleton along with a multitude of different natural wonders. And finally, the planetarium allows you to wonder at the night sky with regular films about the wonders of the cosmos.
Housed in the beautiful Golden Gate Park, this is one part of San Francisco you really should not miss!
Escape From the Rock Cruise – $46
Getting out onto the Bay is a really wonderful way to experience the City. The 90-minute Escape from the Rock Cruise focuses on Alcatraz but still gives you all the highlights of the Bay. Heading out under the Golden Gate Bridge, providing stunning views of the City, and the surrounding Bay Area, before finally honing in on the Rock and giving you a great insight into the former Prison Island.
This should not be confused with the Tours of Alcatraz, you do not get to set foot on the island, but the 90-minute cruise is a great way to enjoy the bay and get up close and personal with the Rock in a pretty time-condensed fashion. A tour of the Rock is a good half-day experience which is not included on any pass, unfortunately.
Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour – $63
Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours are a definite tourist trap, however, they should not be ignored. The City can look really quite wonderful from the top deck of these busses and the onboard commentary is often insightful, knowledgable, and pretty witty. Taken with a pinch of salt these are really good fun. The San Francisco Big Bus takes you to all of the city’s hot spots and helps get you orientated and familiar with the city.
The highlight of this tour is the drive across the Golden Gate Bridge. It is always a stunning drive across this iconic roadway, but high up on an open-top bus it is truly stunning. The views really are beyond compare and you can hop off at the far end for some of the best views in the City.
It is natural to consider these as transport but relying on them to get around can be a mistake, especially if you have a deadline of somewhere to be. However, if you simply use the bus as a fun way to explore the city and just hop off where you want to we really love the tours. We look at a great way to include the Tour in your Itinerary below!
Madame Tussauds – $29.99
A real tourist favorite, these Wax Museums are a little hit or miss, some hit the spot of the location perfectly, and others are nothing but a tourist trap. San Francisos’ is somehow in the middle. It’s good fun but not really a must-see.
One of the joys of the All-inclusive pass is you can visit the attraction quickly and not worry about the cost. But we would struggle to recommend this on the explorer pass.
Aquarium of the Bay $29.75
This neat little aquarium is devoted to primarily life that exists within the Bay area. While not exactly a world-class aquarium we really enjoy it. It’s definitely worth a trip and offers a really unique look at life under the waves of the Bay. You will be pretty shocked as to what is down there!
The main attraction is two large ocean tanks with large viewing tunnels running through them. These are skilled with large ocean-going fish such as Seven Gills Sharks, Leopard Sharks, Sturgeon, Ginat Sea Bass, and large Sting Rays. The displays are pretty unlike what we have seen elsewhere and really lift the lid on what appears from the outside as a murky lifeless bay!
There is also a tropical tank, in case your kids just have to find Nemo. touch pools, cuddly otters, jellyfish, Orange Garibaldi, Moray Eels, Calfornia Sheepheads, and even a Red Pacific Octopus.
All-Day Bike Rental with Blazing Saddles – $32.00
Bikes are a fantastic way to see the City, and they are a handy way to get about between locations. A bike trip Across the Golden Gate Bridge is something you will never forget and a lot quicker than Hiking the 2km+ Each way! Plan your routes carefully through the World Famous San Francisco hills are really, Really, REALLY Steep!
Other Attractions:
Six Flags Discovery Kingdom – $89.99
An amazing themepark with some killer rides and animal attractions. The Park is a good hour’s drive out of the City and is an all-day attraction. But amazing value if you include a rip out of the City on your itinerary.
San Francisco Zoo and Gardens – $25.00
A Fairly modest Zoo and not overly ventral but still a very enjoyable location.
Walt Disney Family Museum – $25.00
This small Museum, situated in the stunning Presidio District offers a fantastic insight into the life and works of The Great Man.
California’s Great America – $70.00
Another really nice theme park, with some great rides. Again about an hour out of this City this time south towards San Jose.
San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – $25
A good selection of Modern Art from some of the best artists of the era.
De Young Museum – $15
Great as a tag-on to the Acadamy of Sciences, situated on the other side of the ark, the De Young Museum houses some amazing American historic art pieces along with various pieces from around the world
Exploratorium – $39.95
A fantastic Hands-On Science museum that is great for kids. This is learning without them ever knowing it!
The Flyer SF & 7D Experience – $28
A small but exciting Flying Ride that takes you on a journey over and around the Bay Area.
Hands-On Ghost Hunting Tour of Chinatown – $55
Honestly, this was one of our favorite experiences in the City on our last Visit. Explore the spooky and violent history of the City and the Downtown and China Town districts as you use Ghost Hunting tools to try and hunt out some past lives.
1-Day Muni Pass $24 – Explorer Pass ONLY
It’s a shame this is only on the Exploere Pass as this is one of the best things to do in San Francisco…Riding the Cable Cars!
Full List of Current Attractions HERE
Is the Go San Francisco Pass Worth it? – Sample Itineraries
To see if the pass is worth it, we have put together an easy sample itinerary for a 3-day pass and a 5-attraction Explorer Pass. Or you could take a look at our recent trip to San Francisco where we tried out the Pass, save over $336, and had a real blast!
3-Day All-Inclusive Pass – $139
Day 1
Day one gets you into the swing of things. Head to Fisherman’s Wharf and Book your Bay cruise for the morning, while waiting for this Purchase the Hop On Hop Off Bus tour. After the cruise take the tour of the City remembering to Hop-Off at Golden Gate Park to check out the Acadamy of Sciences and The De Young(optional) Museum before riding the bus back and maybe hoping off at the Golden Gate Bridge for a Selfie then in Chinatown for some dinner!
- Hop On Hop Off Big Bus San Francisco – $63
- Escape From the Rock Cruise – $46
- California Acadamy of Sciences – $46
Total – $155 – Simply by enjoying a tour of the City, a cruise around the Bay in the morning, and visiting the Academy of Sciences in the Afternoon we have already got our money’s worth. The next 2 Days are all “on the pass”. The Hop On Hop Off bus gets you to all of the attractions so there is no need to use public transport.
Day 2
On Day two we head to Fisherman Wharf again to take in some of the tourist attractions there. We have kept today light as you may want to grab a MUNI Passport and take a ride on the Cable cars as well. Jump on at Hyde Street and head over to Union Square, where you could check out the MOMO, or just hit the shops.
- Aquarium of the Bay – $30
- Madame Tussauds – $30
- Take the Flyer SF & 7D Experience – $28
- San Francisco Museum of Modern Art – $25
Total – $113
Day 3
For Day 3 we take it easy and hire Bike to head out over the Golden Gate Bridge, you could also visit the Presidio and the Disney Family Museum too, but we have left this optional. This then gives you the afternoon to do other things and then in the evening we head to Chinatown and take part in some Ghost Hunting. On our last trip, this was one of our favorite activities in the City. Spooky, informative, and with some really great hosts we loved this experience.
- Blazing Saddles Comfort Bike Rental – $32 (Head across Golden Gate Bridge)
- Hands-On Ghost Hunting Tour of Chinatown – $55
Total – $99
3-Day Total – $367
Pass Cost – $139
Saving – $228
That little lot of attractions would set you back a whopping $367 PER ADULT if you paid at the gate! If you follow our itinerary, which should be no issue at all, it would set you back only $139.00 PER ADULT! It’s a significant saving, OVER 62% at $228 per person! Money well spent on something else.
And we have really not MAXED the Pass out, There are still quite a few really nice options left if you wanted a longer pass or to try and cram a bit more in. When at Fisherman’s Wharf you could take a look at the USS Pampanito Museum or head over to the Walt Disney Family Museum. There is the ever-exciting Exploratorium. And you could even consider a day out at either Six Flags Discover or California’s Great America (or both!)
Overall, what we really find here is the Pass enables us to do WAY more than we would bother with if we were booking things separately. $139 is not a lot to pay for all your attractions when in a big city, and with the pass you just get access to SO much more.
So these are pretty impressive Savings but Remember, our Promo Code page could save you EVEN more, making the pass even better Value.
Check Our Promo code to save even more!!! – Currently 10% Off
Check out our Promo Code Page to see if you could save EVEN more when Purchasing a Go San Francisco 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 San Francisco Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page
5 – Attraction Explorer Pass – $96
- Hop On Hop Off Big Bus San Francisco – $59
- Escape From the Rock Cruise – $46
- California Acadamy of Sciences – $40
- Aquarium of the Bay – $29
- Blazing Saddles Comfort Bike Hire – $32
- Total Gate Price – $206
- Pass Price – $96
- Saving – $110 or 55%
For shorter trips, or where you only want to do a few attractions or know exactly what you want to see the Explorer Pass still offers exceptional value. You could easily do the above on a 2-day all-inclusive pass, but that is a few dollars more, but you could maybe squeeze a few more attractions in on the All-Inclusive.
While it is clear from our itinerary that the Pass is definitely worth it from a purely financial point of view there are a few other upsides to the Pass along with a few Negatives.
Advantages
Planning – Having an element of planning on any trip is the key to a successful trip. You don’t need to be too rigid in your itinerary but knowing what you want to see is essential. Having a pass provides a fantastic Backbone to any Itinerary. You can easily plan out your days around the attractions while fitting in different sights and attractions that are free. Such as Checking out Fisherman’s Wharf before a cruise or renting bikes to ride over the Golden Gate Bridge.
Inspiration – It is often the case when visiting a new city that you don’t always know exactly what is or isn’t available. It’s no surprise that some of the most common Google searches are for “things to do in xxx”. The San Francisco Go Pass offers a whole bunch of activities to inspire you on your trip. We often hear people did not know about something before they saw it included on a pass.
Flexibility – While It is essential to have a basic itinerary we find it needs to be flexible. Weather and mood can mean you simply don’t want to do what you had planned for that day. Having a pass means nothing is set in stone and you can juggle your plan around to fit the circumstance. If it’s giving rain for the day of your Bay Cruise simply head to the museums and do the cruise another day with better weather.
Budgeting – City Breaks can really cost a lot of cash. With costs piling up on each other. One of the big advantages of the Go Pass is you know exactly what you are going to spend ahead of the trip. So no nasty surprises awaiting you on your return and no missing out on something because you have run out of cash!
Simplicity – The Digital implementation of the pass is fantastic it really couldn’t be easier, just scan your QR card on your phone or print it out and you are in. No messing around. We really do love the way the Go Cards work. Booking everything individually is a major faff and this does away with that part of the holiday planning stress.
Disadvantages
Chasing the Pass – There is always the temptation with City Passes to try and cram too much in. Charging around trying to do everything and not really enjoying it properly and maybe even missing out on free attractions as you try and do everything on the pass. It is important to plan realistically and not try and cram everything in. San Francisco is a pretty small city and getting about is quite quick but you still have to be honest with yourself about how much you can cram in.
No Alcatraz – We would be doing you a disservice if we didn’t mention this GLARING omission. Not having the Alcatraz tour on the Pass is a major disappointment. We recommend just booking this separately if it is important to you and using the pass for everything else. We wish the Pass companies would get their act together on this and include one of San Francisco’s must-see attractions.
Cable Cars – Riding the Cable Cars really is one of San Francisco’s must-do attractions and it is a big miss that it’s not included. The 3-Day MUNI Pass is $32 and it is a prime candidate to be on the Pass so it’s a shame it isn’t. We would rather have this than the more expensive HOHO Bus tour. If they could fix these two letdowns the Go Pass would be a killer pass.
It is worth saying though that for the time being the MUNI Passports are available for a significant discount if bought through the MUNI Mobile App
Alternatives?
There are a number of other passes available in San Francisco and have a comparison page for all these. This page compares all the San Francisco Pass Options to see which is right for you.
Conclusion
Overall we really like the Go San Francisco Pass. It can save a ton of money when visiting multiple attractions and covers most of the city’s top attractions with very little filler. We wish Alcatraz was on the pass and also the MUNI Cable Car passport (Now included on the Explorer Pass), but apart from that we really like the pass. It is perfect for a first-time visitor to the City to really get a feel for the San Francisco lifestyle.
Both Passes offer fantastic value and really do help you get the absolute best out of the City. We like our trips busy, so the All-inclusive works best for us, but if you want a more relaxed trip then the explorer lets you see the City at your own pace.
Check Our Promo code to save even more!!! – Currently 10% Off
Check out our Promo Code Page to see if you could save EVEN more when Purchasing a Go San Francisco 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 San Francisco Page to input the code, we receive a small commission if you buy after clicking our link. This is how we support the Page
Have Your Say?
Let us know if you have tried the San Francisco Go PAss or the Explorer Pass. What attractions did you visit and Which did you rate the best? Just drop us a comment. And please comment if you have ANY other questions we are happy to help!
Hi, we are thinking of visiting San Francisco in the near future and think this Attraction Pass is definitely a great idea and money saver, I love your photos great captures of the City, Thanks for sharing.
Hi, Audra
Thanks for reading. Glad you agree on the money saving. Hope you enjoy the trip and thanks for the compliment on the photos we try and get as much of our own work in as possible.
Great review about San Francisco Go Card. There are lots of interesting place to visit in San Francisco. You give lots of alternative and And this is a good thing from your post. I think the Aquarium Bay is the best place to visit because I like ocean life. Thanks for sharing.
Hi, Henryan
Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed the post. Hope you make it to San Francisco and enjoy the Aquarium.
Hi Steve, we are planning a trip there next year and I am looking at ways to get around and which attractions to visit whilst we are there. We should have a week where we can visit a few of the best attractions that San Francisco has to offer. I’m planning to visit some friends in Houston after SF. I’m going to set aside 3 or 4 days for sightseeing so which one would you recommend? I think it’s great that we can use our phones for things like this. I still remember the old days of buying passes and carrying them around!
Hi, Craig Glad to hear you are planning a trip to this fantastic city! We are sure you will love it. If you are only planning to visit a few attractions then the Explorer pass may be the best option as you can take the sights in at your leisure and enjoy all the city as you go. Alternatively check out our CityPASS review which also includes a 3-day Muni transport and Tram pass to help get around.
Have a Great Trip
Hi Steve! Amazing review! I’ve always wanted to go to San Francisco and the Explorer Pass would be a very good option if I ever decide to go there! I love the fact that you don’t have to choose the attractions upfront which gives you a lot of freedom when you visit a new city. I also think that all the attractions are very interesting so, at the end, whatever you choose will probably be a good choice. Thanks again and I really hope I’ll be there soon 🙂
Hi Fabiana,
Thanks for reading glad you liked the idea of the Explorer pass. It does give a lot of freedom and doesn’t tie you down to choosing anything before hand. There are certainly a wide choice of attractions and most are very good quality additions so we are sure there is something there for everyone.
We hope you enjoy your trip to this incredible City
Wow, great article. I must have been living under a rock somewhere because I JUST learned that there was a Six Flags in San Francisco! I’m sure on my first visit there my wife will absolutely want to go there first but I personally don’t like roller coasters.
I feel like the unlimited explorer pass would fit us well but like you said, the time it takes to do everything we want you have listed we’ll probably have to stay a lot longer than anticipated. 26+ AND we have a 2 and 4 yr old(assuming 2yrs is free-referring to the top of the page) so we have time restrictions.
We’d probably go without the kids first then come back with them 😀
Again, great read Steve!
Hi Jaron,
Thanks for reading, glad you enjoyed it. Well Six flags Dicovery Kingdom is a little way out of the actual City (35miles) But yep its been there since 1999!
Sounds like the Explorer pass would be great for you. It can be good to go without kids to get the lay of the land, and do a few more Adult things then return for a great family trip after. That sounds a great plan!
Just to confirm, Yes all the attractions included on the Explorer pass admit children under 3 for free so there is no requirement for a pass. Obviously you will need an adult to go with them. It would be a very poor idea to send them on their own.
I would like to visit San Francisco but usually the biggest pleasure for me is going around the city walking or by bike. Even if I won’t see everything. Is there some kind of option for exploring the city without moving much around? I’m also wondering if 3 days trip would be enough or would it be just a race and rushing from one place to another…
Hi Greg,
It sounds like maybe the San Francisco CityPASS may suit you better. This is a different type of pass that has a limited number of attractions so you don’t need to rush about.
3 days would be more than enough to see everything on that pass and give you plenty of time to wander around and explore in your own time. San Francisco is a pretty small City so you can get about quite easily. The CityPASS also includes a 3-day Muni pass which gives you access to all buses AND the famous Cable Cars.
Hope you get to San Francisco soon and enjoy this fabulous city.
Thanks
Steve
Thanks for this information. The price seems dear for children with no much of a discount for your younger ones which is uncommon, but there is a ton of things to do with the card AND I love that you can choose how many days you want the pass to be valid for. Often you find them good for one day and you just can’t possibly get all those places visited, so you opt out. I am not sure if this is the more common practice now or if this is unique to San Fran. I do love this city and we do plan to go back, so I will definitely visit this page again when it is time for us to start planning our trip so we can decide of the San Francisco Go car is worth it.
Hi Lyndsay,
The price for Children tend to be linked to the reduction an attraction would give to kids. The discount does get better with the longer pass’s $40 for a 5 day pass. It is a shame but if attractions in the area don’t offer great discounts then there isn’t much the Pass can do.
Smart Destinations offers passes for a lot of US cities and most are either all inclusive for a number of days or a set amount of attractions (over 30 days) and there are many other passes that work the same now.
Glad you like San Francisco, it is one of out favorites too, very different to other US Cities and a very relaxed vibe. Hope you make it back soon.
Thanks for reading
Steve
Hey Steve,
I have never heard of a city having a pass like this. I just love the entire concept. It seems like it would make planning a vacation so much easier (I tend to suffer from the paradox of choice when trying to figure out where I want to go).
I have always been interested in going to San Francisco, but I really do not know much about the city. I didn’t know that they had such and awesome Academy of Sciences. I also need to learn what the Dungeon is all about- it definitely sounds interesting.
Thanks for the great info.
Hi,
It is a very common theme that people haven’t heard of attraction passes before. We really do feel they massivly help in the planning of most trips. Again it’s very common people want to visit place but when they get round to it they realize they know very little practical information on the City. This was the inspiration for this site. As we always found it very hard to know where to start when visiting a new city. There is information out there but we thought we could do better.
Hope you get to visit this incredible City soon,
Thanks for Reading.
Steve
Hi there,
Great site!
The California Academy of Sciences looks amazing! I bet you could spend all day there.
Do you know if you would see any dolphins or whales on Golden Gate Bay Cruise or is it really just for the sights?
Also, I was surprised to see the bikes option, as I thought San Francisco was very hilly? Are they electric?
Thanks for all this info.
Julia
Hi Julia,
We do really love the academy of Sciences such a different experience to most Museums!
There is always a chance of seeing Whales and dolphins but they are not common in the Bay and the boats certainly don’t look for them. I would certainly not count on it. You will however see California Sea lions.
Oh Yes, San Francisco is VERY hill. The bike are not electric but still oldfashioned muscle power. The hills are pretty short and vert steep and can often be avoided or just pushed up. There are also a lot of long flat cycle route such as along the coast. Cycle hire is very popular despite the hills. It isn’t for everyone though and may require a little more fitness than some cities.
Thanks for reading
Steve
This is awesome information on the Go Card. I lived in San Francisco for 20 years and never knew this existed. I can tell you that the attractions you list are a must-see while in San Francisco and this sounds like a bargain to me!
It is a bummer that Alcatraz is not included. That’s definitely a must-see as well. Maybe Go Card will read your review and make that happen!
Hi Vic,
Great to hear from a local. The card really does have some excellent must see attractions and it can completely transform a trip to the City. While saving cash at the same time.
Agree on Alcatraz too. We wish the would add it. It would make the card a complete no-brainier really, Who doesn’t want to see Alcatraz. Unfortunately there must be some issue behind the scenes with getting it added to the card. We are sure Smart destinations will have tried. They are a very smart outfit and if adding an attraction was possible they would. Especially if it would be such a BIG seller! So we guess there is an issue going on behind the scenes.
We still think its a great pass and you can just plan Alcatraz for a different day separately.
Thanks for reading
Steve
Hi Steve!
Since I have visited most of the west European capitals, I find it very convenient to have a pass for most of the attractions. Especially for a city as rich in attractions as San Fransisco.
I will have this pass in mind when I visit the city. I do like the fact that it is a smartphone app since a smartphone is omnipotent and we always carry it on us these days!
I would myself opt, as a tourist, visiting for a few days, for the Go Card – unlimited.
Thanks for the review!
Marios
Hi Marios,
Yeah we find passes work the same for most cities word wide, we would love to review passes all over the world but being such a small blog we have to focus on Passes from destinations we know well and have used passes in.
The Go San Francisco pass is a really great way to see the city be sure to check it out when you are there next. We are sure you will have a fantastic time.
Enjoy
Steve
I love San Francisco and we are looking at visiting there for a competition. I like the idea of the pass, as it sure looks like we could save money. I am kind of disappointed that Alcatraz is not included, but when you consider how long the wait list is to get there, it is understandable. I like the idea of being able to build a pass for things we are interested in. I have had a city pass before where it just went to waste.
Hi,
Yeah it’s a big disappointment Alcatraz isn’t on the pass but it isn’t on any SF Pass and we are pretty sure the pass companies are disappointed too,it really would be a killer option if it were included! Hopefully they are working on it.
Without proper planning passes can go to waste as you don’t make full use of the options. While the build your own is great it can work out cheaper with an explorer or All inclusive to do exactly the same things so do the math first.
Thanks for reading, hope you love San Francisco as much as we do!
Steve
Hi Steve,
What a great site! I had no idea there was any such thing available as Go Cards, which makes a lot of sense from a Chamber of Commerce point of view.
The pics of the city are awesome, did you take them?
Do you visit these cities before creating these great reviews?
Keep up the great work, you have a dynamite service!
Dallas
Hi Dallas,
Yeah we hear quite a lot from people who were unaware of these products. We have a lot of faith in them so help to spread the word so people can get far more out of their trips.
Of course, Every city listed on our page is a City we have visited extensively. If we were just using random Cities out list would be far larger and advice far poorer. We travel the USA extensively and use our personally experiences to enrich other peoples trips! We have a Busy year ahead with more incredible USA Adventures planned, New York, Las Vegas, San Diego + several days road tripping across Nevada, Arizona, Utah and California!
Most of the Photo’s are ours, and taken personally on our trips, on occasion we do utilize stock Photo’s if we don’t have anything suitable, normally for something very specific!
Thanks for the kind words,
Steve
Hi! I’ve been to San Francisco, but I didn’t visit all of those cool places. I went with a large group, and we didn’t know about the San Francisco Go Card. Is this new?
I like how they bundle all of the activities for such a reasonable price. I have a family of 4, and buying each ticket individually could easily add up. I agree with you that buying the San Francisco go card is a good option. Great review!
Hi Tiffany,
The San Francisco Go Card has been around for a while, you must have just missed it when you visited.
Glad you like the sound of the pass, City Visit’s certainly can end up costing a whole heap of cash so these passes are great ways to help save money, as you say when you have a family it can save so much while keeping everyone entertained!
Make sure you check any City before you visit to see if they offer passes as there is normally options for most Cities. and we have loads of information on different Cities and the passes on offer!
Thanks for reading
Steve
After reading this blog we chose the Go Card. We’re looking forward to our trip and plan to use the card a lot while we’re in San Francisco. If you go to the Go Card site and sign up for email they will mail you what appears to be promises of discounts on the card if you buy online – beware! This is misleading because the card is almost always on sale, and you don’t get a discount if the card is already on sale. One discount per customer. While I love the Go Card, I find this practice misleading. Certainly if a brick-and-mortar retailer did this I would be outraged – and I’m no less insulted when they try to pull this stunt online. Good value, but not so good business practice. Take this into account when you estimate the cost and value of the card.
Hi George,
Thanks for reading and glad you liked the look of the pass based on our review.
We certainly agree that the “Perma” sale makes for a very confusing pricing policy and not one we are very fond of, always some type of discount/sale and you never really know if you are getting the best deal. We much prefer a simple structure, the best price and then occasional sales and promo codes when they chose, like most business models.
However we have not come across the practice of refusing Promo codes based on the Sale, we take the “SALE” pretty much as he base price and use this for our calculations, but we regularly get discount codes and these all work along with the sale. Check out our Promo Code Page and our current code definitely works right up to entering the CC details. If you offer and EXTRA % off that should be including the sale price, a sale is one thing and a promo code another!
Did you receive a code as part of your sign-up or was it a link? If it’s not too late you could try our code? It’s god for and extra 15% off (at time of writing)
We hope you have an amazing trip whatever you do. The pass is great value even at base prices, but even better with sale + discount code.
Steve