Is CityPASS Worth it? A Honest Review
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When you’re traveling, one of the many things you may consider purchasing is a combo attraction pass like CityPASS. But, is it worth it?
Essentially, these combo passes get you into 3 or more attractions at a reduced price than what you’d pay overall.
Recently, I had the opportunity to work with CityPASS to test their attractions pass and find out, is CityPASS worth it, is it legit, where you can use it, and what it includes.
If you’re visiting multiple of the top tourist attractions, CityPASS wins at saving you money. If you’re only looking at one or two, it’s worth it to compare pricing.
While traveling with my daughter on her graduation trip, I tested the CityPass in Seattle. I’ve also tested other attraction passes in Boston and New York.
Is CityPASS worth it? In short, yes. If you want to save money on the most popular attractions, CityPASS provides a great option to save money on attractions.
Below, I’ll cover what is CityPASS, how to use it, what it includes, and where to use it. While CityPASS provided me a pass in order to test, all reviews and opinions are unbiased.
Let’s get to it.
What is CityPASS?
In its simplest form, CityPASS is a savings attraction pass that provides a minimum of 3 attractions for one fee. This is a reduced rate compared what you pay for the individual attractions.
Attractions in popular cities include museums, observation decks, harbor cruises, aquariums, zoos, etc.
For example, with the Seattle CityPASS, you can choose either 3 or 5 attractions.
The Seattle C3 Pass includes your choice of:
- Space Needle
- Seattle Aquarium
- Chihuly Garden and Glass
- Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour
- Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP)
- Woodland Park Zoo
- Pacific Science Center
- The Museum of Flight
- Sky View Observatory
- Seattle Art Museum.
The full CityPASS includes the Space Needle and Aquarium but gives you a choice of the other 3.
Personally, I like having a choice and with the full 5 attractions pass, I am still only getting a choice of 3 additional. We chose the Seattle C3 primarily because we wanted to visit MOPOP and the Chihuly Garden. We knew we didn’t have much time for more attractions. We ended up visiting the Seattle Aquarium as our third choice.
However, if I was already planning on the Space Needle and Seattle Aquarium, the 5 attractions pass might be the better value at the additional $30.
The pass is valid for 9 consecutive days and provides a one time admission to the attraction of your choice.
Not all cities offer the C3 option. And not all cities offer 5 attractions. Prices vary between cities.
Where can you use CityPASS?
Speaking of the various cities, CityPASS is available in the following locations.
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Chicago
- Dallas
- Denver
- Houston
- Los Angeles
- NYC
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Southern California
- Tampa Bay
- Toronto
Note the Southern California is different than Los Angeles and San Diego tickets. Both Southern California and Orlando are closer to ticket brokers for theme parks such as Disneyland and Walt Disney World and not quite the savings you might expect. (The prices are roughly the same everywhere.)
Where Los Angeles and San Diego shine is offering a major theme park + 3 more attractions. It might be one day in that theme park, but for the price of a one-day ticket, you are getting access to 3 more attractions.
Is CityPASS Legit?
Having used CityPASS in Seattle, I can tell you that yes, CityPASS is legit. The company has been around for over 25 years.
And, even since I wrote How to Save Money on Attractions, I’ve noticed they’ve added new cities. In fact, CityPASS was the first company to bundle attractions to save you money.
They are still a small family-run company based out of Idaho. Not only are they legit, but by using CityPASS you’re supporting a small business… even when you’re supporting the big-name attractions!
What does CityPASS include?
As mentioned before, CityPASS includes admission to a select number of attractions. Prices are per person and attractions and number of attractions vary by city.
How does CityPASS work?
Using the CityPASS is easy once you’ve purchased it.
Once purchased, you’ll receive a QR code to show entry to your select attractions. You can easily add this to your digital or Apple Wallet.
Validity: 9 consecutive days starting with and including the first day you visit an attraction
Expiration: First use must occur within one year from purchase date
Is CityPASS Worth It?
Yes, CityPASS is worth it. Probably 99 times out of 100 it is going to save you money.
Let’s break down my trip to Seattle.
We visited the following (with their current full price tickets):
- Museum of Pop Culture $26
- Chihuly Glass Museum $37.50
- Seattle Aquarium $42.95
Total = $106.95 per person.
Both Chihuly and Seattle Aquarium have fluctuating prices, so I picked the top level. I did this as while their prices vary by day, CityPASS does not.
CityPASS for 3 attractions = $97.
Savings is just about $10 per person.
While this may not seem like much, had I gone with different attractions it would have been more. The Argosy Harbor Cruise is around $39, the Space Needle is $42.
As I mentioned, the savings is based on what you want to see and do. MOPOP was a priority for us as was the Chihuly Glass. It’s worth comparing what you want to see and do and if the pass is right for you.
Plus, CityPASS may be worth it for the skip-the-line option alone. If you don’t want to wait to get tickets,
Benefits of Using CityPASS
- Cost Savings
- Convenience
- Time-Saving Features
Things to Consider Before Buying CityPASS
- Attraction Preferences: Not all attractions appeal to every traveler.
- Time Constraints: Note that CityPASS is more valuable if you are visiting more than one day
- Budget: If you only have 1 or 2 places you can visit, CityPASS may not save you money.
FAQ
How Long is a CityPASS good for?
Once purchased, you have 1 year to use it. Once activated, it’s good for the next 9 days.
What does the CityPASS include?
CityPASS includes admission of up to five attractions depending on the pass you purchase.
Is CityPASS or Go City better?
It’s worth comparing. Each pass is not available in all cities. Go City has all-inclusive options but may be more pricey than CityPASS
Should I choose the C3 or 5 Attraction CityPASS
If you only have 1 or 2 days, choose the C3 to get the most out of your visit.
Final Thoughts
I would purchase and use a CityPASS again, especially in cities such as Tampa and Atlanta. The value of saving money and time, as well as including attractions I might not normally choose, makes it a worthwhile purchase for my family.
My main considerations would be to compare the ticket price of the individual attractions as compared to the price of CityPASS and determine if I’m going to be in the area long enough to maximize the value of the pass.
Not all the cities offer the C3 options, but I did like having the flexibility to use only what I wanted while in Seattle, without having to decide ahead of time.
For more on saving money:
How to Save Money on Attractions
