Is CityPASS Worth It? My Thoughts as a Regular User

I think that this is a question many people ask themselves when a deal is possibly too good to be true. So the same question goes for multi-attraction tickets like CityPASS. You’ll ask yourself, “Is CityPASS Worth It?” The short and quick answer to that is ABSOLUTELY! I’ve used CityPASS on multiple different trips across the United States and will continue to do so everywhere that it’s available. However, the longer answer to “Is CityPASS Worth It?” ultimately depends on who you are as a traveler and where you might be heading. If you’re interested in the longer answer, then take a deeper dive below and make up your own mind after reading!

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Is CityPASS Worth It? Yes… If You Like Museums and Big Attractions

One immediate thing to know about CityPASS is that it’s an excellent way to see the most popular attractions a city might have to offer. Every one of them attempts to get you discounts into the best museums and attractions, which most of them succeed at. So if that’s all you’re looking for in a trip, then the answer to “is CityPASS worth it” will be yes. It’s doubly true for the biggest cities like Chicago or NYC.

That doesn’t mean the CityPASS is for every traveler or even every trip to a city. As you’ll notice below, plenty of cities will end up with subpar “value” scores based on what they have on offer. Most of that has nothing to do with CityPASS itself, and more to the fact that the attractions in that city simply aren’t that great. You’ll still get a deal on them, but some cities are just better than others.

Another aspect to consider is that because CityPASS focuses on major attractions, you’ll often miss any discounts on smaller or more niche places. This isn’t necessarily a problem for me or my travel style simply because I like going to the well traveled places. I also haven’t ever skipped a smaller spot simply because it wasn’t on a pass or at a discount. So I really enjoy using the CityPASS and find that most vacationers (especially families) will find the pass a really attractive option.

A Deeper Look at My CityPASS Experiences

I’ve traveled to a number of CityPASS destinations since even before starting this blog back in 2018. Every time before purchasing, I’ve paused to ask myself “Is CityPASS worth it” for this particular trip. I think it’s important to know that doesn’t always have to be true for every trip you take. As we discussed above, it is awesome for the top attractions in pretty much every city. Yet, your personal mileage may vary and I’ll touch on that below. For me, every time I asked the question the answer ultimately was a yes. I’ve enjoyed all my trips with CityPASS.

Is Atlanta CityPASS Worth It? 100% Yes!

This was the first trip where I purchased the CityPass. I’m so happy that I did. It was for a trip we took on our fifth anniversary. With the exception of some Disney trips, this was also the first major trip we took as a couple. Without Atlanta CityPASS, I don’t think we would have had nearly the same amount of fun.

As that trip was taken in 2015, the attractions available have changed some. This is one great thing to know when buying, so be sure to check the website for Atlanta CityPASS to verify the current offerings. Our anniversary visited a number of the attractions which are currently available. At the top of that list for me was the World of Coca-Cola. As a huge consumer (and fan) of Coca-Cola, this was right up my alley. We also visited both the Georgia Aquarium and Zoo Atlanta. These are both world-class facilities that I think anyone visiting Atlanta would want to see, even if you weren’t using the Atlanta CityPASS.

Of the other currently available attractions, we visited the College Football Hall of Fame. Again, I’m a massive college football fan so this was a must-see for me. Any football and sports fan will appreciate the extensive football exhibits here. In addition to the College Football Hall of Fame, you can choose between the Fernbank Museum of Natural History and National Center for Civil and Human Rights. This means the Atlanta CityPASS has a wide variety of experiences to choose from and a bit of something for everyone. I’d say that makes it pretty easy to see why the answer to “Is Atlanta CityPASS worth it?” is a resounding yes.

Is Denver CityPASS Worth It? If You Pick the Right Attractions

Of the three trips where I’ve used CityPASS, Denver is where I don’t feel we made the right choices on what attractions to see. Unlike Atlanta, Denver CityPASS allows you to not only choose some attractions but also the number of attractions to see. On our trip we purchased the three attraction pass (also known as a Denver C3 CityPASS). The reason for this was largely down to the fact we had a lot of other plans for our two days in Denver.

So the answer to “Is Denver CityPASS worth it” will come down to which attractions you are picking and how many of them. During our trip we visited the History Colorado Center, Denver Aquarium, and Denver Museum of Nature & Science. Of the three, I super enjoyed the Museum of Nature & Science. It’s located in City Park which meant that we were able to spend pretty much an entire day there which was really nice. As a history buff, I also liked the History Colorado Center but I think your mileage will vary there. The Aquarium was a bit of a miss in my opinion, especially since I’ve been to a number of better aquariums.

To improve the value of our trip, I think I would have made two changes. The first would be getting a four attraction pass, to see more while in town. The second change would be seeing a more “unique” attraction. At the time of writing, the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum would be my pick. Families might also love the Children’s Museum. Depending on the season you visit, the Botanic Gardens would be a great choice for outdoor enthusiasts. With all the options for the Denver CityPASS, I think that it’s definitely worth the purchase for any visit to Denver.

Is Chicago CityPASS Worth It? I Definitely Would Purchase Again!

Much like with Denver, our trip to Chicago had many other plans beyond simply doing some sightseeing and museum hopping. For that reason, we did opt for the C3 version of the pass. This gave us access to our choice of three attractions out of the nine available. My wife and I each picked one (Field Museum for me, Art Institute for her), while our family insisted on the Architecture River Tour.

All three of these were fantastic options for us. The Architecture River Tour (which my Aunt and Uncle joined us for) was extremely insightful and a wonderful way to leisurely see Chicago. The Field Museum is one of the best museums in the entire country. We spend a ton of time with the dinosaurs, and honestly could have spent an entire day of the trip in the museum. The Art Institute of Chicago is also a world-class facility, and is almost a must choose.

However, by only getting the three attraction pass, we did miss out on a couple spots I really wanted to see. That includes one of the best planetariums in the nation, the Adler Planetarium, and one of the best aquariums in Shedd Aquarium. However, the biggest problem with the full Chicago CityPASS, is that the you’re locked into two of the five attractions. That includes Skydeck Chicago, which some might love, but I certainly wasn’t clamoring to see.

With all that being said, is Chicago CityPASS worth it? Definitely! I’ll certainly be buying it the next time we visit family, but I’ll probably stick with the C3 version. Since you can mix all of them up, it’s exactly the kind of variety I like in a city multi-attraction pass.

Breaking Down CityPASS Prices

With so many potential options for the CityPASS, I wanted to breakdown the prices across the board in one easy place. This should help you determine how much value you’re getting and better answer “is CityPass worth it” for each potential destination. In the table below, you’ll see each destination, the different passes available (C3, C4, C5, etc), the price of the specific pass, the potential savings for each pass (“base” price in parenthesis), and my subjective “value” rating for each from 1-10. (Note: Prices are accurate as of August 2024)

Not every pass has an option for different numbers of attractions. If that type of pass isn’t available, I’ll mark it with an X and put the price for the pass which matches the number of attractions. There are also two rows for each, one for Adult prices and one for Child prices. A few of the locations don’t align with the same structure as others. I’ll cover the special situations below the table to give a deeper insight into how those locations (like Orlando) work with CityPASS.

Orlando, San Diego, and So. California, all have unique ways that the attractions are specially priced. For Orlando and SoCal, you’re essentially getting a discount on tickets purchased to the major theme parks. These aren’t sold as a package deal like the other CityPASS offerings. However, you gain the convenience of simply buying your tickets to these huge attractions in one place. If you’re planning to visit Universal AND Disney World in Orlando during one vacation, then I’d say get buy them together through CityPASS.

San Diego is more of a mix between the “traditional” CityPASS and the “theme park” CityPASS. You can get a pass similar to the C4 which includes three attractions in San Diego plus a visit to SeaWorld San Diego OR Legoland California. These are very similar in price at $177/179 for adults. There is also a C5 style pass which includes three attractions AND both parks for a price of $244 for adults. Interestingly, the Southern California CityPASS allows you to purchase San Diego attractions like Sea World, Legoland, and the San Diego Zoo. So you’ve got plenty of options for how to buy your passes and answer the question “Is CityPASS Worth It?”

Who CityPASS Isn’t For

While I’d love to say that CityPASS is perfect for everyone, that wouldn’t be the honest answer. There are certainly travelers and situations where CityPASS isn’t a good purchase. The value is really tied to the way that you (and your companions) like to travel. For those who aren’t spending multiple days in one location, then the CityPASS isn’t for you. In pretty much every scenario, you need to be in the same city for at least two days, if not more depending on the location. Even I’ve passed up buying one because it didn’t fit a trip we took through San Francisco because we were there for only a day.

The next people who might want to consider passing on a purchase are those who don’t like seeing all the same attractions as everyone else. CityPASS really focuses on getting you a good deal to the major attractions in a city. If you’re visiting all of those, then great! If not, then the value of the pass is going to be lessened since you’ll be spending money elsewhere. Overall, you’ll still be saving money by purchasing the CityPASS but potentially not to the same extent.

Finally, the destination itself might influence your desire to purchase a CityPASS. In my examples above, I think all of those showed that CityPASS was a great value but in different ways. The more flexibility a pass offers, the better that it can meet your own travel needs. However, when a pass locks you into one or more attractions, it can quickly lose value and make your answer to “Is CityPASS worth it” a lot more iffy.

Final Thoughts on the Question “Is CityPASS Worth It?”

So, is CityPASS worth it? I think that the answer is absolutely yes. Even for passes to cities like Dallas or Toronto, you’re still getting over a 35% discount on buying the tickets outright. However, some cities are clearly better deals than others. While doing all the research on this, I was honestly surprised at just how good of a value the passes to Philadelphia, Seattle, and New York are. These cities not only have excellent attractions at major discounts; they also have huge variety and flexibility as well. I’ll certainly be using the CityPASS on my next trip to one of these cities and I recommend you do so as well!

Not every trip will be a CityPASS trip, however. That’s because some cities simply don’t offer the CityPASS. For instance, Nashville has it’s own Music City Pass which is extremely similar and we actually used on our first two visits. You’d be missing out if you didn’t check out other cities to see if they have multi-attraction passes and use them when CityPASS can’t. They are great deals and honestly make trip planning just a bit easier.

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