Is the Go City Los Angeles Pass worth it? Go City Los Angeles Pass review 2024

The Go Los Angeles Pass is an interesting and exciting way to save money while visiting the biggest attractions in the city, but it’s not ideal for everyone. It covers 38 different attractions that are spread over a great distance within Southern California, and the first thing you might notice is that it does NOT cover Disneyland. However, it does cover almost everything else (including Universal Studios Hollywood), and visiting Disneyland on your own on another day is easy enough.

It’s easy to get confused when looking at the list of attractions on the Go Los Angeles Pass website, especially if you’ve spent little or no time in the area before. So as someone who grew up in Los Angeles and knows all of these places (plus the distances between), I’m going to help you decide whether this pass is good value for you or not. The Los Angeles attractions are very spread out so planning ahead is critical. Starting with an attraction pass can be great if you have your itinerary figured out in advance, so that’s what we will try to help you with here. Attraction discounts are pretty rare on their own, so doing this bundle can definitely save money for those who do the research.

One of the most unusual and best features of the Go City Los Angeles Pass is that you DON’T have to use it on consecutive days. So if you are visiting Los Angeles for a week, you can buy a 3-Day Pass and go to the beach or go to Disneyland in between the days you use the pass.

2024 prices for the all-inclusive Go City Los Angeles Pass

2-day

  • Adult (13+): $264
  • Child (3-12): $234

3-day

  • Adult (13+): $309
  • Child (3-12): $289

4-day

  • Adult (13+): $379
  • Child (3-12): $344

5-day

  • Adult (13+): $409
  • Child (3-12): $379

7-day

  • Adult (13+): $464
  • Child (3-12): $434

Where to buy the Go Los Angeles Pass with our EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT

Look for “Have a promo code?” on the Review Your Order page and use the code ‘GO5POT’ for the exclusive Price Of Travel 5% discount. The 5% discount is valid on sale prices, so you save even more.

>>>Buy the Go Los Angeles Pass at an ADDITIONAL 5% off using this link and the promo code GO5POT

Important: You don't have to use the All-Inclusive Pass on consecutive days

With nearly all other attraction passes, the clock starts ticking on the first day you use the pass and it keeps going until the end of the period you paid for, so a “3-day pass” is only valid for 72 consecutive hours. But with the Go City Los Angeles Pass you get a full TWO WEEKS to use the days you paid for. This is a HUGE benefit since so many of the best attractions are theme parks and not only do you want to spend all day at each of those, but you probably don’t want to do them on back-to-back days either.

So if you are visiting Los Angeles and San Diego for 7 days or longer, which is obviously very common, you can buy a 3-Day Pass and go to Universal Studios on Monday, and Knotts Berry Farm on Wednesday and then LEGO Land on California Friday or Saturday. Those would cost $347 if you paid for each of them, while the Go City Los Angeles Pass for 3 days is only $309, and really $289 if you use our discount. It’s basically like paying for two theme parks and getting almost an extra one free, and you don’t have to rush.

Top sights and attractions included in the Go Los Angeles Pass

Universal Studios Hollywood – $129.00

A premium attraction available for those who purchase a 3, 4, 5, or 7-day Go Los Angeles Pass, the Universal Studios Hollywood attraction is a fantastic choice for those who would like to go behind the scenes. This attraction offers guests the chance to go on different tours exploring real life film sets. If you love Harry Potter, you’ll love visiting The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

Madame Tussauds Hollywood Tickets – $32.99

An unusual attraction that features your favorite celebrities in wax form, Madame Tussauds Hollywood is a great visit for those who like something a little bit different. Located inside, this wax museum features 100 different singers and actors in several different rooms. There are interactive exhibits all along the way so it’s a lot more than just walking past various wax statues. Honestly, I used to think these places were silly until I visited one and they are MUCH more interesting and impressive than I was expecting. Also, you can see the whole place in about an hour if you like. If you paid full price you might take your time more, but if you get in free with the Go City Los Angeles Pass you might hurry through a bit and then move on to the next attraction.

Warner Brothers Studio Tour Hollywood– $70.00

While it’s much smaller and a bit less famous than Universal Studios, the Warner Brothers Studio Tour is also very worthwhile. This one doesn’t have thrill rides either, but it does have a really good guided tour of the backlot along with the chance to visit the sets of Friends and the Big Bang Theory, among others. If you only have time for one studio tour, Universal has more to offer, but this is great if you only have the shorter passes and you really want to see what actual film sets and locations look like up close.

Aquarium of the Pacific – $44.95

Located on Long Beach, the Aquarium of the Pacific lets you explore exhibits that showcase the wildlife of Southern California and Baja as well as the Northern Pacific and the Tropical Pacific. Great for both adults and children, this highly rated attraction lets you get face to face with birds, ocean predators and much more. Long Beach is a bit of a drive from Hollywood and there can be traffic to contend with so it’s probably best to plan this one for shortly after they open or later in the afternoon.

Hop-on, Hop-off Big Bus 1-Day Classic Tour– $54.00

Including BOTH the Hollywood route and the Beach route, this hop-on, hop-off bus tour is the best way to see the main sights in the Los Angeles area for those who don’t want to drive everywhere and fight for parking. It’s a great tour although it’s usually best to start in the late morning and finish by mid afternoon to avoid the worst of the traffic.

Knott’s Berry Farm Ticket – $99.00

Known as America’s first theme park, Knott’s Berry Farm is fun for the whole family with rides, dining options, shopping options and none other than the famed boysenberry. The Knott’s Berry Farm Marketplace is also on-site and a great way to discover new boysenberry treats, great for both for you and gifts for others. As far as the rides are concerned, you’ll find plenty to choose from, including those suitable for little kids, those geared toward the whole family and some fun water rides that are perfect for those hot Southern California days.

Whale Watch By Newport Landing Tickets – $56.50

If you love sea life, you’ll love the Whale Watch By Newport Landing attraction. While enjoying the comfort of a 65-foot double-deck ship you’ll get the exciting chance to view, up-close and personal, both whales and dolphins, in an experience like no other. Want the chance to view a 90-foot blue whale or a pod of beautiful and playful dolphins? With over 30 years of experience, your chances of seeing one or the other are pretty high. This one isn’t very close to Hollywood or Downtown Los Angeles as it’s well down into Orange County, but on the other hand, Newport Beach is a lovely attraction unto itself. It’s best to do this one first thing in the morning or last in the day because it’s a longer drive from Hollywood although it’s not that far from Long Beach or Knotts Berry Farm.

LEGOLAND California – $119.00

With more than 60 rides, attractions and shows throughout the park, LEGOLAND is a dream for many, both kids and adults alike. Currently, guests can also see a show of THE LEGO MOVIE in 4D. If you choose to, there is also the LEGOLAND Hotel that you can stay in and you don’t want to miss the LEGOLAND water park! Make sure to take note that LEGOLAND is only open daily during Spring Break, summer and certain holidays. The rest of the year, you’ll find the park closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. LEGOLAND is in Carlsbad, which is most of the way to San Diego. This is an amazing place for young ones, but getting there and back will take a full day including many hours in the park.

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There are over 35 different attractions to choose from with each offering something unique and fun. However, those listed above are some of most popular and highly rated attractions with pass holders and those who live in the area.

Is the Go City Los Angeles Pass a good deal? Here's the short answer

If you are visiting Los Angeles and intend to visit at least two theme parks as well as a studio tour and perhaps another big attraction or two, then you almost certainly will save money with a Go City Los Angeles Pass. If you can get a pass at a discount, it’s obviously an even better deal. But, trying to see too many of these things on a short trip would probably be a mistake.

A day that you visit a major theme park is a full sightseeing day, so you shouldn’t assume that you’ll be able to see something else that day. The good news is that (unlike other passes and passes) you get a full two weeks to use the 2 to 7 days you purchase on the pass. In other words, if you visit Universal Studios on a 3-day Pass, you can spend all day Monday there, then relax at the beach on Tuesday, and start using the pass again on Wednesday. This feature makes it far more useful than if it were only usable on consecutive days like most other passes insist.

The Go City Los Angeles Pass covers 38 attractions, but only these big ones matter

The way the Go Los Angeles Pass is priced, you really need to plan to visit one major attraction such as a theme park, or two secondary attractions such as a studio tour, each day in order for it to be good value. A full 16 of the 38 included attractions cost less than $30 each for adults, so it’s really only on the 7-Day Pass that it would make sense to visit those cheaper ones.

Los Angeles is so huge and spread-out that even visiting 3 things in one day is a challenge. So you can literally just forget about all the cheaper attractions that are included, because racing between them to try to get your money’s worth out of a pass would ruin your trip.

Full-day attractions

Theme parks

  • Universal Studios Hollywood: $129.00
  • LEGOLAND® California: $119.00
  • Knott’s Berry Farm: $99.00
  • San Diego Zoo: $72.00
  • Hop-on, Hop-off bus tour: $54.00 (Hollywood Loop Route and Beach Loop Route)

Each of the above theme parks should be a full day, except the bus tours, which can easily be combined with other included attractions.

Also note that LEGOLAND is about 100 miles (160 km) south of Los Angeles, and it takes about 2 hours to get there by car, or longer if traffic is heavy.

Half-day attractions

Specific tours

  • Hollywood Sign Tour: $55.00
  • Beverly Hills Bike Tour: $55.00

Other tours

  • Guided Pier Fishing in Santa Monica or Venice: $90.00
  • Whale watching: $56.50

Other major attractions

  • Aquarium of the Pacific: $44.95
  • Madame Tussaud’s Hollywood: $32.99

The La Brea Tar Pits are now included with the Go City Los Angeles Card, and they only cost $15 for adults and $7 for kids, so they probably wouldn’t be a good use of time anyway. And just between you and me, they are kind of boring unless you are a major dinosaur enthusiast.

So will a Go City Los Angeles Pass save you money?

Again, the best way to look at it is to forget the cheaper attractions the pass covers, and evaluate it just based on the attractions listed above. Also, keep in mind that you can use these passes on non-consecutive days, so you could skip days in between to just relax or see other sights, or even go to Disneyland.

It’s easy to do the math this way. The most popular version of the Go Los Angeles Pass is the 3-day version, which is also the shortest one that includes Universal Studios. So you could go to Universal Studios on one day, and to Knott’s Berry Farm on another day, and do a Hollywood tour and a movie studio tour on a third day. On an itinerary like this, you will definitely save money with the pass, and even more money if you buy it with one of the frequent discounts that are offered.

How NOT to try to use a Go Los Angeles Pass

Until you’ve actually visited Los Angeles, it’s impossible to imagine just how spread out it is. There is no other city like it on the planet. For this reason, it’s important to pace yourself properly. In New York City or London or Paris, it’s possible to visit 3 or even 4 attractions in one day because so many of them are only a few minutes apart on foot. But in Los Angeles, nothing is close.

So if you are a cheapskate like myself you might think you’ll get the most use out of a pass by buying one for a limited number of days and trying to jam as many sights into those days as possible. But if you tried it, you’d almost certainly regret it.

Also keep in mind that all the theme parks offer unlimited rides and shows once you are inside, so if you leave after half a day, you are missing out on some fun. All of them are large enough that it would take several days in order to ride all the rides and see all the shows.

Build your own custom Go Los Angeles Pass

An interesting feature with this pass is that they allow you to actually choose your own group of the 38 attractions and pay only for those. You can even choose just a single attraction (except Universal Studios) and pay only for that. They guarantee that you’ll save money off the normal admission price, although they don’t publish their own prices for the custom passes.

Most people will probably get the best value out of the normal pass, but it could be worth looking into the custom pricing plan to see if it’s an even better deal. It’s also important to consider that you might not want to rush from one attraction to another for your whole stay. You can tour the Hollywood Hills or Griffith Park for free, and even do a Hollywood Hills hike while you are at it.

Where do you purchase your Go Los Angeles Pass

If you think the Go Los Angeles Pass is a good choice for you and your group, you can buy one from the link below. You can also choose instant delivery of a pass that you can print out, or store on a smart phone in their app, so delivery is instant and free.

Look for “Have a promo code?” on the Review Your Order page and use the code ‘GO5POT’ for the exclusive Price Of Travel 5% discount. The 5% discount is valid on sale prices, so you save even more.

>>>Buy the Go Los Angeles Pass at an ADDITIONAL 5% off using this link and the promo code GO5POT

Similar Go Passes to consider

Photo credits: Universal Studios by benontherun.com on Flickr, Magic Mountain and Knott’s Berry Farm by Edward Beavers on Flickr

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All Comments

  1. Erin says:

    That does help, thanks so much! We will skip the house tour and will try to hit everything else on that list. Having the SD Zoo on the Los Angeles pass is a bonus, and makes it well worth it for us. I appreciate your research on this, and having read through all the comments I know I’m not the only one. I’ll report back after we go to let you know how it went! 🙂

  2. Erin says:

    Hi Roger,

    After a whole lot of research and debating, I think we are going to purchase the 2 day card from Costco here in Canada. It is $147 for adults in Canadian dollars, which is really good value – about $110 USD.

    My questions for you…

    Saturday:

    Warner Bros Studio Tour (9:00 am)
    Dolby Theatre® Guided Tour
    Hollywood Movie Star Homes Tour or suggestion?
    TLC Chinese Theatre
    Madame Tussauds Hollywood (I have read online (and once here) that if we go in before 5:30 pm to get our tickets we can go back in later in the evening after the 5:30 pm cut off so we’d actually do this at the end of our day/in the evening).

    Our kids are 15 and 12. We plan on taking Uber or Lyft.

    Based on that, what do you think about the above itinerary? We are staying at the Loews Hollywood.

    We would use our second day of the GO pass for the San Diego Zoo later during our trip.

    We used rewards points for 4 Universal Passes and will be going to Universal on Sunday. I realize Monday is probably a better day, but we are heading to the Anaheim area on Monday – unless you think we should go to Anaheim later in the day Monday and do Universal early Monday? I’m doubtful we will spend a full day there, thinking 4-5 hours?

    Lastly, our son is really tall. Taller than his 15 year old sister. Are we going to run into problems getting him a child’s pass? I don’t want to carry his passport with us while we are sightseeing. Thoughts?

    Thanks for your help!
    Erin

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Erin,

      That Saturday sounds like a busy day and I think I’d skip the Movie Star Homes Tour. It’s been a long time since I’ve been on one of those, but I’m pretty sure the homes tend to be of stars of a bygone era or former homes of stars you might know. It’s still interesting to see Beverly Hills mansions, however I think many people are still disappointed a bit. If you skipped that I think you’d have time for everything else on your list. As for going into Madam Tussauds after 5:30pm, I’m not sure about that and I doubt it’s an official policy. In other words, you might be able to do it, but I am not sure and I certainly can’t confirm it.

      Uber and Lyft should be a good option and it will save you time and money parking as well. Loews is a fantastic hotel with a perfect location, so that should work well too.

      Most people go to Universal for a whole day and there is plenty to keep you entertained for a whole day. If you are just planning 4 or 5 hours that should work, but traffic to Anaheim in the afternoon is usually pretty bad (it gets worse the later you go).

      As for the age limit on the Child tickets, I’m not sure how strict they are, though my guess is that you should be okay. I know typically those are honor-system situations and as long as your son doesn’t look much older than 12 I’d think you’ll be fine. I hope that helps. -Roger

  3. umer says:

    Hi,

    I really didnt understand the point that when you buy 1,3,5 or 7 day pass they are valid for 2 weeks?

    so i buy 3 days pass, i don’t have to worry about using in 3 consecutive days, i have 2 weeks to use that so how come it is called 3 day pass when i have 14 days to use it?

    Regards, Umer

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Umer,

      It is a bit confusing, but it’s also a great feature. For example, on the 3-day pass you can use it on three separate days over a 14-day period. So you can go to Universal Studios on a Monday and then Tuesday go to the beach (not using the Card) and then Wednesday go to Madam Tussaud’s and taking a bus tour and seeing a couple other things and then Thursday you can take the day off and on Friday go to Knott’s Berry Farm. So in that example you’d use the pass for three days over the course of 5 total days. So you only activate each day of eligibility once you use it on that day. -Roger

  4. Keao says:

    With the Go card, are you able to upgrade to the flash pass at Magic mountain, if you pay for it seperately?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Keao,

      I checked on the Go Card site and the Magic Mountain site and I didn’t see anything about that, but I’m almost sure you can buy the Flash Pass on your own since it’s totally separate from the main admission. Basically, to use the Flash Pass you have to get into the park on your own, and I don’t see any reason why you couldn’t use it this way since they are sold as a separate transaction. The Go Los Angeles Card is very popular so I’m also pretty sure there would be a note on one or both websites if for some reason it wasn’t eligible for the Flash Pass thing. Have a great trip. -Roger

  5. Chris says:

    Hi Roger,

    This is Chris writing from Singapore.

    I read through your article and find your sharing are very helpful and this has made me decided to give the GO Los Angeles Card a try for my trip in LA this coming May-2018.

    I am unsure the following questions had been answered before and if you can help in this case.

    Fyi, i tried to purchase the GO Los Angeles Card online, however, i encountered the following error message.

    =====
    We are sorry, but the transaction could not be processed on your card. Please check your payment information or try another card.
    =====

    I encountered the same problem with 3 different credit cards from different banks and i did checked with the banks too saying there is no problem with my credit cards.

    I then called the Customer Care of the Smart Destinations that provide the online platform for the online purchase of the GO Cards. They checked their systems and cannot tell what exactly went wrong and just responsed to me mentioned there were “Security flag” shown in my credit cards’ purchase attempts. However, they cannot tell what exactly were the issue??!!

    The Customer Care then offered me saying they can do the purchase on-behalf of me but i have to provide my credit card information to them over the phone which i refused to do so due to security concerns from my end.

    I was wondering if you came across this kind of questions before and if you can share some idea on how i can proceed with the purchase?

    Apparently, i prefer to do online purchase as i am now given the extra 10% discount, which i do not think i can get that if i do an onsite purchase. 🙂

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Chris,

      I’m glad this article has helped and I think you’ll be happy with the Go Los Angeles Card. I haven’t heard of this sort of credit card issue with this program before, but I’ve experienced it myself several times when trying to make international purchases. It’s surprising coming from Singapore, which is obviously one of the richest and least fraud-prone countries in Asia. It could be that if you tried again it will work? And this is more of a personal thing, but I am not fearful of giving my credit card details over the phone when I’m calling someone specific. At least here in the USA, fraud of this nature is extremely rare and it would be easy to report it to our credit card company and get it taken off our bill right away. I hope it works out for you. -Roger

  6. Otto says:

    Hi Roger,

    I wished I would have gotten to see your site beforehand. I ended buying my Go Card from Groupon, still at a good price though. I was wondering if you know. Do we need to visit a GoCard office to activate or register our vouchers? Or can we just show up to the attractions with the voucher? If we do need to visit a GoCard office, which one do you think is closer to South Pasadena?

    Thank you for your BRAINS!

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Otto,

      I’m not sure how a Groupon voucher works, but with the version sold on the main Go Los Angeles Card website you get the choice of either using your pass on the free smart phone app, or printing out the pass at home. Once you use it the first time it is validated and you then can use it for the time you paid for. I’d guess that the Groupon version would work the same, but I’m not sure. Have a great trip. -Roger

  7. Shai-leigh says:

    Hi Roger,

    Can you please explain the difference between vip pass, normal entry and what the go card does for universal Studios please? I’m confused and don’t want to waste my money, but I want to have a great time.

    Thanks

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Shai-leigh,

      I’m not a Universal expert, but it looks like the VIP Experience gives you a private guide and more access to parts of the park that aren’t open to other guests. And it also costs at LEAST $200 more per person, so it’s not cheap. -Roger

  8. Shai-leigh says:

    Hi roger,

    I originally was going to ask whether I should get a vip pass to universal Studios or 2 day pass? Or with this card, is that like a vip pass?
    Thanks again

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Shai-leigh,

      The Go Los Angeles Card includes Universal Studios admission on passes of 3 days or more. It allows you to skip the ticket queue and go right into the entry queue, but I don’t think it’s a VIP pass. Have a great trip. -Roger

  9. Shai-leigh says:

    Hi Roger,

    Your information is invaluable. Thank you. I’m coming from Australia in July for 3 weeks with my 9 year old daughter and 21 year old son. I’m staying at Anaheim hotel for 10 nights- so getting a 4 day park pass to Disneyland, now I’m thinking of getting the la go card for 7 days. I read that you have to use it consecutively, is that right?
    I will do berry farm while at Anaheim as well. Then I’m not entirely sure where I’m staying for the remaining 11 nights (thinking central la) then hitting universal Studios, the other studios, LEGOLAND, San Diego safari, movie star home tours, whale tour and Santa Monica pier! Oh yeah, the Hollywood stars, rodeo drive, Hollywood sign. Is there anything that I have missed, and could you do a rough itinerary with your knowledge of the area. I don’t have much money, so definitely can’t afford to waste. I also don’t want to rush everything and be super tired, so that’s why I’m concerned about if the days have to be consecutive or not! Thanks and I look forward to hearing from you

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Shai-leigh,

      Actually, once you activate your Go Los Angeles Card you have two weeks to use up your days, so you don’t have to use it on consecutive days.

      It looks like you’ve got all of the major attractions covered. If you somehow are still in the mood for theme parks you might also consider Magic Mountain, which has more roller coasters and thrill rides than the others. I would also consider spending part of a day in Hollywood because there are many included attractions within a short walk of each other. The Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is much more impressive than you might imagine, and you can enjoy it in about an hour, and still have time for a couple more nearby things. Since you can split up those days and take a break from amusement parks, I think you’ll have a wonderful time. Let me know if you have any other questions. -Roger

  10. Ruchika says:

    Hi, I’m on a 2 day tour for LA. Can you tell me the best places to cover via this pass?

    1. Roger Wade says:

      Ruchika,

      This isn’t an easy question to answer because people’s tastes are very different. But I would say in two days you’d want to spend one of those days in the central Hollywood area because there are many included attractions so you can see 3 or 4 of them in 6 or 7 hours. The Madame Toussauds museums are FAR more entertaining than you might imagine, and you can have a great time in there in 60 to 90 minutes. And there are many other included attractions within walking distance of that, so see what looks good to you.

      On the other day I would recommend a studio tour such as Warner Brothers or Sony (Universal Studios is only included on 3-day passes and it’s a full-day thing), and you can also do the hop-on, hop-off bus tour (although just stay on the whole route), Or you could even do Knott’s Berry Farm, which is a great theme park about 30 miles south of Los Angeles. And there are some good evening activities as well. Again, it’s more a matter of taste and interests. Let me know if you have any other questions and I’ll try to help more. -Roger