Is the Go City San Diego Pass worth it? Go City San Diego Pass review 2024

When purchasing your Go San Diego Pass, you’ll find that the prices vary depending on age and amount of days the pass is good for. Those who are purchasing passes for children 3 through 12 will find that prices are a bit lower than those for adult passes. If traveling with children under the age of 3, there is no need to purchase a pass as they will get into the attractions at no cost.

All-Inclusive Pass prices for 2024

The Go City San Diego All-Inclusive Pass is good for unlimited attractions in a set number of days.

• 1-Day Adult $129, 1-Day Child (ages 3 to 12) $114
• 2-Day Adult $189, 2-Day Child $169
• 3-Day Adult $244, 3-Day Child $229
• 4-Day Adult $284, 3-Day Child $269
• 5-Day Adult $329, 5-Day Child $299
• 7-Day Adult $394, 7-Day Child $369

Explorer Pass prices for 2024

The Go City San Diego Explorer Pass is good for set number of attractions within 60 days. It does NOT include SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, or Knotts Berry Farm.

• 2-Choice Adult $109, 2-Choice Child (ages 3 to 12) $89
• 3-Choice Adult $134, 3-Choice Child $109
• 4-Choice Adult $159, 3-Choice Child $124
• 5-Choice Adult $179, 5-Choice Child $134
• 7-Choice Adult $199, 7-Choice Child $154

Look for “Have a promo code?” in the Review Your Order screen 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 City San Diego Pass at an ADDITIONAL 5% off using this link and the promo code GO5POT

Nearly all of the worthwhile included attractions are best for families such as SeaWorld, the San Diego Zoo, and LEGOLAND. SeaWorld (including VIP line privileges) and LEGOLAND are $230 between them for adults, so on a 3-day pass you will easily get great value. The San Diego Zoo and also the San Diego Zoo Safari Park are $74 each. So honestly, if you plan on doing at least 3 of those 4 popular attractions, the Go City San Diego Pass will save you quite a bit of money and also some time buying tickets.

If you think you might go to only one of them, it would be hard to get your money’s worth by visiting enough of the cheaper attractions in 2 or 3 days. It can be done if you start early and plan well, but the biggest savings are for those who go to the premium attractions and will probably spend a full day in each.

For most people the answer to this will be obvious, but it’s worth discussing a bit. The easiest way to decide is to look over the list of attractions and BEING HONEST WITH YOURSELF decide how many and which ones look worthwhile. If it’s just 3 to 5 of them and you have a few days in San Diego then it’ll be better to get the Explorer Pass and take your time. But if it’s 6 or more of them and you are on a tight schedule anyway, it will be better to get the All-Inclusive Pass.

The included attractions are almost all famous and well-established sights that you will probably want to visit anyway, but it’s also wise to think carefully about them. For example, the Air and Space Museum will be a huge highlight for young ones or even adults who are fans of that sort of thing, but if no one in your group is an “Air and Space person” it might not be worth your time. Just because it’s free doesn’t mean you’ll want to go there near the end of a busy day.

SeaWorld San Diego – $114.99

Available when you purchase an All-Inclusive pass (and not the Explorer Pass), this premium attraction is popular with families and couples. Here, visitors will be able to get up close and personal with dolphins, penguins, polar bears and many other species. This park also offers theme park rides, dining options and fun shows. When planning a trip here, allow for at least half a day as this park is rather large with lots of different attractions and sights within.

San Diego Zoo– $74.00

A great place to spend an afternoon, the San Diego Zoo is a family friendly activity that allows a closer look at wildlife from around the world. In fact, visitors will find 100 acres of exhibits and more than 3,700 individual animals to view. The zoo also offers a guided bus tour, a children’s zoo, an aerial tram, shows, exhibits and dining options.

San Diego Zoo Safari Park -$74.00

About 30 or 40 minutes north of San Diego Zoo itself you’ll find the Safari Park. While the main zoo is a traditional walk-through experience where you can see the animals in large, natural enclosures, the Safari Park is much larger and you see the animals while riding an open-air tram through the park. They are both very popular and many people visit them both, but you’ll probably not want to try it on the same day.

LEGOLAND California – $119.00

Also only available when you purchase an All-Inclusive pass, this very popular attraction, LEGOLAND California, is both family friendly and adult friendly with activities and fun for everyone. Here, visitors will find over 60 rides, attractions and shows to choose from. In addition, guests will find a resort that they can choose to stay in and the Sea Life Aquarium. Because the park is so large and offers numerous different fun activities, you’ll want to plan for at least half a day here, but more likely a whole day. LEGOLAND is also only included on the All-Inclusive Pass and not the Explorer Pass.

San Diego Air and Space Museum – $28.00

A nice way to spend a few hours, the San Diego Air and Space Museum is great for both kids and adults and offers a look into the history of aviation and space. In fact, this museum is considered California’s official air and space museum. Noted for being both fun and educational, visitors will find themselves learning without even knowing it. A special note to consider however is that children under the age of 12 must be accompanied by an adult at all times.

Knott’s Berry Farm – $99.00

This famous theme park in Buena Park is almost 100 miles north of San Diego itself, but the pass is good for the whole day and this park has more and better roller coasters than nearby Disneyland. Knotts Berry Farm is also only included on the All-Inclusive Pass and not the Explorer Pass.

If you buy one of the longer passes this is a great way to get in the thrill rides that so many people love. You’ll want to take a whole day for Knott’s Berry Farm including at least 90 minutes or so each way from San Diego. For roller coaster fans, this one should be the top priority.

PETCO Park Tour – $35.00

A short attraction that’s a great way to start or end your day, the PETCO Park Tour, located in downtown San Diego, offers you the chance to travel through the stadium without having to deal with massive crowds there for a game. During your tour you’ll enjoy restricted access areas, learn about the historic Western Metal Supply Co., see the Padres’ dugout and take a seat in the press box. Each tour is about an hour in length and covers about a mile and a half. Both adult and kid friendly.

Birch Aquarium – $24.95

If you love the ocean, you’ll fall in love with the Birch Aquarium. Aside from fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean, you’ll also learn about coral reefs, listen to whale songs, pet sea stars and view some great and informative exhibits. Popular with both locals and visitors alike, you’ll find yourself exploring multiple exhibits including one that presents the science behind global climate change. You’ll also find an exhibit made especially for those who want to learn more about seahorses. Generally speaking, you’ll find a few hours of fun here before your next attraction.

This is the big question. In order to help us answer it, we need to first take a good look at what is included with the pass. First, each pass grants you admission into 39 different San Diego attractions. Instead of having to purchase your ticket at each attraction gate, you’ll have already paid a reduced rate with the purchase of the pass. In addition, you’ll receive a detailed guide book that includes descriptions, hours of operations and a map to each included attraction. You’ll also receive added dining, entertainment and shopping discounts.

Now let’s look at a sample 2-day itinerary. This will help us to further evaluate whether or not the pass is a good deal and what (or if) the potential savings are.

Day 1

• LEGOLAND California $119.00

Day 2

• San Diego Zoo $74.00
• 90-Minute Best Of The Bay Harbor Tour by City Cruises $46.47
• Natural History Museum $24.00

Cost of a 2-day All-Inclusive Pass: $189 ($180 using our discount)

In the end, this particular 2-day itinerary equals out to $263.47. If these attractions where visited while using the Go City San Diego Pass, you would find a savings of $83. That’s a nice chunk of change. These savings can then be used for a hotel room upgrade, a nice lunch or dinner out, or a small shopping trip.

Yes. Due to the wide variety of options available, everyone should be able to easily find a few attractions that fit their style. Whether you’re into military aircraft, cars, science, music, history, wildlife or just want to play with some legos, you’ll find it all. San Diego is also a great place for families as there are lots of kid friendly attractions available that will also entertain the adults.

That said, if you are buying a Go City San Diego Pass for your trip, it’s best to focus only on the more expensive included attractions. You need to be going to enough of those in order to cover the cost of the pass, and once you’ve done that you can add in some of the cheaper ones because it’s like they are “free” at that point.

Although the Go City San Diego Pass is a good deal, there are ‘bad’ ways to use it. In order to get the maximum amount of savings off of your pass, you’ll need to take care to plan a bit before you visit your chosen attractions. You don’t want to choose attractions for a set day that are on far ends of the city. By doing this, you could lose valuable attraction time by having to drive a long distance. You also run the risk of getting stuck in traffic which could then lead to you possibly missing your next attraction. Remember, with your pass, you will receive a handy little map detailing where each attraction is located. This is a valuable tool that should be used.

Another thing you don’t want to do is only visit secondary attractions (those with a $20 value or less) as you might not ending up getting the value out of the pass. Also, it’s important to keep in mind that attractions are open from 9am to 5:30pm. Make sure to plan time at each attraction with this in mind.

If you’re planning on visiting a few of the higher costing attractions (those above $20) in the same day and plan each attraction based on its location to the next, then you’ll find that the Go San Diego Pass is a great tool to saving money during your vacation.

If you plan to visit only low costing attractions and those that are spaced far apart, then you may find that the pass will not be your best option.

Look for “Have a promo code?” in the Review Your Order screen 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 City San Diego Pass at an ADDITIONAL 5% off using this link and the promo code GO5POT

There are 4 different ways to receive your pass on your smartphone, through printing at home, via snail mail or by picking up at any of the in-city pickup locations. Most choose to receive their pass via smartphone where you’ll also instantly receive your digital guidebook and additional Skip the Ticket Line features.

• Go San Francisco Pass
• Go Las Vegas Pass
• Go Las Angeles Pass

Photos from Flickr users Ernie Tyler, Keith Roper, William Totl and B Garrett.