On my trip to California I got a San Diego CityPASS, and I personally think it is the best way to see top attractions as not only will you save money, but it makes it so much easier as you don’t have to queue to buy tickets, you just use your CityPASS!
And you don’t need to be going to San Diego as they have a CityPASS for many cities all over the USA! (List at the bottom of this post)
I have spent so much time either buying tickets online or queuing on the day at ticket sales, and not only does it waste your valuable time on vacation, but it costs more than using a CityPASS. You save time and money using the pass.
Plus the attractions on CityPASS are actual top attractions, such as Legoland and USS Midway for example in San Diego. The cost to see these same places without the pass, would cost you a lot more! Genuine savings.
You get 4 total attractions. You first select 1 from a choice of two big attractions. Then you select another three as an when you want from a longer list.
For example for San Diego, you first need to decide if you want Legoland or SeaWorld. After you decide that, you then can choose any 3 attractions from this list, as and when you choose.
- San Diego Zoo/Safari Park
- USS Midway Museum
- City Cruise
- Birch Aquarium at Scripps
- Old Town Trolley Tours
- Maritime Museum of San Diego
I went for San Diego Zoo, USS Midway, City Cruise and Birch Aquarium. I had to make a reservation for the boat tour which was free and simple to do using the link in the app. The others, I just turned up and went in!
I saved a fortune over what I would have paid!
There weren’t always queues due to the time of year, but some did have long queues and I was able to skip the line as I already had a pass. Just make sure you read what it says on the CityPASS app about each attraction as each has different instructions. Most attractions are just turn up and show your pass, but some need a reservation in advance and you may need to stop at the ticket desk to pick up an entry ticket depending on the attraction.
Even if visiting just a couple of these places, the pass more than pays for itself as well as saving you money on attractions, as the cost of the pass worked out much less than it would cost to see all of these attractions. Plus I saved time in queues I would have had to queue in to buy tickets! Time is valuable too, especially when on a vacation.
Using the CityPASS is simple, just show it at the entrance of each attraction and that is it! There is no need to purchase separate tickets, saving money, time and hassle.
Some attractions do require reservations, especially during peak times, but there was only 1 that needed reservations when I went.
The app is really great as not only does it show where you can use it, but it lets you make any reservations needed directly from the app without having to go searching for a link to make reservations.
The app also shows when and where you have used the pass, so if you can’t remember if you paid or used your CityPASS, the app will let you know.
It also pops up with a notification if you are close to an attraction, which is very useful!
You can see in the photo that it lists all the times I used the pass, which is incredibly helpful.
I would highly recommend a CityPASS to anyone going to a USA major city that has a CityPASS. You WILL save money and time, both of which are very important.
I had a brilliant time and the ease of use of the CityPASS was a huge plus as I saved time and money. You can’t get your time back, so I appreciated the time saving. If I had paid for each attraction, it would have cost much more than the pass!
I also made some videos about CityPASS on my TikTok, so head over there and check them out too.
Check out the CityPASS website, buy a pass and save money and time on your next city trip!
These are the current cities available with a CityPASS:
Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Denver
Houston
New York City
Orlando
Philadelphia
San Diego
San Francisco
Seattle
Southern California
Tampa Bay
Toronto
