Is the Go City Pass worth it? A 5-step check

A city pass makes a simple promise: pay once, get in everywhere. Whether it pays off, though, depends less on the pass than on your plan – how many entries you will really use and how much time you have each day. This article explains how the passes from Go City work, which cities they cover and how to do the maths yourself in five steps. We deliberately do not quote prices: they change, and the only number that matters is the one for your travel dates.

What is Go City?

Go City is a company that sells city passes. You buy one digital pass that covers entry to many sights, museums, tours and experiences in a city. By its own count, that adds up to around 1,500 attractions in 28 destinations. Some passes carry their own names but belong to Go City: The London Pass, The New York Pass and The Paris Pass.

Instead of a paper pass you use the Go City app. Your pass lives there, you show it at the entrance and get scanned in. The app also shows opening hours, a map of the included attractions and, where needed, how to book a time slot.

The two pass types

In most cities Go City offers two versions. The difference is what you pay for: days or attractions.

All-Inclusive Pass: You choose the number of days and visit as many attractions as you like on each of them. Depending on the city, exclusive extras such as guided walks or tastings are included. One detail is spelled out on the London page: there, the All-Inclusive Pass is a balance of points (Go City calls them credits), and each entry deducts the attraction's standard gate price. So "all-inclusive" is not entirely unlimited – the maximum per pass length is listed on your city's page. London also has a version with non-consecutive days. How the days are counted in your city is set out in the terms of that pass.

Explorer Pass: You choose how many attractions you want to visit. You do not have to pick them before you buy – you decide as you go. From your first visit you have 30 days to use the rest. One attraction equals one credit, however expensive its single ticket is.

Which cities does Go City cover?

Go City lists 28 destinations: 14 in North America, 10 in Europe and 4 in the rest of the world.

• North America: New York, Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, Miami, Orlando, New Orleans, San Antonio, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Oahu (Hawaii) and Cancún
• Europe: London, Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Prague, Dublin, Stockholm and Gothenburg
• Rest of the world: Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Sydney

1. London London
2. Paris Paris
3. Amsterdam Amsterdam
4. Barcelona Barcelona
5. Madrid Madrid
6. Rome Rome
7. Prague Prague
8. Dublin Dublin
9. Stockholm Stockholm
10. Gothenburg Gothenburg

Base map: Natural Earth

Which attractions are included in your city is shown on its city page, for example for Paris^*.

If you are heading for southern Europe, you will find the list for Rome just like the ones for Barcelona and Madrid. The selection differs a lot from city to city – which is exactly why it is worth reading the list before you start counting.

Is the Go City Pass worth it? Do the maths in 5 steps

Go City advertises savings compared with single tickets. Whether that is true for you is something you can check yourself in half an hour.

1. Write down what you really want to see. Not what is in the pass, but what you would visit without one. An attraction you only add because it is "included anyway" saves you nothing – it costs you time.

2. Match your list with the pass. The included attractions are on the city page, for Amsterdam for instance at Go City Amsterdam. Cross out everything that is not included. Many passes cover the big classics, but not every exhibition, concert or time slot. Free places do not count: in London, many of the big museums are free to enter anyway.

3. Look up the single prices on the official websites. Take the regular adult price for your travel day directly from the operator. Check whether there are cheaper online tickets, and use the price you would actually pay.

4. Plan your time per day. This is the step most people skip. For each attraction, count the visit, the walk or ride in between, queues and breaks. For its own savings guarantee on the All-Inclusive Pass, Go City requires you to use it at least three times on every day – a good indication of what this pass is designed for. If you can realistically only manage two entries a day, the Explorer Pass is usually the better choice.

5. Compare. The sum of the single prices against the price of the pass for your days or your number of attractions. If the pass is only slightly cheaper, buy single tickets: you stay flexible, and a rainy day costs you nothing.

Which pass suits which kind of trip

• First visit, full days, lots of classics: An All-Inclusive Pass for a short number of days can pay off if you start early and the places are close together.
• Longer trip with fixed goals: The Explorer Pass, because you can spread the entries over 30 days and do not have to rush.
• Two or three highlights, otherwise wandering: Usually single tickets. A pass only pays off from a certain number of entries.
• With children: There are child passes; the age range is listed for each city. With children, plan fewer entries per day.

Practical tips

Activation: After buying, you confirm your email address and sync the pass with the app. That does not activate it yet. It is activated with the scan at your first attraction. From then on, the days (All-Inclusive) or the 30 days (Explorer) start running.

Validity and cancellation: According to Go City, a pass that has not been activated is valid for one year from purchase. In most destinations you can return a non-activated pass within 90 days of buying it. So you can buy early once the trip is fixed.

Reservations: Some popular attractions need a fixed time slot even with the pass. In the app they are marked "Reservation required". In London, according to Go City, these include Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, Tower Bridge and The View from The Shard. Book these slots before the trip and build your day plan around them.

First day: Start the first pass day in the morning with an attraction that opens early. If you activate an All-Inclusive Pass in the afternoon, you give away half a day.

Savings guarantee: Go City promises to refund the difference if your single entries would have been cheaper than the pass. Conditions according to Go City: bought directly on the Go City website, for the All-Inclusive Pass at least three uses on every day, for the Explorer Pass all choices used, and a claim within 14 days of the last use with proof of the single prices.

New York trip planDay by day, with map and tips

How YesTrip helps with the maths

The hardest part is step 4: time. In YesTrip you create your trip and get an AI day plan. For each day you see how many stops it has and how long you spend walking or on public transport. That shows you quickly whether three or four attractions a day are realistic – or whether the pass would only make you rush. The map shows which places are close together, and for your travel days you see the weather forecast, so viewpoints do not end up on a rainy day. For London there is a ready-made city plan you can start from straight away.

Paris trip planDay by day, with map and tips

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