CityPass or the Go San Francisco Card?
Which One Is Right For You?
CityPass and the Go Card folks sell similar products: you pay a discounted fee and get free or reduced price admission to attractions and discounts on other services. While their style is similar, their substance is very different.
Just scroll down for a High Level Comparison between the two and summaries of when the Go Card and the CityPass might be the better choice.
- If you just want information on the Go Can Francisco Card, click here
- If you just want information on the San Francisco CityPass, click here
- If you are interested in using the Go Card to see a wide variety of museums, click here. If you are interested in using the Go Card for Family Trips / Activities, click here.
The Quick, High Level Comparison
Time:
- CityPass attraction tickets are good for nine days while the accompanying Muni Passport is good for seven days.
- The Go Card is available in 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 day versions.
Cost:
- CityPass is $54 for adults, $44 for kids.
- The Go Card for adults ranges from $49.99 for one day to $154.99 for 7 days. The rate for the matching kids cards is $34.99 to $94.99.
Public Transportation:
- CityPass includes a Muni Passport for buses, Muni Trolleys and Cable Cars.
- The Go Card does not.
Attractions:
- CityPass has six major and six minor attractions.
- The Go Card has 48 attractions to choose from. They are more complicated to classify but 15 or so would be major attractions with the other 33 being more specialized.
Locations:
- All CityPass attractions are inside of San Francisco and easily accessed with public transportation.
- Go Card attractions and tours are spread from well North of San Francisco, in wine country (about a 50 mile drive), to as far South as Carmel (over a hundred mile drive). Many of the Go Card attractions are in San Francisco and can be accessed with public transportation but many of the ones outside of San Francisco are not accessible using public transportation or even using regularly running tour busses.
Overlap:
- Almost all the major CityPass attractions are included in the Go Card package and several of the minor ones are too..
- Several of the top ten things to do in San Francisco are either free or not included in either package: for instance going down 'the crookedest street,' Lombard Street, or visiting the Coit Tower.
Is the Go San Francisco Card the Right Choice?
There are a few areas where the Go San Francisco Card has unique advantages:
- If you want to see wine country in addition to, or instead of, seeing San Francisco, the Go Card is the right choice. The Go Card includes a bus tour to wine country. If you have a car, there are also a number of wineries and wine country attractions covered by the Go Card.
- Similarly, if you want to visit Oakland, the Go Card includes several attractions there, although you will want a car to drive to most of these.
- Interestingly enough, if you are a local and are looking for some fun activities, for you or the kids, the Go Card is worth looking into. If you have a car and are familiar with the Bay Area already, the passes to places like Six Flags and Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk amusement parks may be worth looking into.
- If you are going to be in San Francisco for 4-7 days, the sheer number of things available on the Go Card, or at a discount with the Go Card, will help keep you busy. There are a lot of Go Card attractions in the city and many more places where the Go Card will get you a discount at a restaurant or store.
-- If you are using the Go Card in San Francisco, I recommend getting a Muni Passport for transportation. Muni Passports get you unlimited rides on the Muni system, which includes the Cable Cars. You can get Passports for 1, 3, or 7 days for $9, $15, and $20 respectively. There's more information on Muni and the Cable Cars in my Top Ten Tips section.
Is the San Francisco CityPass the Right Choice?
- CityPass is a very economical way to get around the city and see the major attractions. If you are in San Francisco for 2-3 days and just want to hit the major tourist spots, it's a good choice.
- You can go through the CityPass attractions in 2-3 days but CityPass includes a 7 day Muni Passport. This makes CityPass a good choice if you have plans of your own and want to spend a lot of time in areas that aren't on either the Go Card or CityPass. You can spread out the CityPass attractions and spend the rest of your time using the Muni Passport to get around town for a full week.
Still Can't Decide?
Check out more information on the two options and think it over. These links include notes on how well the two options stack up against the Top Ten Things To Do In San Franisco and some Pro's and Con's for both the Go Card and the City Pass.:
- If you want information on the Go Can Francisco Card, click here
- If you want information on the San Francisco CityPass, click here
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