Every San Francisco trip planner hits this question. The honest answer depends on one number: how many paid attractions will you actually walk into?
What do the passes cost and cover?
| CityPASS | Go City | Pay as you go | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Adult price | About $90 | From about $74 to $109 | Only what you use |
| Child price | About $70 | Check at checkout | Often free under 12–18 |
| How it works | Choose 4 of 8 attractions | Tiered: 3 attractions, or all-inclusive by day | Buy each ticket |
| Valid for | 9 consecutive days from first use | 30 days (Explorer) or consecutive days | No limit |
| Alcatraz | No | No | Book direct, about 90 days ahead |
| Cable cars | No | No | $9 a ride, or $15 day Passport |
| Best for | Museum-heavy trips | Several paid stops a day | Trips built on free sights |
Do the maths for a family of four
Two adults and two children doing the Academy of Sciences and the Exploratorium will spend roughly $178 and $140 at the gate. That is already more than four CityPASSes would cost for those two visits alone, so if you add a bay cruise and the aquarium, the pass wins comfortably.
The same family doing the bridge, Chinatown, Golden Gate Park, the sea lions and one museum will spend well under a hundred dollars all trip. A pass would be a loss.
What we would actually buy
Three-day first visit, one big museum: no pass. Buy the museum ticket, book Alcatraz separately, and get a Muni Visitor Passport for the cable car day.
Rainy week, museum-heavy: CityPASS, and use it on the Academy of Sciences, the Exploratorium, the aquarium and a bay cruise.
Living here: neither. A library card gets you free museum passes, and residents get the Golden Gate Park gardens free.
Prices and hours were checked in September 2026 and can change, so confirm before you go.
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Does CityPASS include Alcatraz?
No, and neither does Go City. Alcatraz is sold only through the official ferry operator from Pier 33, it is released about ninety days ahead and it sells out. Budget roughly $48 for an adult and $29 for a child aged five to eleven, separately from any pass.
CityPASS or Go City in San Francisco?
CityPASS is simpler: one price, pick four attractions from eight, nine days to use them. Go City is tiered, from a three-attraction Essentials pass up to an all-inclusive day pass, so it rewards people who cram several museums into each day. For most families doing two attractions a day, CityPASS is the easier maths.
When is a pass not worth it?
When your list is mostly free. The Golden Gate Bridge walk, Chinatown, Fisherman’s Wharf, the sea lions, Golden Gate Park, Lands End and the Painted Ladies all cost nothing, and under-18s get into SFMOMA, the de Young and the Legion of Honor free anyway.
What about the Muni Visitor Passport?
Different product, and often the better buy. About fifteen dollars a day buys unlimited Muni including cable cars, which otherwise cost nine dollars a ride. If you plan two cable car rides in a day, it pays for itself, and your children under 19 ride Muni free regardless.
Is there a cheaper way into the museums?
Yes. Free days: the first Tuesday of the month at the de Young, the Legion of Honor and the Conservatory of Flowers. Bay Area residents get free Saturdays at the two art museums. EBT and Medi-Cal cardholders pay $3 to $5 at more than twenty-five museums through Museums for All, and library cardholders can book free passes.