The Go City Los Angeles pass is worth it if you plan to hit two or three big-ticket attractions like Universal Studios and a theme park inside a tight few days. If your trip is slower, museum-heavy, or spread out, you'll usually spend less buying tickets one at a time.
In the rest of this guide, we'll go over the math and the fine print, because Go City sells three different passes at three very different prices, and picking the wrong one is how people end up feeling like the pass cost them money instead of saving it.
What is Go City Los Angeles?
Go City Los Angeles is a digital multi-attraction pass. You buy one pass, load it in the Go City app, and scan a QR code to get into around 37 LA-area attractions without buying separate tickets. It covers the big names most visitors already have on their list: Warner Bros. Studio Tour, the Hollywood Sign walking tour, Griffith Observatory, Aquarium of the Pacific, Madame Tussauds, Knott's Berry Farm, and more.
The idea is simple. Bundle the tickets, pay less than you would à la carte. Whether that actually happens depends entirely on which pass you buy and how many attractions you realistically visit. So let's start there.
Attraction ticket links
Prices shift by date and demand - these links go straight to each attraction's official ticket page so you can check current rates before you buy. Use them alongside the pass price to run the break-even math for your actual dates.
| Attraction | Buy tickets | Go City tier | Gate price (approx.) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Universal Studios Hollywood | Ticket deals | Pass Plus only | From $109, climbs on peak days |
| Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood | Buy tickets | All-Inclusive, Pass Plus | From ~$66 online |
| Knott's Berry Farm | Daily tickets | All-Inclusive, Pass Plus | From $65 online / ~$110 gate |
| Knott's Soak City | Park info | All-Inclusive, Pass Plus | Included with Knott's Gold Pass; day tickets via Knott's site |
| San Diego Zoo | Buy tickets | Pass Plus only | ~$78 adult / ~$68 child |
| LEGOLAND California | Buy tickets | Pass Plus only | From $69 online / ~$139 gate |
| Aquarium of the Pacific | Admission | All-Inclusive, Pass Plus | ~$44.95 adult |
The three Pass Plus exclusives (Universal, San Diego Zoo, LEGOLAND) are also the three priciest. That's not a coincidence - Go City priced the tiers around where the biggest savings live.
The three Go City LA passes
Go City sells three tiers in Los Angeles. They work differently, and the difference is the single most important thing to understand before you buy.
Essentials Pass (formerly the Explorer Pass)
You pick a set number of attractions - 3, 4, or 5 - from a shorter, pre-selected list. You then have 30 days from your first visit to use them. This is the "I know exactly what I want to see" pass. It's the cheapest entry point and the best fit for a light itinerary where you're only doing a handful of things.
All-Inclusive Pass
This one is duration-based. You buy a number of days (1 through 7), and during that window you can visit as many of the 34 included attractions as you can physically fit in. There's no per-attraction cap. This is the pass that rewards a packed schedule, and it's where most of the real savings live for busy travelers.
All-Inclusive Pass Plus
Same duration model as the All-Inclusive, but it unlocks the three attractions that are missing from every other tier: Universal Studios Hollywood, San Diego Zoo, and LEGOLAND California. Go City lists this as its most popular option, and there's a reason. For a lot of LA visitors, Universal is the entire point of the trip, and Universal only comes with the Plus.
Here's the rule that saves people the most grief: if Universal Studios Hollywood is on your list, you need the Pass Plus. It is not on the 1-day pass, and it is not on the Essentials tier. Buy the wrong pass and you'll be paying for Universal separately on top of your pass.
Current Go City Los Angeles prices (2026)
These are the starting prices as of mid-2026, pulled from Go City's Los Angeles passes page. Prices scale up with more days or more attraction choices, and Go City runs frequent discounts, so treat these as the floor.
| Pass tier | How it works | Starts at (adult) | Starts at (child 3-12) | Valid for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essentials (formerly Explorer) | Pick 3, 4, or 5 attractions | $69 (3 attractions) | $54 (3 attractions) | 30 days from first visit |
| All-Inclusive | Unlimited visits over set days | $94 (1-day) | $74 (1-day) | Days you select (1-7) |
| All-Inclusive Pass Plus | All-Inclusive + Universal, San Diego Zoo, LEGOLAND | $244 (2-day) | $214 (2-day) | Days you select (2-7) |
A few things worth knowing before you check out:
- The All-Inclusive climbs to roughly $289 per adult for a 7-day pass. The Pass Plus climbs to roughly $439 per adult for 7 days.
- Every tier offers free cancellation within 90 days of purchase, which takes the risk out of buying early to lock a price.
- Go City advertises savings of "up to 50%" versus individual tickets. "Up to" is doing work in that sentence. You only get near that number if you use the pass hard.
What's included with the pass
Go City counts about 37 attractions total. On the All-Inclusive tier, the headline names are the ones most visitors recognize:
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood
- Hollywood Sign walking tour
- Griffith Observatory tour
- Aquarium of the Pacific
- Madame Tussauds Hollywood
- Natural History Museum of LA County
- Knott's Berry Farm and Knott's Soak City water park
- SoFi Stadium tour
- Hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tours
Then there are the three that only the Pass Plus unlocks, and these are the expensive ones:
- Universal Studios Hollywood - Go City lists a value up to about $149. On its own, a dated Universal ticket starts around $109 and climbs on busy days.
- San Diego Zoo - listed value around $78.
- LEGOLAND California - listed value around $84.
If none of those three matter to you, the standard All-Inclusive (or even Essentials) is plenty. If any of them do, price the Pass Plus, because paying for Universal separately usually erases whatever you saved on the cheaper tier.
The break-even math
This is the part the pass sellers gloss over, so let's do it honestly with real 2026 ticket prices.
Say you're doing three big attractions in a couple of days: Universal Studios Hollywood, Knott's Berry Farm, and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. Bought separately, at 2026 prices:
- Universal Studios Hollywood: about $109 and up
- Knott's Berry Farm: $85 "Good Any Day" (single-date deals dip lower)
- Warner Bros. Studio Tour: about $66 online
That's roughly $260 per adult à la carte, and Universal alone can push it higher on a peak day. A 2-day Pass Plus starts at $244 per adult and includes all three, plus anything else you can squeeze in. So the pass wins, and every extra attraction you visit (the Aquarium of the Pacific at $44.95, Madame Tussauds, Griffith Observatory) is close to free from that point on.
Now flip it. Say you're doing a slow weekend: Griffith Observatory, one museum, and Madame Tussauds. Those run maybe $30 to $45 each, so $100 to $130 total à la carte. A pass would cost you more. This is the trip where you skip Go City and just buy tickets.
The pattern is consistent. The pass pays off when your itinerary is heavy on expensive, full-day attractions and light on downtime. It loses when you're taking it easy or leaning on cheap museums.
Two example itineraries
The family theme-park week (pass wins)
Four days, kids in tow. Day one Universal Studios Hollywood, day two Knott's Berry Farm and Soak City, day three Warner Bros. Studio Tour and the Aquarium of the Pacific, day four Madame Tussauds and the Hollywood Sign tour. À la carte, that's easily $350 or more per adult. A multi-day Pass Plus covers all of it and comes out well ahead. This is the pass's home turf.
The couple's culture weekend (pass loses)
Two relaxed days. Griffith Observatory, the Natural History Museum, a long lunch, and one evening at Madame Tussauds. You're visiting three or four low-cost attractions with plenty of café time in between. Here the à la carte total stays under what any pass costs, and the Essentials Pass only makes sense if you can find three included attractions you'd have paid full price for anyway.
Go City vs à la carte vs CityPASS
Go City isn't the only pass in LA. Here's how the three main paths stack up.
| Option | Best for | How it works | Rough cost (adult) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Go City (All-Inclusive / Pass Plus) | Busy trips, lots of big attractions | Duration-based, unlimited visits, ~37 attractions | $94-$439 depending on tier and days |
| Buying tickets à la carte | Slow trips, 1-3 cheap attractions | Pay per attraction | Whatever you actually visit |
| LA CityPASS | Flagship-only trips | Universal and/or Warner Bros. + choose 3 more, valid 9 days | $109-$209 |
Go City has the widest menu (37 attractions and the flexibility to visit as many as you want), which suits high-tempo travelers.
CityPASS is more focused - it anchors on Universal and/or Warner Bros. and lets you add a few big names, valid over nine consecutive days, so it's simpler if you only want the flagships. One thing to note: the Aquarium of the Pacific is on Go City but not on CityPASS, so if that's a must-do, it tilts toward Go City.
And à la carte always wins the slow trip where you're only doing a couple of inexpensive things.
Pros and cons
Pros
- Real savings when you visit several big-ticket attractions in a short window.
- One pass, one app, one QR code. No juggling separate bookings at the gate.
- Pass Plus is the cleanest way to bundle Universal with everything else.
- Free cancellation within 90 days lets you buy early without risk.
Cons
- The cheaper tiers rarely beat à la carte unless you plan tightly.
- Universal is locked behind the priciest tier.
- The savings math only works if you actually use the pass hard, and trips rarely go exactly as planned.
- A few real friction points at redemption (more on those next).
The caveats nobody puts in the ad
Reviewers who've actually used the pass flag the same handful of issues, and they're worth knowing before you buy.
- The clock can start the moment you scan. For duration passes, your days can begin on first activation. Don't scan or activate until you're genuinely ready to start using it, or you can burn a day by accident.
- Universal bookings can be finicky. Several travelers report reservation friction specifically at Universal Studios through the pass flow. If Universal is your anchor day, lock that reservation in early rather than showing up and hoping.
- The validity window varies. The All-Inclusive is duration-based, but sources describe it differently, some as a rolling window, some as consecutive days. This matters a lot if you want to space out theme-park days, so confirm the exact terms for your tier and duration at checkout before you buy.
- Support can be slow. If something goes sideways, don't count on a fast response. Keep your confirmation and screenshots handy.
None of these are dealbreakers. They're the difference between a pass that saves you real money and one that stresses you out at the gate.
Who the Go City LA pass is best for
Buy it if: you're doing a packed few days with Universal, a theme park, and a couple of other big attractions. Families and first-time LA visitors who want to hit the greatest hits get the most out of it, especially on the Pass Plus.
Skip it if: your trip is slow-paced, you're mostly doing free or cheap things (beaches, hikes, the odd museum), or you already know you'll only visit one or two attractions. In that case, buy those tickets directly and keep the difference.
What to pack for an LA attractions week
A Go City itinerary means long days on your feet, sun, and a lot of moving between Hollywood, Long Beach, Anaheim, and Burbank. That changes what you carry. You want a bag that survives the flight out, the trunk of a rental, and a week of theme-park hauling without falling apart.
This is where we come in. Traveler's Choice has built durable luggage in Pomona, California since 1984, and eight U.S. airlines trust our bags enough to use them as replacement luggage when they damage a passenger's.
For a family trip, a matched carry-on and checked set keeps everyone's gear organized across a week of different plans. Browse the carry-on collection to see current options and real dimensions on each product page.
If you're building the LA trip around the parks, two of our guides pair well with this one: the closest beaches to Disneyland for an easy add-on day, and our roundup of kid activities that make great Disney alternatives if you want a break from the big parks.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Go City Los Angeles pass include Universal Studios?
Only the All-Inclusive Pass Plus includes Universal Studios Hollywood. It is not on the 1-day pass and not on the Essentials (Explorer) tier. San Diego Zoo and LEGOLAND California are also Pass Plus exclusives.
Which Go City LA pass should I buy?
If Universal is on your list, buy the Pass Plus. If you're doing several non-Universal attractions in a short window, the standard All-Inclusive usually wins. If you only want three to five specific attractions and plenty of downtime, the Essentials Pass is the cheaper fit. If you're doing one or two cheap things, skip the pass entirely.
How many attractions do I need to visit to break even?
On the Pass Plus, visiting Universal plus one other big attraction gets you close to break-even, and a third puts you clearly ahead. On the cheaper tiers you generally need to visit attractions worth more than the pass price, which usually means at least three mid-to-large attractions in your window.
Is Go City better than LA CityPASS?
They serve different trips. Go City has a much wider menu and rewards a busy schedule. CityPASS is more focused and simpler, anchored on Universal and/or Warner Bros. plus a few flagship picks over nine consecutive days. If you want maximum flexibility and lots of attractions, Go City. If you want the flagships with less planning, CityPASS.
Can I get a refund if my plans change?
Go City offers free cancellation within 90 days of purchase on all tiers, as long as the pass is unused. That's what makes it safe to buy early and lock in a price, but confirm the current terms at checkout before you rely on it.
The bottom line
The Go City Los Angeles pass is a genuinely good deal for one kind of traveler: the one packing three or four big attractions, Universal included, into a tight few days. Buy the Pass Plus, plan your days, activate the pass only when you're ready, and it saves real money.
For the slower trip, the cheaper tier, or the visitor doing one or two low-cost things, the pass quietly costs more than buying tickets one at a time. Do the two-minute break-even math for your actual itinerary before you buy, and you'll know exactly which side of that line you're on.
