8 Go City Los Angeles Pass Benefits for Sightseeing

The Go City Los Angeles pass covers admission to more than 30 attractions around the city for one price, and Go City advertises savings of up to 50%.

Go City markets these passes to tourists. They work just as well for residents who want to see more of Southern California for less.

I sell these passes through my own ticket store, so I follow what Go City moves on and off the lineup.

See also: 10 Benefits of the Go San Diego Discounted Attractions Pass

Which Go City Los Angeles Pass Should You Buy?

Go City sells three Los Angeles passes. The Essentials Pass counts attractions. The other two count days, and only the top tier includes Universal Studios Hollywood.

Pass	What it covers	Best for	How long
Essentials Pass	Pick three to five attractions from a shortlist of ten. No theme parks on that list.	A short trip with a fixed plan	30-day window
All-Inclusive Pass	All 34 attractions, including Knott’s Berry Farm and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour. No Universal.	Sightseeing without a Universal day	1–7 days
All-Inclusive Pass Plus	The same 34, plus Universal Studios Hollywood, the San Diego Zoo and LEGOLAND California.	Anyone with Universal or the Zoo on the list	2–7 days

Essentials Pass

The Essentials Pass is the cheapest of the three and suits people who already know what they want to see. You choose three, four or five attractions from a shortlist of ten, and you have 30 days from your first visit to use them. Go City prices it per attraction chosen, so the more you pick, the less each one costs.

The shortlist is the catch. The major theme parks are not on it, so if Universal Studios Hollywood or the San Diego Zoo is the reason you are considering a pass at all, this is not the tier for you.

All-Inclusive Pass

The All-Inclusive Pass sits in the middle on price and covers 34 attractions. You choose a length, anywhere from one to seven days, and inside that window you visit as many of the included places as you can manage.

Reservations are the part that trips people up. About half the lineup has to be booked before you turn up, and how you book is different at almost every one:

• The Getty Center: in the Go City app, up to 10 days ahead
• Griffith Observatory: in the Go City app, up to 10 days ahead
• Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood: call or email, more than 24 hours ahead, quoting your pass number
• SoFi Stadium Tour: by email, though walk-ins are accepted
• Aquarium of the Pacific: a free time slot on the aquarium’s own website
• Dolby Theatre: in person at the box office on the day, not ahead

Go City lists the method for every attraction that needs one on its reservations page, and slots are first come, first served, so book whatever your trip depends on as soon as your dates are set. Be careful with app reservations, because one uses up a day of your pass whether or not you turn up.

Entry runs from 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. on this pass and on the Plus. An evening-only visit will not work.

Go City publishes sample itineraries showing the walk-up price of each attraction next to the pass price. The arithmetic is the useful part, so run it on your own list rather than theirs.

Tip: I’ve written about how to buy Universal Studios Hollywood discount tickets, and Go City Los Angeles is one of the best ways not to pay full price if you are visiting other attractions and Southern California theme parks.

All-Inclusive Pass Plus

The Plus pass is the most expensive of the three, and Go City flags it as its most popular. It carries the same 34 attractions as the All-Inclusive Pass and adds the three biggest names on the list: a single admission to Universal Studios Hollywood, the San Diego Zoo, and LEGOLAND California with SEA LIFE included.

Whether it earns the jump comes down to one question. If Universal or the Zoo was already on your list, those two admissions alone go a long way toward the difference. If neither was, the standard All-Inclusive is the better buy.

Plan the days around one restriction. Plus starts at two days, and LEGOLAND and the San Diego Zoo have to be visited on separate days, so a trip that wants Universal and both of those needs three.

The three extras each work differently. Universal Studios Hollywood takes a same-day reservation, made in the app on the morning of your visit rather than in advance. LEGOLAND is the opposite. Go City told me it wants about four days’ notice, more warning than anything else on the pass asks for. The San Diego Zoo needs no reservation at all.

Where You Buy Makes a Small Difference

My ticket store usually comes in a little under Go City on these passes, even after Go City’s own 5% code. That can change. Both places run their own sales, so price your exact pass and party in each before you commit.

The bigger difference is the terms. Go City refunds any non-activated pass within 90 days of purchase. Tickets from my store do not carry that, though you can add ticket insurance at checkout for a full refund if your plans change.

The Essentials Pass is the one exception. Go City sells it direct only, so it is not in my store.

My Top 8 Reasons to Buy a Go City Los Angeles Pass 

1. Save up to 50% on Los Angeles Attractions

Since the main reason to buy a Go City Los Angeles pass is for the discounted admission, how much you actually save will be based on how many attractions you decide to see and do in L.A. 

Go City publishes up to 50% as its headline figure, and it shows the arithmetic on each pass card. The walk-up total for its sample list sits next to the pass price, so what you actually save comes down to which attractions you pick.

2. Go City Los Angeles Pass Saves Time

With Go City Los Angeles, you won’t have to wait in long ticketing lines each time you visit an attraction. The pass saved on the app is all you need to get through the gate.

At most participating attractions you go straight through the turnstiles, with no voucher to swap and no box office window to find first. That saves real time at the busiest places, especially Universal Studios Hollywood and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in peak season.

You do not have to use the app. Go City also accepts the PDF pass, downloaded to your phone or printed. What it will not accept is the confirmation email, which is not the pass, so sort one or the other out before you are standing at a gate.

3. One Pass Covers Los Angeles and San Diego

The Plus tier reaches past Los Angeles County. LEGOLAND California in Carlsbad and the San Diego Zoo are both on it, and LEGOLAND comes with SEA LIFE included.

If your trip already runs down the coast, those two admissions are the main reason to pay up for Plus.

4. It’s an Easy Gift

A pass makes an easy gift for family or friends coming to Los Angeles over the holidays or for a special event. Go City asks only for an email address, since there are no names printed on a pass, so there is nothing to wrap and nothing to ship.

Buy one for yourself while you are at it and see your own city the way a visitor does, with a celebrity bus tour, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour or Madame Tussauds Hollywood. Go City runs sightseeing passes in multiple cities, so the same idea works for someone traveling elsewhere.

5. You Can Buy It Right Before Your Trip

If your visit to Los Angeles is coming up soon, you have not missed your chance. Go City emails your confirmation after you buy, and you sync the pass to the app from there. It says those emails can take up to four hours because of its fraud checks, so buy the night before rather than at the gate. Reservations are a separate matter, and some attractions want days of notice.

Even better, you can store your pass on the Go City app for Android and Apple. Having the app on your phone means never worrying about losing your Go City Los Angeles Pass. To me, it’s definitely worth the download.

6. The Go City App Gives Directions, Hours, and More

After the app registers your purchase of a Go City Los Angeles Pass, you’ll have immediate access to attraction information, directions, hours, tips for visiting, and much more handy information all in one spot. It’s so convenient.

Checking attraction websites is also not a bad idea, as deals and information are subject to change.

7. There’s a Risk-Free Guarantee

If you buy a Go City Los Angeles Pass and do not use it, you have 90 days from your purchase date to return any non-activated pass for a full refund.

All three passes are valid for one year from the date of purchase. If something interferes with your plans, you have room to move them rather than lose your money.

8. There Are a Lot of Participating Go City Los Angeles Attractions

The lineup runs to 37 attractions. Three of them sit on the Plus tier only, and the other 34 are on both the All-Inclusive Pass and the Plus. The Essentials Pass draws from a shorter list of ten, which Go City sets on its own site.

This list was checked in August 2026. Go City moves attractions on and off it, so confirm the ones you are buying the pass for before you pay.

These three are on the All-Inclusive Pass Plus only:

• Single admission to Universal Studios Hollywood
• San Diego Zoo
• LEGOLAND California with SEA LIFE included

These 34 are on both the All-Inclusive Pass and the Plus. I have grouped them so they are easier to scan.

Theme parks and studio tours

• Knott’s Berry Farm
• Knott’s Soak City Water Park
• Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood

Museums and aquariums

• Aquarium of the Pacific
• Autry Museum of the American West
• Battleship IOWA Museum
• California Science Center IMAX Movie
• GRAMMY Museum
• Heal the Bay Aquarium
• Hollywood Museum
• Museum of Illusions Santa Monica
• Museum of Latin American Art
• Natural History Museum
• Richard Nixon Library

Hollywood, landmarks, and celebrity tours

• Dolby Theatre Guided Tour
• Getty Center Guided Tour
• Griffith Observatory Tour
• Madame Tussauds Hollywood with the Jumanji Safari Tours Expo 4D movie
• SoFi Stadium Tour
• Star Track Tours
• TCL Chinese Theatre tour or movie with a drink
• The Original Hollywood Sign Walking Tour

Bus, bike, and walking tours

• Beverly Hills Bike Tour
• Beverly Hills Self-Guided Bike Tour
• Big Bus Celebrity Homes & Lifestyle Tour
• Big Bus Hop-on Hop-Off Discover Tour
• Hands-On Ghost Hunting Tour of Hollywood
• Highlights of Santa Monica and Venice Beach Bike Tour
• Santa Monica Bike Rentals, three hours

Cruises, the beach, and shopping

• Long Beach 45-minute Sightseeing Cruise
• San Pedro 45-minute Sightseeing Cruise
• Whale watch and dolphin tour, Newport Beach
• Yoga on Huntington Beach
• South Coast Plaza Shop & Dine Package

What You Should Know Before Buying Go City Los Angeles

• Children: most Los Angeles attractions won’t charge any admission for children under the age of 3. Children ages 3–12 pay a reduced Go City Los Angeles Pass price.
• Universal Studios Hollywood: a single admission, and it sits on the Plus pass only. The standard All-Inclusive Pass does not include it.
• One visit per attraction: in most cases you can visit each attraction once per pass. The Go City app carries the limits that apply to each one.
• How the days count: on the All-Inclusive and Plus passes, a day is a calendar day rather than 24 hours, so an attraction visited at noon uses up that whole day. Start early. The days do not have to run back to back, and Go City gives you a 14-day window from first use to spend them all. The Essentials Pass counts attractions instead of days and gives you 30 days from your first visit.
• The most popular tier: Go City flags the All-Inclusive Pass Plus as its most popular option. A day-based pass pays off faster the more you fit into each day, so be realistic about how much ground you can cover.

FAQs About Go City Los Angeles

I get a lot of questions about sightseeing passes, so here’s what I’m asked the most specifically about Go City Los Angeles.

Is Go City Los Angeles Worth It?

For anyone visiting the city and wanting to visit at least two major attractions (especially a theme park or two), the answer is a big yes. While Disneyland is not a Go City Los Angeles attraction, it includes a variety of other Southern California theme parks and attractions.

The lineup runs from Universal Studios Hollywood and Knott’s Berry Farm to the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, the SoFi Stadium tour and the San Diego Zoo, so it covers enough ground to keep a mixed group happy. Just note that Universal and the Zoo are Plus-tier attractions.

How much you save depends on the tier. The All-Inclusive and Plus passes let you visit as many included attractions as you can fit into your days, so they reward a busy trip. The Essentials Pass caps you at three to five choices, so it saves money only if those choices would have been expensive on their own.

What Is Go City Los Angeles?

Go City Los Angeles is a single pass that covers admission to the city’s attractions, tours, and museums for one price. You buy it once and use it at every included place.

It comes in three tiers. The Essentials Pass covers a planned list of three to five attractions. The All-Inclusive Pass gives you unlimited visits from a 34-attraction lineup over a set number of days. The All-Inclusive Pass Plus adds Universal Studios Hollywood, the San Diego Zoo and LEGOLAND California on top of that lineup.

Is the Go Los Angeles Card the Same as the Go City Los Angeles Pass?

Yes, it is the same product under a shorter, older name. Go City’s own Los Angeles page still uses “Go Los Angeles pass” alongside the full brand name, so the two refer to the same thing. Whatever you have seen it called, what you buy today is one of the three tiers above.

What Happened to the Go City Los Angeles Explorer Pass?

Go City no longer sells an Explorer Pass in Los Angeles. As of August 2026 it sells three: the Essentials Pass, the All-Inclusive Pass and the All-Inclusive Pass Plus. You may still see an Explorer Pass listed elsewhere, and it is not what Go City sells now.

The closest thing to it now is the Essentials Pass, which also counts attractions instead of days.

How Do I Use My Go City Los Angeles Pass?

All you need to do is make a list of what you want to see and do and then choose the right Los Angeles pass for that list. Download the Go City app and use the digital pass on your mobile device.

The All-Inclusive Pass and the Plus both give you entry to any eligible attraction for the number of days you bought, counted from the day you first use the pass. The days do not have to run back to back. Go City’s own pass FAQ says that activating the pass counts as your first full day and you then have two weeks to use up the rest, so a gap day is fine.

The Essentials Pass works differently. You pick three to five attractions and have 30 days from your first visit to use them.

What Are the Benefits of Purchasing Go City Los Angeles?

The biggest benefit is that you stop paying full price at the attractions people plan a trip around. Watch where they sit, though. Universal Studios Hollywood, the San Diego Zoo and LEGOLAND California are on the Plus tier only. The standard All-Inclusive still covers Knott’s Berry Farm, Knott’s Soak City and the Warner Bros. Studio Tour, along with 31 other places.

The app also carries attraction information, opening hours and a city guide, which saves a lot of tab-switching while you are out.

Do you have a question I have not answered here? Ask in the comments and I will find you the answer. And if you’ve used the pass, please share your experiences and any advice you may have about getting the most out of an Essentials, All-Inclusive or Plus pass. Your tips will help your fellow travelers do more and see more.