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Jeremy Huang

Is the Go City San Diego pass worth it in 2026?

6 min read Checked November 3, 2026 Report a correction

Only if you pack in three or more paid stops a day or use the gate prices at SeaWorld and LEGOLAND as your comparison. Go City's own site lists the All-Inclusive pass from $99 (1 day) and All-Inclusive Plus from $149, and the Zoo, SeaWorld and LEGOLAND are only in Plus and Essentials. Against online advance tickets, the theme-park math often stops working.

All-Inclusive (1 day)
$99 adult / $69 child

Go City list price, Nov 3, 2026; no Zoo, SeaWorld or LEGOLAND

All-Inclusive Plus (1 day)
$149 adult / $139 child

Adds Zoo, Safari Park, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND, Knott's

Essentials
$149 adult / $139 child

3 attractions in 30 days, one of them a big park

Break-even rule
About 3 paid stops a day

Using gate prices; fewer if you'd pay SeaWorld or LEGOLAND at the gate

The short version

  • Go City sells 3 San Diego passes as of Nov 3, 2026: All-Inclusive (from $99), All-Inclusive Plus (from $149) and Essentials ($149); its site no longer lists an Explorer pass
  • San Diego Zoo, Safari Park, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND and Knott's are in Plus and Essentials only, not the basic All-Inclusive; USS Midway is in all three
  • SeaWorld's gate price is $130.99 and LEGOLAND's is $139, but both sell advance online tickets from $59.99 and $69
  • The San Diego Zoo's own 2-Visit Pass (Zoo + Safari Park) is $130 for adults, less than two 1-day passes at $78
  • The San Diego Tourism Authority's booking site sold the passes below Go City's list price on Nov 3, 2026 (e.g. Plus 1-day $137)

Go City's San Diego lineup changed. On November 3, 2026, gocity.com listed three passes: All-Inclusive (unlimited stops from a fixed list for 1-7 days), All-Inclusive Plus (the same list plus five big parks) and Essentials (three attractions within 30 days). The older Explorer pass no longer appears on Go City's own site, though some resellers still list Explorer options, so check what you are actually buying.

The split that matters: San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND California (with SEA LIFE) and Knott's Berry Farm are marked not included on the basic All-Inclusive pass. They come only with All-Inclusive Plus or as your one big pick on Essentials. USS Midway, Birch Aquarium, the Old Town Trolley (2-day), the City Cruises harbor tour, Belmont Park and several Balboa Park museums are on every pass, per Go City's attraction list. LEGOLAND and some tours need a booking in advance.

Go City San Diego prices (adult / child 3-12)

  • All-Inclusive, 1 day

    Go City list price
    $99 / $69
    SD Tourism Authority site price
    $94 / $64

  • All-Inclusive, 2 days

    Go City list price
    $129 / $99
    SD Tourism Authority site price
    $119 / $89

  • All-Inclusive, 3 days

    Go City list price
    $159 / $119
    SD Tourism Authority site price
    $144 / $104

  • All-Inclusive Plus, 1 day

    Go City list price
    $149 / $139
    SD Tourism Authority site price
    $137 / $120

  • All-Inclusive Plus, 2 days

    Go City list price
    $199 / $189
    SD Tourism Authority site price
    $185 / $176

  • All-Inclusive Plus, 3 days

    Go City list price
    $249 / $239
    SD Tourism Authority site price
    $230 / $220

  • Essentials (3 attractions, 30 days)

    Go City list price
    $149 / $139
    SD Tourism Authority site price
    $135 / $125

Source: gocity.com (1-day and Essentials prices) and hotels.sandiego.org (multi-day list and discounted prices), checked Nov 3, 2026. 4-, 5- and 7-day options also exist.

The USS Midway aircraft carrier museum on the downtown San Diego waterfront

The Midway is on every Go City San Diego pass; its door price was $41 for adults on Nov 3, 2026.

Photo: Sven Piper / Unsplash

Real gate prices to compare against

$78

San Diego Zoo 1-day adult

Any-day price; $73 on online Value Days

$130.99

SeaWorld gate price

Online single-day tickets from $59.99

$139

LEGOLAND front gate

Online from $69, includes SEA LIFE

The other prices we used, all adult and checked November 3, 2026: USS Midway $41 at the door or $39 online; Birch Aquarium $39.95 walk-up or $34.95 online; Old Town Trolley 2-day from $89.90. For the Safari Park and the harbor cruise we use the 'without a pass' prices Go City lists ($78 and $41), because we did not check those on the operators' own sites. See our Midway tips and Zoo vs Safari Park guides for how long each stop really takes.

Break-even examples (adult)

  • 1 day: Midway + Birch Aquarium (All-Inclusive)

    Pass price
    $99
    Separate tickets
    $80.95 at the door
    Result
    Pass loses $18

  • 1 day: Midway + Birch + harbor cruise (All-Inclusive)

    Pass price
    $99
    Separate tickets
    $121.95 at the door
    Result
    Pass saves about $23

  • 2 days: Midway + 2-day Trolley + Birch (All-Inclusive)

    Pass price
    $129
    Separate tickets
    $170.85
    Result
    Pass saves about $42

  • 1 day: Zoo + Midway (Plus)

    Pass price
    $149
    Separate tickets
    $119
    Result
    Pass loses $30

  • 2 days: SeaWorld + LEGOLAND (Plus)

    Pass price
    $199
    Separate tickets
    $269.99 at the gate / $128.99 at lowest online
    Result
    Saves $71 vs gate, loses $70 vs online

  • 3 days: Zoo + Safari Park + LEGOLAND (Plus)

    Pass price
    $249
    Separate tickets
    $295 at gate / $199 with Zoo 2-Visit Pass + LEGOLAND online
    Result
    Saves $46 vs gate, loses $50 vs smart buying

  • Essentials: Zoo + Midway + Birch

    Pass price
    $149
    Separate tickets
    $158.95
    Result
    Pass saves about $10

Source: gocity.com, sandiegozoo.org, seaworld.com, legoland.com, midway.org, aquarium.ucsd.edu, trolleytours.com, checked Nov 3, 2026. Online theme-park prices vary by date.

Entrance to the San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park

If the Zoo is your big stop, its own 2-Visit Pass ($130 adult) covers the Zoo and Safari Park without a Go City pass.

Photo: Jim1138 / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0

Go City vs the other bundles

  • Go City All-Inclusive Plus

    Adult price
    $149 (1 day) to $379 (7 days)
    Zoo, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND
    All five big parks, once each
    Midway and smaller stops
    Yes, 40+ attractions
    Time to use it
    Consecutive days chosen
    Best for
    Packed theme-park days at gate prices

  • Go City Essentials

    Adult price
    $149
    Zoo, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND
    Pick one
    Midway and smaller stops
    Pick two
    Time to use it
    30 days
    Best for
    One big park + two extras

  • SoCal CityPASS

    Adult price
    $229 to $565
    Zoo, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND
    Choice attractions alongside Disneyland or Universal
    Midway and smaller stops
    No
    Time to use it
    14 days from first use
    Best for
    A Disney or Universal trip that adds a San Diego park

  • Zoo 2-Visit Pass

    Adult price
    $130
    Zoo, SeaWorld, LEGOLAND
    Zoo + Safari Park only
    Midway and smaller stops
    No
    Time to use it
    Any day within one year
    Best for
    Animal-focused trips

Staying around Balboa Park? The park's own Balboa Park Explorer pass covers 16 museums and may beat Go City for a museum-heavy day; we break it down in Is the Balboa Park Explorer pass worth it?. Many Balboa Park gardens and grounds are free, see Balboa Park admission.

LEGOLAND California theme park in Carlsbad

LEGOLAND needs an advance reservation even with a Go City pass; book the date before you activate.

Photo: solyanka from San Francisco, USA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0

Is this still right?

We last checked this tip against its sources on November 3, 2026, and we re-research every tip on a schedule. Things in San Diego change, sometimes overnight.

Prices, fees, hours and rules change, often at the start of a year or season. Confirm with the official source linked below before you rely on a number.

This is general information, not legal, financial, tax, medical or safety advice.

SOURCES

Everything above traces back to one of these. Follow them — if one has changed and we haven't, that's our mistake, not yours.

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