Last Updated on October 10, 2026 by Nadia Halfway
📜 Introduction.
When I design a travel plan, especially in big metropolises, the first thing I look for are city passes and travel cards.
Since I am very meticulous and usually travel low budget, I prefer to organise everything in advance in order to optimise time as well. Buying tickets on-site usually wastes precious holiday time and I may also miss special deals. Plus, individual entrance fees add up incredibly quickly.
That is why, when possible, I purchase city passes and travel cards. They group top attractions into one handy digital ticket, allow you to skip the long queues, see more, and save money. Over the years, I have tested several sightseeing passes across the globe to see which ones actually offer real value. Today, I want to share with you my favourite city passes and travel cards of some big cities I love.
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🍁 Vancouver.
Vancouver is one of those rare cities where urban life and jaw-dropping nature exist side by side without any effort. In the space of a single morning, you can go from wandering through a science museum to crossing an iconic suspension bridge over a forest canyon, and still have time to visit an aquarium.
Tiqets offers a brilliant bundle pass that combines both.
- How it works. Tiqets sends the passes straight to your mobile phone so you avoid the physical queues completely.
- What is included. It includes admission to three fantastic spots: Vancouver Aquarium, Vancouver Lookout, and Flyover Canada. Moreover, they email you a 10% discount code to use on your next 5 attraction bookings, like Capilano Suspension Bridge, Grouse Mountain, Science World, and many more!
- Price. Around €65.
⛴️ Seattle.
Seattle is one of those cities that somehow manages to be moody, charismatic, and completely addictive all at once. The chaos of Pike Place Market at breakfast, the views from the Space Needle at golden hour, and a music history so rich you can feel it in the walls of every record shop and dive bar.
If you’re planning to visit the famous Emerald City, you absolutely need the Seattle CityPASS.
- How it works. GetYourGuide offers instant confirmation and brilliant cancellation policies. You can distribute your visits in 9 days.
- What is included. You get prepaid admission to 5 iconic spots. It covers the famous Space Needle and the Seattle Aquarium, plus three extra choices like the Chihuly Garden and Glass, the MoPOP museum, Pacific Science Center and a few others.
- Price. It costs around €120, which might seem expensive but literally saves you up to 45% compared to buying separate tickets.
🗽 New York.
New York hits you all at once with its liveliness. The sheer, relentless, slightly overwhelming sense that absolutely everything is happening here, all at the same time, and you are somehow in the middle of it. From the chaos of Times Square to the surprising quiet of Central Park just a few blocks away, New York contains more contradictions and charm than anywhere else I have ever been.
And this is why New York is famously expensive, but GoCity Pass makes its exploration more manageable.
- How it works. It stays entirely on your phone. You just scan your QR code and walk right in!
- What is included Entry to massive landmarks like the Empire State Building, Top of the Rock, the 9/11 Memorial, and many more. Moreover, it covers over 100 tours and activities such as: full-day bike rental, ferry cruises, food tours, and so on.
- Price. Passes usually start around €85, depending on the type (essential, explorer, all inclusive) and how many days you choose.
🕌 Istanbul.
Istanbul stands at a crossroads that is not just geographical but spiritual. One shore is Europe, the other is Asia, and in between there is a city that has been layered with empires, religions, and centuries of history until it became something entirely its own. The call to prayer at dawn, the chaos and colour of the Grand Bazaar, the grandeur of the mosques: it’s all in one place.
Istanbul feels magical, but the attraction queues look absolutely terrifying during peak season! This All-inclusive Pass by GetYourGuide acts as a total lifesaver.
- How it works. The skip-the-line feature saves you literally hours of standing around in the heat.
- What is included. Priority access to over 100 attractions and many other discounted prices if booked via the app. You also get guided tours of the Hagia Sophia and Topkapi Palace, plus a gorgeous Bosphorus cruise.
- Price. Fee starts around €149 for a 1-day pass up to €259 for a 5-day pass.
💂🏻 London.
London is the kind of city that reveals itself slowly, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, and somehow manages to feel both deeply familiar and endlessly surprising no matter how many times you visit. Its world-class museums, the Sunday markets, the incredible architecture and even the terrible weather that make London one of the best cities in the world.
However, the attractions here cost a fortune, but the London Pass on GetYourGuide brings your daily expenses right down.
- How it works. It unlocks almost the entire city for one set price. You just scan your phone and start exploring immediately. The most popular activities require reservations.
- What is included. Access to over 100 incredible spots. You can visit the historic Tower of London, ride the London Eye, and check out Madame Tussauds.
- Price. Passes start around €113 for a 1-day pass up to €295 for a 10-day pass.
🥐 Paris.
Paris is a dream for art lovers. If you plan to museum-hop around the city, you definitely need the official Paris Museum Pass. Please be informed that if you are a resident of the European Union under 26 years old, you don’t need to purchase a pass or tickets. In fact, most of the Museums are free. Bear in mind, however, that you still have to book your slot in advance, especially at museums such as the Louvre, which have limited capacity
- How it works. You bypass the regular ticket lines at places like the Louvre.
- What is included. Direct access to over 50 museums and monuments. It includes the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay, the Arc de Triomphe, and the stunning Palace of Versailles. You still need to reserve your spot.
- Price. You choose a 2, 4, or 6-day pass. Prices start from €62.
🤌 Rome.
Rome does not let you forget for a single second that you are walking through thousands of years of history. Everytime you turn a corner looking for a café, you stumble into a square with a fountain that Bernini designed, or a church that has been standing since the fourth century, and you just have to stop and accept that nowhere else on earth does this.
With so much art and history costs add up easily, but GoCity helps you explore the Eternal City effortlessly.
- How it works. As the previous ones mentioned here, you just scan your QR code and walk right in!
- What is included. You can choose 2 to 7 attractions between 35 tickets, including hop-on hop-off bus tours, Vatican Museums and Sistine Chapel and even a cooking workshop!
- Price. Passes start around €89 depending on your choice.
🐻 Madrid.
Madrid hits differently from most European capitals. The Prado alone would justify an entire trip, but Madrid is also the city where you will eat dinner at 10pm with incredible tapas, spend a Sunday morning wandering the Rastro flea market, and somehow still find yourself in a rooftop bar watching the sun go down over the skyline.
So if you want to eat unforgettable food and see world-class art, Madrid calls your name and the GoCity All-Inclusive pass lets you do it all.
- How it works. You pack as many attractions into your day as you want. The more you see, the more money you save.
- What is included. Guided tours of the Royal Palace, entry to the world-famous Prado Museum, and even a Bernabéu Stadium tour for football fans.
- Price. Passes start from around €59 for a 1-day pass.
🚃 Lisbon.
Lisbon is Europe’s most loveable capital and one of my favourite cities in the world. I lived there for three months during my university internship back in 2018, and I have never quite found another city with the same atmosphere. The light is unlike anywhere else on the continent: warm and golden even in winter, it falls perfectly on the azulejo-tiled façades, the terracotta rooftops, the old yellow trams and the fado.
Lisbon is full of steep hills, so you’ll definitely want to use public transport! The Lisboa Card takes care of all your travel needs in one simple step.
- How it works. You can collect the Lisboa Card at the airport, and in some stations and designated tourist points.
- What is included. Unlimited free travel on buses, trams, and trains to Sintra and Cascais. It also gives you free entry to top cultural spots like the Jerónimos Monastery and the Belém Tower.
- Price. You can buy a 24, 48, or 72-hour card starting from just €22.
🌶️ Bangkok and other Thai Cities.
Thailand already offers incredible value, and the TAGTHAi Pass elevates the experience even further.
Available for Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Phuket and other Thai cities, TAGTHAi Pass is an easy-to-use digital pass designed to make travel in Thailand more convenient. You can create your own itinerary and enjoy a variety of experiences, with access to top attractions, restaurants, activities, and useful travel tips.
- How it works. It combines transport, sightseeing, and food into one brilliant pass. However, it lasts only 24 hours.
- What is included. Access to the amazing Mahanakhon SkyWalk, Grand Palace and Emerald Buddha Temple, and even premium local dining or relaxing Thai massages.
- Price. A day pass usually costs around €50.
🎲 Travel Hacks: Tourist.
What if you are visiting a city without an official city pass? That is where Tourist comes in.
Tourist is a free app for iOS and Android that works as a digital tourist card. It is very practical and user-friendly: once you download it and set up your account, simply choose your destination. You can navigate through categories such as shops, restaurants, tours and even wellness and beauty, and scroll through the deals, or you can explore the offers on the map. With over 55,000 partners worldwide, you just show the app with your unique QR code at the local cafés and shops you visit, and the discount is applied on the spot, with no codes to type in and no booking required.
With the free membership you can get 5% to 15% off, or you can upgrade to the Tourist Plus plan for up to 60% off at just $9.99 a month.
💡 Travel Tips.
Before buying a city pass or a travel card, there are a few things worth knowing and taking into account.
- Check what is already free. In many European cities, major museums and monuments are completely free for EU residents under 26, and often free for everyone on the first Sunday of the month. A quick Google search might save you from paying for access you would have had anyway.
- Calculate whether you will actually use it. City passes only save money if you visit enough attractions to cover the upfront cost. Add up the individual ticket prices for what you realistically plan to see and compare them to the pass price. Only buy it if there’s a genuine saving.
- Book time slots in advance even with a pass. A city pass gets you in for free, but at iconic spots like the Louvre in Paris, you still need a timed entry slot. Check on the pass provider’s website which attractions require a reservation and block them before you arrive.
- Buy the pass before you travel. Online prices are almost always lower than walk-up prices, especially at airports.
- Compare official websites with third-party sites. Platforms such as GetYourGuide, Tiqets and GoCity often offer exclusive deals and lower prices than buying directly from their websites. What’s more, they have excellent cancellation policies and let you read genuine reviews before you buy!
- Check the pass validity window, not just the duration. Some passes are valid for 9 days from activation (like the Seattle CityPASS), which means you can spread your visits across a longer stay. Others are strictly 24, 48, or 72 consecutive hours, so plan your day carefully to get maximum value.
❓ FAQ.
It depends entirely on how many attractions you plan to visit and how fast you move. A city pass pays for itself quickly if you are the kind of traveller who squeezes as much as possible into every day, but it can actually cost you more than individual tickets if your pace is slower or you prefer to linger in fewer places.
You can usually buy them on arrival at airports or at some touristic infopoints, but you almost always pay more that way. Online prices through platforms like GetYourGuide, Tiqets, or the official pass websites are typically lower than walk-up prices, and third-party platforms often have additional promotions. Buying in advance also lets you pre-book timed entry slots for popular spots, which is essential in high season.
It varies by provider. Most platforms offer free cancellation up to 24 hours before the first use, while official city pass websites often have stricter no-refund policies. Always check the specific cancellation terms before purchasing, especially if your travel plans are not yet confirmed.
No. City passes are strictly personal and linked to the individual who purchased them. Each person in your group needs their own pass. Some platforms offer discounted group or family rates, which is worth checking before buying multiple individual passes at full price.
Sometimes, but not always. Check what is specifically included before buying, since the transports can add significant costs if you are moving around a large city.
🎈 Conclusion.
Sightseeing does not have to drain your bank account or cause unnecessary stress. Whether you want to explore ancient ruins in Rome or soak up the skyline in New York, one of these city passes and travel cards will make your trip smoother, smarter, and far more enjoyable.
One last tip: if you cannot spot your next holiday destination in my list above, do not panic. Just have a quick browse through the third-party platforms just mentioned above: you will easily find the perfect city pass and travel card for your upcoming adventure!
💬 And you? Do you use city passes and travel cards when you travel? Let me know your favourites in the comments below!
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