Best Things To Do In San Francisco ,Get Discounts using City GoPass!
San Francisco, popularly known as SFO, is a major US city on the west coast. It is a vibrant city with a lot of hustle.
You can either plan and visit SFO on your own or get San Francisco City Pass (GoPass), it will give you huge discounts and will cover all the major attractions in San Francisco.
Table of Contents
The first thing that comes to mind when I hear San Franciso is the Golden Gate bridge and the second thing is the Bay area.
Depending on how many days you are planning in SFO, you can plan to visit from following attractions in San Francisco.
Sneak Peek into things to do in San Francisco (covered by GoPass as well)
| # | Attraction | Comments |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Golden Gate Bridge | Free |
| 2 | Fisherman’s Wharf | Free |
| 3 | Alkatraz Island | Separate Ticket for the boat ride and entering the prison |
| 4 | Cable Car Ride | Ticket |
| 5 | China Town | Free |
| 6 | Yosemite | $35 Entry ticket per car |
Note: SFO’s spookiest tourist attraction “Dungeon” closed its doors.
1. Golden Gate Bridge:
Most of the time it’s covered with fog but at times when there is no fog, you can get a great view of the bridge.
There is a parking area once you cross the bridge where you can park and have an excellent view.
You can also walk or use a bicycle on the bridge, make sure you are heavy enough not to be blown away by the wind!!
2. Fisherman’s wharf:
This is the seaside area, one of the busiest tourist spots. Just a walk on the pier, the sea lion, and many shops around is the major attractions of the area.
3. Alcatraz Island:
You need to take a ferry from Fisherman’s wharf to visit this island which houses an abandoned prison and a lighthouse.
4. Cable car:
It is a prominent site in SFO. It is a manually operated car system, one of the last ones in the world. You can buy a day pass from the conductor on the cable car and enjoy the ride.
5. China Town:
This is the largest Chinese area outside Asia. The streets, the shops, the houses, the eateries, you will get the feel of China in SFO.
Just walk around the colorful streets, shop the Chinese stuff.
There are many other attractions but you may find similar things at other places as well like a science center, Aquarium, Replies, Believe it or not, Madame Tussauds
6. Yosemite National Park
This beautiful nature spot is a 4-5hrs drive from San Francisco.
It will take one full day to enjoy the most visited places in this park. If you want to thoroughly explore this park, it may take anywhere around 3-6days.
You can either drive to this place or take a train. there are plenty of lodging options as well, both in the park and outside it.
Things to know before traveling to San Francisco
Latest San Francisco News
San Francisco Weather
It’s always good to get a second opinion, right? Do check out this video for another person’s view.
What is Go Pass San Francisco?
Go San Francisco Pass, also called “Go Pass” is an admission ticket and pass that provides admission to 28+ attractions in SFO at a discounted rate. You not only save money but also skip ticket queues.
How to get GoPass San Francisco?
I placed an Online order for the pass and got it delivered to my email. You can get it shipped to your address as well but it may take 4 or more days to get delivered.
Alert: Do not wait till the last moment to book tickets, it may take 1day to actually get the pass generated or you will have to do some aggressive follow-up with customer care to get it.
I made the mistake of ordering it the night before the planned sightseeing and lost a couple of hours to get my e-ticket delivered to my mail, I could have covered additional attractions in that time.
GoPass San Francisco Costco
You can get this city pass from Costco as well, the price is the same but sometimes it’s not available there.
Types of Go Pass San Francisco
Go SFO pass comes in three types:
1. All-Inclusive Pass:
This pass offers unlimited admission to 25+ attractions over a span of 1,2,3 or 5 days.
This is recommended for people who want to see maximum in minimum time and money.
1 day will be too hectic so if you have time, go for 2 days pass for the maximum coverage
Disadvantage: No matter how much you try, you may not be able to cover all 25+ attractions.
2. Explorer Pass:
This pass allows admission to 2,3,4 or 5 attractions from a selected list of around 25 spread over the period of 60 days.
You can select this if you are planning to stay for long in SFO and want to visit specific attractions.
Disadvantage: Maximum you can visit 5 attractions.
3. Build your own pass:
Select attractions that you want to visit and pay on a pro-rata basis. Visit these attractions over a period of 60 days.
Opt for this if you plan to stay for a long time and want to visit a couple of attractions.
Disadvantage: You will get a very little discount.
How to use Go pass?
Just show the downloaded pass at the first point, preferable Fisherman’s wharf and they will give you a hard copy of your ticket.
What all attractions are covered by San Francisco Go Pass?
The pass covers 28+ attractions including HopOn HopOff bus which makes it very comfortable to visit the attractions.
Attractions not covered by Go San Francisco Pass:
The cable car which is a very prominent site in SFO is not included.
The second attraction is the Alcatraz tour. The ferry ride to the island is part of the tour but to visit the jail from inside, you will have to buy a separate ticket.
What is the cost of Go San Francisco Pass:
Register Online before booking your tickets and you may get an additional 5% discount.
The cost of the ticket depends on the package you select- 1,2,3 and 5-day pass.
Check the site for the latest ticket cost.
Is the Go San Francisco Pass really worth it?
My Verdict– Go San Francisco Pass or GoPass is really a money and time saver. To get the most out of it, plan ahead, start early and eat on the go.
I recommend the following based on my experience:
Keep one thing in mind, no one will be able to cover all the attractions offered by the pass especially if you are opting for 1 or 2-day pass.
So the long list is really attractive but practically speaking, its not possible to cover all the attractions in the given time.
Still, I feel the pass is worth it for the following reasons:
1. Discounted price for each attraction
2. No queues
3.Hop on hop off (HOHO) bus
My list for the 1-day pass, you may have your own:
1.California Academy
2.Madame Tussauds
3.Ripley Believe it or not
4.Golden Gate Bay cruise
5. Aquarium
Keep sightseeing or Golden Gate halt for the second day as only HopOnHopOff (HOHO) bus is free the second day if you buy a 1-day pass.
Fisher Man’s wharf is free, so keep it out of your pass valid day or after hours.
Do not waste much time eating, just grab a burger and move ahead as attractions to cover are too many.
Go SFO Pass – who should not buy?
If you want to take things slow, it may not be a good option. Once you buy a pass, the clock starts ticking in your mind (if you know what I am talking about 😀)
Secondly, if you are on a super slim budget it will make sense to plan for free or less expensive attractions. eg: The Golden Gate bridge is what distinguishes SFO from other cities & it’s free!!
Similarly, Fisherman’s wharf is also a nice walk.
If you have visited a good science museum elsewhere, it’s the same in SFO.
The same goes with Ripply’s and Madam Tussauds.
Go Pass alternatives
Of course, there is CityPass which has fewer options included. With Go Pass, unless you really hurry, you may not be able to visit more than 4 options.
Click to get additional 4% off on CityPass!
| # | GoPass | CityPass |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | $55-$166 | $76 (12+), $56 |
| #Attractions | 28+ | 4 out of 6 |
| Time Limit | 1-5 days or 30 consecutive days | 9 days |
| Booking | Online/Costco | Online |
GoPass San Francisco – Is it worth it?
Yes, Go San Francisco Pass will save a lot of money and time. Here is the hack
- Plan upfront
- Get an all-inclusive or Explorer pass
- Prioritize your attraction list
- Eat while on the move instead of eating in Restaurant
- Start Early
Sounds interesting? Keep reading my experience to make your visit more comfortable. I have also shared a hack to get a discount!!
Conclusion:
SFO is a very vibrant city with its share of attractions and repulsive places. There are few streets in SFO that you should better avoid.
Click on the link to Check the list of other Must Visit Places in the USA