Boston sightseeing passes: worth it or not, by the numbers
We compare 3 passes for Boston, from USD 54 to USD 179 for one adult. We set each one against the gate prices of 12 attractions, read on their own pages in October 2026.
For our 5 first visit picks over 3 days, Boston CityPASS comes out ahead: it saves USD 37.90 (11% of the gate total) for 2 adults.
Our 5 first visit picks
- New England Aquarium
- Museum of Science
- Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
- Freedom Trail Foundation Walk Into History Tour
- Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum
2 adults, 3 days at a packed pace: USD 321.90 at the gate.
Boston CityPASS comes first
Ranked 1 of 3 for this plan
Pass USD 168 still at the gate USD 116
USD 37.90 less than the gate, 11% of the gate total, for this plan
Prices checked October 2026. Every pass on this plan: the plans table.
- Passes
- 3
- One adult pays
- USD 54 to USD 179
- Attractions priced
- 12
- Prices checked
- October 2026
The 3 Boston passes at a glance
Adult and child prices for one person, in USD, from each seller's page in October 2026. The last column counts the attractions each pass includes that carry a published gate price in our data.
| Pass | Type | Options | Adult | Child | Priced attractions |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston CityPASS | Choice of attractions | 4 picks, valid 9 days | USD 84 | USD 72, child 3 to 11 | 4 of 7 |
| Go City Boston Explorer Pass | Choice of attractions | 2 to 5 picks, valid 30 days | USD 54 to USD 99 | USD 39 to USD 69, child 3 to 12 | 8 of 12 |
| Go City Boston All-Inclusive Pass | All-inclusive by days | Valid 1 to 7 days | USD 79 to USD 179 | USD 49 to USD 124, child 3 to 12 | 8 of 12 |
Every pass against three plans
The same group for each plan: 2 adults, no children, a packed pace of up to 4 visits a day. The engine picks the option of each pass that fits, then sets it against the gate total. Rows follow the 5 things result: verdict first, then the saving.
2 things
New England Aquarium and Museum of Science. 2 adults, 3 days at a packed pace. At the gate: USD 145.90 for the group.
5 things
New England Aquarium, Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Freedom Trail Foundation Walk Into History Tour and Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum. 2 adults, 3 days at a packed pace. At the gate: USD 321.90 for the group.
Everything: 12 things
New England Aquarium, Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Freedom Trail Foundation Walk Into History Tour, Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, Boston Duck Tours, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Boston Children's Museum, Harvard Museum of Natural History, Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, USS Constitution Museum and Paul Revere House. 2 adults, 3 days at a packed pace. At the gate: USD 655.90 for the group.
| Pass | 2 things | 5 things | Everything: 12 things |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston CityPASS | Skip itUSD 22.10 more4 attractions | Worth itsaves USD 37.904 attractions | Worth itsaves USD 77.904 attractions |
| Go City Boston Explorer Pass | Skip itUSD 42 more2 attractions | Close callsaves USD 223 attractions | Worth itsaves USD 665 attractions |
| Go City Boston All-Inclusive Pass | Skip itUSD 92 more1 day | Close callsaves USD 21 day | Worth itsaves USD 1222 days |
Prices checked October 2026. US gate prices are before sales tax. Worth The Pass compares published prices on the date shown. Passes change what they include; check the seller's page before you buy.
2 pairs of passes side by side
Pairs a visitor is likely to weigh against each other, each against the same plans and with both inclusion lists in one table.
- Boston CityPASS vs Go City Boston Explorer Pass3 priced on both
- Go City Boston Explorer Pass vs Go City Boston All-Inclusive Pass8 priced on both
Your own Boston plan
Our 5 first visit picks are ticked to start: our choice for a first visit, not a visitor ranking. Change the ticks, the days, the adults and each child's age, and every pass gets its own verdict for the things you ticked.
Boston gate prices
Prices for one visitor from each attraction's own ticket page, in USD, checked October 2026. A price the page does not publish stays out of every total. US gate prices are before sales tax.
| Attraction | Adult | Child | In these passes | Tickets |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Tea Party Ships and MuseumFirst visit pick | USD 41 | USD 27, child 3 to 12; free under 3 | In no pass | Tickets for Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum (opens in a new tab) |
| New England AquariumFirst visit pick | USD 39.95 | USD 30.95, child 3 to 11; free under 3 | CityPASS | Tickets for New England Aquarium (opens in a new tab) |
| Museum of ScienceFirst visit pick | USD 33 | USD 28, child 3 to 11; free under 3 | CityPASS, Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for Museum of Science (opens in a new tab) |
| Museum of Fine Arts, BostonFirst visit pick | USD 30 | USD 14, child 7 to 17; free under 7 | CityPASS, Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (opens in a new tab) |
| Freedom Trail Foundation Walk Into History TourFirst visit pick | USD 17 | USD 8, child 6 to 12; free under 6 | Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for Freedom Trail Foundation Walk Into History Tour (opens in a new tab) |
| Boston Duck Tours | USD 57plus fees | USD 42, child 3 to 11 | In no pass | Tickets for Boston Duck Tours (opens in a new tab) |
| Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | USD 25 | Free for every child, under 18 | Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum (opens in a new tab) |
| Boston Children's Museum | USD 24 | USD 24, child 1 to 15; free under 1 | Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for Boston Children's Museum (opens in a new tab) |
| Harvard Museum of Natural History | USD 20 | USD 15, child 3 to 18; free under 3 | CityPASS, Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for Harvard Museum of Natural History (opens in a new tab) |
| Institute of Contemporary Art Boston | USD 20 | Free for every child, under 19 | In no pass | Tickets for Institute of Contemporary Art Boston (opens in a new tab) |
| USS Constitution Museum | USD 15 | Child price not published | Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for USS Constitution Museum (opens in a new tab) |
| Paul Revere House | USD 6 | USD 1, child 5 to 17 | Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for Paul Revere House (opens in a new tab) |
| CityView Trolley Tours | Price not published | Child price not published | Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for CityView Trolley Tours (opens in a new tab) |
| Franklin Park Zoo | Price not publishedplus fees | Free under 2; other child prices not published | CityPASS, Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for Franklin Park Zoo (opens in a new tab) |
| Historic Boston Harbor Cruise | Price not published | Child price not published | CityPASS, Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for Historic Boston Harbor Cruise (opens in a new tab) |
| New England Aquarium Whale Watch Cruise | Price not published | Child price not published | In no pass | Tickets for New England Aquarium Whale Watch Cruise (opens in a new tab) |
| Old Town Trolley Tours Boston | Price not publishedplus fees | Free under 4; other child prices not published | In no pass | Tickets for Old Town Trolley Tours Boston (opens in a new tab) |
| View Boston | Price not publishedplus fees | Child price not published | CityPASS, Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive | Tickets for View Boston (opens in a new tab) |
Worth The Pass may earn a commission when you buy through links on this page. It never changes the math or the ranking.
Questions about Boston passes
What is the cheapest sightseeing pass in Boston?
The lowest adult price among the 3 passes we compare is Go City Boston Explorer Pass at USD 54 for the 2 attractions option. The highest is Go City Boston All-Inclusive Pass at USD 179 for 7 days. Prices checked October 2026. A low price pays off only when the pass covers enough of your own plan.
Is a sightseeing pass worth it in Boston?
For New England Aquarium, Museum of Science, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Freedom Trail Foundation Walk Into History Tour and Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, with 2 adults, 3 days at a packed pace, the gate total is USD 321.90. 1 of 3 passes comes out Worth it for this plan: Boston CityPASS saves USD 37.90 (11% of the gate total). A different list can change the answer, so tick your own in the calculator on this page.
Which Boston attractions are not in any pass?
Institute of Contemporary Art Boston, Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum, Old Town Trolley Tours Boston, Boston Duck Tours and New England Aquarium Whale Watch Cruise are in none of the 3 passes we compare, so you pay at the gate whichever pass you buy. Adult gate prices: Institute of Contemporary Art Boston USD 20, Boston Tea Party Ships and Museum USD 41 and Boston Duck Tours USD 57.
Do Boston sightseeing passes have child prices?
All 3 passes publish a reduced price for children: Boston CityPASS (child 3 to 11), Go City Boston Explorer Pass (child 3 to 12) and Go City Boston All-Inclusive Pass (child 3 to 12). Enter each child's age in the calculator to see the band that applies.
Which Boston passes include transport or a sightseeing bus?
Go City Boston Explorer Pass and Go City Boston All-Inclusive Pass include a hop-on hop-off bus.
When were the Boston prices checked?
We read every Boston pass and gate price on the seller's and the attraction's own pages in October 2026: 3 passes and 18 attractions, from 36 source pages. Each price on this page is in USD.