First trip to San Francisco in 2 days: pass or gate tickets
Our five first visit picks for San Francisco cost USD 349.90 at the gate for 2 adults. Over 2 days, San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz saves USD 98 (28% of the gate total) for this plan, and 3 of the 6 passes reach Worth it.
San Francisco has 6 passes, and only one of them includes Alcatraz. That single ticket, USD 95.90 for 2 adults, decides which pass comes first for this plan.
Our five first visit picks for San Francisco, our choice for a first visit and not a visitor ranking, split over 2 days. The plan: 2 adults, 2 days, a packed pace of up to 4 visits a day.
Gate prices for 2 adults in USD, checked October 2026. "Covered by" names the pass that comes first for this plan, San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz.
Day 1: Alcatraz Day Tour and Blue & Gold Bay Cruise
Day 1 stays on the water. The Alcatraz Day Tour sells tickets for a set departure, so that time anchors the day, and the bay cruise fills the other half.
Day 2: California Academy of Sciences, SFMOMA and Cable car single ride
Day 2 is the two museums and one cable car ride at USD 9 a person. For more than one ride, SFMTA sells a 1-Day Visitor Passport for USD 15 with unlimited Muni and cable car rides (fares page read October 2026), which costs less than two single rides.
What the five cost at the gate
Prices for one visitor from each attraction's own ticket page, in USD, checked October 2026, and the total for the 2 adults of this plan: USD 349.90. A price the page does not publish stays out of every total.
San Francisco: the five picks, gate prices in USD and the passes that include each, checked October 2026
CityPASS, C3, CityPASS + Alcatraz, Go City Essentials, Go City Explorer and Go City All-Inclusive
Every San Francisco pass for this plan
The engine picks the option of each pass that fits 2 days at a packed pace, adds what the pass leaves at the gate, and sets the total against the USD 349.90 gate price of the plan. Rows run from the verdict down, then by saving.
San Francisco: every pass for the five picks over 2 days, 2 adults at a packed pace, in USD, checked October 2026
San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz covers Alcatraz plus three picks and saves USD 98 (28% of the gate total). San Francisco C3 and San Francisco CityPASS leave Alcatraz at the gate and still reach Worth it on the museums and the cruise: San Francisco C3 saves USD 68.10 (19% of the gate total), San Francisco CityPASS saves USD 52.10 (14% of the gate total). The Go City passes include neither Alcatraz nor the bay cruise, so both stay at the gate on their routes.
San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz for this plan, in full
Worth itRanked 1 of 6 for this plan
San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz
2 adults, 2 days at a packed pace, gate total USD 349.90 for the 5 attractions listed below.
Next on this plan: San Francisco C3, Worth it; it saves USD 68.10 (19% of the gate total).
Alcatraz plus 3 choices. The only option for your trip. It uses 3 of its 3 picks.
USD 98less than the gate, 28% of the gate totalfor this plan
Gate tickets for the planUSD 349.90
With San Francisco CityPASS + AlcatrazUSD 251.90
Pass USD 233.90 still at the gate USD 18
It pays off already for this plan.
4 visits in 2 days fits a packed pace of 4 a day.
Covered by the pass
Alcatraz Day TourUSD 95.90
California Academy of SciencesUSD 98
Blue & Gold Fleet San Francisco Bay CruiseUSD 78
San Francisco Museum of Modern ArtUSD 60
Paid at the gate
Cable car single rideUSD 18
Pass price per person
Adult x 2USD 116.95
Includes the USD 2 fee CityPASS adds per ticket at checkout.
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.
What changes the answer
The cable car stays at the gate on the three passes that lead: it is only in the Go City passes. Each extra ride adds USD 18 for 2 adults to those routes, or a passport covers the day.
At a relaxed pace
5 things in 2 days at a relaxed pace is a full trip. At a relaxed pace of 2 visits a day, San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz keeps its Alcatraz plus 3 choices option and saves USD 98 (28% of the gate total): Worth it. It still comes first.
With two children aged 8 and 14, the plan costs USD 572 at the gate. San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz still comes first and saves USD 116.20 (20% of the gate total): Worth it.
The calculator opens with these five ticked, 2 adults and 2 days at a packed pace. Change the ticks, the days, the adults and each child's age, and every pass gets its own verdict for the things you ticked.
Is a sightseeing pass worth it for 2 days in San Francisco?
For our five first visit picks over 2 days, 2 adults at a packed pace, 3 of the 6 passes reach Worth it, led by San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz, which saves USD 98 (28% of the gate total). The answer holds for this plan only; a shorter or longer list can change it.
What do San Francisco's five first visit picks cost at the gate?
Alcatraz Day Tour USD 47.95, Cable car single ride USD 9, California Academy of Sciences USD 49, Blue & Gold Bay Cruise USD 39 and SFMOMA USD 30 for one adult, USD 349.90 for 2 adults, read on each attraction's own page in October 2026. US gate prices are before sales tax.
Which of these San Francisco sights does no pass include?
None: each of the five is in at least one of the 6 San Francisco passes we compare. The table of the five on this page shows which pass covers which.
What changes for a family with two children in San Francisco?
With two children aged 8 and 14, the plan costs USD 572 at the gate. San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz still comes first and saves USD 116.20 (20% of the gate total): Worth it.
Does a slower pace change the San Francisco answer?
5 things in 2 days at a relaxed pace is a full trip. At a relaxed pace of 2 visits a day, San Francisco CityPASS + Alcatraz keeps its Alcatraz plus 3 choices option and saves USD 98 (28% of the gate total): Worth it. It still comes first.
Which of these San Francisco sights need a booked time?
Alcatraz Day Tour sells tickets for a set entry time on its own page, so build the day around that slot. Where a pass also needs a booking, its pass page says so in the terms of each attraction.
Sources
Prices come from the attraction and seller pages we read in October 2026; the data page lists them. The facts above that are not prices come from these official pages:
