Disclosure: We think you should consider our free tours, but we have also provided other options. While our recommendations are always unbiased, we may receive a small share of sales through some of the links below at no cost to you. See the full text.
BEFORE YOU BUY
In this section, we will describe some of the major differences between each type of tourist pass you can get in Philadelphia.
We’ll also explain how to use each service and how they can save you money on a variety of attractions in the city.
If you’d rather buy one pass and gain access to as many attractions as possible, this is the best option available, as it has the potential to save you the most money.
Rather than pay per activity, you’ll pay one flat price for admission to dozens of popular locations over the course of 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 consecutive days.
All-Inclusive passes are valid for an entire year, so you can purchase them well ahead of time and use them whenever you have the opportunity to visit the city.
This type of pass is great for travelers who plan to visit as many attractions as possible while they’re in the city.
There are other discount opportunities, most notably with combination tickets with bus companies and discount ticket websites, such as Groupon and Living Social.
SET # OF ATTRACTIONS
This section will provide details about each pass that allows you to pay one flat price for a specific number of attractions.
In addition, we will also include a list of several activities that are included with both services and discuss some of the other things you may want to consider before making a purchase.
Much like the Explorer Pass below, this pass provides the opportunity to pay one flat price for a set number of attractions.
Unlike their competitors, you can choose between 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 activities, which is a slightly wider range.
There are 39 different attractions to choose from, and as with similar passes, you can pick them as you wander around the city.
The Philadelphia Sightseeing Flex Pass is valid for 30 days, so you can take your time and enjoy each activity at your own pace.
Many of the attractions included with this pass are worth anywhere from $25-$40 each, which means that you can actually save over 50% depending on the activities that you select.
Here are a few of the services included with the Philadelphia Sightseeing Flex Pass:
Although this service shares a lot in common with the Explorer Pass, there are some notable differences that might make this a much better option for some customers.
For one thing, you can choose either 2 or 6 attractions, which is a feature that their competition does not offer.
If you’re interested in touring the city and learning more about its past, there are several excellent options to choose from.
They also offer a few activities that may not be included with other tourist passes.
With a savings potential of up to 40% off regular ticket prices, the Go City Philadelphia Explorer Pass offers a pretty good discount.
The only catch is that you’re going to have to pay attention to which attractions you’re visiting in order to get the best deal.
If you choose a bunch of activities that are already quite affordable, you won’t save as much money as you would choosing more expensive options.
While you might be able to save more money on some tickets by using another pass, the big advantage of this service is that you can choose your attractions as you go.
ALL-INCLUSIVE PASSES
The following section will explain how to use an All-Inclusive tourist pass to save money on a variety of fun activities in Philadelphia.
We will provide details about how much the pass costs, which attractions are included, and some of the differences between each service.
While some of their prices are a bit more expensive than the competition, this company frequently has sales on their services which bring the cost down.
Considering that you can purchase the pass at any time within 12 months of your trip, we recommend making your order during one of their sale periods.
Keep in mind that the Philadelphia Sightseeing Pass includes a lot of great tours that their competitors don’t offer.
If you’re interested in taking a tour of the QVC Studio or getting a closer look at Lincoln Financial Field, this is a great way to save money on both activities.
If you want to visit more than just a few of the popular locations in Philadelphia, this is an excellent opportunity to save a lot of money.
Rather than paying per activity, you’ll only have to pay one flat price for unlimited access to dozens of great attractions for 1, 2, 3 or 5 consecutive days.
With 36 different activities to choose from, chances are you won’t run out of things to do while using this service.
Depending on how you choose to use the Go City Philadelphia Pass, you could save up to 45% on everything.
The best part is that this pass is very easy to use – all you have to do is present it at the ticket office for each location and they’ll let you in for free!
They offer a sample 3-day itinerary to help you envision how your pass could benefit you.
Here are some of the landmarks and other sites you can see with this tourist pass:
If we’re being honest, this is actually very similar to a set # of attractions pass in that you can choose to pay for 3, 4, or 5 different activities.
However, unlike any other service, the Philadelphia CityPASS only provides access to a preset bundle with 12 of the most popular locations in the city.
That all being said, some visitors may actually prefer this service, as there are a lot of great attractions included and you can save up to 49% off each activity you choose.
Travelers who want a cheap and simple alternative to other tourist passes should definitely keep this option in mind.
Here are all 10 of the activities included with the Philadelphia CityPASS:
Although this pass doesn’t offer access to as many attractions as its competitors, it’s still worth considering for visitors who are only interested in a few of the more popular things to do in Philadelphia.
Some of these activities can cost more than $30 on their own, so even if you decide to get the 3 choice pass, you’ll still save plenty of money.
The Philadelphia CityPASS is valid for a total of 9 days, so you’ll have more than a week to use it.
This should be more than enough time for most people, but it’s not quite as much time as you’ll have with the set # of attractions pass options.
If you plan to for more than a week, consider an alternative tourist pass instead.
OTHER TOURIST ATTRACTIONS DISCOUNTS
Even if you’re not interested in a tourist pass, you may still want to consider some of the other discounts available on popular activities in Philadelphia.
Most of the hop-on-hop-off buses provide a combo ticket which includes at least one additional attraction.
You might also want to keep an eye out on sites like LivingSocial and Groupon for even more discounts.
