Is the Philadelphia Pass 2020 worth it? Philadelphia Pass review
Though Philadelphia may not be as popular as say, Miami or Las Vegas, it’s still a great big city destination within the United States. And because of that, you’ll find plenty of things to do and see every single day of your stay. But, at the end of your visit, you might find that you spend way more on attractions than you had planned to. This is because even though the attractions aren’t outrageously priced, the numbers still add up at the end of it all.
This is where the Philadelphia Pass comes into play. With this pass, you’ll have the option to pick a number of days (1 to 5) in which you’ll have access to over 30 activities. Even better? There’s no limit to how many attractions you can visit in a day either. You’ll just want to note that there are a lot of cheap attractions on the attraction list and that visiting all of them and none of the more expensive ones will make it so that the pass isn’t as good of a deal.
Philadelphia Pass prices for 2020
Built for both adults and children, the Philadelphia Pass is designed to save you money during your visit to this popular city. Because the pass is available for both age groups, you will notice that there is a difference in price between the two, with the child pass costing less than the adult pass per length selection.
- 1-Day Adult Pass $61, 1-Day Child Pass $44
- 2-Day Adult Pass $91, 2-Day Child Pass $64
- 3-Day Adult Pass $114, 3-Day Child Pass $80
- 5-Day Adult Pass $144, 5-Day Child Pass $109
Something that should be noted is that each child pass is valid for ages 3 to 12. Generally speaking, attractions provide free admission for children under the age of 3, though you should always check with each attraction just to make sure.
Top sights and attractions
Big Bus Philadelphia – Hop-on Hop-off Tours – $35
This open-top double-decker bus tour is the best way to get oriented to Philadelphia on your first day in town if possible. The loop takes about 90 minutes and it’s usually best to ride it all the way around once so you know where everything is, and then hop off at a stop in front of the next attraction you want to visit.
Philadelphia Museum of Art – $20.00
Known as one of the largest art museums in the United States, the Philadelphia Museum of Art is home to over 240,000 objects. You’ll also find various rooms dedicated to Arms and Armor, Asian Art, European Art, and photographs.
Adventure Aquarium – $31.99
The only aquarium within the US that houses a hammerhead shark, the Adventure Aquarium is a great activity for all ages. Here you’ll find over 8,500 sea animals, along with hands-on activities, exhibits and more. If you’re interested in penguins, then you’ll want to take part in the daily African Penguin Feedings.
Ghost Tour of Philadelphia – $20.00
One of the oldest ghost tours around, the Ghost Tour of Philadelphia lasts about 75 minutes to 2 hours and is lead by a costumed storyteller. During this tour you’ll walk around visiting haunted houses, gardens and graveyards. Each and every story you hear is based on experiences of real people.
Longwood Gardens – $23.00
Beautiful at every turn, the Longwood Gardens are a plant lovers paradise. Located on over 1,000 acres, the gardens span both indoor and outside, making it so that you’ll find plenty of opportunities to take a great picture. Because of how large the garden grounds are, you’ll want to plan for about 4 hours here. You’ll also want to bring a hat and some water with you.
Is the Philadelphia Pass a good deal
Because we want to answer this question as best as we possibly can, we’re going to not only create a sample itinerary, but also take a look at what is included with your pass. Firstly, when you buy a pass of any length, you’ll also receive a guide that contains descriptions of each and every attraction, their hours of operation and a map detailing where each one is located in the city. The pass itself grants each person who purchases one access to over 30 attractions, no matter how many days the pass is good for. There is no limit to how many attractions you can visit in a day as well.
Now that we know a little more about the pass, let’s take a look at a sample itinerary to get a better idea if the pass is a good buy or not. Below you’ll find an itinerary for a 3-day adult pass.
- Big Bus Philadelphia – Hop-on Hop-off Tours – $35
- Adventure Aquarium – $31.99
- Barns Foundation – $25.00
- Battleship New Jersey Museum & Memorial – $21.95
- Grim Philly Twilight Tours – $25.00
- Longwood Gardens – $23.00
Once you total the admission prices to the attractions listed above together, the end cost comes up to $161.95. If you visit these same attractions with a 3 day card, you’ll only pay $99. That’s a savings of $62.95. This extra money can then be spent on another portion of your vacation, such as a meal out.
Are all of the attractions covered with the Philadelphia Pass worth a visit
In a short answer, yes they are. In a long answer, some are more suited to some than others, which is pretty typical of any city. It really depends on what you find interesting and what bores you. With that said, you’ll want to note that some of the attractions are very, very cheap to visit. Because of this, you’ll want to make sure that you don’t only visit them. This isn’t to say that they aren’t worth a visit, just that you don’t want to pile too many of them into your itinerary.
How not to use the Philadelphia Pass
Because you have to use your pass on consecutive calendar days once you activate it, you don’t want to purchase a 3 day pass and visit an attraction on the first day and the last day only. You’ll want to visit attractions each and every day. Also, if you buy a 1 day pass, you don’t want to wait until the evening to use your pass. If you do that, you’ll end up greatly limiting the time you have to visit attractions. This is because the pass is not a 24 hour pass once it’s activated. It’s a 1 day pass and follows the time format used to measure a day- midnight to midnight. Also, don’t just visit cheap attractions. If you do that, then you won’t get your money out of the pass.
The bottom line
It’s pretty obvious that if you are planning on doing the (recommended) hop-on, hop-off bus tour of Philadelphia, it’s very easy to get great value out of the Philadelphia Pass. As long as you stay away from just visiting low priced attractions and sights, you’ll find that the Philadelphia Pass is a fantastic value and will truly save you a lot of money during your visit. Also, because when you buy a pass you’re also buying a certain amount of days, once you visit your first attraction, you’ll need to visit the other ones on consecutive calendar days. This means that if you buy a 3 day pass, once you visit your first attraction, you have that day plus the next two days to use your pass. Because there is no limit to the amount of attractions you can visit during that time period, you’ll want to start your day early to get the most of your pass purchase.
Where do you purchase your Philadelphia Pass
>>>Buy the Philadelphia Pass at the lowest available price
After you have purchased your Philadelphia Pass using the link right above, you’ll receive your pass via email. Once you’ve received your email, you can then either choose to print your pass out and take it with you or you can use it right off of your phone with the free Go City Card app.
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Photos from Flickr users Peter Miller, Liana Jackson, Sakeeb Sabakka, Dominic Lacivita, Maciek Lulko, and Steve Eng.