Is the Go City New Orleans Pass 2024 worth it? Go City New Orleans Pass review

Since so many of the most popular New Orleans attractions cost $30 or more, and they are literally ALL included in the Go City New Orleans Pass, it’s pretty easy to determine whether it’s a good deal for you. Start with the Adventures in New Orleans Bus Tour, which is $53 on its own and probably the best way to see almost all of the famous New Orleans sights in just a few hours, and it only takes one or two more attractions to come out ahead on a 1-day or 2-day pass. In other words, if you are going to do the guided bus tour anyway, the Go City New Orleans Pass is going to save you a lot of time and money.

On one hand, New Orleans is such a wonderful and unique city that you can literally just wander around the French Quarter, the CBD, and the Garden District and you’ll be entertained for hours and hours and hours. Make no mistake, if you don’t do ANY of the tours or attractions included in the Pass, you can still have a great time. However, this city does have some excellent tours and attractions, and if you’ve already spent maybe $500 or $1,000 per person just to get here, it might be worth spending a bit more to be able to see EVERYTHING you came to see.

• 1-day Adult Pass: $74
• 1-day Child Pass (ages 3 to 12): $44

• 2-day Adult Pass: $119
• 2-day Child Pass: $79

• 3-day Adult  Pass: $144
• 3-day Child Pass: $99

• 5-day Adult Pass: $189
• 5-day Child Pass: $104

You must by the Go City New Orleans Pass online in advance. Look for “Have a promo code?” in the Review Your Order screen and enter GO5POT for 5% off the lowest price available.

Use this link and the code GO5POT to get Go New Orleans Passes at 5% off

This isn’t true of many of these city passes (for example, the London Pass doesn’t cover the London Eye, and the Paris Pass doesn’t cover the Eiffel Tower), but the Go City New Orleans Pass literally covers everything, including many high-price tours. Whether you buy the pass or not, you’ll want to do most of these.

Adventures in New Orleans Bus Tour – $53.50

A great way to see New Orleans, the Adventures in New Orleans bus tour allows you to view the best parts of the city from the comfort of your seat. Some of the included sights are the French Quarter, St. Louis Cathedral, the Botanical Gardens, the French Market, Saint Louis Cemetery and Jackson Square. Available for both adults and children, however a reservation is required.

Ultimate Swamp Adventures – $32

Great for all ages, the Ultimate Swamp Adventures takes you into the historic fishing village of Westwego Louisiana where you’ll hop onto a swamp boat for a ride through the wetlands. During your tour you’ll see cypress trees, moss, alligators, egrets, wild hogs and snapping turtles. You’ll also get to learn more about the natural environment, making this both a fun and educational experience.

Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Cruise – $36

If you’ve ever dreamed of cruising down the Mississippi River, then this is the tour for you. In fact, the Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Cruise allows for a different view of New Orleans as well as the river itself. The ship itself is modern yet designed after the boats of 100 years ago and is 24 feet in diameter. Some of the sights included in this tour are Jean Lafitte National Park, Port of New Orleans, the French Quarter and Chalmette Battlefield. This tour is great for all ages and one you’ll want to bring your camera on.

Mardi Gras World with transportation – $22

The creator of the Mardi Gras floats, Blaine Kern is a household name in New Orleans. During this tour, you’ll be guided through the ‘behind the scenes’ action of Mardi Gras and its parades. During this activity you’ll see the Mardi Gras studio, costumes used in the parades and a video detailing the history of Mardi Gras throughout the years. Tours are every 30 minutes and welcome both children and adults.Transportation is included with this tour.

National WWII Museum – $32.90

One of the most popular attractions in New Orleans, the National WWII Museum is dedicated to teaching those interested more about WWII and America’s involvement throughout the war. In this attraction, you’ll find different exhibits including US Freedom, Louisiana Memorial Pavilion and more. You’ll also find personal accounts of the war alongside historic artifacts. This attraction is open to both adults and children though adults may find it more interesting.

New Orleans School of Cooking Demonstration Class – $39

An adults-only cooking class, this attraction is perfect for those seeking to learn how to cook local Louisiana dishes. Cooking classes are held at the New Orleans School of Cooking and offer classes in gumbo, pralines, jambalaya and much more.

French Quarter Phantoms/Voodoo Tour/Tremé Walking Tour – $25

About 2 hours long, the French Quarter Phantoms Walking Tour is a great way to explore the French Quarter while learning about its past and present. During this tour (there are three in total to choose from) you’ll walk through the oldest African-American neighborhood in the US while learning more about the local music and culture. The three different tours available are best suited for adults.

Cajun Pride Swamp Tour by Boat – $28.32

Take an adventure through the Manchac Swamp with the Cajun Pride. During this tour you’ll find yourself in the back country and bayou exploring the wetlands while keeping an eye out for the area’s alligators. You’ll also get the chance to learn more about the Cajun town of Frenier, making this a very well rounded tour. Making the tour even better is its friendliness to children. Tours are available throughout the year, but due to the local climate, certain times of the year call for bug spray.

Cities of the Dead Cemetery History Tour by Haunted History Tours – $25

If you love spooky things, you’ll love the Haunted History Walking Tour. This two hour tour walks you through various haunted sites in New Orleans along with the French Quarter’s most haunted locations.  Hear tales of ghosts, hauntings, and criminals. This tour is available to all ages.

(Adult admission prices are shown above)

As you can see, the Go City New Orleans Pass actually covers pretty much everything that visitors prefer, except for the children’s amusement park mentioned below.

• Carousel Gardens Amusement Park – $25

If you are coming to New Orleans to really get a taste of all the great things this place has to offer, then the Go City Pass will be good value for anyone who is motivated and organized. The Adventures in New Orleans bus tour is highly recommended for every visitor, so once you do that and at least 2 or 3 other things, the pass will have paid for itself.

The key to getting value out of the Go City New Orleans Pass is to plan ahead and start the day early. If you do that then you’ll get more than your money’s worth with plenty of the day left to spend wandering around, shopping, and dining. However, if you are the type who doesn’t leave their hotel until 11am and doesn’t like to plan their day before they walk out of the hotel room, then the Go City New Orleans Pass probably won’t pay off for you. The pass can offer you free admission to every attraction in the city, but it’s up to you to get out the door fairly early and go from place to place efficiently.

Sample and recommended 2-day itinerary

Day 1

• Adventures in New Orleans Bus Tour at 10 AM – $53.50
• Lunch
• Paddlewheeler Creole Queen Cruise at 2 PM – $36
• Southern Meal at MRB Restaurant for dinner – $34

Day 2

• National WWII Museum – $32.90
• Ultimate Swamp Adventure – $32.00
• One of the walking tours – $25

Total value: $213.40
2-Day GO City New Orleans Pass: $119 (or $113 with our discount code)

These are all top attractions and it’s an easy schedule to keep, although you do have to reserve spots on a couple of these things in advance. So you can do all of these things, which includes an interesting dinner one night, and save about $100 in the process.

Important note: You have to be pretty well organized in order to save this much money, and you have to be able to start your day well before lunch. If you are the type who likes to wake up late and then wing it, you probably should not buy a Go City New Orleans Pass.

• First-time visitors to New Orleans who would like to see all (or at least most of) the highlights in a short amount of time
• Visitors who really enjoy tours, boat rides, and personal experiences like cooking demonstrations

• Travelers and backpackers on very tight budgets
• Visitors who prefer not to start fairly early or plan their sightseeing ahead of time

The short answer on whether you should buy the Go City New Orleans Pass or not has everything to do with how motivated and organized you are. The pass literally covers everything that 99% of visitors to the city are interested in, including lots of high-price tours, sights, and experiences. So getting a good value from the pass is quite easy if you really want to see a lot of New Orleans in a relatively short amount of time.

But again, if you tend to be disorganized or you struggle to get out of your hotel room before midday, then you would probably (and unfortunately) end up wasting your money with the pass. Some people buy these passes and then don’t start using them until noon, when everything is already crowded, and then they blame the pass because they weren’t able to visit enough things to make it worthwhile. The math works out great as long as you plan your day and start right after your breakfast.

You must by the Go City New Orleans Pass online in advance. Look for “Have a promo code?” in the Review Your Order screen and enter GO5POT for 5% off the lowest price available.

Use this link and the code GO5POT to get Go New Orleans Passes at 5% off