Perfect weather, great beaches, and year round activities are why San Diego is “America's finest city.” There's something for everyone to do in San Diego. Did you know there's a San Diego pass that offers discounts on attractions? The Go San Diego Card can save you money on vacation. But is the Go San Diego card a good deal? Keep reading to find out who should and shouldn't get the Go San Diego Card.
Go San Diego Card
You can get discounts on many of the San Diego tourist attractions with the Go San Diego Card. And at some places, you can skip the line!
Think of the Go San Diego Card as a way to buy discounted tickets for Legoland California, the San Diego Zoo, SeaWorld San Diego and all the other top attractions in San Diego. You'll save up to 55% off regular prices on over 40 of the best San Diego attractions and activities.
The multi-day passes (2, 3, 5, or 7 days) give you the flexibility to choose which attractions you want to do each day. So you don't have to rush through your vacation getting everything in. You can take your time and enjoy your trip to San Diego.
Your pass includes a San Diego guidebook, maps of the area, and extra discounts on dining, shopping, and other attractions. Each person needs their own Go San Diego Card. You can't share a pass with someone. Passes start at $75. Child Passes are for kids ages 3 to 12 (7 to 12 in Washington DC).
Pro-tip: Most attractions do not charge for kids under the age of 3. But you should check first.
Three Go San Diego Card Pass Options
All-inclusive
Whether you're staying for a couple days to a week, you can buy a 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7-day card. Your Go San Diego Card is valid for a fixed number of days from 9 am to 5:30 pm. So if you buy the 3-day pass, you can use it for 3 consecutive days.
The all-inclusive Go San Diego Card is valid at these 40 San Diego attractions:
- Belmont Park (All Access Combo Pass)
- Bike and Kayak Tours Coronado (Tandem Kayak and/or Stand-Up Paddleboard Rental)
- Bike and Kayak Tours La Jolla (Bike, Snorkel, Kayak and/or Stand-Up Paddleboard Rentals)
- Birch Aquarium
- Coronado Museum of History & Art
- Dolby Theater Guided Tour
- Fleet Science Center with IMAX Movie
- GoCar San Diego Tours, half hour tour
- Hornblower Cruises (San Diego Hour Harbor cruise)
- Hollywood Behind the Scenes Tour
- Hollywood Museum
- Knott’s Berry Farm
- Knott’s Soak City Waterpark (Seasonal – closed until Summer 2017) Japanese Friendship Garden
- LEGOLAND® California
- Living Coast Discovery Center
- Mingei International Museum
- Miramar Speed Circuit
- Model Railroad Museum
- Museum of Contemporary Art (Downtown)
- Museum of Making Music
- Museum of Photographic Arts
- PETCO Park Tour
- San Diego Air and Space Museum
- San Diego Art Institute
- San Diego Automotive Museum
- San Diego History Center
- San Diego Museum of Art
- San Diego Museum of Man
- San Diego Natural History Museum
- San Diego Sports Museum
- San Diego Zoo
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park
- The New Children’s Museum
- USS Midway Museum
- UTC Ice Sports Center
- Whale Watch by Hornblower Cruises (Winter)
- Whale Watch by Newport Landing
- Whaley House
- William Heath Davis House
Go San Diego Card, 3, 5, and 7-day cards include:
- SeaWorld San Diego (free daily admission)
- Speed Boat Adventures (free daily admission)
- 2-Day Hop-on Hop-off San Diego Trolley by Old Town Trolley
Pro-tip: Save a tree and save time. Use the app and head straight to the entrance at:
- San Diego Zoo
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park
- SeaWorld San Diego
Who should get the All-Inclusive Go San Diego Card? If you're visiting San Diego for several days you'll save more money buying a Go San Diego Card. The pass is also great for locals entertaining out of town guests or doing a staycation.
Build Your Own Pass
You can customize a Go San Diego Card with the Build Your Own option also known as an Explorer Pass. Pick 2 or more attractions to add to your pass and save 20% off regular ticket prices. The Build Your Own Pass is valid for 30 days.
Who the Build Your Own Pass is good for:
- People who want to save money on San Diego attractions
- Folks who only want to visit a few places
- Someone with more time to explore
- San Diego residents who don't have annual passes to Legoland California, the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, or SeaWorld
Package Deals
Hit the major spots with package deals
Photo credit: Go Card
The Go San Diego Card offers 3 and 4 attraction package deals. You'll save 20% to 22% off regular ticket prices. All packages are valid for 30 days. But you can only visit each attraction once.
SoCal Theme Park Pass
Choice of 3 top theme parks plus Universal Studios Hollywood.
Top San Diego Attractions
The Top San Diego Attractions pass gets you free admission to SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego Zoo, Legoland California, and the USS Midway Museum.
Most Popular San Diego Attractions Pass
You should buy the Most Popular San Diego Attractions Pass if you're planning on visiting SeaWorld San Diego, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and Legoland California.
Top 3 Attractions Pass
Traveling with kids and only have time to visit 3 places? With the Top 3 Attractions Pass, you get free admission to Legoland California, San Diego Zoo, and SeaWorld San Diego.
These package deals are perfect if you only want (or have time) to see the highlights. It's also a nice option for San Diego locals.
Where to Get Your Go San Diego Card
The easiest way to get your Go San Diego card is to buy it online. You can choose a paper voucher or a digital voucher via the free Go City Card app.
Print your voucher at home or pick it up at one of four locations:
- Balboa Park Visitors Center
- San Diego Visitor Information Center
- The California Welcome Center Oceanside
- Westfield UTC Shopping Centre
Pro-tip: If you're flying into San Diego, the closest pickup location is the San Diego Visitor Information Center.
How to Use Your Go San Diego Card
All Go San Diego Cards including Build Your Own and Package Deals passes are good for one year. So you can buy a Go San Diego card on April 19, 2017, and it's valid until April 20, 2017. But once you activate your Go San Diego card or pass, it's only valid for the number of days purchased.
Pro-tip: Buy your passes when they go on sale. They're valid for a year so you don't have to use them right away unless you want to. Currently, you can save $20 off any All-Inclusive San Diego pass purchase over $300.
How to Activate Your Go San Diego Card
You activate your pass when you visit your first attraction.
Is the Go San Diego Card Worth it?
The Go San Diego Card includes free admission to 40 attractions. And if you buy a 3, 5 or 7-day pass, SeaWorld, speedboats and the trolley are included. But is the Go San Diego Card worth it? Let's take a look.
Weekend Trip to San Diego
If you're spending the weekend in San Diego and want to go to the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park and take a whale watching and harbor cruise. Buying each of those tickets separately would cost $194 per person. But a 2-day Go San Diego Card would only cost $119 each. You'd save $150!
5 Day San Diego Visit
For a 5-day trip, visiting Belmont Park, bike and kayak tours La Jolla, Birch Aquarium, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, USS Midway Museum and taking a whale watching and harbor cruise, you'd pay $344.50 each. Whereas as 5-day Go San Diego pass costs $249. You'd save $95.50.
Buying individual tickets to each attraction would cost a family of four $1,199! But 5-day passes would only cost $928. This means you'd save $271.
Week in San Diego
Spending a week in San Diego and wanted to do these activities and attractions:
- Belmont Park
- Bike and kayak tours La Jolla
- Birch Aquarium
- Fleet Science Center with IMAX Movie
- Harbor cruise
- Knott's Berry Farm
- Legoland California
- PETCO Park Tour
- San Diego Zoo
- San Diego Zoo Safari Park
- SeaWorld
A family of four buying tickets for each attraction would pay $3,054.70. But with the 7-day Go San Diego card, you'd pay only $1,048. A savings of over $2,000!
How to Get the Most Value of a Go San Diego Card
The Go San Diego Card saves you up to 55% off the cost of buying individual tickets. With these tricks, you can get the most value of your pass.
Make a Plan
San Diego is pretty spread out. You'll save time if you plan which attractions you want to see and group them together.
For example, almost all the museums like the Fleet Science Center and San Diego Air and Space Museum are in Balboa Park, near the San Diego Zoo. If you wanted to visit all of these, you should do it on the same day.
Choose Wisely
Because the Go San Diego Card is an unlimited day use pass, you should pick attractions that cost the most money. It doesn't make sense to use your card on attractions that would be cheaper to buy individually. Instead use your pass for the pricey things like Legoland California, the San Diego Zoo, or a whale watching cruise.
Who Should Get the Go San Diego Card
If you want to see the major San Diego attractions like Legoland California, the San Diego Zoo, or SeaWorld San Diego, you'll save money buying a Go San Diego Card. Even a single day pass gets you a 20% discount. But you save the most money when you buy a multi-day card. Go San Diego Cards are available as 1, 2, 3, 5, or 7 day passes.
You don't have to be a visitor to buy a pass. San Diego residents can buy a Go San Diego Card. Why pay full price if you don't have to!
Who Shouldn't Get the Go San Diego Card
Paying full price your thing? Then the Go San Diego Card isn't for you. If you want to avoid all the tourist attractions and stick to the lesser known places like the Living Coast Discovery Center or the Miramar Speed Circuit, you should buy individual tickets.
Conclusion
You can save a lot of money with the Go San Diego Card. The Go San Diego Card gives you free admission to 43 San Diego attractions like Legoland California, the San Diego Zoo and SeaWorld San Diego.
Not only does the pass save you money, it also saves you time. You don't have to wait in line to buy tickets because you have the Go San Diego card.
The Go San Diego Card is completely flexible. You decide which San Diego attractions you want to see and visit. And you go when you want to.
Passes are valid for one year. There's even a money-back guarantee on unactivated passes. Once you activate your pass, it's good for the number of days purchased. But remember Go San Diego cards are valid from 9 am to 5:30 pm.
You can get the most value from your pass when you visit places that are near each other.
If you want to visit the less expensive attractions and spend more time at the beach, then the Go San Diego Card wouldn't be a good value for you. But if you want to see some of the best attractions in San Diego, the Go San Diego Card is worth it!
Did you know you can get Go Cards for other cities?
Which cities have you purchased a Go Card?
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We have family out there, so we go fairly often. I think I might get this card next time I go.
I would definitely purchase this GoCard if I were visiting San Diego. That is one place I would really love to visit. It looks gorgeous.
Now that would be fun. I know what to do if we ever make it there. I’m going to check out that app too.
We went to San Diego last summer and it was a blast. I feel like we have barely even scratch the surface of everything that can be done there. I can’t wait to go back.
It looks like if I were to visit for a weekend, that I would probably go with the two day card. That way I can get a few discounts out of the mix.
San Diego is one of the cities we haven’t had the chance to visit yet. If we are staying for couple of weeks I think the pass would be a great way to say money. If we are only going to be there for a few days I would probably not purchase the pass.
Thanks for another incredibly informative travel post! You have become one of my main sites for travel info and tips. I love it!
The San Diego card sounds awesome. I have never been to San Diego before, but would love to check it out.
OK, now I want to go back to San Diego. We love it there and we will look at these options next time.
What a great post about things to do in San Diego! It is a city I love.
This sounds like a great way to save some money while exploring San Diego. I would probably choose the unlimited pass.
I wish we lived closer to San Diego. I loved it when I got to stay there for a few weeks last year. This would be the perfect pass for us.
Valid for a whole year!? I would absolutely get one! Sounds like you can’t beat the deals and no waiting! Yes!
That’s huge savings! I’ve never been to San Diego, but I would love to visit someday.
It such a wonderful place! I like it ! I wish I could visit there very soon.
Now this is perfect for a family of four. We are planning a big trip for the kids next year. We have narrowed it two to Cali or Florida. This pass situation could really ease the cost.
The Go San Diego Card sounds like the way to go when visiting San Diego! Love all the discounts and I might love the perk to skip the lines even more. 😉
When we visit San Diego, we are going to get the pass. It makes a lot of sense if you are visiting major attractions, especially more than once.
What a brilliant place to visit. Its really interesting and fun. I wish I could visit there soon.
Oh yay! This is such a great card. Valid for a WHOLE year and allows you to do and see some amazing things! I wish Denver had one of these go cards!
This sounds like a great way to bundle and save money on your trip. I have always wanted to go to San Diego zoo.
I’ve heard a lot of awesome things about San Diego and yet I STILL haven’t been there! I really want to go there for a vacation some day, seems fun and there’s always that Beautiful/ perfect wether : )
thanks for the list!
I’ve heard of this card before and it sounds like a great discount card! I’ll have to check it out the next time we visit San Diego.
Thank you for such an informative post! I love how they offer so many different options to tailor to your SD trip! It really saves you money and time for those looking to hit a couple of attractions in the city!
The Go San Diego card sounds perfect for a long vacation! I would love to bring my family to San Diego, beautiful weather and so many fun things to do. Maybe next summer this will be our destination.
Oh gosh! Your post makes me wanna visit San Diego right now. And for sure we will be availing the Sand Diego Card!
Wow! I am definitely going to have to get one of these when I go to San Diego! Which I plan on SOON! I miss Southern California!
How fun! We used the Go Chicago Card earlier in the year and it was totally worth it, just for getting into Adler Planetarium & all the shows. What a great write-up. I love the way you broke it all down. Very thorough!
Having been to San Diego, I have to say this is helpful information for visitors. I wasn’t aware that San Diego had attraction passes, but now that you’ve outlined all the attractions in the area, I can see why these passes are offered. They seem especially helpful for families. I’m sure I’ll visit San Diego again, so maybe I’ll get a Go San Diego Card then!
The card is able to be used in sooo many places in san diego. It definitely broadens the horizon!
I absolutely love San Diego…I think I should get it!