CityPass Seattle Review – Is It Worth It? [2021]
Trying to decide if you should buy a Seattle CityPASS? If you’re planning a trip to Seattle, chances are you’re going to want to see some of the city’s best attractions. The Space Needle is iconic, as is the Chihuly Glass Museum. Both are included in the CityPASS Seattle, along with five other options.
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Is Seattle City Pass Worth It?
My best tip for deciding if the Seattle CityPass is worth it is to figure out what you want to see! You’ll also need to know how much time you have in the city. I personally don’t recommend trying to do more than two attractions in a day. Below I’ll help show you the costs for each attraction so you can use simple math to decide if it makes sense to buy the CityPASS.
You’ll want to allow enough time to see some of the other great things to do in Seattle, such as Pike Place Market where you can grab a coffee at the “original Starbucks“. And you might want to visit one of the many great parks around the city.
We just spent a weekend in Seattle using the CityPASS and had a fabulous time exploring many of the popular sights! In two and a half days we visited the Zoo, the Space Needle, the Aquarium, MoPOP, and Chihuly.
What Does the Seattle CityPASS Include?
Once you know what attractions you want to see and how much time you have in the city, you can determine if the CityPASS is a fit. Another way to think of it is that the Seattle CityPASS is an easy way to make sure you see some of the top attractions without having to make plans and ticket purchases at each place.
The CityPASS Seattle includes admission to:
- Seattle Space Needle – look over Seattle from 520 feet in the air with views of Puget Sound and Mount Rainier.
- Seattle Aquarium – see some of the various fish and wildlife that live in the waters near Seattle, including jellyfish, a giant octopus, and otters! My girls love the touch tide pools.
And admission to any three of these attractions:
- Chihuly Garden and Glass – walk through seven rooms of giant glass creations from master artist, Dave Chihuly.
- Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) – this museum features multiple exhibits that focus on the history and culture of music and movies.
- Woodland Park Zoo – explore one of the best zoos in the US and look for gorillas, lions, red pandas, and more!
- Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour – this one-hour tour will give you excellent panoramic views of Seattle and the Olympic Penisula in addition to a lesson on the history of this famous port city.
- Pacific Science Center (currently closed, reopening late 2021) – kids can get hands-on learning about science and the natural world.
Here’s a tip from a local: the Space Needle, Chihuly, MoPOP, and Pacific Science Center are all near each other at Seattle Center, so plan to visit them together. The Aquarium and Argosy Harbor Cruise are near each other and near Pike Place Market, so do those together. The Zoo is located in the Green Lake area about 15 min north of Seattle.
How Much Does a Seattle City Pass Cost (2021)?
An adult Seattle CityPASS ticket costs $109.00 (buy here).
A child (ages 5-12) Seattle CityPASS is $84.00.
If you have a child under 5, you likely won’t want to purchase a CityPASS. For children under 5, the admission rules for each of the Seattle City Pass attractions are: Space Needle ages 4 & under are free, Seattle Aquarium ages 3 & under are free and age 4 is $24.95, Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour ages 3 & under are free and age 4 is $19.82, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) ages 4 & under are free, Woodland Park Zoo ages 2 & under are free and ages 3-4 are $15, and Chihuly Garden and Glass ages 4 & under are free.
Military members may be able to get a discounted CityPASS ticket at a military base ITT office.
Is the Seattle CityPASS a Good Deal?
Let’s do the math by looking at the current (2021) admission prices for the attractions offered with the Seattle CityPASS.
| ATTRACTION | ADULT | CHILD | SENIOR |
| Space Needle | $35 | $26 | $30 |
| Space Needle & Chihuly Bundled Ticket | $57 | $35 | $47 |
| Chihuly Garden and Glass | $32 | $19 | $27 |
| Seattle Aquarium (pricing varies) | $24.95-$34.95 | $20.95-$24.45 | N/A |
| Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP) (pricing varies) | ~$30 | ~$20.25 | ~$27 |
| Woodland Park Zoo | $24.60 | $15 | $22.60 |
| Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour | $33 | $20 | $31 |
| Pacific Science Center | $25.95 | $17.95 | $23.95 |
Looking at these prices you’ll see that you only need to go to four attractions to save money with the Seattle CityPASS. Remember, you get the Space Needle, the Seattle Aquarium, and three other attractions with the CityPASS. If you’re planning to visit five attractions, you’ll be saving money with the CityPASS.
For example, let’s say you want to do the Space Needle, Chihuly, MoPOP, and the Harbor Tour. Those four tickets will cost an adult $122. But the Seattle CityPASS is only $108 and you’ll get one additional attraction, too!
How Easy is it to Use the CityPASS Seattle?
The CityPASS Seattle program is extremely easy to use. You’ll be sent your tickets electronically, and it’s easy to access your mobile ticket on your phone. You’ll check-in at the ticket booth for each attraction and they’ll scan your CityPASS tickets for entry.
Right now, reservations are required in advance of your visit. This isn’t just part of the CityPASS program as reservations for timed entry are required by the attractions as well. CityPASS does a great job of helping you make your reservations online via an email link. I recommend you book the Seattle Aquarium first as it seemed to have the least availability.
Your CityPASS tickets are valid for nine consecutive days. So you can visit all of the attractions within a nine-day period, including the first day of use.
Conclusion
As you can see, you can save money if you’re planning to visit many of the popular Seattle attractions. These passes work well for families who will have to buy multiple tickets at multiple attractions for adults and grade-age kids. I hope my Seattle CityPASS review has helped you decide if it will be a good deal for you!
