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Chicago CityPASS: An Honest Review

April 21, 2023 by Kat No Comments

During a recent girl’s trip to Chicago we chose to utilize CityPASS. We had a wonderful time exploring what the city had to offer including some of the most popular tourist attractions! After a full weekend exploring I’m excited to share my honest review of Chicago CityPASS.

What is CityPass?

CityPASS is a company that works with tourist attractions in major cities. They create packages that allow the traveler to choose several attractions at a discounted price.

In Chicago the traditional CityPASS includes five attractions. Tickets to Chicago Skydeck at Willis Tower and tickets to the Shedd Aquarium are included and the traveler has the choice of 3 other attractions. The other six attractions include: the Field Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry, 360 Chicago Observation Deck, Alder Planetarium, and the Shoreline Sightseeing Architecture River Tour.

CityPASS also provides a abbreviated package that includes 3 attractions. Travelers have the choice of Shedd Aquarium, Skydeck Chicago, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Museum of Science and Industry, 360 Chicago Observation Deck, Alder Planetarium, and the Shoreline Sightseeing River Tour.

Chicago CityPASS: Shoreline Sightseeing River Tour

How much does Chicago CityPASS cost?

These packages are designed for the tourist to see top attractions at a discounted price. As of 2023 the cost of CityPASS prices are as follows:

$134 (including tax) for the traditional CityPASS and

$96 (including tax) for the abbreviated CityPASS.

Packages are slightly cheaper for children- $104 for the traditional pass, and $72 for the abbreviated pass.

How much money do you save with Chicago CityPASS?

The CityPass website claims that tourists will save up to 48% with the traditional pass and up to 33% with the abbreviated pass. The attractions all vary in price, so the amount you actually save will depend on what you choose.

Shedd Aquarium ~$35-45 depending on when you visit. Weekend, holiday and last minute tickets are more expensive.
Chicago Skydeck ~$30-44 depending on the date or time you visit.
Field Museum $30.
The Art Institute of Chicago $25.

The Museum of Science and Industry $22. Additional experiences range from ~$12-18.
360 Chicago Observation Deck ~$30-35 Depending on the date or time you visit.
Adler Planetarium $19
Shoreline Sightseeing Architecture Tour $47. Tickets may be more expensive at premium times.

*All prices are a range for adult general admission. Many of these attractions offer additional features, expedited admission, or bonus activities at additional cost.

On their website CityPASS combines the highest valued tickets in order to generate the “48%” savings number. Of course, the highest valued attractions may not be the ones you want to see, so you can expect a slightly lower savings value.

If you combine the six lowest valued attractions the total is $176 which equates to 24% savings. Although this is significantly lower, I would still consider this great savings.

It’s important to note that this is a good deal IF you are interested in 6 (or 3) of the attractions available. If you don’t maximize the CityPASS attractions available to you, the value of the pass drops significantly.

Chicago CityPASS: Art Institute of Chicago

Is CityPASS easy to use?

CityPass is relatively easy to use. If you’re traveling in a group I HIGHLY suggest purchasing all CityPASS tickets together.

I was responsible for managing the tickets for our group. While scheduling our attractions on the CityPASS website it was easy to schedule all four tickets for the same attraction at the same time.

How to use CityPASS

Head to citypass.com and add your tickets to cart. Checkout using your email- no login required. If you are purchasing for a group, you will have to enter the name of each ticket holder.
You will receive an email to your inbox titled “Your Tickets and Important Steps: Chicago CityPASS.” I flagged this email in order to easily find it in my inbox. The email will include QR codes for each persons ticket and a button titled “Make Reservations.”
When scheduling attractions you’ll want click “Make Reservations” in your email.
Once on the CityPASS website, click “Reservations and Entry” and you’ll be taken to a dashboard of your available attractions.
If you schedule your attractions using this method, you’ll receive an email from the attraction with your tickets.
I was responsible for presenting the tickets for my group at each attraction.

Do you have to schedule CityPASS attraction tickets in advance?

I would suggest scheduling CityPASS attraction tickets in advance for more popular activities. If you are on a tight schedule, you’ll want to ensure that you receive the times that you want.

Some attractions may be a little more limited than others. For example, the Shoreline Sightseeing Boat Tour only has a limited amount of seats per tour. Many of the other attractions are museums or educational facilities that have the capacity for a large amount of patrons at once.

The only attraction we scheduled prior to our trip was the Shoreline Sightseeing Architecture Tour. We knew that we wanted to do the River Tour on the evening of the nicest day so once the 10-day weather report was available we scheduled our tickets.

For the other attractions, I either scheduled our tickets the night before or the day of. We were able to get all of the times we wanted even while exploring on a Saturday or Sunday. Based off of my experience, I don’t necessarily believe that you have to schedule your tickets in advance, but it is good practice when possible.

I found CityPass relatively easy to use, and I managed all tickets for my group.

Is Chicago CityPASS worth it?

I believe that Chicago CityPASS is worth it. While the savings might not necessarily be 48% (or 33% for the abbreviated pass), regardless of which attractions you choose you will receive at least 24% savings value.

CityPASS also simplifies the scheduling process by allowing you to book all of your tickets on one platform.

Overall we had a great experience using CityPASS during our visit to Chicago. I would recommend CityPASS as a great way to save money and simplify booking while visiting Chicago and other major centers.