Is the Hong Kong Go City Pass Worth It?
Traveling to Hong Kong and wondering if you should get the Go City Pass? I’ve done a thorough analysis of the pros and cons of the Go City pass so you don’t have to! In this post, I will be covering both the All Inclusive pass and the Explorer Pass for Hong Kong, so you can make a decision on whether you should buy a Go City Pass.
Now if this is your first time visiting Hong Kong, there are a ton of attractions that you simply can’t miss. In addition, Hong Kong has Disneyland as well as Ocean Park which are awesome places to go with kids.
Unless your goal is to just shop in Hong Kong, I’m sure you will be spending money on attractions. The good thing is that there are city passes that you can purchase to (hopefully) reduce spending on these attractions.
Go City is one of the companies that offer attraction passes in Hong Kong. In this blog I will review both of Go City’s passes and show you whether you should buy a Go City pass or not.
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Is the Hong Kong Go City Pass a good deal?
I know Hong Kong is not the cheapest place to travel to after having lived there for a couple of months. There are a number of really fun attractions that require admission tickets, especially if you are planning to visit one (or both) of the major theme parks in Hong Kong: Disneyland and Ocean Park.
So here is a quick overview to see if the Go City pass is a good deal or not.
The Hong Kong Go City Pass is a good deal if:
- You are planning to visit Disneyland or Ocean Park
- You are visiting Hong Kong for the first time and want to see everything
- You want to do the hop on hop off buses
- You want to try some authentic and good restaurants (and not worried about what to order)
- You like walking tours and/or pub crawls
The Hong Kong Go City Pass is not for you if:
- You’ve been to Hong Kong before and are not planning to do many tourist things
- You want to choose your own restaurants and meals
- You are on a tight budget
What are Go City Passes for Hong Kong?
Go City is an international company that offers travel passes for tons of cities all over the world. It is most famous for its New York City, Paris, Rome and London passes but there are a ton more. I’ve actually used Go City quite a lot in my previous travels (after careful calculation and research).
There are two types of passes that Go City offers:
The Go City All Inclusive Pass is a time-based pass that let you visit as many attractions as you want (from a list of 25) within a few consecutive days. For example, if you buy a 2 day pass, you have 2 days to do all the attractions (a day is defined as 12am to 11:59pm).
The Go City Explorer Pass is an attraction-based pass that lets you visit a predetermined number of attractions (from a list of 25) within 60 days. For example, if you buy a 4 attraction pass, you can pick 4 attractions from the list of 25 to visit within 60 days.
All Inclusive Pass vs. Explorer Pass: Which one should I choose?
Both of these passes cover almost the same attractions (with one exception), so whichever pass you should really depends on your travel style, your plans, and your time frame.
Choose All Inclusive Pass if you….
- Only have a few days in Hong Kong
- Prefer to do as much as possible
- Don’t mind staying out late/ getting up early
- Are thinking about going to Ocean Park
Choose Explorer Pass if you…
- Are planning to go to Hong Kong Disneyland
- Prefer to take things slow and really spend your time at each attraction
- Are only interested in a few attractions offered
- Have more than a day or 2 in Hong Kong
If you are the type that wants to “get your money’s worth”, then you might want to consider the All Inclusive Pass, since you can try to hit up all the attractions for a set total price.
But if you are traveling with kids and know that you will be spending a lot of time at each attraction, then it’s probably better to just get an explorer pass.
Just for comparison purposes (although I will get into pricing later), a 3 day pass costs about as much as a 4 attraction pass. So if you think you can do more than 4 attractions in 3 days, then it’s better to get the 3 day all inclusive pass (with certain exceptions).
What attractions are included With the Hong Kong Go City Pass?
Both the all-inclusive pass and the explorer pass cover almost the same attractions, with one exception.
Both Go City Passes cover many major attractions attractions in Hong Kong:
- Ngong Ping 360
- Big Bus Hop-on-Hop-Off Discovery Ticket
- Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck
- Monopoly Dreams
- Big Bus Night Tour
- Peak Tram + Sky Terrace 428
They also cover a number of workshops and tours:
- Art of Chocolate Workshop & Tasting
- Chinese Tea Appreciation Workshop
- Beginners’ Chinese Ink Painting Class
- Hong Kong Heritage and History Tour
- Candle Workshop
In addition, if you are into food, the Go City passes cover a number of meals:
- Dim Sum Set Menu
- Cantonese Cuisine Dinner
- Peking Duck Meal at Peking Garden
There are more attractions and tours on their website.
The major exception is the theme parks. Hong Kong Disneyland is only covered in the Explorer Pass whereas Ocean Park Hong Kong is covered in the All-Inclusive Pass.
How Much is the Hong Kong Go City Pass
Hong Kong All-Inclusive Pass Price
| Days | Adult | Child (3-11) |
| 2 Day Pass | HK$1,249 | HK$949 |
| 3 Day Pass | HK$1,649 | HK$1,249 |
| 4 Day Pass | HK$1,999 | HK$1,549 |
| 5 Day Pass | HK$2,499 | HK$1,749 |
| 6 Day Pass | HK$2,999 | HK$1,949 |
| 7 Day Pass | HK$3,449 | HK$2,099 |
Hong Kong Explorer Pass Price
| # of Choices | Adult | Child (3-11) |
| 4 Choices | HK$1,599 | HK$1,099 |
| 5 Choices | HK$1,799 | HK$1,249 |
| 6 Choices | HK$2,049 | HK$1,399 |
| 7 Choices | HK$2,299 | HK$1,549 |
As you can see from this pricing chart, the 4 choice explorer pass (meaning you can pick any 4 attractions) is about the same price as a 3 day pass. So if you know you can do more than 4 attractions within 3 days, then it’s more worth it to get the 3 day pass.
The only caveat is that the Explorer Pass includes Hong Kong Disneyland whereas the All-Inclusive Pass includes Ocean Park. Hong Kong Disneyland is more expensive than Ocean Park.
Is the Hong Kong Go City Pass worth it?
Ultimately everyone is probably going to do something different in Hong Kong, but based on my experience, I will show you the most popular things to do in HK and help you do the math!
In the scenarios below, I won’t be listing every single option, but rather for each pass I will show you a couple of different examples so you get how it works, and can do some math yourselves as well.
Hong Kong All-Inclusive Pass Savings
2 Day Pass Example (HK$1,249 = HK$625 a day)
Day 1
- Ocean Park (HK$498)
- Peking Duck Meal (HK$550)
Day 2
- Hop on Hop off Bus (HK$400)
- Ngong Ping 360 (HK$270) <– I can’t find the pricing for the experience itself, so only the cable car round trip price is 270 if you book it yourself
- Peak Tram Combo (HK$148)
- Cantonese Cuisine Dinner (HK$468)
Total for 2 days if you paid separately: HK$2,334 (HK$1,836 if you don’t go to Ocean Park).
Therefore, as you can see, the 2 day All Inclusive Pass is a great deal even if you don’t go to Ocean Park, as the meals themselves and the hop on hop off bus are all pretty expensive by themselves.
4 Day Pass Example (HK$1,999 = HK$500 a day)
Day 1
- Ocean Park (HK$498)
- Peking Duck Meal (HK$550)
Day 2
- Ngong Ping 360 (HK$270) <– I can’t find the pricing for the experience itself, so only the cable car round trip price is 270 if you book it yourself
- Peak Tram Combo (HK$148)
- Cantonese Cuisine Dinner (HK$468)
- Big Bus Night Tour (HK$320)
Day 3
- Dim Sum Meal: (HK$400)
- Hop on Hop off Bus (HK$400)
- Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck (HK$178)
- Chinese Ink Painting Class (HK$580)
Day 4
- Hong Kong Heritage & History Tour (HK$450)
- Tea Appreciation Workshop (HK$380)
- LKF Pub Crawl (HK$200)
Total Cost of 4 Day (if you booked by yourself): HK$4,842
Again, as you can see based on the math, a 4 day All-inclusive pass is a great deal. You get 3 free meals, different tours, and tickets to see the different attractions.
With the same logic, you can calculate whether the pass is a good deal or not based on things you want to do and how long you are planning to stay in Hong Kong.
Personally, I think the 4 Day pass is the sweet point since it’s equivalent to HK$500 a day (5, 6, and 7 day passes are also HK$500 a day). Most people also don’t spend more than 4 days in Hong Kong.
- 2 Day Pass: HK$1,249 = HK$625 a day
- 3 Day Pass: HK$1,649 = HK$550 a day
- 4 Day Pass: HK$1,999 = HK$500 a day
- 5 Day Pass: HK$2,499 = HK$500 a day
- 6 Day Pass: HK$2,999 = HK$500 a day
- 7 Day Pass: HK$3,499 = HK$500 a day
Hong Kong Explorer Pass Savings
Similar to the All-Inclusive pass above, I will do a couple of calculations to show you how to save money with the explorer pass. Keep in mind that you have 60 days to use up all the choices, so you can take things slow!
4 Choice Pass Example (HK$1,599 = HK$400 an attraction)
- Disneyland (HK$639-879 depends on which day you visit)
- Hop on Hop off Bus (HK$400)
- Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck (HK$178)
- Peking Duck Meal (HK$550)
Total cost without the pass: HK$1,767 – HK$2,007
If you are planning to go to Disneyland, then the 4 choice pass CAN be good value, but you will need to be strategic and pick the most expensive things, such as the hop-on-hop-off bus, walking tour or the set menu meals. If you only pick cheaper options (like the observation deck or museum entrance then it won’t be a good deal).
6 Choice Pass Example (HK$2,049 = HK$342 an attraction)
- Disneyland (HK$639-879 depends on which day you visit)
- Hop on Hop off Bus (HK$400)
- Sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck (HK$178)
- Peking Duck Meal (HK$550)
- Beginning Chinese Ink Painting Class (HK$580)
- Hong Kong heritage and history tour (HK$450)
Total cost without the pass: HK$2,797 – HK$3,037
Even if you are not planning to go to Disneyland, you can still save a bit of money using the 6 choice pass, as long as you pick the most expensive tours/ meals.
Conclusion: Should you get the Hong Kong Go City Pass?
In my honest opinion (and also from using Go City passes in many cities), the passes can help you save money if you pick the expensive attractions, tours, and in this case meals. Based on the math above, you can see how it works, so if you like to do walking tours, classes, hop on hop off bus tours and one of the theme parks, then you can definitely save money.
The Hong Kong Go City pass is not worth it if you just want to go to the peak, see the big buddha and do a couple of museums. You can easily buy cable car (and tram) tickets yourself in that case.
In terms of meals, the restaurants included in the Hong Kong Go City Pass actually have pretty good reviews and the duck meal is at a Michelin Star restaurant (awarded a few years ago). I think it’s totally worth it if you eat a lot and don’t want to bother with figuring out what to eat.
Tips on Maximizing Your Savings with the Go City Pass
Go for the expensive attractions/ tours/ meals
As we’ve seen above in the calculations, to maximize the value of your Go City Pass, you definitely need to use them on the expensive attractions. This means theme parks, meals, hop on hop off bus, walking tours and classes.
Pack your day (with the all-inclusive pass)
If you can only do one attraction a day, then the all-inclusive pass is not so inclusive is it? The more things you can cram into a day, the better value you are getting with your all inclusive pass. Even if you are going to Ocean Park for the day, try to get a meal in or a night bus tour to maximize your savings.
Meal vs. tour, do some analysis
This applies more to the Explorer Pass rather than the all-inclusive pass, since you only get a limited number of options for the explorer pass. If you are only getting 4-5 choices, then I would suggest you prioritize the walking tours and hop on hop off buses rather than meals. There are cheap eats in Hong Kong, so unless you really want to try these foods, I would recommend focusing on tours over meals (even though the meals do look really yummy).
Don’t activate your All-Inclusive Pass later in the day
The All-Inclusive pass is based on the number of days rather than hours, meaning if you activate your pass at any time in a day, that counts as one day. At 12am, it will be the second day. So if you activate your all-inclusive pass at 4pm, your day 1 is from 4pm to 11:59pm. Whereas if you activate your pass at 8am, you get way more hours to do things on Day 1.
If you are arriving later in the day in Hong Kong, don’t use the all-inclusive pass that day. Activate it the next day in the morning to maximize your savings.
The Cheapest Place to Buy the Hong Kong Go City Pass
I always recommend buying the Go City passes from their Official Website, since you don’t have to deal with third party sellers and customer service.
Once you buy the pass online, you will get a confirmation email with an order number. You can also download the Go City app to link your pass to the app, then you are good to go!
I had a bad experience buying the Go City pass from a third party seller where the pass got canceled for no reason. Good thing Go City was able to give me another pass, so going forward, I would only purchase directly from the official website.