Is the Seattle CityPASS Worth It? Prices, Savings Math and CityPASS vs C3

Seattle CityPASS and C3 at a glance

What’s included in the Seattle CityPASS?

The Seattle CityPASS covers five attractions. The Space Needle (Day/Night) and the Seattle Aquarium are fixed, and you pick three more from Chihuly Garden and Glass, the Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, MoPOP, Woodland Park Zoo and Pacific Science Center. You don’t choose your three when you buy; you decide as you go.

The C3 adds three options the CityPASS doesn’t carry: the Museum of Flight (Tukwila, south of downtown), the Seattle Art Museum (downtown) and Sky View Observatory (73rd floor of Columbia Center). On the C3 the Space Needle is general admission only, and the IMAX film that comes with the Needle’s own combo ticket is not included.

New to Seattle Center? Our Chihuly Garden and Glass visitor guide and Seattle landmarks guide explain what each stop is like.

Is the Space Needle included in the Seattle CityPASS?

Yes. Every Seattle CityPASS includes the Space Needle, and it is the Day/Night ticket, two visits instead of one. That sets the CityPASS apart from most other ways to buy Needle admission.

• Day/Night means one daytime visit plus one nighttime visit within 24 hours. On the Space Needle’s own site the standalone Day/Night ticket starts at $72.50, and the night visit is valid during the last three hours of operation.
• CityPASS values it at $76.13 adult and $70.88 child, with box-office prices of roughly $68–$77 adult depending on the day.
• A single general admission costs $35–$55 at the Space Needle. One Tripadvisor reviewer summed up the appeal: “it would have cost us double to go up twice in one day.”
• If you only go up once, the Day/Night value is mostly theoretical. Count it as a $35–$55 general admission and your real savings shrink by $20–$40.

Every way to buy Space Needle admission

For more detail see our guides to Space Needle tickets, the Space Needle and Chihuly combo, and hours and the best time to visit.

How much does the Seattle CityPASS cost in 2026?

The Seattle CityPASS costs $139 per adult (13 and up) and $119 per child (5–12). The Seattle C3 costs $108 adult and $89 child. Major resellers such as Expedia and Groupon list the same $139, with taxes and fees included.

Prices have climbed. Older reviews quote $127 adult and $97 child, and a CityPASS partner page still shows $129/$99 for the CityPASS and $102/$76 for the C3. The child price has risen fastest, so the kids’ deal is less dramatic than it used to be. CityPASS calculates its savings on a pricing year that runs from March 1 to the end of February, so the next change may come around March 2027; that date has not been announced.

Is the Seattle CityPASS worth it? The savings math

For most first-time visitors who use all five attractions, the CityPASS saves roughly $60–$125 per adult. The advertised “up to 47%” is the ceiling. Per citypass.com, its “regular price” is calculated “by combining the highest published box office price of the highest-priced attractions for the year beginning March 1 and ending on the last day of February,” which yields its stated savings of up to $125.37 (47%) for adults and $94.03 (44%) for children. That is fair as a peak-day number and generous on a quiet weekday.

Box-office prices for every included attraction

About the 5% admissions tax: Seattle levies a 5% admission tax on commercial attractions. The Seattle Office of Arts & Culture says that “when you attend certain cultural venues or events in Seattle, like visiting Chihuly Garden and Glass… 5% of your ticket price goes towards the City’s Arts and Culture Fund,” and that “Nonprofit organizations are exempt from the Admission Tax.” CityPASS notes that its Space Needle, Chihuly, Argosy, Museum of Flight and Sky View figures already include applicable taxes. When you compare a pass with a single-ticket quote, check whether tax is added at checkout.

Worked scenarios (per person unless noted)

How we got the family numbers: off-peak adult = Needle $35 + Aquarium $49.95 + Zoo $22.95 + Pacific Science Center $30 + Chihuly $40 = $177.90; off-peak child = $33 + $39.95 + $14.95 + $22 + $35 = $144.90. The peak figure uses CityPASS’s own listed prices ($247.08 adult, $204.03 child).

Break-even rules

• CityPASS ($139): the Space Needle and the Aquarium alone are worth about $85–$126, depending on whether you count the Needle as general admission or Day/Night. Use four attractions and you almost always come out ahead; use three only if you will do both Needle visits.
• C3 ($108): your three picks need to average $36 or more. The Space Needle, the Aquarium and any of Chihuly, Argosy or MoPOP clear that easily. The Museum of Flight, SAM and Sky View total about $86, a $22 loss.
• CityPASS against C3: for $31 more you get two extra attractions and the Day/Night upgrade. If you will realistically do a fourth attraction, buy the CityPASS.
• The $74 combo against separate tickets: a separate Needle admission plus Chihuly costs $75–$100, so the combo wins on most days and adds an IMAX film.

Seattle CityPASS vs C3 vs combo vs individual tickets

The CityPASS suits four or five attractions, the C3 exactly three big ones, the combo the Needle and Chihuly only, and individual tickets one or two cheap or free-day sights.

How the Seattle CityPASS works, step by step

You buy online, get mobile tickets by email, reserve time slots in the My CityPASS app, then scan your ticket or reservation at each door within a 9-day window.

1. Buy at citypass.com or from an authorized reseller. Tickets arrive by email, one per person.
2. Open the My CityPASS app (iPhone, Android, or a browser at my.citypass.com) using the link in your order email; tickets attach once your email is verified.
3. Reserve each attraction in the app. Most bookings happen there, and some redirect to the attraction’s own site. Book as early as you can, especially for the Space Needle in summer and for sunset slots.
4. Show up with your CityPASS ticket, your reservation, or both.
5. Watch the clock: the 9 days start on the first day you visit an attraction or have a reservation. CityPASS’s own example: first visit on the 10th, last valid day the 18th.

Seattle CityPASS reservations

• Reservations are required at all seven Seattle CityPASS attractions. The C3 page lists the zoo as “recommended”; book it anyway.
• Your whole order books together. If your party will split up, buy separate orders, or contact CityPASS Customer Care before making any reservation.
• Reserving affects refunds: you can’t refund tickets with uncancelled reservations, so cancel first, then request the refund.
• It is not skip-the-line. You still go through security and timed-entry queues, and some older third-party listings that promise “skip most lines” are out of date.

Seattle CityPASS for kids, teens and toddlers

The child CityPASS ($119) covers ages 5–12. Teens 13 and up pay the adult $139, and most attractions let the youngest children in free.

• Under 5: the Space Needle is free for 4 and under and Chihuly Garden and Glass for under 4; the Aquarium is free for 3 and under, and the Zoo and Pacific Science Center for 2 and under. A 4-year-old pays $39.95 at the Aquarium, and 3- and 4-year-olds pay at the Zoo and Pacific Science Center. CityPASS lets younger children use a child pass if that is cheaper.
• Teens 13–17 pay the adult pass price, while Pacific Science Center and the Museum of Flight charge youth rates up to 17 and SAM charges teens $19.99. Savings for teens are smaller, though still positive if you use four or five attractions.
• For families, the CityPASS with the Zoo, Pacific Science Center and Chihuly or Argosy as the three choices gives the most for the money.

How many attractions can you do in a day?

Three Seattle Center attractions plus a night visit to the Needle fit comfortably in one day. The waterfront handles two, and the zoo takes half a day on its own.

Parking is not included; see our Space Needle and Seattle Center parking guide.

A 2-day CityPASS plan for first-timers

A 3-day family plan (kids 5–12)

Using one pass on both ends of an Alaska cruise

A 9-day pass can cover both ends of a 7-night round-trip cruise: start the day before you embark (day 1) and you are still valid on disembarkation day (day 9). See the Aquarium and the harbor cruise before sailing and Seattle Center afterwards, and keep the Day/Night’s two Needle visits inside one 24-hour stretch.

What visitors like, and what they complain about

Reviewers like the simplicity and the double Space Needle visit. Complaints center on the value of the Argosy cruise, rigid group reservations, and the Seattle Art Museum being missing from the five-attraction pass.

• Praise: “These passes paid for themselves within the first two locations,” one CityPASS reviewer wrote. Others mention easy rebooking in the app and the sunset-and-lights Day/Night pairing.
• The Argosy cruise has well-reviewed guides, but Tripadvisor reviewers call it “a little pricey for an hour’s tour” and note similar views from the Bainbridge ferry. CityPASS values it at $48.29, and Argosy’s own site starts at $37. Pick it on a clear day and skip it in fog. If you want a harbor cruise outside the pass, our pick on GetYourGuide is the Seattle: Harbor Cruise with Local Guide ($43, 4.8/5 from 746 reviews), a one-hour narrated cruise.
• Chihuly is consistently top-rated: first of 925 things to do in Seattle on Tripadvisor, at 4.8/5. For background, read about Dale Chihuly and glassblowing in Seattle. If Chihuly is the only one of the five you care about, the Chihuly Garden and Glass Entry Ticket ($48, 4.7/5 from 465 reviews) costs about a third of the pass.
• A recent CityPASS reviewer wished the five-attraction pass included the Seattle Art Museum; only the C3 does.

Where to buy, and is there a discount code or Costco deal?

Buy direct from CityPASS or a reputable reseller at the same $139. There is no reliable public discount code, and we found no current US Costco deal on the Seattle CityPASS.

• Direct from citypass.com: a 365-day refund on fully unused tickets and mobile delivery, the most flexible option.
• Resellers: Expedia and Groupon list the same $139, and GetYourGuide sells the Seattle CityPASS: 5 Top Attractions ($139, 4.7/5 from 891 reviews). Some Asian and Australian marketplace listings are non-refundable, so read the cancellation line before you pay.
• Costco: a Costco Canada page shows an old booklet-exchange Seattle CityPASS e-voucher, probably a legacy listing, and a local deals blog reports no US Costco Seattle CityPASS. Sam’s Club’s travel services hub lists CityPASS.
• Discount codes: deal sites report that CityPASS doesn’t adjust the price if a promo appears after you buy, and codes rarely work on Seattle.

Is there a Go City Seattle pass?

No. According to VacationPass.com, “The Go Seattle Card has been discontinued by Smart Destinations” (the company that later merged with Leisure Pass and relaunched as Go City), and CityPASS, with its C3, is the only multi-attraction pass operator in Seattle in 2026. The Space Needle’s own Seattle Top Tix bundles, for example with Argosy, are the closest alternative.

Our picks by traveler

Skip the CityPASS if you will only go up the Needle once and do fewer than four attractions, your trip is one day, your group wants to split up, or the forecast is low cloud, since the views are the point.

Free and cheap alternatives

• Seattle Art Museum: “On First Thursdays, admission is FREE to all,” per seattleartmuseum.org (10am–8pm, with live music and drop-in art making from 5 to 8pm). The next date is Thursday, November 5, 2026.
• Museum of Flight: admission is free on the first Thursday of each month from 5 to 9pm, and “Reservations are not required,” per museumofflight.org; arrive before 5pm and you pay. The next date is November 5, 2026.
• Pike Place Market, the waterfront and the Kerry Park views are free.
• The Bainbridge ferry gives you the skyline from the water, and many travelers compare it with the Argosy cruise.

Things to check before you buy

• Sky View Observatory: Tripadvisor’s listing says “Temporarily Closed for General Admission,” but the official site sells $27 standard tickets and CityPASS still lists it on the C3 with a “may have limited dates and hours” note. Confirm before choosing it as a C3 pick.
• MoPOP prices vary by source: CityPASS gives about $37–$45 adult, and a Groupon article cites plan-ahead pricing from $26.50.
• Zoo reservations are “required” on the CityPASS page and “recommended” on the C3 page; book one either way.
• CityPASS’s “regular price” totals differ between its media kit ($261/$207) and its website ($264.37/$213.03).
• Night visits for CityPASS holders: we could not confirm whether you need a timed slot for the night visit; standalone Day/Night tickets need none.
• Prices are dynamic, especially around CityPASS’s March 1 pricing year, and admission tax inclusion varies by seller, so check at checkout.
• SAM’s south wing is temporarily closed through December 10, 2026; enter at First and Union.

Frequently asked questions

Is the Seattle CityPASS worth it?

Yes, if you will use four or five of its attractions; savings run about $60–$125 per adult. For the Space Needle and Chihuly alone, the $74 combo is cheaper.

How much is the Seattle CityPASS in 2026?

$139 for adults (13 and up) and $119 for children aged 5–12.

Does the Seattle CityPASS include the Space Needle?

Yes, as a Day/Night ticket: two visits, one by day and one by night, within 24 hours.

Is the Space Needle on the C3 a Day/Night ticket?

No. The C3 includes general admission only.

Do I need reservations with the CityPASS?

Yes, at all seven CityPASS attractions; you book them in the My CityPASS app.

When does the 9-day clock start?

On the first day you visit an attraction or have a reservation.

Can I get a refund?

If you bought direct, you get a full refund on entirely unused tickets within 365 days, but not after any use or with uncancelled reservations.

Does the CityPASS skip the line?

No. Expect timed entry and security lines.

Is there a Seattle Go City pass?

No. CityPASS and its C3 are the only multi-attraction passes in Seattle.

Can teens use a child pass?

No. Ages 13 and up pay the adult price.

Can our group split up?

Only if you buy separate orders or contact CityPASS before making reservations.

Is parking included?

No. Seattle Center has paid garages and lots; our parking guide lists them.