Seattle CityPASS: five attractions
This is the larger bundle and the one most visitors choose. Two attractions are set for you, and you can pick the other three later, even after you have bought the pass.
- Space Needle, with a day/night pass that lets you visit once in daytime and once at night within 24 hours.
- Seattle Aquarium, where you can explore historic Pier 59, Pier 60 and the newer Ocean Pavilion.
Then round out your trip with any three of these:
- Chihuly Garden and Glass, where a free audio tour plays on your own smartphone as you wander.
- Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, a one-hour guided trip around Elliott Bay.
- Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), with access to every gallery and its interactive experiences.
- Woodland Park Zoo, including all exhibits, animal keeper talks and some daily activities.
- Pacific Science Center, home to permanent exhibits such as the Tropical Butterfly House, plus daytime laser shows and Planetarium shows with limited capacity.
You pay $139 as an adult and $119 for kids 5 to 12, and CityPASS says this saves up to 47 percent for adults and up to 44 percent for children.
Seattle C3: any three attractions
Planning a shorter stay? C3 lets you choose any three stops from a wider list that includes all seven attractions above, plus three the five-stop pass leaves out: The Museum of Flight, Seattle Art Museum and Sky View Observatory. Here the Space Needle and Aquarium are optional rather than required.
C3 currently costs $108 for adults and $89 for children 5 to 12, with savings listed at up to 28 percent. If aviation or art is what draws you to Seattle, this is the only way to fold those museums into a bundle.
From Purchase to the Front Gate
Once you buy online, an email arrives with a separate ticket for each person in your group, and you can print it if you prefer paper. When you reach the gate, you show your CityPASS ticket, your reservation, or both, depending on the attraction.
Reserve a time at every stop
All seven attractions in the five-stop pass require a reserved time. Book through the My CityPASS app for iPhone and Android, or use the web app at my.citypass.com, which also lists hours, locations and maps for each stop.
Reserve as early as you can, because popular time slots fill. Some buyers have reported trouble landing the reservations they wanted, so lock in the Space Needle and any weekend visits first.
Your nine-day window
The clock starts on the first day you visit an attraction or hold a reservation, not on the day you buy. Make your first visit on the 10th of the month, for example, and your last valid day is the 18th. You have one year from purchase to start using your tickets.
Good rules to know
- Visit the attractions in any order you like.
- There is no daily limit, so feel free to stack several stops into one day.
- Each attraction allows one admission unless its details say otherwise, as with the Space Needle day and night visits.
- You owe nothing extra for included admission, though some attractions sell optional upgrades.
- CityPASS advertises risk-free refunds within 365 days, so read the current terms before relying on it.
Traveling as separate groups
Reservations are made together for every ticket in one order. If people in your party want to see different places or go at different times, buy a separate order for each group. Decide to split after buying? Contact CityPASS Customer Care before you make any reservations.
Does It Save You Money?
CityPASS measures its savings against the highest published box office price at each attraction for the year, so your real savings may be smaller. Box office prices vary by day at several stops, and the comparison leaves out senior, student, military, resident and promotional discounts.
A quick break-even check
At the top published adult prices, the Space Needle day/night pass runs about $76 and the Aquarium about $50. Together that comes to roughly $126, close to the $139 pass price, so adding any one of the choice attractions puts you ahead on paper.
The math tightens on cheaper days. Adult box office prices at the Space Needle range from about $68 to $77, and the zoo from about $22 to $37. If you will realistically use only three of your five admissions, compare C3 or single tickets instead.
Bringing young children
The CityPASS child price covers ages 5 to 12, and anyone 13 or older pays the adult rate. Younger kids often get in free anyway: children 4 and under are free at the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass and MoPOP. The Aquarium and Argosy cruise admit ages 3 and under free, while the zoo and Pacific Science Center admit ages 2 and under free.
Attraction age bands do not always match the CityPASS age band, so check each attraction's rules before buying tickets for a preschooler.
Plan Your Days Around the Pass
Seattle's layout makes the pass easy to use well. The Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass and MoPOP all sit at Seattle Center, with the glass garden right beneath the Needle, so you can pair all three into one afternoon without moving the car.
Based downtown? Hop on the Seattle Center Monorail, a quick link between Westlake Center and Seattle Center. The Aquarium and the Argosy harbor cruise both sit on the waterfront, which makes them a natural second day.
Woodland Park Zoo lies farther north, so give it a half day of its own. At the Space Needle, try arriving near dusk to catch the daylight views, then head back after dark within your 24-hour window.
Fit it into a bigger trip
Nine days is generous, so spread your visits out and leave room for free sights. Browse our guide to things to do in Seattle to balance paid admissions with markets and walks, and explore our guide to Seattle landmarks for the icons beyond the pass.
For downtime between attractions, our Seattle parks guide lists green spaces that cost nothing. Our Seattle neighborhoods guide can help you pick a base close to Seattle Center or the waterfront.
The Bottom Line
Seattle CityPASS makes the most sense if you are a first-time visitor planning to use all five admissions, especially the Space Needle. Choose C3 for a short stay or if you want The Museum of Flight, Seattle Art Museum or Sky View Observatory. Either way, book your reservations early, and confirm current prices and terms on citypass.com before you buy.
