I love my home country Singapore but it isn’t always the cheapest country to visit, especially when compared with neighbouring countries around South-east Asia, so I’m always on the lookout for how to help my overseas friends save some money when visiting Singapore.
City passes where attractions are bundled and sold together for a collectively lower price are a popular way to save some money, BUT from my experience you have to know how to maximise your use of them, and another factor to consider is the time period and flexibility of use of the pass.
The folks from GoCity let me check out the GoCity Singapore Pass and here’s my review on how you can get the most out of this pass, especially if you are an indie solo traveller like I am.
I received a pair of passes from GoCity to review for this article and the links to GoCity in this blog are affiliate links (no extra cost to you, but may give me some small commission that keeps the blog running). But what you’re reading here are my personal experiences from using the pass and my tips on who I think can best use this pass.
What is the GoCity Singapore Pass?
GoCity is a sightseeing pass that you can use to save money when seeing various attractions around Singapore. You can either pre-buy a set amount of attractions (Explorer Pass) or buy unlimited attraction entrances for a fixed time period (All-inclusive pass), but the idea is that you don’t have to waste time buying separate tickets, and you can get some discounts as well.
GoCity has passes all around the world, but as of this blogpost, their Singapore pass currently has 45 different activities or attractions for you to choose from which are listed on their website, some of them include:
- Popular sightseeing spots like Gardens by the Bay to the Singapore Zoo
- Sightseeing tours like Ducktours and the Cable Car
- Experiences like food tours, cycling tours and candle making
That’s not a bad number of activities to choose from for a start, but you can choose to get the pass for a certain amount of time (All-Inclusive) or per attraction (Explorer). Let’s dig in a little more.
How to maximise the GoCity Singapore Pass
I had the Explorer Pass for 3 attractions which was selling for S$129 or S$43 per attraction.
What I like about the pricing page is that it breaks down what the cost per attraction is for the pass, so it’s easier for you to do the mental math and see if your pass is worthwhile.
The simple way to try and maximise the pass is to consider that as long as the cost of buying directly is higher than the GoCity cost per attraction, then the GoCity cost is worthwhile because it saves you money.
Based on the current list of attractions, that means places like any of the Mandai Wildlife Reserve parks, Gardens by the Bay domes and the bicycle, food or kayak tours would be some of the best ways to maximise the Explorer pass as the fees are over S$43.
Of course if your pass covered more attractions, you can bring the cost per attraction even lower (around S$35 if you’re covering 7 attractions).
I also like that you have 60 days from the time you use your first attraction to use your pass, so you don’t have to worry too much about buying the pass too early, and 60 days or 2 months is more than enough time to see all the attractions.
My experience using the GoCity Singapore pass
Bird Paradise / Singapore Zoo
The first location that I booked was Bird Paradise, and that was pretty straightforward on the app as I did not need to make any prebooking. However, when you go to Bird Paradise and tried to scan the QR code at the gate, only then I was told I had to go to the membership counter to exchange my QR code for an actual ticket.
That process took a bit longer than expected because the guy at the counter had to create an invoice for me to sign off on, but after that I received my actual ticket and it was quite straightforward to enter the park.
Subsequently when I visited the Singapore Zoo, I was a bit more prepared so things went quite smoothly. The only issue here is that you’ll probably want to buffer some time for the additional administration to get the ticket when you enter, but otherwise it’s not a big deterrent.
I have yet to use my 3rd attraction, but most likely I’m going to do the kayaking tour! This way when comparing the cost of my activities ($49 + $49 + $85 = $183) vs the cost of the pass ($129), I’ve saved over $50 which is not a bad sum! For a solo traveller that can cover a few meals at the hawker centre.
Of course this may not take into account any ongoing promotions (Mandai Wildlife has bundles for buying tickets to multiple parks for example), but you have to check against what you want to do to see if it is worthwhile.
Which GoCity Singapore pass should you get?
GoCity Singapore Explorer Pass: Best for those who plan but like some flexibility in itinerary
The Explorer Pass which I had was priced on number of attractions, so if you already have planned what you want to see, it’s easy to calculate to see whether the pass offers you any savings.
You have 60 days from the time of the first entry so you don’t have to rush to use the tickets over consecutive days, which is great if you are based in Singapore or someone on a more relaxed type of holiday.
My personal preference would be for the Explorer Pass as I think the flexibility is more useful to solo travellers like myself who like having some free and easy time.
GoCity Singapore All-Inclusive Pass: best for those who plan very packed itineraries
The All-Inclusive Pass is priced on a per day rate which for a typical tourist who stays in Singapore about 3-4 days is about S$400-500 in total, or about S$120-130 per day. I think this might be a tougher one to maximise properly as you would really have to pack your days quite intensely to get your money’s worth.
You don’t have the flexibility of time, but if you are already planning to pack your itinerary (E.g. Universal Studios in the day + Night Safari at night, or all 4 wildlife parks over 2 days, or doing the food/bike tours alongside seeing the sights) it may be worthwhile to consider.
Where to get the GoCity Singapore pass
Get the GoCity Singapore pass online.
Comparing GoCity to other Singapore attraction passes
GoCity isn’t the only one offering attraction pass bundles, here are some other companies that offer the same. The offerings and terms and conditions are different for each, so again you’ll need to do your research and see what works best for you.
Klook Pass Singapore
Klook Pass Singapore [affiliate link] is similar to GoCity Explorer pass where you pay for a number of attractions in a bundle.
Comparing Klook and GoCity options of attractions:
- Klook selection has 32 options, with both Gardens by the Bay domes and Universal Studios as add on options
- GoCity’s selection of 45 options is larger, which besides attraction entrance, also includes more tours and experiences
Comparing Klook and GoCity number of attractions in bundle:
- Klook lets you create bundles from 2 to a max of 10 attractions in a bundle
- GoCity has a smaller option with a max of 7 attractions in a bundle
- Klook does let you create bundles of up to 10 attractions as compared to GoCity’s max of 7 attractions in a bundle.
Comparing Klook and GoCity validity:
- You have to utilise Klook’s pass within 30 days from first use
- GoCity pass is valid 60 days from first use
Comparing Klook and GoCity prices:
- 3-attraction: Klook Pass Singapore is currently at $118 (o.p. $187) vs GoCity’s $129 (o.p. $144) so it’s slightly cheaper
- 7-attraction: it is about on par – $242 (o.p. $355) for Klook and $249 (o.p. $274) for GoCity
Pelago Pass
Pelago Pass is similar to GoCity Explorer pass where you pay for a number of attractions in a bundle.
Comparing Pelago and GoCity options of attractions:
- Pelago has 33 options with both Gardens by the Bay domes and Universal Studios as add on options, as compared to GoCity’s larger selection of 45 options which besides attraction entrance, also includes more tours and experiences
Comparing Pelago and GoCity number of attractions in bundle:
- Singapore City Pass only has bundles for 1, 2 or 3 attractions
- GoCity has a wider option from 2 to a max of 7 attractions in a bundle
- Klook does let you create bundles of up to 10 attractions as compared to GoCity’s max of 7 attractions in a bundle.
Comparing Pelago and GoCity validity:
- You have to utilise Pelago pass within 30 days from first use
- GoCity pass is valid 60 days from first use
Comparing Pelago and GoCity prices:
- 3-attraction: Klook Pass Singapore is currently at $118 (o.p. $187) vs GoCity’s $129 (o.p. $144) so it’s slightly cheaper
- 7-attraction: it is about on par – $242 (o.p. $355) for Klook and $249 (o.p. $274) for GoCity
FunVee SG City Pass
FunVee SG City Pass Adventure is similar to GoCity Explorer pass where you pay for a number of attractions in a bundle, but they have some mandatory inclusions.
Comparing FunVee SG City Pass Adventure and GoCity options of attractions:
- FunVee SG City Pass Adventure has 2 mandatory inclusions (DUKW Tour, FunVee Hop On Hop Off) with a selection of 2 other attractions from a list of 10 attractions
- GoCity All-Inclusive Pass has a larger selection of 45 options to choose from
Comparing FunVee SG City Pass Adventure and GoCity number of attractions in bundle:
- FunVee SG City Pass Adventure offers 4 attractions but only 2 can be customised
- GoCity has a wider option from 2 to a max of 7 attractions in a bundle
Comparing FunVee SG City Pass Adventure and GoCity validity:
- You have to utilise FunVee SG City Pass Adventure within 30 days of purchase
- GoCity pass is valid 60 days from first use
Comparing FunVee SG City Pass Adventure and GoCity prices:
- 4-attraction: Singapore City Pass is currently at $159 (o.p. $242) vs GoCity’s $399 (o.p. $439) – GoCity Explorer Pass for 3 days is cheaper than Singapore City Pass but does not include Universal Studios
Are you an avid city pass user on your travels? Let me know about your experiences with GoCity or other city passes in Singapore. Alternatively if you’d rather let someone else show you around without the hassle of planning, why not hire me as your tourist guide to show you around my home country Singapore?
I’m a licensed Singapore tourist guide, click here to learn more about my private tours around Singapore.