Boston Pass Calculator: Go City vs CityPASS (2026)
Boston is a three-way call: Go City's all-inclusive and Explorer passes, plus Boston CityPASS, which locks in the Aquarium and Museum of Science and lets you add two more. The Freedom Trail is free, so a history-first trip may not need any of them. Tick your list and see.
1. Who's going, and for how long?
Days matter for unlimited passes; pick-a-number passes give you weeks.
2. What do you want to see?
Gate prices are our researched baselines (as of July 2026).
Live prices for the attractions you ticked above. Buying these one by one is the honest option whenever a pass doesn't beat the gate.
Prices per person in USD unless noted. Children priced at each operator's child rate where published; gate-price child tickets estimated at 80% of adult. Choice-slot menu rules are simplified; the linked booking pages have the exact menus.
How the Boston passes actually work
Go City or Boston CityPASS?
CityPASS is the cheaper bundle for the family classics: the Aquarium, the Museum of Science and two more picks. Go City's passes are broader and add the trolley, the Tea Party Ships and the Gardner Museum. If your list is four-plus attractions in a couple of packed days, price all three: the calculator does.
Is the Freedom Trail on a pass?
The Freedom Trail itself is free to walk, and many of its stops (the USS Constitution ship, several churches) cost nothing. A history-first Boston trip often does not need a pass at all, and the calculator will say so if your list is mostly free sights.
When does buying tickets win?
Short lists and the uncovered heavy hitters: the whale watch and the Fenway Park tour are on no pass, so a day built around those is cheaper bought directly.