Is the Go City Madrid Pass worth it?
Worth it — but only if you pick the right tier and the right attractions
The Go City Explorer Pass at 4 choices (€99) saves meaningfully — €40 or more — when you stack the Prado guided tour, Bernabéu, and two other paid attractions. The Essentials Pass (€59) does not break even on any realistic combination. The All-Inclusive is best for visitors doing a packed 2+ consecutive days of sightseeing. For art-focused visitors planning only the Golden Triangle museums, the Paseo del Arte card (€40) undercuts all three Go City tiers.
Prices verified August 2026- €59 (Essentials) · €79 (Explorer · All-Inclusive)
- From
- 30 days from first use
- Validity
- 7 attractions (Essentials) · 20–28 (Explorer / All-Inclusive)
- Pool
- 3–5 day first-time visits
- Best for
- Not included
- Transport
Three passes, one provider — how they work
Go City operates three distinct products in Madrid. The Essentials Pass (€59) gives you three credits to spend across a short list of seven mid-tier attractions — walking tours, the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Banksy Museum, and a few others. The Explorer Pass (€79–159) gives you 3 to 7 credits redeemable across a full pool of 20+ attractions, including every major paid sight in the city. The All-Inclusive Pass (€79–189) gives you unlimited entry to 28 attractions over 1 to 5 consecutive calendar days.
All three are credit-based or day-based models, not fixed bundles — you choose what to visit rather than receiving a pre-selected set of attractions. Your pass lives in the Go City app, which handles reservations, opening hours, and entry instructions for each attraction.
The passes are not equivalent products at different price points. They serve genuinely different visitor profiles, and the wrong choice for your itinerary will cost you more than individual tickets would have.
What each tier covers — and what it doesn't
Essentials Pass — €59, 3 choices
The Essentials Pass is Go City's entry-level product, built around a shorter list of seven mid-tier experiences: the Thyssen-Bornemisza, the Banksy Museum, Las Ventas bullring, IKONO, a tapas and churros tour, a walking tour, and a self-guided day trip to Toledo. The Prado, Royal Palace, and Bernabéu are not on the list.
On pure savings, the Essentials Pass doesn't stack up — the attractions on its list are individually inexpensive enough that buying them separately usually costs less than €59. But that's not quite the right frame for this pass. Its real use case is convenience: one booking, one QR code, three experiences sorted before you land. For visitors who want a light, low-pressure introduction to Madrid's paid attractions without committing to a full sightseeing programme, that has genuine value.
One exception worth noting: if a day trip to Toledo was already on your itinerary, folding it into the Essentials Pass alongside two other choices makes the overall cost reasonable. Use that Toledo credit as the anchor and treat the other two as a bonus.
Explorer Pass — €79 to €159, 3 to 7 choices
The Explorer Pass covers the full attraction pool — including the Prado as a guided tour, the Bernabéu, Big Bus, flamenco at Torres Bermejas, and the Royal Palace. Those are the expensive options, and using your credits there is what makes the pass worth it.
At three choices, the saving is real but narrow — it only works if two of your three credits go to the Prado and Bernabéu. At four choices, the saving becomes clear. The calculator below shows the exact figures for whichever combination matches your itinerary.
Credits are valid for 30 days from first use, so there is no pressure to stack visits into a single day. You can do the Prado on day one, the Bernabéu on day three, and a flamenco show on your last evening — the pass works around your pace, not the other way around.
All-Inclusive Pass — €79 to €189, 1 to 5 days
The All-Inclusive covers 28 attractions over a fixed number of consecutive calendar days — day 1 starts at your first scan and ends at midnight regardless of when you began. The 1-day pass (€79) is marginal for most visitors; you need to fit three or four paid attractions into a single day to justify it. The 2-day pass (€129) is the sweet spot: two packed days across the Prado, Bernabéu, Big Bus, and a flamenco evening runs to around €180 in individual tickets, a saving of roughly €50.
Slower travellers — long lunches, unplanned afternoons, late starts — will not extract that value. The Explorer Pass is the more honest fit for that pace.
Break-even calculator
Select your attractions to see whether a pass saves money versus individual tickets. Explorer credits are priced at the 4-choice pass by default — adjust the tier using the selector.
Select 4 attractions (4/4 selected)
Best value credits
Good value credits
Lower value credits
What's NOT included
These are popular Madrid attractions no pass tier covers. If your itinerary leans on any of these, individual tickets will likely work out cheaper.
- Retiro Park — free to enter
- Temple of Debod — free entry
- Almudena Cathedral — free entry
- Gran Vía and Puerta del Sol — public spaces
- Picasso's Guernica at Reina Sofia (viewable during free entry windows)
- Warner Bros. Park Madrid — theme park, separate operator
- Real Madrid match tickets — stadium tour only, not match access
- Public transport (Metro, bus) — not included on any tier
Who should buy which pass
Buy the Explorer Pass (4-choice or 5-choice)
First-time visitors with 3 to 5 days in Madrid who want to cover the Prado, Bernabéu, and two or three other paid experiences. The 4-choice pass at €99 is the default recommendation for most visitors: it covers the two highest-value anchors plus a Big Bus orientation day and an evening at a flamenco tablao, with meaningful savings and no schedule pressure beyond the 30-day window. The 5-choice pass (€114) makes sense if you are adding the Royal Palace or a day trip. Above 5 choices, verify the individual prices carefully — the incremental saving per additional credit narrows as you move into lower-value attractions.
Buy the All-Inclusive (2-day)
Visitors doing a dedicated 2-day sightseeing sprint who want the flexibility of unlimited entry without counting credits. The 2-day pass at €129 suits travellers who know they will start early, fit in 3 to 4 paid attractions per day, and have reservations locked before they arrive. Families with children who tick through attractions quickly often find the All-Inclusive easier to manage than tracking individual credits.
Buy the Essentials Pass — with caveats
The Essentials Pass at €59 suits budget travellers who want a light, low-pressure introduction to Madrid's paid attractions without committing to a full Explorer pass. Savings are not the point here — the value is one booking, one QR code, three experiences ready before you land. If a Toledo day trip was already on your itinerary, using it as the Essentials anchor makes the overall cost reasonable. If pure savings is the priority, individual tickets will usually cost less.
Skip all three Go City tiers
If your Madrid itinerary is built around the three art museums of the Golden Triangle — Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza, Reina Sofia — the Paseo del Arte card covers all three for €40, valid for one year from first use. That is less than the cheapest Go City tier, and it accounts for the fact that the Reina Sofia is free on Saturday afternoons and Sunday mornings in any case. Visitors whose Madrid days lean heavily on free attractions (Retiro Park, Temple of Debod, Almudena Cathedral, the neighbourhood streets of La Latina and Lavapiés) will find that no pass tier adds much value. Our guide to whether a city pass is worth it runs through those cases in detail.
If you are still deciding whether Go City is the right programme for your trip — not just for Madrid but as a general pass option — the Go City pass review covers how the three models compare across all destinations.
Other Madrid pass options
Paseo del Arte Card — €40
The Paseo del Arte is Madrid's museum bundle: one visit to the Prado (€15 individually), one to the Thyssen-Bornemisza (€13), and one to the Reina Sofia (€12), all for €40. The individual total is €40 without the card — the saving is modest but the card also includes skip-the-line access at the Thyssen. It is valid for one year from first use, so there is no pressure to visit all three in the same day. Available online and at any of the three museum ticket desks. If all three Golden Triangle museums are on your list and you have no interest in the Bernabéu, Big Bus, or flamenco, this card is the right answer. Visiting Barcelona on the same trip? The Barcelona pass comparison covers a similarly complex multi-product landscape.
The Madrid Pass — €102
A fixed bundle covering the Bernabéu tour, Royal Palace fast-track entry, Big Bus 1-day, and an audio guide app. The individual cost of those three headline attractions exceeds what the Go City Explorer 4-choice pass charges for the same sights — with more flexibility and a larger attraction pool on top. Hard to recommend the Madrid Pass over Explorer at its current price.
Madrid Family Fun Pass — €87
A family-targeted bundle covering Zoo Aquarium Madrid, Museum of Illusions, and Parque de Atracciones Madrid. Entirely different audience from the Go City passes — relevant only for families with young children whose itinerary centres on those three attractions. If that describes your trip, check the current prices for each individually before assuming the bundle saves money.
Which Go City Madrid pass is worth buying?
The Explorer Pass at 4 choices (€99) offers the clearest value — a saving of around €48 when you pick the Prado guided tour, Bernabéu, Big Bus, and one other paid experience. The Essentials Pass (€59) does not break even on any realistic combination of its available attractions. The All-Inclusive is worth considering if you plan to do 4 or more paid attractions across 2 consecutive days.
Is the Essentials Pass worth it in Madrid?
Not for savings. The highest-value attraction on the Essentials list is the Thyssen-Bornemisza at €13 individually — the rest (Las Ventas, Banksy Museum, IKONO, walking tours) are similarly low-priced. The best realistic 3-choice combination costs around €46 in individual tickets, against a pass price of €59. The Essentials Pass is a convenience product, not a savings vehicle.
Does the Go City Madrid pass include the Prado Museum?
Yes — on the Explorer and All-Inclusive tiers. The pass version is a guided group tour of the Prado's highlights, not self-guided entry. If you prefer to explore the museum independently at your own pace, buy the €15 direct ticket instead. The Essentials Pass does not include the Prado.
Is the Reina Sofia free with the Go City pass?
The Reina Sofia is included on Explorer and All-Inclusive tiers, but it is also free to enter every Saturday from 14:30–21:00 and every Sunday morning from 10:00–14:30. If your schedule allows either window, visit for free and use your credit on a paid attraction instead.
Does the Go City pass include the Bernabéu?
Yes — on the Explorer and All-Inclusive tiers. The pass version is a guided tour (individual price €35). Note that the Bernabéu closes to visitors on match days, typically 5 hours before kickoff. Check the Real Madrid fixture calendar before building your itinerary around this visit.
Is the Paseo del Arte better than the Go City pass?
For art-focused visitors, yes. The Paseo del Arte covers the Prado, Thyssen-Bornemisza, and Reina Sofia for €40 — less than the cheapest Go City tier. If those three museums are your main reason for visiting Madrid's paid attractions, the Paseo del Arte is the better value. The Go City pass earns its value when you add the Bernabéu, Big Bus, and other non-museum experiences to your itinerary.
Does the Go City Madrid pass include public transport?
No. Neither the Essentials, Explorer, nor All-Inclusive pass includes Metro or bus travel. Madrid's Metro is inexpensive — a 10-trip card (Metrobús) costs around €12.20 — so budget for transport separately.
Before you buy — things to know
- The Essentials Pass does not include the Prado, Royal Palace, or Bernabéu — the three highest-value attractions in Madrid. At €59, you cannot break even on any realistic Essentials itinerary.
- The Prado Museum Guided Tour on the pass is a guided group tour — you cannot use your pass credit for self-guided entry only. If you prefer to explore independently, buy the €15 direct ticket instead.
- All-Inclusive days run on calendar days, not 24-hour periods. A pass activated at 14:00 expires at midnight the same day — start early.
- Reina Sofia is free every Saturday afternoon (14:30–21:00) and Sunday morning (10:00–14:30). Using a pass credit here when you could visit free is one of the most common ways to lose value.
- Bernabéu tours are cancelled on match days — the stadium closes 5 hours before kickoff. Check the Real Madrid fixture calendar before building your itinerary around this visit.
- Royal Palace entry is free for EU and Ibero-American citizens on Monday–Thursday afternoons. Non-EU visitors (US, UK, Australia) pay €14 direct — the pass credit has genuine value for them.
- Five attractions on the Explorer and All-Inclusive list require advance reservations (R). Failing to book ahead means arriving and being turned away — the pass does not guarantee entry without a reservation slot.
- The Toledo self-guided day trip uses a pass credit but Toledo is reachable by public bus from Madrid Plaza Elíptica for €6–12 round-trip. Using a credit for this is poor value — visit Toledo independently and save credits for Madrid attractions.