Is the Go City Singapore Pass worth it?

S$99 (Essentials)

From

Essentials, Explorer, All-Inclusive

Passes

38–48 options

Attractions

30 days from first use

Validity

90 days (non-activated)

Refund

First: which Singapore Tourist Pass are you looking for?

Singapore has two different things called a "tourist pass" and they have nothing to do with each other. Knowing which one you're asking about saves a lot of confusion before you buy anything.

The Singapore Tourist Pass (STP) is a transit card for getting around the city — unlimited MRT train and bus rides for one, two, or three days, priced at S$17, S$24, or S$29 plus a refundable S$10 deposit. It gets you between places. It doesn't get you into any of them.

The Go City Singapore pass is a sightseeing pass — it covers paid admission to Gardens by the Bay, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Marina Bay Sands, and 40+ other attractions. No transport included.

Most visitors end up wanting both. The rest of this page covers the Go City sightseeing pass — what it costs, which tier makes sense for your trip, and whether it saves money. If you're specifically weighing up the MRT transit card, the short answer is: worth it if you're making six or more public transport journeys per day; otherwise an EZ-Link top-up card is simpler and more flexible.

Three passes — three genuinely different products

Go City Singapore isn't a single pass at different price points. It's three structurally different products that suit different types of visitors.

The Essentials Pass (S$99 adult) gives you three attractions from a curated shortlist of about nine options — Gardens by the Bay, Cable Car, Singapore Zoo, Night Safari, Hop-on Hop-off Bus, and a few others. No decisions beyond which three you pick. Simple, quick, and the cheapest entry point if your shortlist happens to match the fixed pool.

The Explorer Pass (S$134–S$259) lets you choose 3 to 7 attractions from a pool of 48 — the largest and most flexible option. You have 30 days from your first use to visit your chosen number. This is the right choice for most visitors: it opens the full attraction catalogue while letting you move at your own pace.

The All-Inclusive Pass (S$299–S$599) gives unlimited access to 38 attractions across a fixed number of consecutive calendar days — two through seven. The key word is "calendar" — the day counts from midnight to midnight, not 24 hours from first use. If you activate your pass at 3pm, you lose the morning of Day 1. That said, one attraction alone changes the calculation: Universal Studios Singapore is All-Inclusive only. It's not available on Explorer or Essentials.

Essentials vs Explorer: the S$35 question

The Essentials Pass costs S$99 for three fixed attractions. The Explorer 3-choice costs S$134 — S$35 more — and opens a pool of 48 options instead of nine. That S$35 buys you access to Skypark Sentosa by AJ Hackett (S$84 individually, Explorer only), the Historical Singapore Bicycle Tour (S$80, Explorer only), Scentopia (S$95, Explorer only), and dozens of other venues that aren't in the Essentials shortlist.

The Essentials Pass makes sense in one scenario: you've looked at the shortlist, identified three attractions you definitely want — Zoo, Night Safari, and Gardens by the Bay is the obvious combination at S$156 individually versus S$99 with the pass — and you have no interest in anything outside that nine-option pool. In that case, S$99 is the right answer and Explorer's extra flexibility is wasted money.

For most visitors who haven't locked in a specific three, Explorer is the better starting point. The 4-choice tier at S$169 is the sweet spot: four high-value picks from the full pool, a per-attraction cost of roughly S$42, and a Night Safari + Cable Car + Gardens Bay + Big Bus combination comes to S$239 individually — a S$70 saving over the pass price.

The Universal Studios question

Universal Studios Singapore costs S$89 individually and is one of the first things families put on their Singapore list. It is not available on the Essentials or Explorer pass — All-Inclusive only. If USS is on your itinerary, that decision is already made. One thing to know: USS requires same-day booking via the Go City app rather than a walk-up scan at the gate.

With USS in the picture, the 2-day All-Inclusive at S$299 starts to look very different. A Day 1 combining USS (S$89), Singapore Zoo (S$49), Night Safari (S$58), and River Wonders (S$45) comes to S$241 in individual tickets before Day 2 has started. Add Gardens by the Bay (S$46), the Marina Bay Sands SkyPark (S$35), and the Hop-on Hop-off Bus (S$65) on Day 2 and you reach S$437 in individual ticket value versus S$299 for the pass — a S$138 saving.

Families without USS on the list should compare the 4-choice Explorer at S$169 (child S$134) against the 2-day All-Inclusive at S$299 (child S$219). For most family itineraries, Explorer at four choices offers better value unless you're planning very full consecutive days.

What the pass doesn't cover

Public transport is not included on any Go City Singapore pass. Getting between attractions requires a separate EZ-Link card (available at MRT stations) or the Singapore Tourist Pass. For most itineraries you'll make five to eight MRT trips per day, which typically adds S$8–S$15 to your daily spend — worth factoring into the overall cost.

The outdoor sections of Gardens by the Bay — Supertree Grove, the OCBC Skyway walkways, and the Heritage Gardens — are free to all visitors. The pass covers the paid conservatories (Flower Dome and Cloud Forest, S$46 individually). Worth knowing so you don't use a credit to access something that's already free.

Gardens by the Bay also has a separate Floral Fantasy attraction (the Disney-themed garden, S$24) included on all pass types — a different venue from the conservatories within the same complex.

LEGOLAND Malaysia (S$84 individually) is in the Explorer pool but it's not in Singapore — it's in Johor Bahru across the Causeway, roughly 90 minutes each way from central Singapore once you factor in immigration. A good use of an Explorer credit if you're already planning that day trip, but not a reason to buy the pass.

Who should buy which pass

Buy the Essentials Pass if you're doing a short, focused trip with a clear three-attraction shortlist from the fixed pool — Singapore Zoo (S$49), Night Safari (S$58), and Gardens by the Bay (S$46) is the obvious combination at S$153 individually versus S$99 with the pass.

Buy the Explorer Pass (4–5 choices) for most other Singapore trips: you have a list of attractions you want to hit, Universal Studios isn't one of them, and you'd rather visit at your own pace than pack everything into consecutive days. The 5-choice tier at S$199 is particularly strong — Night Safari (S$58), Big Bus (S$65), Cable Car (S$50), Gardens Bay (S$46), and Jewel Changi (S$47) totals S$266 individually, saving S$67.

Buy the All-Inclusive Pass if Universal Studios Singapore is on your list, you're travelling with children who want USS, or you're planning two or more back-to-back full sightseeing days. The 2-day pass works for most; the 3-day pass makes sense if you're adding Jewel Changi, Madame Tussauds, and Marina Bay Sands on top of the core wildlife and Sentosa circuit.

Skip the pass entirely if your itinerary centres on hawker food, the free outdoor Gardens, the Marina Bay waterfront, Chinatown and Little India street exploration, or the Southern Ridges walking trail. Singapore has a substantial stock of free-to-access sights, and a pass that doesn't cover them isn't saving you money.

Frequently asked questions