Is the Toronto CityPASS worth it?
Worth it — if you pick the right three
The Toronto CityPASS earns its savings on the right combination. The two mandatory attractions (CN Tower and Ripley’s Aquarium) return $69.23 combined against a $96.32 adult pass price — not break-even on their own, but close enough that a single strong choice gets you over the line. Toronto Zoo and Casa Loma are the best value choices; add City Cruises or ROM as the third and the pass saves between $56 and $58. The case weakens if your itinerary leans on ROM or AGO, both of which have free admission windows and summer discount programs. Skip the pass entirely if CN Tower isn’t on your list — it’s the anchor that makes the maths work.
Prices verified August 2026- US$96.32 + tax
- From
- 9 days from first use
- Validity
- 365-day risk-free
- Refund
- 2 mandatory + 3 from 5
- Model
- 3–5 day first-time visits
- Best for
The Toronto CityPASS bundles CN Tower and Ripley's Aquarium as fixed entries, then lets you choose three more from a list of five: the Royal Ontario Museum, City Cruises Toronto, Casa Loma, the Toronto Zoo, and the Art Gallery of Ontario (added to the pass in March 2026). The adult price is US$96.32 plus tax — roughly CAD $130 at current exchange rates.
Whether it saves you money depends almost entirely on which three you pick. The two mandatory attractions return $69.23 combined against a $96.32 adult pass price — not break-even on their own, but close enough that a single strong choice gets you over the line. Toronto Zoo, Casa Loma, and City Cruises as the three choices brings total individual value to $154.71 — a genuine $58 saving. With the three weakest choices (ROM, City Cruises, AGO), the saving falls below $40.
There is no Go City pass for Toronto. CityPASS is the only bundled attraction pass operating in the city. The question here is not which pass programme to use — it is which three attractions to pick, and whether your itinerary makes the fixed bundle earn its cost.
What the pass includes
The structure is 2 mandatory plus 3 from 5. You do not need to choose your optional attractions before buying — you decide through the My CityPASS app after purchase.
Mandatory — both included for every pass holder
CN Tower ($33.54 individually) covers General Admission to the Main and Lower observation decks. One thing to know before you arrive: the Glass Floor experience and EdgeWalk — the outdoor ledge walk around the tower's exterior — are paid upgrades requiring separate booking directly through the CN Tower. They are not covered by CityPASS. If either is on your list, budget for it on top of the pass price. Also worth knowing: dining at the CN Tower's 360 Restaurant includes complimentary observation deck access — for a group planning a special dinner there anyway, the pass credit on CN Tower overlaps with what they'd already get.
Ripley's Aquarium of Canada ($35.69 individually) is a Flex Ticket admission covering all galleries, dive shows, feedings, and talks. No reservation required — walk-up only. Located at the base of the CN Tower, it pairs naturally with the observation deck on the same day.
Choice — pick 3 of these 5
Toronto Zoo ($32.83) is the highest-value choice option and the best pick for families. It is also the one that requires the most planning: the zoo is in Scarborough, roughly 40 minutes from downtown. Transit riders should plan a dedicated zoo day rather than combining it with other pass attractions.
Casa Loma ($28.42) is walk-up, no reservation needed. Toronto's Gothic Revival castle — towers, tunnels, stable lofts, and five acres of gardens — is arguably the city's most architecturally unusual attraction and easy to combine with other downtown stops on the same day.
City Cruises Toronto ($24.23) is a 60-minute harbour sightseeing tour with live narration and indoor deck. Reservation required. It pairs well with CN Tower and Ripley's since all three sit within a short walk of each other on the waterfront. One important note: City Cruises is seasonal and closes for winter — if you're visiting between roughly November and March, this option won't be available and you'll be choosing 3 from the remaining 4.
Royal Ontario Museum ($22.10) requires a reservation. It is a reasonable choice for non-summer visitors without children. The important caveat: ROM offers free admission on the third Tuesday of every month (4:30–8:30 PM), and between June 19 and September 7 children ages 4–17 enter free under the federal museum program. Families and summer visitors should factor this in before spending a CityPASS credit here — you may be paying for something that would otherwise cost nothing.
Art Gallery of Ontario ($18.95) joined the Toronto CityPASS in March 2026. At $18.95 in individual ticket value, it is the lowest-return credit of the five choices. The AGO has a free window on the first Wednesday of each month (6–9 PM), and the federal summer program makes admission free for ages 10–17. Most adult visitors will find a stronger use for their third credit elsewhere.
How the savings work
The two mandatory attractions contribute $69.23 toward the $96.32 adult pass price. You need $27.09 in choice value to break even — which any single choice attraction clears on its own. The real question is by how much you exceed break-even, and whether that margin justifies the pass over buying individual tickets.
CityPASS's 38% saving figure is based on the highest published box office prices for the year, compared against the maximum-value combination. Your actual saving varies by combination. Use the calculator below to check your specific itinerary.
What's included
Your saving depends on which attractions you pick — use the calculator above to see your number.
What's NOT included
These are popular Toronto attractions the pass does not cover. If your itinerary leans on any of these, individual tickets will likely work out cheaper.
- CN Tower Glass Floor access (paid upgrade)
- CN Tower EdgeWalk (paid upgrade, booked separately)
- Canada's Wonderland (major theme park, not part of CityPASS)
- Niagara Falls admission and transport
- Hockey Hall of Fame
- Aga Khan Museum
- Toronto TTC transit (subway, streetcar, bus)
- Ontario Science Centre (permanently closed June 2024)
Which three attractions to pick
For most visitors, the strongest combination is Toronto Zoo, Casa Loma, and City Cruises — the three highest-value choice options by individual ticket price, and together they push the pass well past break-even. If you're visiting in winter when City Cruises is closed, swap it for ROM, which gets you a comparable saving and keeps you in the city centre.
AGO is the weakest credit at $18.95 individual value — less than half what the Zoo costs individually. Use it only if the AGO is genuinely on your list and you're visiting outside its free windows (first Wednesday evenings, and the federal summer program for under-25s). Same logic applies to ROM: strong pick for non-summer adult visitors, but verify its free windows first.
Families with children should lean toward Zoo, Casa Loma, and City Cruises (seasonal) or Zoo, Casa Loma, and ROM. If you're visiting in summer, check whether the federal museum program makes ROM or AGO free for your children's age group before spending a credit on either — if it does, those credits are better used on the paid attractions with no free equivalent.
Free alternatives worth knowing about
Toronto's major institutions are not free in the London sense — the ROM, AGO, and Aga Khan Museum all charge general admission. What the city offers is a reasonable network of access windows: ROM is free on the third Tuesday of each month (4:30–8:30 PM); AGO is free on the first Wednesday of each month (6–9 PM); Gardiner Museum is free on Wednesdays after 4 PM. None of this undermines the pass case for CN Tower and Ripley's, which have no free equivalent.
The stronger free circuit in Toronto is the one most visitors miss: the City of Toronto's 10 history museums — Fort York, Spadina Museum, Mackenzie House, Colborne Lodge, and others — are permanently free. Fort York in particular is worth the visit for anyone interested in early Canadian history and the War of 1812. None are on the CityPASS, but they fill gap days well.
The Toronto Public Library pass program is also worth knowing: TPL cardholders can borrow museum passes for the ROM, AGO, and Aga Khan Museum through the tpl:map system, released on the first Wednesday of each month. Competitive borrowing window, but useful for visitors with library access and flexible dates.
High Park, the Distillery District, Kensington Market, the Harbourfront waterfront trail, and the PATH underground pedestrian network (30 km of climate-controlled walkways connecting downtown buildings) all cost nothing. Toronto's strongest free experiences are neighbourhood-based rather than institution-based — a meaningful point if your trip is primarily about food, architecture, and street-level culture rather than major landmarks.
Who should buy it
The pass earns its price for first-time visitors who want CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium, and at least two of the higher-value choice options — particularly Toronto Zoo and Casa Loma — across a 3–5 day visit. Families with children aged 4–12 visiting outside the June–September federal museum window will find the child pricing ($71.34) meaningful against the individual ticket total. International visitors who want to clear Toronto's major paid attractions without managing multiple ticket purchases will also benefit from the consolidated logistics: Ripley's, CN Tower, City Cruises, and Casa Loma are all downtown-accessible and manageable across two days.
Skip it if CN Tower is not on your list — it is the pass anchor, and without it the value case weakens significantly. Skip it if your trip leans toward neighbourhood exploration, food markets, and Toronto's free circuits: Kensington, Distillery, the waterfront, and the history museums cost nothing and represent much of what makes the city distinctive. Skip it if your summer itinerary with children would make ROM and AGO free anyway under the federal program — that changes the maths. And skip it if your primary Toronto attractions are Canada's Wonderland or Niagara Falls, neither of which is on the pass.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a Go City pass for Toronto?
No. Go City does not operate in Toronto. CityPASS is the only major bundled attraction pass available for the city. If you're considering passes for other Canadian or North American cities, Go City operates in destinations including New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago — but not Toronto.
Does the CityPASS include the CN Tower Glass Floor and EdgeWalk?
No. CityPASS covers General Admission to the Main and Lower observation decks only. The Glass Floor experience and EdgeWalk are ticketed upgrades that you book separately through the CN Tower directly. The Glass Floor is included in standard admission at most other observation decks, so this is worth knowing before you assume it's covered.
How many days do you need to use the Toronto CityPASS?
The pass is valid for 9 consecutive days starting from your first attraction visit. Realistically, 2–3 days is enough to visit all five attractions comfortably — more if you're including the Toronto Zoo, which is a full-day excursion on its own. You have up to one year from purchase to start using the pass.
Is the Toronto CityPASS worth it for families?
It depends on when you visit and how old your children are. Families with children under 4 pay nothing at most attractions regardless. For summer visits (June 19–September 7), the federal museum program makes ROM free for children 4–17 and AGO free for ages 10–17 — reducing two of the five choice options to near-zero cost. Families visiting outside summer with children aged 4–12 who plan CN Tower, Ripley's, Toronto Zoo, and Casa Loma will find the family savings meaningful.
Can I use the CityPASS at the Ontario Science Centre?
No. The Ontario Science Centre permanently closed its original location in June 2024 and is not part of the CityPASS programme. It is not currently operating as a full facility — an interim Harbourfront Centre location is in development, but is not part of CityPASS.
Do I need to choose my three optional attractions before buying?
No. You can decide after purchase. CityPASS recommends making reservations as early as possible once you have your tickets — CN Tower in particular fills up. For walk-up attractions (Casa Loma, Ripley's, Toronto Zoo), you can decide on arrival.
Is the Toronto CityPASS available in Canadian dollars?
CityPASS lists prices in USD on its website. At current exchange rates the adult pass is approximately CAD $130. Canadian visitors pay in USD at checkout regardless of location — tax is added separately and varies.
Before you buy — things to know
- The CN Tower fine print most visitors miss: CityPASS covers the Main and Lower observation decks. The Glass Floor experience and EdgeWalk — the outdoor ledge walk around the tower exterior — are both paid upgrades that require separate booking. If either is on your list, budget for it on top of the pass price.
- Federal summer program changes the maths for families: From June 19 to September 7, the federal government's museum program makes ROM and AGO free or heavily discounted for children and young adults. Ages 4-17 enter ROM free; ages 10-17 enter AGO free. Families visiting in summer should skip both as CityPASS choices and take the free slots directly — the pass savings on those two attractions disappear.
- The Toronto Zoo is not downtown: The zoo is a 40-minute drive from the CN Tower area. Combining it with other CityPASS attractions on the same day requires a car. Transit riders should plan a dedicated zoo day and not expect to squeeze in a second downtown attraction.
- Four of the seven attractions require advance reservations: CN Tower, ROM, City Cruises, and AGO all require reservations through the My CityPASS app. Reserve as soon as you purchase — CN Tower in particular books out. Casa Loma and Ripley's are walk-up.
- Toronto Public Library cardholders have a free pass option: TPL cardholders can borrow museum passes for the ROM, AGO, and Aga Khan Museum through the tpl:map system, released the first Wednesday of each month. If you have a library card and flexibility on dates, this is a meaningful alternative for the museum-focused attractions.