Your trip to Chicago is finally coming up and you’re really looking forward to discovering the city’s sights? How great would it be to save money at the same time? In my Chicago Pass comparison, I’ll introduce you to the city’s discount passes: the All-Inclusive Pass, the Explorer Pass, the CityPASS, the C3 Pass and the Digital Pass.

I’ll tell you which sights are included in the passes, what you should know in advance and I’ll give you my tips, as I’ve been to Chicago several times myself.

My tip: with my free Chicago savings calculator you can work out exactly which pass will save you the most money (and it will also work out if no pass is worthwhile).

Detailed Chicago Pass Comparison

There are several discount passes for Chicago, which I have compared for you in the table. So you can see at a glance where the differences lie and decide which City Card suits you best.

Important to know: You always pay for the complete package with the passes. If you don’t visit an included attraction, you make a loss. The more expensive the individual tickets for the attractions you visit are, the more you save.

How do the attraction passes for Chicago work?

The passes are very easy to use! All you need is a working smartphone.

#1 Buy in advance and use in Chicago

You can buy the passes conveniently online before you travel. All Sightseeing Passes are available digitally.

• Step 1: You will receive the booking confirmation by email.
• Step 2: You can now show this as a PDF on your smartphone, print it out (it is already your pass) or – if available – download it directly as an electronic version into the free app of the Chicago Pass provider.
• Step 3: Show your pass or tickets at the ticket counter at the attractions.
• Step 4: Your ticket will be scanned and you’re ready to go!

#2 You save on the important sights and tours in Chicago

Because you buy a package of attractions when you buy a pass, they are cheaper than individual tickets. You can often save between 15 and 40% – if you use the pass correctly.

#3 Easy to use

The Chicago Passes work like a collective ticket: pay once and get admission to many attractions without having to queue at ticket counters. This saves valuable holiday time!

Travel plan for Chicago

To give you a better idea of how you can organise your trip to Chicago with a Sightseeing Pass, I have listed an example for 3 days here:

Which Chicago Pass is the best?

You can’t say that in general terms because it simply depends on your individual needs. Different passes may be suitable in different situations, which is why I have collected a few scenarios.

And if you want to do the maths yourself, check out our free Chicago Pass Advisor – it will calculate exactly which pass is best based on your needs!

#1 You want to see as much of the city as possible

In this case, the All-Inclusive Pass is the right one for you. Unlike the other passes, it is not attraction-based, but day-based.

You can then visit as many sights as you can manage in your desired number of days (1, 2, 3 or 5). You really get the most out of it.

#2 You only want to see the highlights

Several passes are suitable here: the Chicago Explorer Pass, the Digital Pass, the CityPASS and the Chicago C3 Pass.

The Digital Pass includes 3 attractions (360 Chicago, Art Institute, Field Museum), the CityPass includes 2 (Aquarium & Skydeck) and you can choose 3 from 6, the C3 Pass also includes 3 attractions, which you can choose from 8.

#3 You want to do some relaxed sightseeing

With an attraction-based pass, you can visit attractions over several days and don’t have to visit as many attractions as possible in one day as with a day-based pass.

Attraction-based passes for Chicago include the Explorer Pass, the Chicago Digital Pass, the CityPASS and the Chicago C3 Pass.

#4 You want to travel on the hop-on hop-off buses

Then the All-Inclusive Pass and the Explorer Pass are suitable for you. With both passes, you can use the hop-on hop-off buses operated by Big Bus free of charge for one day.

#5 You mainly want to visit museums

Each pass includes different museums. The Chicago Digital Pass includes 2 (Field & Art Institute), with the CityPASS you can visit up to 3 (Field Museum, Art Institute & Museum of Science and Industry) and with the C3 Pass up to 2 (Art Institute & Museum of Science and Industry).

The two Go City attraction passes (All-Inclusive & Explorer) also include some museums, but you can’t visit the famous Art Institute with them.

Chicago CityPASS® or Chicago C3 Pass?

The two passes are very similar as they come from the same provider. In fact, I would always recommend the CityPASS because you can save a lot more with it! It is of course more expensive, but you also have two more attractions included. If you calculate the price per attraction, you can see why the pass is much more worthwhile:

• CityPASS: $134/5 attractions = $26.80 per attraction
• C3 Pass: $96/3 attractions = $32 per attraction

On average, an attraction must cost at least $26.80 for you to save with the CityPASS. With the C3 Pass, it must cost at least $32, i.e. over $5 more.

So you save faster with the CityPASS, get to see more and even have extras at some attractions such as fast track entry or included shows, which normally costs extra. That makes the decision easy, doesn’t it?

When is a Chicago Pass not worth it?

• If you don’t want to visit any sights from the inside, but only want to admire the attractions from the outside, no pass is worthwhile.
• If the individual prices are too low, the attraction-based passes are also not worthwhile.
• The day-based all-inclusive pass is not worthwhile if you only visit a few attractions and do not fully utilise the potential.

The Chicago Attractions Passes in detail

#1 Chicago All-Inclusive Pass

• includes over 20 attractions
• day-based: can be booked for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days
• with lots of information in the app
• perfect for anyone who wants to see a lot of Chicago

• reservations are required for some attractions
• not worth it if you only visit the cheaper attractions

Here you can find more details about the Chicago All-Inclusive Pass.

#2 Chicago Explorer Pass

• includes over 25 attractions
• attraction-based: for 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 attractions
• with lots of information in the app
• perfect for anyone who wants to discover Chicago without time pressure

• reservations are required for some attractions
• not worth it if you only visit the cheaper attractions

Here you can find more details about the Chicago Explorer Pass.

#3 Chicago CityPASS

• Includes admission to 5 attractions
• 2 fixed attractions (Shedd Aquarium & Skydeck), 3 out of 6 freely selectable
• high savings potential
• with practical My-CityPASS™ app

• reservations are required for some attractions
• the fixed attractions must be visited for the pass to be worthwhile

Here you can find more details about the Chicago CityPASS.

#4 Chicago C3 Pass

• includes admission to 3 attractions
• choice of 8 popular attractions
• with practical My-CityPASS™ app

• reservations are required for some attractions
• Pass not worthwhile for many combinations

Here you can find more details about the Chicago C3 Pass.

#5 Chicago Digital Pass

• 3 specified attractions: Art Institute, 360 Chicago, Field Museum
• Skip-the-Line admission
• Appointments are made when purchasing the pass, so admission is guaranteed
• Ideal for anyone who wants to see the highlights of the city

• No free choice of attractions
• Visit date must be specified at the time of purchase

Here you can find more details about the Chicago Digital Pass.