City Pass Discount

The New York Pass sometimes is available at discounted online rates. One-day adult passes are $80 USD (children $55) and two-day passes are $125 (children $105). Check the site for additional time options and frequent sales on the regular prices. The deal includes 60 top New York attractions and almost always pays for itself by the second or third admission. For example, if you want to go to the top of the Empire State Building, take a Circle Line River Cruise and go to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, admission for those three alone is likely to cost as much as the one-day pass. Each pass also comes with a guidebook, discounts for shopping and Broadway tickets.

The Philadelphia Pass sometimes is available at discounted online rates. One-day adult passes are $55 USD (children $35) and two-day passes are $80 (children $54). Check the site for additional time options and discounts. There are more than 36 participating attractions, and you'll see right away that some are better known than others. But there's enough here to plan several days of sightseeing and save in the process. The Web site says if you could take advantage of every eligible feature of the pass, it would be worth $350.

If you're a movie buff, the Hollywood All-Access Studio Pass will enable you to see five of Hollywood's top studio tours: Universal, Sony, Kodak, Paramount and Warner. The cost is $159 USD per adult (you must be 13 to take the tours). The pass is good for 30 days, but be sure to take note of each studio's schedule.

The Go San Diego Card is sold in time increments. A card valid for one day is $69 USD, two days for $99, three days for $169, five days for $224 and seven days for $284. Once in San Diego, you take an e-ticket you have downloaded after purchase and a photo I.D. to one of two locations to receive the card. There are 50 valid attractions at which you will pay no entrance fee and bypass the ticket lines. Among them: The San Diego Zoo, Legoland, Birch Aquarium, Discovery Science Center, whale watching and Tijuana excursions, and 18 area museums. You may visit any attraction once each day while the card is valid, and some of the tours require reservations.

The London Pass is available for one day at £43 ($70 USD); two days at £58 ($94 USD); three days at £71 ($115 USD) and six days at £94 ($152 USD). Rates for children are discounted. An enhanced pass is also sold for more money that adds underground, buses, trains and even some airport transportation for online buyers. There is fine print in all of this, so read the exceptions carefully. If you'll be in London for a week, the six-day pass averages £13/day. That's roughly the price you'll pay for one major London admission. Visit two a day and, in theory, you'll get double your money back on the initial cost. There are 55 participating tourist attractions. They also throw in a free 120-page guidebook.

The Paris Pass is available for two days at €97 ($132 USD); four days at €132 ($180 USD); or six days at €169 ($230 USD). Discounts for teenagers and young children are significant. At first glance, these prices seem quite high. But in addition to gaining entry for 55 Paris attractions, free use of the Metro also is included -- something for which most visitors purchase separate passes anyway. The network is so extensive, it takes you nearly anywhere you'd want to visit. With the Paris Pass, you also gain entry to world-class museums such as Musée d'Orsay and Musée du Louvre. River cruises, tours of Notre-Dame and other must-do experiences are covered. Check carefully to see your favorites are included.