Go City: Los Angeles Explorer Pass – Choose any 2, 3, 4, 5 or 7 Attractions

The best thing about the Los Angeles Explorer Pass is the freedom to mix major sights with smaller, more local-feeling activities. You can tour Warner Bros. Studios in the morning, ride along Santa Monica beach another day, or trade movie stars for dinosaurs at the Natural History Museum. The pass costs $109 per person and lets you choose two to seven attractions.

I like the 30-day validity, which gives you room to spread out your sightseeing instead of racing from one stop to another. I also like the easy mobile entry, especially at Madame Tussauds, Dolby Theatre, and Warner Bros., where the pass has been reported to work smoothly after the required booking. The catch is that reservations, opening hours, and traffic can make a packed plan harder than it looks.

Key points to know before you buy

• Warner Bros. Studios is one of the strongest uses of the pass, but you must reserve ahead.
• Big Bus covers Hollywood and the beach, though its schedule can limit how much else you fit in.
• The pass is valid for 30 days after first use, not just for one busy sightseeing day.
• You choose two, three, four, five, or seven attractions, so the value depends on your selections.
• Reservations are required for several popular tours, including the Hollywood Sign, GRAMMY Museum, and SoFi Stadium.
• The app and digital guide matter because attraction hours and access rules can change.

How the Los Angeles Explorer Pass works

You buy a pass for a fixed number of attractions: two, three, four, five, or seven. You then show the digital pass on your smartphone at participating attractions. The pass activates when you first use it and remains valid for 30 days.

That last point is important. You do not need to squeeze seven activities into a single weekend. If you are in Los Angeles for a week, you can group sights by area and leave time for the city’s traffic, meals, and beaches.

At $109, the pass is not automatically a bargain. It can save up to 45 percent compared with separate admission, but only if you choose higher-priced activities. A pass used for several major tours can make good financial sense. A pass used for short visits, bike rentals, or modestly priced museums may not.

I would compare the price of your intended attractions before buying. Also check the current attraction list in the Go City app. The available stops, hours, and reservation rules can change.

Warner Bros. Studios is the anchor attraction

For many visitors, the Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood will be the reason to buy the pass. This three-hour experience takes you behind the scenes at a working studio, with an expert guide explaining how films and television programs are made.

You get closer to the mechanics of entertainment production than you do at a wax museum or a sightseeing bus. The appeal is strongest if you enjoy movie sets, studio history, and the practical work behind the camera.

You must reserve this activity in advance. That is not a minor detail. Warner Bros. is one of the most popular choices, and the pass alone does not guarantee a time slot.

I would reserve it before building the rest of your Los Angeles schedule. Its three-hour length, plus driving time, makes it difficult to treat as a quick stop. Plan this on its own half-day and avoid placing another reservation across town immediately afterward.

Hollywood’s movie landmarks, from wax figures to the Oscars

Madame Tussauds Hollywood takes about two hours and focuses on wax figures of Hollywood stars, directors, and pop musicians. Admission also includes the Marvel Superheroes 4D exhibit.

This is a fun, photo-friendly stop, especially for families and visitors who want a light break between longer tours. It is less about learning the full story of Hollywood and more about seeing familiar figures brought to life in a polished museum setting.

The 30-minute Dolby Theatre guided tour offers a different kind of movie history. You visit the home of the Academy Awards ceremonies and see the theater’s elegant public spaces. It is short, so it pairs well with other Hollywood sights.

At TCL Chinese Theatres, you can choose between a 30-minute guided tour and a movie with a drink. That flexibility is useful if you want either a quick landmark visit or a more relaxed cinema stop. These attractions are close enough in theme to combine, but using three pass credits in one area may not give you the best financial return unless you especially enjoy Hollywood.

The Hollywood Sign tour gives you the big view

The Hollywood Sign Tour lasts about an hour and a half. A local guide leads a gentle hill walk toward the sign, with wide views across Los Angeles and toward the ocean.

This is a good choice if you want time outdoors and a stronger sense of the city’s size. The sign itself is the headline, but the views are the real reward. You also hear stories about the monument and its place in the film industry.

Reserve ahead. Wear sensible shoes and plan around the sun, since the description specifically places the walk in the exposed hills. The tour is not a full-day hike, but it is still more active than the theater or museum stops.

The Hollywood Sign experience also shows why the pass works best when you choose different types of activities. A studio tour gives you production detail, while this outing gives you open-air views and a short walk.

Big Bus is useful for orientation, but timing matters

The one-day Big Bus Classic ticket includes the Hollywood Loop and Beach Loop. The Hollywood route runs from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., while the Beach Loop runs from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is one of the easiest ways to get a first look at the city’s major areas. You can see the broad spread from Hollywood toward the coast without planning every turn yourself. For a first day, I like the bus as an orientation tool.

The drawback is time. A stop may be followed by a wait of up to about 45 minutes, and the ride between areas can take 45 minutes or more. That makes the bus a poor match for a tightly packed day of timed attractions.

One especially unhappy experience with the pass involved trying to fit the bus around several other stops. That problem is easy to understand: Los Angeles is spread out, and a hop-on hop-off route cannot erase traffic or distance.

Use Big Bus as the day’s main activity. Hop off for a few sights, enjoy the ride, and accept that you will not cover everything. Do not schedule Warner Bros., the Hollywood Sign, and a downtown tour around it.

Big Bus also offers a two-hour Celebrity Homes and Lifestyle Tour in a minibus with a retractable glass roof. The guide shares information about famous homes and Hollywood neighborhoods. It is a better choice for a focused celebrity-themed outing than the general bus loop.

For an evening option, Star Track Tours offers a 90-minute Night Star Tour from Hollywood Boulevard to Mulholland Drive. Reservations are required, and the route focuses on celebrity homes and famous locations.

Santa Monica and Beverly Hills add movement

Perry’s Café and Beach Rentals provides a two-hour bike or skate rental at Santa Monica. Helmets and maps are included, while locks require a small deposit. Rentals must be made at least one hour before closing.

Unlimited Biking offers a separate three-hour Santa Monica bike rental near the pier. The longer rental gives you more time to ride around West Los Angeles at your own pace.

These choices are practical for visitors who want a break from indoor attractions. They also let you see the coast at ground level instead of from a bus window. Pick one bike option rather than treating both as essential pass choices.

Bikes and Hikes LA offers a self-guided Beverly Hills Bike Tour. You start between 8:30 a.m. and 1 p.m. and receive a helmet, safety vest, and GPS device with a preloaded route and spoken English commentary.

The route passes recognizable film locations, celebrity homes, and places around Beverly Hills and Bel-Air that large buses may not reach. Reservations are required. This is a good fit if you prefer an active outing and the freedom of a self-guided route, but it may feel less personal than a tour with a live guide.

Downtown gives the pass more depth

The Downtown LA Food and Culture Tour lasts two hours and covers City Hall, The Music Center, Walt Disney Concert Hall, The Last Bookstore, the Spring Arcade Building, and Grand Central Market.

Food stops give the tour a practical purpose. You can sample different cuisines while learning about downtown’s cultural, artistic, and culinary past. The tour also supplies ideas for what to do after it ends, which is useful because downtown is best explored with some sense of direction.

Reservations are required. If you have only two or three pass choices, I would select this tour only if food and city history matter more to you than a major studio attraction.

The GRAMMY Museum takes about two hours and uses four floors of music exhibits and interactive displays. It is a strong option for music fans, while the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County offers a completely different experience with dinosaur and mammal fossils, habitat displays, gems, minerals, and cultural collections.

The California Science Center combines a one-hour IMAX movie with general admission to the center. Save the IMAX ticket because it also serves as your admission ticket to the science exhibits. The center’s displays include live animal interactions, digital exhibits, and hands-on material that works well for families.

Long Beach, Exposition Park, and the South Bay

The Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach takes about three hours. Its galleries cover Southern California and Baja waters, the Northern Pacific, and tropical Pacific reefs.

This is a substantial attraction, not a quick aquarium stop. Allow time for the drive to Long Beach and reserve ahead. It is a particularly sensible choice if you are already planning time south of central Los Angeles.

The Battleship USS Iowa Museum takes about two hours in San Pedro. The ship is known as the Battleship of Presidents and is presented as the only battleship museum on the West Coast.

This stop gives the pass a welcome change of pace. You trade Hollywood sets for a large naval vessel and American military history. Parking is not included, so account for that extra cost.

SoFi Stadium offers a two-hour behind-the-scenes tour with access to areas connected to the stadium and a chance to sharpen your football skills on the field. Reservations are required.

This is a specialized pick. Football fans may consider it one of the most memorable options, while other visitors may prefer the aquarium, Warner Bros., or a museum.

Smaller and more unusual choices

Two Bit Circus provides a $30 credit. Fifteen dollars can be used around the park, including the bar, Boxcar Café, and games, while the other $15 applies to the arcade and midway.

The listed visit time is about one hour. That makes it easy to add to a day in the area, though you should judge the pass value carefully because the benefit is a credit rather than a full-length tour.

The Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens takes around three hours and houses more than 1,100 mammals, birds, and reptiles, including rare and endangered species. It is another family-friendly choice, but the zoo’s location and the city’s traffic mean you should treat it as a main activity for the day.

The Holocaust Museum LA takes about an hour and was founded in 1961 by Holocaust survivors. It offers a serious, reflective visit in Pan Pacific Park. Reservations are required, and you should allow emotional space for the subject rather than trying to rush through it between lighter attractions.

Reservations, phones, and practical problems

The digital guide gives opening times, attraction details, and reservation instructions. The Go City app has the most current information, so check it before each visit.

Reserve Warner Bros., the Hollywood Sign Tour, the Aquarium of the Pacific, the GRAMMY Museum, the Holocaust Museum, SoFi Stadium, and other listed activities that require advance booking. Do this before your sightseeing days fill up.

A mobile pass is convenient, but do not rely only on a phone that could run out of power or be lost. One pass holder lost a phone and had trouble using the emailed confirmation to print a replacement. Go City states that printed QR codes can be used and that the pass can work offline, but I would still save the pass and confirmation in more than one place.

One separate problem involved a barcode not working at Big Bus and difficulty getting quick help. That does not mean the pass will fail, but it is a reminder to check the QR code before leaving your hotel and to allow time for help if an attraction cannot scan it.

Food, drinks, and parking are not included. Attractions may change, and the pass cannot be refunded or amended after purchase, so check your choices carefully before paying.

Who should buy this pass?

I would consider it for a first Los Angeles visit with several paid attractions already on your wish list. It suits families, movie fans, music lovers, sports fans, and active visitors because the choices cover studios, museums, stadiums, bikes, buses, and guided walks.

It is less appealing if you want a slow beach holiday, plan to see only one major attraction, or dislike fixed reservations. It also needs careful planning for anyone staying in Los Angeles only briefly.

The strongest three-attraction combination is likely Warner Bros. Studios, the Hollywood Sign Tour, and one major museum or specialized tour. For five or seven choices, add the Aquarium of the Pacific, GRAMMY Museum, SoFi Stadium, or a substantial bus experience rather than collecting several short stops.

Should you book the Los Angeles Explorer Pass?

Book it if you can name two to seven participating attractions that you would pay for anyway, and if you are willing to reserve the popular ones early. The 30-day validity is generous, and the pass can cut costs when you use it for major tours.

Skip it if your plan depends on spontaneous decisions, long bus rides between timed bookings, or only a couple of low-cost stops. Los Angeles rewards grouping activities by area, so make your schedule first, check individual prices, then see if the $109 pass beats buying tickets separately.

FAQ

How many attractions can I choose with the pass?

You can choose two, three, four, five, or seven attractions.

How long is the pass valid?

The pass is valid for 30 days from the date you first use it.

Is the pass available on a phone?

Yes. The pass is a digital mobile ticket, and you show it on your smartphone for admission.

Do I need reservations?

Yes, several popular activities require advance reservations. The digital guide and Go City app provide the instructions and current attraction information.

Are parking, food, and drinks included?

No. Food, drinks, and parking fees are not included.

Can I cancel or change the booking?

No. The experience is non-refundable and cannot be changed after booking.