Philadelphia: hop-on hop-off bus or a Go City pass

The short answer

Philadelphia has three products on SkyGate, and the first choice is between a sightseeing bus and an attraction pass. The City Sightseeing Philadelphia Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour gets you around the sights on an open-top bus with an audio guide, but it does not include entry to any of them.[1] The two Go City passes are the opposite: they cover admission to attractions on Go City's list, and both lists include a one-day hop-on hop-off bus tour among their choices.[3][2] XTOUR has not checked whether that bus is the same City Sightseeing service sold on its own here.

The City Sightseeing bus: one day, two days or a night loop

The bus is sold in three options. The One Day and Two Days tickets include the red route and a multilingual audio guide; the One Day ticket is valid within one day, and the Two Days ticket within two consecutive days, during service hours. SkyGate's page names the Betsy Ross House, Chinatown, Love Park, the Rodin Museum and The Bellevue among the landmarks on the route; they are stops, not admissions.[1]

For the one- and two-day options, the listing says to redeem the voucher at Stop 1 (21 South 5th Street) or Stop 5 (12 N 12th Street), and gives the City Sightseeing counter in the Philadelphia Bourse, 111 South Independence Mall East, as the redemption address. Those options sell adult (11 to 64), child (4 to 10), infant and senior (65 and over) tickets.[1]

The Night Tour option is different in kind. Its option text describes a non-stop panoramic tour of an hour and a half with an English-speaking guide, passing the Liberty Bell, the Comcast Technology Center and the Rocky Steps, and it says plainly that it is not hop-on hop-off.[1] It is redeemed at the City Sightseeing kiosk at 80 S. 6th Street, at the corner of 6th and Chestnut, with boarding from nearby Stop 26. When XTOUR read SkyGate's calendar on 3 October 2026, the Night Tour option showed no open dates, while the one- and two-day options did.[1] Check the date you want before you count on the night loop.

Go City Philadelphia Explorer Pass: a fixed number of choices

The Go City Philadelphia Explorer Pass is sold with 3, 4, 5 or 7 choices, and each option is valid for 30 consecutive days after first use.[2] Go City's own page describes it as picking a set number of things to do, valid for 30 days from your first attraction visit.[4] The listing points to the Go City app and digital guidebook for the current attractions and any online reservations.[2]

Go City Philadelphia All-Inclusive Pass: unlimited visits on set days

The Go City Philadelphia All-Inclusive Pass is sold for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days, and SkyGate's listing says that once activated it is valid for that many consecutive calendar days, whatever time of day you start.[3] Go City's page says you can visit as many attractions as you like in a day while the pass is valid.[4] The option texts describe access to over 30 attractions and experiences, a digital guidebook, and discounts at participating attractions.[3]

What the pass lists name, and where

The two SkyGate listings give the same sample list: The Franklin Institute, Adventure Aquarium, the Philadelphia Zoo, the Museum of the American Revolution, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Betsy Ross House, the National Constitution Center, Eastern State Penitentiary, the Battleship New Jersey Museum and Memorial, and a one-day hop-on hop-off bus tour. A pass is an entitlement, not an itinerary: it does not mean you will visit all of these, and the listings say the app holds the current list.[3][2]

Two of those names are not in Pennsylvania. OpenStreetMap places Adventure Aquarium at 1 Riverside Drive and the Battleship New Jersey Museum at 10 Delaware Avenue, both in Camden, New Jersey.[6][5] XTOUR has not checked the location of every other attraction on Go City's list.

How to choose

• Getting around the sights with commentary: the City Sightseeing Philadelphia Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour, one or two days.[1]
• A short list of paid attractions over a few weeks: the Go City Philadelphia Explorer Pass, choosing 3, 4, 5 or 7.
• As many attractions as you can fit into consecutive days: the Go City Philadelphia All-Inclusive Pass, for 1, 2, 3 or 5 days.

XTOUR's reading: if you are already buying a Go City pass, look at whether its bus choice covers your sightseeing before also buying the bus ticket, and confirm with Go City which bus operator that is.

Before you book

• The City Sightseeing bus options sell child tickets for ages 4 to 10 on the day tickets and 4 to 12 on the Night Tour.[1]
• The Go City passes sell adult (13 and over) and child (3 to 12) passes in every option.[3][2]
• Check the Go City app for reservations before you plan a day around any one attraction.[3][2]