Is The Denver CityPASS Worth It?

The Denver CityPASS is the major attraction pass in the Mile High City and we’ve personally used the pass ourselves. In this review, we’ll show you what to expect when using the pass including how much you can save. This attraction pass won’t be a good fit for everyone, but for those who decide to use it, we want to show you how to maximize your time and money.

Disclaimer: We received Denver C5 Passes in order to share our opinion about this product but this is not a sponsored post.

Our CityPASS Experience

We’ve used attraction passes in cities all around the world including this exact pass in Denver during fall 2022. CityPASS is a very popular company offering mainly US based options. We like their passes because they offer top attractions at a great price point.

Other reviews online often claim to have used this pass, but then source stock photos from various websites. So we found it extremely important to prove that we’ve actually used the pass and you’ll find our personal photos taken from every attraction we visited. This is our honest review after using a C5 CityPASS for Denver. Read more about us.

If you’re interested in this pass, you can also read our reviews for:

San Francisco CityPASS
Seattle CityPASS
New York CityPASS

Why Consider A Denver CityPASS?

Using a CityPASS in Denver will give you access to the top attractions including museums, aquariums and special experiences. This is the main reason most people buy a pass. We always like to compare it to buying in bulk because the more attractions you purchase, the more you’ll save.

An attraction pass is great for first time visitors, returning visitors or those who live in the city but have yet to experience any of the touristy things. For example, we used several of the New York attraction passes when we lived in the city because we wanted to experience the best attractions at a slow pace.

The Denver CityPASS is an attraction based pass and this feature makes it unique. Your decision is much easier because you don’t have to choose between day or attraction based options offered by other companies. It’s preloaded with a certain number of attractions and you have 7 days to visit them once your pass is activated, but it doesn’t have to be consecutive days.

Here are the 3 official Denver pass options for CityPASS:

• C3 Pass
• C4 Pass
• C5 Pass (we used this one)

The main difference is the amount of attractions on each one. A C3 pass has 3 attractions, a C4 pass has 4 attractions and a C5 pass has 5 attractions, you get the point. But you then choose from a list of 7 top attractions no matter which pass you purchase. You also have one year from the date of purchase to active your pass in Denver.

Denver CityPASS Attractions

Depending on which pass you buy, you’ll be able to visit 3-5 attractions from a list of 7 total attractions. A CityPASS includes general admission to all of the attractions below, but you’ll have to pay extra for temporary exhibits.

Here is the official list including what we decided to visit:

1. Children’s Museum of Denver
2. Denver Art Museum (visited)
3. Denver Botanic Gardens (visited)
4. Denver Museum of Nature & Science (visited)
5. Downtown Aquarium (visited)
6. History Colorado Center (visited)
7. Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum

Now that you know what attractions are included on the pass, let’s take a closer look at each one individually:

1. Children’s Museum of Denver

• Address: 2121 Children’s Museum Dr, Denver, CO 80211
• Location: Google maps
• Hours: Open 9:00am – 4:00pm daily
• Reservations: Not required, present your pass at the front desk

First opened in 1973, this 9-acre museum features hands-on exhibits targeting newborns to 8 year olds, but kids of any age will have an amazing time. Click here to see the full list of the 17 innovative exhibits.

Travel Tip: Kids under the age of 1 will receive free entry so no need to purchase a pass for them.

2. Denver Art Museum

• Address: 100 W 14th Ave Pkwy, Denver, CO 80204
• Location: Google maps
• Hours: 10:00am – 5:00pm daily and 10:00am – 8:00pm Tuesdays
• Reservation: Recommended

The Denver Art Museum is nestled within the Civic Center Park downtown. It’s one of the largest museums between the west coast and Chicago featuring more than 70,000 diverse works from recent centuries as well as throughout the entire world.

Travel Tip: Children 18 and under will receive free entry.

3. Denver Botanic Gardens

• Address: 1007 York St, Denver, CO 80206
• Location: Google maps
• Hours: 9:00am – 2:00pm daily
• Reservations: Not required, CityPASS holders automatically receive next available entry

We loved visiting the Denver Botanic Gardens because it was like beautiful oasis in the middle of the city. Spanning an impressive 24 acres, this garden includes plants and storyboards from all over the world. Many of the exhibits showcase how plants can survive in Colorado’s semi-arid climate.

Travel Tip: Various free days occur throughout the year and you can see the list here. Children 2 and under are free.

4. Denver Museum of Nature & Science

• Address: 2001 Colorado Blvd, Denver, CO 80205
• Location: Google maps
• Hours: 9:00am – 5:00pm daily and 9:00am – 9:00pm most Fridays
• Reservations: Not required, present your pass at the ticketing line

One of our favorite attractions, the Denver Museum of Nature and Science is a great option for your itinerary. We thought this museum was modernized and extremely well put together. Permanent exhibitions include Egyptian mummies, Dinosaurs, Russian Folk Life, Space Odyssey, numerous wildlife halls and a Discovery Zone sponsored by Kaiser Permanente.

5. Denver Downtown Aquarium

• Address: 700 Water St, Denver, CO 80211
• Location: Google maps
• Hours: 10:00am – 8:30pm Monday to Thursday, 10:00am to 10:00pm Friday and Saturday, 10:00am to 8:00pm Sunday
• Reservations: Not required, present your pass at the main entrance

We also really enjoyed visiting the Denver Aquarium because it’s home to over 500 species and we saw many unique underwater animals. It took us about 2.5 hours to walk through and a very popular attraction was the interactive StingRay Reef tank. This is a great attraction if you’re visiting with kids, but it can be crowded.

Travel Tip: Children 2 and under can visit the aquarium for free.

6. History Colorado Center

• Address: 1200 N Broadway, Denver, CO 80203
• Location: Google maps
• Hours: 10:00am – 5:00pm
• Reservations: Not required, present your pass at the front desk

The History Colorado Center is a unique attraction for Denver. We highly recommend visiting if it’s you’re first time in town and you’re interested in learning about the history of Colorado. Besides the occasional group of school children, this museum was not as crowded compared to the others on this list. Click here to see a full list of exhibits.

Travel Tip: Kids under 18 receive free admission to the History of Colorado Center. Tickets for this museum are only $15.00 for adults so it might be cheaper to visit another option on your CityPASS and pay out of pocket for this attraction.

7. Wings Over the Rockies

• Address: 7711 E Academy Blvd, Denver, CO 80230
• Location: Google maps
• Hours: 10:00am – 5:00pm daily, 12:00pm – 5:00pm Sunday
• Reservations: Not required, present your pass at the front entrance

Located away from the downtown area, the Wings Over the Rockies Museum is located within the former Lowry Air Force Base in the historic lowry neighborhood. It’s a very popular museum featuring wartime aircrafts, WWII uniforms and aviation art. This is one attraction we’re sad we missed, but it’s on our bucket list for next time we’re in town.

How Much Does The Denver CityPASS Cost?

Our experience with CityPASS has shown us these passes are often very cost effective so we’ll show you how much they cost including how much you can save with each pass.

Here are the prices you’d pay if visiting each attraction individually using same day box office prices for adults:

• Children’s Museum of Denver – $19.75
• Denver Art Museum – $22.00
• Denver Botanic Gardens – $15.75
• Denver Museum of Nature & Science – $25.95
• Downtown Aquarium – $27.99
• History Colorado Center – $15.00
• Wings Over the Rockies – $19.95

Denver C5 Pass example:

The Denver C5 Pass is currently priced at $64.00 for adults and $54.00 for children (3-11).

And here’s an example of how you can use it:

Downtown Aquarium ($27.99) + Denver Museum of Nature & Science ($25.95) + Denver Art Museum ($22.00) + Wings Over the Rockies ($19.95) + Children’s Museum of Denver ($19.75) = $115.64

• Attraction price (no CityPASS) = $115.64
• CityPASS price = $64.00
• Savings = $51.64

You’ll save 45% on the top 5 attractions!

>> Buy a Denver C5 Pass here

Travel Tip: You’ll save the most on a Denver C5 Pass, but if you don’t want to visit 5 attractions, the C4 or C3 pass will still save you some money!

Denver C4 Pass example:

The Denver C4 Pass is currently priced at $57.00 for adults and $46.00 for children (3-11).

And here’s an example of how you can use it:

Downtown Aquarium ($27.99) + Denver Museum of Nature & Science ($25.95) + Denver Art Museum ($22.00) + Wings Over the Rockies ($19.95) = $95.89

• Attraction price (no CityPASS) = $95.89
• CityPASS price = $57.00
• Savings = $38.89

You’ll save 40% on the top 4 attractions!

>> Buy a Denver C4 Pass here

Denver C3 Pass example:

The Denver C3 Pass is currently priced at $46.00 for adults and $37.00 for children (3-11).

And here’s an example of how you can use it:

Downtown Aquarium ($27.99) + Denver Museum of Nature & Science ($25.95) + Denver Art Museum ($22.00) = $75.94

• Attraction price (no CityPASS) = $75.94
• CityPASS price = $46.00
• Savings = $29.94

You’ll save 40% on the top 3 attractions!

>> Buy a Denver C3 Pass here

How To Make Timed Reservations

There is only one attraction on the list that recommends advance reservations, the Denver Art Museum. But it’s very easy to do this on the official CityPASS website. The ease of booking reservations is one of the reasons we like this company so much.

All you have to do is head over to the reservation page, find the attraction, hit the dark blue button that says ‘Reserve Time’ and select the time you’d like to visit. A confirmation email with your reservation information will be sent to the same email you used to originally purchase CityPASS tickets.

Reservations work on a on a timed entry system meaning you won’t have to wait in lines at each attraction. All you’ll need to do is show your CityPASS for Denver along with your reservation confirmation.

Please keep in mind reservation requirements may change so always verify what’s required for each individual attraction prior to your trip.

How To Buy Your Denver CityPASS

Buying your CityPASS is easy:

• Head to the official website for CityPASS
• Choose between the C3, C4 and C5 Pass
• Select the amount of adult and / or child passes
• Hit the big red button to add the passes to your cart
• Checkout and enjoy your fun filled trip to Denver

You can also purchase a pass from Get Your Guide. The prices are exactly the same as the official website and you can read the previous customer reviews.

The Morgan Conclusion

Now that you know how the pass works and what attractions are included, you’re probably wondering if the Denver CityPASS is worth the hassle.

So after using the C5 pass in Denver ourselves, we saved over $80 and visited some of the cheaper attractions! You could maximize your savings by visiting the more expensive attractions and we think this pass is worth getting if you want to see the top attractions in the city. Keep in mind the pass is only valid for 7 days after visiting your first attraction, but this won’t be a problem for most visitors.

If you’re visiting with kids, you might have to do a little more research because each attraction offers free entry for young children (typically under 2 or 3 years). But every attraction except the History Colorado Center and the Denver Art Museum charges an admission fee for older children. Price out each pass depending on your child’s age similar to our example above because it might just be worth getting adult passes if they have free entry.

The CityPASS for Denver, Colorado is great for first time visitors because you get the best attractions at a competitive price point. But this pass can also be used for locals who want to be a tourist in their own town. Unfortunately, the Denver CityPASS does not include the Denver Zoo as an attraction, but you can visit the Children’s Museum and the Downtown Aquarium.

More Attraction Pass Guides

• San Francisco CityPASS review
• San Francisco pass comparison
• New York CityPASS review
• Seattle CityPASS review
• Paris attraction pass comparison
• NY Sightseeing pass review
• NYC attraction pass comparison

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We hope our Denver CityPASS review helps you decide if this is the attractions pass for you!

Please let us know if you have any questions about this pass or Denver in the comments below.

Happy Travels,

Mark and Kristen

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