San Jose Top Attractions & Passes
San Jose attractions, in short: we list 8 of San Jose’s cited top attractions below. The multi-attraction passes — CityPASS and Go City — each bundle their own set of sights into one ticket; we don’t quote a price (inclusions and pricing are set by the provider and change often). Weighing whether a San Jose city pass is worth it? That guide compares the passes neutrally.
How a city attraction pass works
A city attraction pass bundles admission to several of a city's top sights into one ticket you buy once. The big passes — CityPASS and Go City — each cover a different set of attractions and price differently, and what they include changes over time. That is why this page never prints a price or a fixed bundle: we show you the cited attractions and link you to the provider for live pricing, so you compare against the sights you actually want to see.
Photo: National Park Service / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)San Jose is California's third-largest city and the heart of Silicon Valley, located in the San Francisco Bay Area's Santa Clara County. The San Jose metro area is home to nearly 2 million residents. The city offers a diverse range of cultural and educational attractions, including historic sites that reflect its Spanish colonial heritage, museums showcasing art and technology, interactive science centers, and a popular zoo. Several of these major attractions can be visited within a day or two, making the city an appealing destination for families and history enthusiasts alike.
For visitors planning multiple stops, city passes are available that bundle admission to several San Jose attractions into a single ticket. Rather than purchasing individual entry fees, a multi-attraction pass can simplify planning and streamline entry at various sites. Current pricing, specific attractions included, and pass terms vary by provider. To learn which attractions are available through a pass and compare current rates, interested visitors should visit the pass provider's website directly for the most up-to-date information. The region also provides easy access to eight nearby National Park Service sites for those interested in exploring the broader Bay Area.
| Attraction | Type |
|---|---|
| The Tech Interactive | Science center |
| Winchester Mystery House | Historic site |
| Rosicrucian Egyptian Museum | Museum |
| Happy Hollow Park & Zoo | Zoo |
| San Jose Museum of Art | Art museum |
| Children's Discovery Museum of San Jose | Museum |
| Municipal Rose Garden | Garden |
| History Park San Jose | Historic site |
City attractions & pass-planning cheat-sheet
A city's top cited attractions and the NPS sites nearby on one page, so you can weigh a pass. Free. We never quote a pass price.
| NPS unit | Annual visits |
|---|---|
| Pinnacles National Park · 31.2 mi | 343,208 (2025) |
| Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site · 72.9 mi | 14,881 (2025) |
| San Francisco Maritime National Historical Park · 85.0 mi | 2,944,483 (2025) |
| John Muir National Historic Site · 85.2 mi | 38,384 (2025) |
| Fort Point National Historic Site · 86.8 mi | 1,010,870 (2025) |
| Rosie The Riveter/Wwii Home Front National Historical Park · 87.8 mi | 33,689 (2025) |
| Golden Gate National Recreation Area · 93.0 mi | 15,748,676 (2025) |
| Muir Woods National Monument · 95.2 mi | 756,573 (2025) |
Frequently asked questions
How much is a San Jose city pass?
What are the top attractions in San Jose?
Is the population the city or the metro area?
All 8 San Jose attractions → · NPS sites near San Jose → · Is a San Jose city pass worth it? → · Look up another city →
Attraction names and types are cited to San Jose's tourism record; metro-area population is from the U.S. Census metro spine and nearby-NPS visitation from the NPS Visitor Use Statistics package, verified June 2026. How we compile this. We never quote a pass price.