Philadelphia Area Info
Your Philadelphia
Philadelphia at your fingertips
"Your Philadelphia" presents the best of everything Philadelphia — organized especially for you. If you want to experience a specific side of Philadelphia and The Countryside, chances are we’ve already made it more accesible for you.
Want to get away for a quick weekend with that special someone and need a romantic hotel? Check out Your Philadelphia: Couples. Coming to town with some friends and need to find out where the hottest bars are? Visit Your Philadelphia: Hip. Interested in exploring Philly beyond the Liberty Bell or tasting some of Philadelphia’s Latin Flavor? Easy — just browse around Hispanic Philadelphia.
Now, making your travel plans will be a lot easier. Your Philadelphia is your personal insider guide for everything that you want to see and do during your stay.
Want to get away for a quick weekend with that special someone and need a romantic hotel? Check out Your Philadelphia: Couples. Coming to town with some friends and need to find out where the hottest bars are? Visit Your Philadelphia: Hip. Interested in exploring Philly beyond the Liberty Bell or tasting some of Philadelphia’s Latin Flavor? Easy — just browse around Hispanic Philadelphia.
Now, making your travel plans will be a lot easier. Your Philadelphia is your personal insider guide for everything that you want to see and do during your stay.
Diverse Philadelphia
So you shook Ben Franklin’s hand, saw Betsy Ross’s sewing kit, signed the Constitution, got a close look at the crack in the Liberty Bell and ended up breathless after the Rocky run up the Art Museum steps. Now what?
If you want to explore Philadelphia beyond Center City's colonial icons, you're in the right place. The region is awash in rich cultural traditions that are now an integral part of one of the most diverse cities in America.
Savor ethnic cuisine in University City, dance the samba in El Centro de Oro (the heart of the Latino community), be soothed by the sounds of the Far East in Chinatown and moved by heroic stories of the Underground Railroad in Germantown.
If you want to explore Philadelphia beyond Center City's colonial icons, you're in the right place. The region is awash in rich cultural traditions that are now an integral part of one of the most diverse cities in America.
Savor ethnic cuisine in University City, dance the samba in El Centro de Oro (the heart of the Latino community), be soothed by the sounds of the Far East in Chinatown and moved by heroic stories of the Underground Railroad in Germantown.
Family-friendly Philadelphia
Getting Here is a cinch
Getting to the Philadelphia region is a cinch. It’s accessible by car, train, bus and airplane. By car, the city is just two hours from New York City, 90 minutes from Baltimore, three hours from Washington D.C. and about an hour from Lancaster County, Atlantic City and the New Jersey shore via major highways.
Those who prefer someone else to do the driving can hop on Amtrak, which provides service along the Northeast Corridor and points west and south, or Greyhound, operating bus service throughout the region. The Philadelphia International Airport, approximately seven miles from Center City, serves more than 25 airlines.
Speaking of planes, air travel to Philadelphia got a whole lot cheaper with the arrival of Southwest Airlines, now providing service to and from the city. The airline offers daily nonstop flights from cities such as Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Providence and Tampa Bay, etc. Travelers can also take advantage of direct or connecting service from 31 other destinations, such as Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Oakland, Houston and Seattle. Meanwhile, US Airways offers special GoFares starting at $39 one-way between Philadelphia and more than 20 popular U.S. cities!
Getting Around
Once here, the city layout is simple to master. The compact Center City boasts founder William Penn’s easy-to-follow grid street design. It spans just 25 blocks between two rivers – the Schuylkill and the Delaware. In between, the north/south streets are numbered and the east/west streets have tree names (e.g., Walnut, Spruce, Pine). In addition, the city has five main parks, perfect for some playtime in between museum hopping. Curb cut-outs make the city stroller and wheelchair accessible.
When the feet get tired, there are plenty of options for getting around town – some practical, some just plain fun. Let’s start with the practical: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) provides bus, subway and trolley service within the city, and suburban trains operate between Philadelphia and the surrounding counties.
Phlash, the purple touring-bus-turned-trolley, whisks visitors around to major attractions from May through November. Taxis can be found all over town, and for those headed to the countryside, renting a car is best. Most major car rental companies have outlets at the airport, train station or in Center City.
If getting from point “A” to point “B” isn’t the goal, but seeing all points from “A” to “Z” is, then a different mode of transportation is the order of the day. Wildly popular among families, Ride the Ducks, World War II-era, amphibious Army vehicles converted into fun sightseeing vessels, quack, disco and ride from land — through more than a dozen sites in Old City and South Street — to water — Delaware River at Penn’s Landing.
Boarding a Big Bus, the Double-Decker bus service made famous in London town, is one more way to see the most popular tourist attractions quickly. Passengers can hop on and off at more than 20 stops or sit back and enjoy the beauty of the city during the 90-minute tour. Yet another option is the Philadelphia Trolley Works, taking riders on tours led by clever guides capable of quoting fun historic and contemporary facts.
Getting to the Philadelphia region is a cinch. It’s accessible by car, train, bus and airplane. By car, the city is just two hours from New York City, 90 minutes from Baltimore, three hours from Washington D.C. and about an hour from Lancaster County, Atlantic City and the New Jersey shore via major highways.
Those who prefer someone else to do the driving can hop on Amtrak, which provides service along the Northeast Corridor and points west and south, or Greyhound, operating bus service throughout the region. The Philadelphia International Airport, approximately seven miles from Center City, serves more than 25 airlines.
Speaking of planes, air travel to Philadelphia got a whole lot cheaper with the arrival of Southwest Airlines, now providing service to and from the city. The airline offers daily nonstop flights from cities such as Chicago, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Providence and Tampa Bay, etc. Travelers can also take advantage of direct or connecting service from 31 other destinations, such as Ft. Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Oakland, Houston and Seattle. Meanwhile, US Airways offers special GoFares starting at $39 one-way between Philadelphia and more than 20 popular U.S. cities!
Getting Around
Once here, the city layout is simple to master. The compact Center City boasts founder William Penn’s easy-to-follow grid street design. It spans just 25 blocks between two rivers – the Schuylkill and the Delaware. In between, the north/south streets are numbered and the east/west streets have tree names (e.g., Walnut, Spruce, Pine). In addition, the city has five main parks, perfect for some playtime in between museum hopping. Curb cut-outs make the city stroller and wheelchair accessible.
When the feet get tired, there are plenty of options for getting around town – some practical, some just plain fun. Let’s start with the practical: Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) provides bus, subway and trolley service within the city, and suburban trains operate between Philadelphia and the surrounding counties.
Phlash, the purple touring-bus-turned-trolley, whisks visitors around to major attractions from May through November. Taxis can be found all over town, and for those headed to the countryside, renting a car is best. Most major car rental companies have outlets at the airport, train station or in Center City.
If getting from point “A” to point “B” isn’t the goal, but seeing all points from “A” to “Z” is, then a different mode of transportation is the order of the day. Wildly popular among families, Ride the Ducks, World War II-era, amphibious Army vehicles converted into fun sightseeing vessels, quack, disco and ride from land — through more than a dozen sites in Old City and South Street — to water — Delaware River at Penn’s Landing.
Boarding a Big Bus, the Double-Decker bus service made famous in London town, is one more way to see the most popular tourist attractions quickly. Passengers can hop on and off at more than 20 stops or sit back and enjoy the beauty of the city during the 90-minute tour. Yet another option is the Philadelphia Trolley Works, taking riders on tours led by clever guides capable of quoting fun historic and contemporary facts.
Luxury: Nightlife
All about the bottle
In Old City, there’s 32º, with its exclusive, upstairs getaway vibe and chilled shots served in glasses made of ice. Uptown at Rittenhouse Square’s Denim Lounge, velvet ropes lead to jean-lined elevators, which lead to a live DJ-ruled lounge and private parties catered by some of the city’s finest chefs. One thing’s for sure: all of these spots offer European buy-the-bottle (and bring-on-the-party) glamour.
Luxe Libations
At the moment, one of Philly’s coolest drink is the kiwi mojito at Washington Square, which must be sipped slowly, preferably in the restaurant’s urban-chic getaway garden. Then again, Philly barhoppers predict a massive resurgence of the classic sidecar and dirty martini, served on the planted roof-top deck of the very new corner showcase the Continental Midtown. These two spots are the latest additions to the ever-expanding Stephen Starr restaurant empire.
Liquid Specialties
Bet you didn’t realize sake was so versatile? One visit to Morimoto, a modern Japanese culinary palace of the Iron Chef, and you’ll see that whether dry or sweet, hot or chilled, plain or martini-ized, sake is as edgy as the instantly impressive menu — and as delicious as the jaw-dropping interior design.
If South of the Border libations are more appealing, Tequila’s Bar at Los Catrines is the place to sample gold and silver tequila that will forever change your idea of a run-of-the-mill margarita. For petite kir royales and Dom Perignon magnums, head upstairs to Old City’s Swanky Bubbles, the city’s only champagne bar and restaurant. Top-shelf martinis are the specialty at Old City's smooth Suede, while Rittenhouse Square’s Tria is a nonstop wine and cheese party.
Even plain-old beer gets glamorous at places like Monk’s Cafe, with dozens of Belgian brews, and Nodding Head Brewery, where the brewmaster has his master’s in creating world-class ales and stouts.
Luxe Libations
At the moment, one of Philly’s coolest drink is the kiwi mojito at Washington Square, which must be sipped slowly, preferably in the restaurant’s urban-chic getaway garden. Then again, Philly barhoppers predict a massive resurgence of the classic sidecar and dirty martini, served on the planted roof-top deck of the very new corner showcase the Continental Midtown. These two spots are the latest additions to the ever-expanding Stephen Starr restaurant empire.
Liquid Specialties
Bet you didn’t realize sake was so versatile? One visit to Morimoto, a modern Japanese culinary palace of the Iron Chef, and you’ll see that whether dry or sweet, hot or chilled, plain or martini-ized, sake is as edgy as the instantly impressive menu — and as delicious as the jaw-dropping interior design.
If South of the Border libations are more appealing, Tequila’s Bar at Los Catrines is the place to sample gold and silver tequila that will forever change your idea of a run-of-the-mill margarita. For petite kir royales and Dom Perignon magnums, head upstairs to Old City’s Swanky Bubbles, the city’s only champagne bar and restaurant. Top-shelf martinis are the specialty at Old City's smooth Suede, while Rittenhouse Square’s Tria is a nonstop wine and cheese party.
Even plain-old beer gets glamorous at places like Monk’s Cafe, with dozens of Belgian brews, and Nodding Head Brewery, where the brewmaster has his master’s in creating world-class ales and stouts.
