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Travel guide
Philadelphia
3 days · 8 things to do
Best time to go: April to June, September to October
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Welcome
Philadelphia, in a few days
The city where the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776 and the Constitution drafted in 1787 still keeps, within a grid of brick streets laid out by William Penn, the assembly room, the cracked bell and the oldest inhabited street in the country. Three kilometres away, an art museum whose steps were made famous by Rocky, the world's largest concentration of Renoirs and Cézannes and a Gothic prison of 1829 round off a city best eaten at the counter, melted-cheese sandwich in hand.
- Day by day
- D1 Day 1 3 things
- D2 Day 2 3 things
- D3 Day 3 2 things
- Worth sorting before you go
- Words that help
- The practical page
- Packing checklist
The trip
Day by day
Map of the sights (numbers follow the suggested order). It prints with the base map.
D1
Day 1
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Independence Hall and Liberty Bell · 2 to 3 hThe former Pennsylvania State House where the Declaration of Independence was adopted in 1776 and the Constitution drafted in 1787, facing the cracked Liberty Bell in its glass pavilion.
- Afternoon · Museum of the American Revolution · 2 to 3 hOpened in 2017 near Independence Hall, a lively account of the War of Independence whose centrepiece is George Washington's campaign tent, revealed after a short film.
- Late afternoon · Elfreth's Alley and Old City free · 1 to 2 hA cobbled lane of 32 brick houses built between 1728 and 1836, inhabited since 1702, surrounded by Christ Church, the Betsy Ross House and Benjamin Franklin's grave.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Canopy by Hilton Philadelphia Center City ↗ · All places to stay by budget →€220 a night
D2
Day 2
3 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Reading Terminal Market free · 1 to 2 hThe covered market of 1893 beneath the old Reading railroad station, with over seventy traders, roast pork sandwiches, doughnuts fried to order and Amish stalls selling hand-rolled pretzels.
- Afternoon · Barnes Foundation · 2 to 3 hAlbert Barnes's collection of 181 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, 59 Matisses and 46 Picassos, hung floor to ceiling in dense ensembles with no labels, exactly as he left them.
- Late afternoon · Eastern State Penitentiary · about 2 hA Gothic castle-like prison open from 1829 to 1971 that pioneered solitary confinement, with crumbling vaulted corridors, Al Capone's furnished cell and death row explored with an audio guide.
🛏️ Where to sleep · Canopy by Hilton Philadelphia Center City ↗€220 a night
D3
Day 3
2 things to do · at your own pace
- Morning · Italian Market and South Philly free · 2 to 3 hThe open-air market on 9th Street, with butchers, cheesemongers, taquerias and Vietnamese restaurants, ending at Pat's and Geno's, the rival cheesesteak counters facing each other day and night.
- Afternoon · Philadelphia Museum of Art and Rocky Steps · half a dayA neoclassical temple of some 240,000 works, from Van Gogh's Sunflowers to the world's largest Duchamp collection, fronted by the 72 steps Sylvester Stallone ran up in Rocky.
Before you go
Worth sorting before you go
📶 eSIM data
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
Online the moment you land, no roaming bill.
Get one · Holafly
🛡️ Travel insurance
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
Health, luggage, cancellation.
Cover it · Ekta
💳 Fee-free card
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
Pay at the real rate, with no exchange markup.
Open one · Revolut
🚐 Airport transfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
A private car at a fixed price from the moment you land.
Book it · GetTransfer
Some links are partner links: we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you.
Good to know
Flavours & local habits
🍽️ Worth tasting
- Burgers and barbecue: brisket and ribs cooked low and slow, done differently in every state.
- Clam chowder in a sourdough bread bowl: the classic lunch on the San Francisco waterfront.
- Mexican food: tacos from a truck in Los Angeles, a Mission burrito in San Francisco.
- Pancakes and weekend brunch: a national habit, generous to the point of excess.
- Craft beer, and California wine from Napa and Sonoma.
⚠️ Best avoided
- Tipping is not optional: add 15 to 20% in restaurants and bars.
- Prices on menus and in shops exclude sales tax, which is added at the till.
- Do not plan more than four or five hours of driving a day: the distances are larger than they look on the map.
- Never travel without health insurance. A night in hospital can cost thousands of dollars.
- In summer, do not hike down into the Grand Canyon in the heat of the day: the climb back out is where people get into trouble.
Getting by
Words that help
🗣️ English is the main language here, so there is nothing to learn by heart.
The essentials
The practical page
CurrencyUS dollar (USD, $)
BudgetAbout €175 a day, mid-range
Best seasonApril to June, September to October
PlugA/B · 120V
Tap waterSafe to drink
Tipping15 to 20%, expected
Emergency911
EntryUK, Australian and most EU passports need an ESTA, applied for online before departure, for stays of up to 90 days; a few EU countries sit outside the Visa Waiver Program and need a full visa. Canadians need neither, only a passport. Anyone who has been to Cuba since January 2021 cannot use an ESTA and must apply for a visa.
HealthNo vaccination required. Keep tetanus, diphtheria and polio up to date; hepatitis A is worth considering if you eat well off the tourist trail. In the desert parks, the heat is the real risk.
Scan to open this guide online, always up to date.
https://offwegooo.com/en/guides/philadelphia
Don't forget
Packing checklist
Have a good trip.
Guide made on offwegooo.com · Photos via Pexels · Details are indicative, check before you leave.