DISCOVER PHILADELPHIA GREAT EXPERIENCES ARE HERE FOR THE MAKING The Philadelphia International Visitors Guide, plus “Philly Originals” special feature from National Geographic Traveler magazine WELCOME TO PHILADELPHIA ESSENTIALS DUB KEF SNN GLA MAN PHILADELPHIA LHR AMS ESSENTIAL INFORMATION FOR VISITORS FRA MUC YUL CDG YQB VCE GETTING HERE YOW YYZ MAD BCN FCO Philadelphia is easy to get to by plane, LIS ATH train, bus, or automobile, so no matter FPO where you are coming from, you won’t NAS BDA have a hard time finding us. You can fly SDQ DOH CUN PLS directly into Philadelphia International GCM Airport (PHL), conveniently located just MBJ PUJ SXM eight miles (13 km) away, or take a train, AUA UVF SJO shuttle, or rent a car from Newark Liberty International Airport (EWR) or John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) (both International Year-Round Flights are two hours or less by car). It’s a 20-minute ride by SEPTA International Seasonal Flights (Philadelphia’s public transit system) or a 25-minute drive in a taxi from Philadelphia International Airport to Center City. SEPTA’s Airport Line (train) leaves in 30-minute intervals and a one-way fare costs approximately 8 USD. septa.org The taxi ride costs approximately 28.50 USD, plus gratuity. For information on other ground transportation options, call the Airport VISITOR CENTERS Ground Transportation Hotline at Get information on the city and region, +1-215-937-6958. phl.org plus recommendations, maps, and more from any of the Independence Visitor Center locations. Personalized concierges offer trip-planning help in 12 languages. phlvisitorcenter.com GETTING AROUND Independence Visitor Center Not only are we perfectly situated on Corner of 6th and Market Streets the East Coast, we are also one of the City Hall Visitor Center world’s most walkable cities. In fact, Broad and Market Streets, Room 121, City Hall there are hotels and restaurants at Philadelphia is a city that is rich in both The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors PHILADELPHIA ESSENTIALS 2 every price point in the heart of Fairmount Park Welcome Center, history and high-tech, modern ideas. Though Bureau has teamed up with Brand 48 HOURS ITINERARY 4 Center City, plus a top-rated public LOVE Park it is most famous as the birthplace of USA, America’s destination marketing transit system and plenty of taxis to 6.25 hours 16th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard American democracy, you’ll learn much organization, and National Geographic BOSTON DINING & NIGHTLIFE 6 take you around. Sister Cities Park Café and Visitor Center more about our tradition of freedom and Traveler magazine to encourage travelers Thanks to founder William Penn’s innovation as you explore our diverse to discover Philadelphia, where great CITY OF NEIGHBORHOODS 7 1.5 hours 18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway smart and simple grid street design, NEW YORK CITY communities, vibrant museums, and experiences and memories are here TAX-FREE SHOPPING 8 the city center is easy to navigate. PHILADELPHIA Philadelphia’s convenient location and mix of exciting sports and cultural attractions. for the making. It’s friendly, walkable, The Schuylkill and Delaware Rivers top hotel brands also makes it the perfect spot We hope you enjoy your time in the and beautiful with world-class culture, CALENDAR OF EVENTS 9 border Center City’s 25 blocks on to stay overnight for day-trips to Lancaster, City of Brotherly Love (and Sisterly Affection) food, entertainment, and parks. Always * “PHILLY ORIGINALS” 10 2 hours the west and east. Keep in mind that WASHINGTON, D.C. home to the Amish and Pennsylvania Dutch, and that you’ll come back soon to explore changing and ever exciting, discover why streets running east and west (south and Atlantic City in New Jersey. more of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is a favorite city to explore. CENTER CITY MAP 19 of Market Street) are named after trees while north and south streets are *Reprinted from National Geographic Traveler magazine numbered. (See the map on page 19.) Visit discoverPHL.com/international to find all of the essentials you need to plan your trip to Philadelphia, and find things to do and places to stay while you’re here. BKLPHOTO.COM/PHLCVB 2 PHILADELPHIA discoverPHL.com 3 HOURS IN PHILADELPHIA Welcome to a city where historic landmarks and cultural hot spots come together to create a vibrant tapestry of art, history, nightlife, food, and music. Here’s a suggested two-day itinerary to inspire your trip to Philadelphia! Art lovers must visit the world-famous Walk over to see the stunning architecture Before leaving town, go “inside the walls” 48 Barnes Foundation, which houses the largest of Philadelphia’s City Hall, which was the of the crumbling but endlessly fascinating private collection of early French modern and tallest occupied building in the world until Eastern State Penitentiary. In the century Post-impressionist paintings in the world. View 1909. Relax in Dilworth Park, just next to City after it opened in 1829, more than 300 prisons more than 600 paintings by masters such as Hall, and admire the more than 250 relief worldwide copied its revolutionary radial Cézanne, Degas, Picasso, and Renoir, as well and freestanding sculptures, all created by design. Gangster Al Capone’s cell was lavishly Start your day with a leisurely jog or walk along as antique furniture and African sculptures in Alexander Milne Calder. Or, cross the street decorated, but bank robber Willie Sutton’s the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, finishing at the unique, detailed placements created by and take your picture with another famous wasn’t as comfortable—he notoriously busted the top of the Philadelphia Museum of Art Dr. Albert Barnes. barnesfoundation.org statue—Robert Indiana’s LOVE. out through a tunnel in 1945. easternstate.org steps—just like Rocky. The museum itself holds a world-renowned art collection, which you can easily spend your whole morning perusing. philamuseum.org Philadelphia has the country’s largest public arts program, which has produced more than 3,600 works of art since its inception. Don’t miss out on taking a walking, bus, or self-guided tour of the City of Murals with the City of Philadelphia’s Mural Arts Program. muralarts.org Chinatown Philadelphia Zoo MUST-SEE ATTRACTIONS 10th and Arch Streets 3400 West Girard Avenue There is enough to see and Home to the first authentic Chinese gate The Philadelphia Zoo may be America’s built in America, Philadelphia’s Chinatown oldest, but it certainly keeps current. Interact do in Philadelphia that you’ll boasts bustling streets lined with restaurants, with animals in a new way as fierce felines To get better acquainted with the city’s sites, need to plan your next trip grocery stores, and rows of shops. and playful primates make their way through take a double-decker bus tour that lets you chinatown-pcdc.org overhead trail systems. philadelphiazoo.org hop on and off to explore more. Or sign up back before you even leave. for a walking or Segway tour for a different Here is a list of some of the The Franklin Institute Please Touch Museum perspective. discoverPHL.com/tours top spots not to be missed. 222 North 20th Street 4231 Avenue of the Republic Located in the heart of Philadelphia, The Located in historic Memorial Hall in Fairmount Franklin Institute has fun down to a science, Park, the Please Touch Museum is designed Academy of Natural Sciences with three floors of hands-on exhibits, for families with young children and features of Drexel University including the iconic Giant Heart and the a host of interactive exhibits, daily activities, Next, head to Independence National 1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway Historical Park, the country’s most historic “Your Brain” exhibit. fi.edu theater performances, and a century-old Dig for dinosaur fossils, stroll among live carousel! pleasetouchmuseum.org square mile and home to Independence Hall, butterflies, touch a live animal, learn the Italian Market a UNESCO World Heritage site, the Liberty importance of watersheds, explore diorama 919 South 9th Street Rodin Museum Bell, and much more. The best thing to do is animals from around the world, or take a The 9th Street Italian Market is the oldest 2154 Benjamin Franklin Parkway start at the Independence Visitor Center to pick behind-the-scenes tour at the Academy and largest working outdoor market in the Home to the largest Rodin collection outside up information on all of the attractions in the of Natural Sciences, the oldest natural United States, home to a variety of indoor of Paris, this museum showcases casts of the area. nps.gov/inde science research institution and museum fishmongers, cheese purveyors, and butchers. artist’s greatest works including “The Thinker,” in the New World. ansp.org italianmarketphilly.org “The Burghers of Calais,” and “The Gates of Hell.” rodinmuseum.org For some retail therapy, head to Rittenhouse Avenue of the Arts National Constitution Center Row, a stretch of Walnut Street just off Broad and Spruce Streets 525 Arch Street SugarHouse Casino Rittenhouse Square that is the perfect place Known as the theater district of Philadelphia, The National Constitution Center dramatically 1001 North Delaware Avenue For lunch, indulge in artisanal cheeses, specialty to enjoy Philadelphia’s tax-free shopping the Avenue of the Arts is a stretch of Broad tells the story of the Constitution, from 24-hour gaming action, great dining, foods, and farm-fresh produce at the historic on clothing and shoes. Or if you’re more in Street near City Hall. See the Philadelphia Revolutionary times to the present, through entertainment, and an outdoor patio along (and always bustling) Reading Terminal Market, the mood to relax, pull up a seat at one of Orchestra at The Kimmel Center for the more than a hundred interactive exhibits, the Delaware River make the SugarHouse where more than a hundred merchants sell the area’s sidewalk cafés for a leisurely meal.