Philadelphia Sightseeing

There's much to see in Philadelphia, with historic sights and world-class museums topping the list. This is a great city for walking, with the main sights sprinkled around the compact city centre; and there's much to discover just wandering through the old neighbourhoods.

At the heart of downtown is City Hall. Directly east, on Market Street, is Independence National Historical Park, with the famous Liberty Bell, Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center; Market Street continues on to the waterfront and Penn's Landing.

North of Market Street is the Old City Cultural District, with Christ Church and Elfreth's Alley, a picturesque lane that's also the oldest residential street in America - the first house was built in 1713. To the south is Society Hill, with more historic buildings, and the trendy South Street neighbourhood of shops, restaurants and nightlife.

Circling clockwise around the City Hall hub are the Convention Center District, where Chinatown, Reading Terminal Market, the business district and many fine shops and department stores are located; the colourful Washington Square and upmarket Rittenhouse Square neighbourhoods; and the Parkway/Museums district. The diagonal Benjamin Franklin Parkway leads to the grande dame of this area, the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Beyond, leafy Fairmount Park spreads along the Schuylkill (SKOO-kull) River. Broad Street, the 'Avenue of the Arts', runs south past many performing arts venues. Nearby is South Philadelphia, home of the cheesesteak and the famous Italian Market.

Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation
30 South 17th Street
Suite 1710
Tel: (215) 599 0776.
Website: www.gophila.com

Independence Visitor Center
The visitor centre provides information on attractions and events throughout the region as well as computer stations to help in trip planning. Visitors can book tickets to exhibitions and events, make restaurant reservations and sign up for heritage tours.

Sixth and Market Streets, in Independence National Historical Park
Tel: 1 800 537 7676 or (215) 965 7676.
Website: www.independencevisitorcenter.com
Opening hours: 0830-1900 (Jul-Sep); 0830-1700 (Oct-Jun).

The CityPass (tel: (208) 787 4300 or 1 888 330 5008; website: www.citypass.com) allows free admission to six attractions: the Franklin Institute Science Museum, the Adventure Aquarium, the Philadelphia Zoo, the Philadelphia Trolley Works, the National Constitution Center and a choice of either the Academy of Natural Sciences or the Independence Seaport Museum. It is valid for nine days and can be purchased from the attractions on the day or online in advance. A one-day Philadelphia Pass (tel: 1 888 567 7277/PASS; website: www.philadelphiapass.com) offers free admissions to attractions plus discounts at shops and restaurants.