Stand on the east bank of the Schuylkill River and the old Fairmount Water Works comes into view across the water, its neoclassical buildings and terraced gardens layered against the slope below the art museum. That single view holds much of what Philadelphia offers: engineering that once supplied the city's water, parkland on both banks, and a skyline of statues and murals behind it.
The city suits travellers who like to walk between their history, their art and their food, and who are happy to spend a day outdoors as readily as a day in a gallery. Old City holds the founding sites, Center City West holds the museums, and the parks along the Schuylkill hold the long afternoon.
This guide covers the sights and experiences worth building a trip around, followed by a one-day plan and answers to the practical questions that come up most often.
Top things to do in Philadelphia
1. Independence National Historic Park
This park in Old City is the city's signature historic site. It includes the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were debated and adopted, and a group of other historic buildings within walking distance of one another.
Give it the morning, when the streets are quietest and you can move between the buildings on foot. The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall sit inside the same park, so plan them as one visit rather than two separate trips.
2. Philadelphia Museum of Art
One of the world's largest art collections sits at the top of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, with particular strength in Asian and medieval art, impressionist paintings and furniture.
Combine it with the walk along the parkway, which links the museum area to City Hall and the squares in between. The museum also anchors the museum-laden stretch of the parkway, so it pairs naturally with the other collections nearby.
3. The Barnes Foundation
Also on the parkway in Center City West, the Barnes Foundation holds one of the world's most important collections of post-impressionist and modernist art.
Because it sits in the same museum district as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Rodin Museum, you can see two or three collections in a single afternoon without crossing the city.
4. Fairmount Park
A large park on both sides of the Schuylkill River northwest of Center City. East Fairmount Park holds the Smith Memorial Playground, Dell East Concerts and a driving range; West Fairmount Park, much of it renamed the Centennial District, holds the Mann Music Center, where the Philadelphia Orchestra plays in summer, the Japanese Tea House, and the Please Touch Museum for kids in a restored Memorial Hall.
Statues line Kelly Drive on the east side of the river, including works by Remington along the path. Treat the park as a half-day at least, and pick one bank rather than trying to cover both.
5. Fairmount Water Works
In Center City West, the Fairmount Water Works features information on local watersheds as well as interpretive art, set in the historic works on the river.
It sits directly below the art museum and beside Fairmount Park, so it works best as a stop on a walk along the Schuylkill rather than a destination on its own.
6. Mütter Museum
The Mütter Museum of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia holds a collection of medical oddities and is one of the city's most popular attractions.
It is a museum of a very particular kind, so check that everyone in your group wants to see it before committing an afternoon. Pair it with the rest of your Center City West museum time.
7. Eastern State Penitentiary
In North Philly, Eastern State Penitentiary is billed as "America's Most Historic Prison." It is also the site of an annual Bastille Day recreation.
It appears as one of the options on the Philadelphia CityPASS, which is worth knowing if you are planning several attractions. If your visit falls around Bastille Day, the recreation is part of the reason to come.
8. The Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute Science Museum runs special exhibits that change every few months. Walk through the giant-sized human heart, a favourite with kids, and note the planetarium and the large IMAX theatre.
It is one of the attractions included in the Philadelphia CityPASS. Because the special exhibits rotate, it rewards a repeat visit more than most museums in the city.
9. Public art and murals
Philadelphia's Mural Arts Program has produced a very large collection of public art, with over 3500 murals completed since it began, originally to help stop graffiti and enliven the city's buildings. Tours are offered, from trolley or train tours to the mural-mile walking tour. Glass mosaics are found throughout the city, and a sampling can be seen on South Street east of Broad.
This is art you can see without paying admission or entering a building, which makes it a good fit for a spare hour between other stops. The walking tour is the way to see the murals at street level.
10. The city's squares and statues
William Penn designed Philadelphia with five squares of public open space; four are now city parks at the corners of an imaginary square around the centre of Center City, while the fifth is occupied by City Hall. Rittenhouse Square sits among the Rittenhouse hotels and residences and is named after David Rittenhouse, a clockmaker and astronomer. Logan Square, better known as Logan Circle, is the gateway to Fairmount Park and the Art Museum area and holds the Swann Memorial Fountain. Washington Square is near Independence Hall. Franklin Square, on the outskirts of Chinatown at 6th and Race Streets, has the Philadelphia Park Liberty Carousel, a Philadelphia-themed miniature golf course, two playgrounds and a fountain.
Center City also offers many public statue displays: "The Clothespin" by Claes Oldenburg stands just across from City Hall on West Market Street, and near the Municipal Services Building across JFK Boulevard you will find larger-than-life game pieces from popular board games and a statue of former mayor Frank Rizzo. The centre of City Hall's Square is a large compass in the ground, with four archways leading into it. These are free, close together, and easy to fold into a walk between other sights.
11. LOVE Park
A square near City Hall, known for its Robert Indiana "LOVE" sculpture, which has come to represent the brotherly love the city was founded on. It serves as a terminus between City Hall and the museum-laden Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Note that a ban on skateboarding has been rigorously enforced since 2002, so come to look rather than to ride. It sits directly on the route between City Hall and the museums, making it a natural pause on that walk.
12. Penn Treaty Park
A small riverfront park in North Philly. On this site William Penn entered into a treaty of peace with Tamanend, the Lenape chief.
It is a quiet stop rather than a full afternoon, and it pairs with other North Philly visits such as Eastern State Penitentiary.
13. The Library Company
The Library Company is a museum collection in the city, and it belongs on a list for anyone interested in the city's long history of firsts in libraries and learning.
Set aside a focused visit rather than a whole day, and check it alongside the other historic collections in the same part of town.
14. Lion Crushing a Serpent and William Penn
Two works of public art in the city: the sculpture Lion Crushing a Serpent and the artwork of William Penn. Both are part of the city's dense stock of outdoor sculpture, which is among the reasons Philadelphia is worth walking rather than only riding.
Look for them as part of a walking route through the centre rather than as separate trips, since public art here is spread across the streets and squares.
15. Annual events
The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day, with local clubs competing in four categories, Comics, Fancies, String Bands and Fancy Brigades, in elaborate costumes and moveable scenery, travelling northward on Broad Street from South Philadelphia to near City Hall. The Philadelphia Marathon is held every third Sunday in November, with a full marathon, half marathon and the "Rothman Institute 8k." The Philadelphia Flower Show, one of the largest indoor flower shows in the world, is held every spring at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The Made In America Festival takes place during Labor Day weekend on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
If your dates are flexible, these are the periods when the city is at its busiest and most animated. If they are not, check what falls during your stay before you book, since the parade and the marathon both close streets along their routes.
If you only have one day
Morning: Start at Independence National Historic Park in Old City, seeing the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall together while the streets are quiet. Walk the short distance to Washington Square before leaving the neighbourhood.
Afternoon: Head west to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Stop at LOVE Park on the way, then choose two of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Barnes Foundation and the Rodin Museum rather than trying to see all three. Finish with the Fairmount Water Works and a walk into Fairmount Park along the Schuylkill, where the statues line Kelly Drive.
Evening: Return to Center City and walk the squares and statues around City Hall, including "The Clothespin" on West Market Street and the game pieces near the Municipal Services Building. If your visit falls in summer, Spruce Street Harbor Park takes on a fairground atmosphere on summer nights, with hammocks, floating gardens, trees lit in colour, local craft beers and food trucks.
Frequently asked questions
Is a CityPASS worth it for a short trip?
If you plan to visit multiple attractions, the Philadelphia CityPASS grants admission to six Philadelphia attractions within nine days of first use at a much reduced rate, and includes expedited entry in some cases. The included attractions are THE Franklin Institute, Adventure Aquarium, Phila Trolley and the Big Bus Company with 24 hours of on-off privileges, Philadelphia Zoo, an option ticket with a choice of either the Academy of Natural Sciences or the National Constitution Center, and a second option ticket with a choice of Please Touch Museum or Eastern State Penitentiary.
When is the best time to see the city's outdoor art?
The murals and public sculpture are outdoors and free to view, so they work in almost any weather. Spruce Street Harbor Park is at its best on summer nights, and the Mann Music Center in West Fairmount Park hosts the Philadelphia Orchestra in summer. The Philadelphia Flower Show is held every spring at the Pennsylvania Convention Center.
What happens in the city around New Year's Day?
The Mummers Parade is held each New Year's Day, with clubs competing in Comics, Fancies, String Bands and Fancy Brigades, in costumes and moveable scenery that take months to complete. The parade travels northward on Broad Street, beginning in South Philadelphia and concluding near City Hall in Center City.
Where can I see the city's parks in one stretch?
Fairmount Park runs along both sides of the Schuylkill River northwest of Center City, and Logan Square, better known as Logan Circle, is the gateway to Fairmount Park and the Art Museum area. From there you can continue to Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square and Franklin Square, the four remaining squares from William Penn's original plan.
Pick your dates, decide which two or three museums matter most to you, and build the rest of the trip around the walk between them.