Things to do in Philadelphia in a day?

Question

I will have a day in Philadelphia. What can I do over there? What is the 'must see' location?

Most likely, I will not rent a car. Please advise something approachable by public transportation.

Is Liberty Bell & Independence Hall close to each other?

I am going to reserve a hotel in Philadelphia. If I want to visit the Liberty Bell & Independence Hall, which area in Philadelphia should I reserve?

Answer 1

The Liberty Bell and Independence Mall are in the same spot. They are there with the Constitution Center and the Franklin Mint as well. This is all in the area of 5th & Market-ish, which is also the area of Old City. During the day, I'd imagine it's bars are open for lunch and a drink of course, and at night it becomes a hot spot for Philly night life.

The Art Museum is a couple of miles away, but nothing more than a 10 minute cab right, and that considers traffic lights as well. It's worth the trip. Spend some time there looking around, but there aren't too many other things near it. It's probably about a 10 minute walk to get back into the heart of Center City and out of Eakins Oval and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

Geno's and Pat's are out of the way completely, and in all honesty aren't very good unless you're drunk. There are better cheesesteaks to be eaten, but if you insist, they'll surely be open.

You'd do best just starting with the Independence Mall thing, and going from there. Even if you don't find a touristy friend or a bus to take you around and give you a tour or Philly, the area itself is beautiful enough to just walk around and enjoy.

Answer 2

When I was there they had a cheap bus system for tourists -- don't know where you're staying, but in you're kinda in the middle (which is where I stayed), you can walk either direction and find lots of cool stuff.

I'd recommend the Historical section -- Liberty Bell, etc. There are maps available all over that show how to get to the various attractions, but simply strolling around the historical section you'll find more stuff than you can see in a day.

You can also eat in a place that John Adams referred to as "the most genteel establishment in America" or something like that. Maps will list it; I can't find the piece of paper with its name.

Phlash is the bus, and it should still be running. It just goes from the Philly Museum of Art near the Schylkill River to Penn's Landing on the Delaware River -- just keeps looping back and forth, with lots of stops. $1 per trip, or buy a day pass and ride all you want. The map I have for it markes out a lot of attractions.

My biggest regret when I was there was that I gave myself only 3 days, and missed Tom Jefferson's place (where he lived and wrote the Declaration.

For food, there's also Reading Station, which has just about any kind of food you could possibly want (little stalls serving different ethnicities and styles of food). It's a few blocks from the historical area.

Have fun! I know I had a blast when I was there.

Answer 3

I actually live here in Philadelphia...so here goes.
First off, the historic part of the city is compact and walkable. It's laid out in the classic grid system...Numbered streets run north-south, the named streets (most are tree names) run east-west. If only all cities did this, pretty hard to get lost. The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall are across from one another. There is also the new National Constitution Center, which is an awesome interactive museum a block from both. There is a great self guided walking tour of the historic area that takes you through the cobbled streets.
Definitely check out Elfreths Alley, the oldest residential street in the US. The area you'll be in will keep you entertained for most of the day. If you're looking for a place to stay, try the Holiday Inn Historic District, the Omni Independence Park or for something different try the Penn's View Inn...a smaller boutique hotel. Avoid the touristy "must have a cheesesteak" thing unless it's for lunch... try Sonny's at 216 Market, it's near the historic area and not out of the way like the "famous" places....
The restaurants here are great. Try Cuba Libre (on 2nd south of Market), really good Cuban food in a fun party environment. The Continental at 2nd and Market is a great place if you're in town by yourself. It's an old diner, that's gone upscale....it has a nice bar and good vibe for eating alone. Also if alone, check out Morimoto (On Chestnut between 7th and 8th). It is actually the Iron Chef Morimoto's restaurant. Great sushi and Japanese fusion food...oh and one more, there's Jones at 7th and Chestnut. It's comfort food gone upscale. Looks like a modern Brady Bunch house inside. Awesome Mac and Cheese and Fried Chicken with Waffles.

Answer 4

If you are an American, or a visitor who is interested in American history, you should definitely go the the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall area, it is beautiful to walk around, I don't know about the public trans to that area, just take a cab if it is too far to walk, check out the little "Elfreths Alley", it's like the longest continuously inhabited street in the nation, or something like that, you could walk from the historic district up market street (away from the river), check out the huge city hall, then walk towards the art museum along, I think it is called Ben Franklin Parkway, very pretty thruway in the city, cool city! Oh and eat at as many places as you can, I never came across a bad bite in philly!

Answer 5

Yes, if you like history, you're in the right place. You can take a horse carriage ride around the historic section & then decide what you want to see. And yes, they are close to each other, but notice that the Liberty Bell says this is "an original replica". What does that mean? a real fake????. I lived there for almost 20 years. Nice place to visit but....... If you want a cheesesteak, avoid Pat's & Geno's & go to South Street.

Answer 6

See the Liberty Bell, The Philadelphia Museum, and have a "Philly cheese steak."

Answer 7

The oldest zoo in the county... The Philadelphia Zoo. Not sure how to get there via public trans, but goto Septa.org or call the zoo and ask. The zoo is small enough that you can walk through and see everything, and still make it to a historic site or two downtown in a day.

Answer 8

you are able to bypass bypass to the Gallery and/or South street additionally Penn's landing, and the loopy Rush Hour that Philly has(rather at fifteenth street, the place a mob of photographers and vacationers would be discovered).