Philadelphia, United States

Evergreen city guide with quick facts, travel, business, and culture.

United StatesPennsylvania

Overview

Philadelphia is where the United States was born — the city of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, and the nation's first capital. It is also a vivid, walkable modern city: the home of the cheesesteak and Reading Terminal Market, the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, more than 4,000 public murals, and some of the most passionate sports fans in the country.

Birthplace of America

Independence Hall (UNESCO) and the Liberty Bell, the Museum of the American Revolution and the nation's first capital — both icons free to visit.

Colonial Streets

Old City and Society Hill, cobblestoned Elfreth's Alley (the oldest US residential street), the Betsy Ross House and Ben Franklin's many 'firsts'.

Art and the Rocky Steps

The Philadelphia Museum of Art and its famous Rocky Steps, the Barnes Foundation, the Rodin Museum and the Franklin Institute along the Parkway.

Cheesesteaks and Markets

The cheesesteak, soft pretzels and water ice, the 1893 Reading Terminal Market, and 4,000-plus public murals overhead.

Sports City

The Eagles, Phillies, 76ers and Flyers at the South Philadelphia complex, and some of America's most passionate fans.
Travel Overview

Philadelphia — Pennsylvania's largest city and the sixth-largest in the United States — is where American democracy was founded, and where you can still walk its most historic ground. Independence National Historical Park, 'America's most historic square mile', holds Independence Hall, the UNESCO-listed building where the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the US Constitution (1787) were debated and signed, and the Liberty Bell across the mall (both free to visit). Philadelphia was the young nation's capital through the 1790s, and the legacy of its founder William Penn and resident genius Benjamin Franklin runs through the whole city, from Elfreth's Alley — the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the country, cobbled since 1702 — to a string of American 'firsts' (the first hospital, library and zoo). But Philly is no museum piece. The grand Benjamin Franklin Parkway, modelled on the Champs-Élysées, runs from City Hall (topped by a statue of Penn) up to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, whose east steps are world-famous as the 'Rocky Steps', complete with a Rocky statue at the base. The city is the self-styled 'Mural Capital of the World', with more than 4,000 outdoor murals from the largest public-art programme in the US. And it eats with gusto: the cheesesteak (the friendly Pat's-versus-Geno's rivalry in South Philly), soft pretzels, water ice and the food stalls of the 1893 Reading Terminal Market. Center City is flat and very walkable; SEPTA's subways, trolleys and regional rail (with a direct line from Philadelphia International Airport, PHL) cover the rest. Sports are a civic religion here — the Eagles, Phillies, 76ers and Flyers all play at the South Philadelphia complex.

Discover Philadelphia

The heart of any first visit is Independence National Historical Park, often called 'America's most historic square mile'. Independence Hall — a UNESCO World Heritage Site — is the redbrick Georgian building where the Founders debated and signed both the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the US Constitution in 1787; entry is by free timed ticket, worth reserving in peak season. Across Independence Mall, the Liberty Bell, with its famous crack, sits in a glass pavilion that is free to enter (security check only). The surrounding park packs in Congress Hall, the excellent Museum of the American Revolution, Franklin Court and the National Constitution Center, making a full and genuinely moving half-day or more of early-American history.

Frequently asked questions

It is the birthplace of the United States — the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were both signed at Independence Hall, and the city was the early nation's capital. It is equally famous for the cheesesteak, the 'Rocky Steps' at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Reading Terminal Market, and being the 'Mural Capital of the World' with more than 4,000 public murals. Philadelphians' devotion to their sports teams is legendary too.

The essentials of early America in one walkable square mile. Independence Hall (a UNESCO World Heritage Site) is where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were signed — entry is by free timed ticket, worth reserving ahead in summer. The Liberty Bell sits in a free glass pavilion across the mall. Add the Museum of the American Revolution and the National Constitution Center for a full half-day or more.

The classic ritual is the Pat's-versus-Geno's rivalry on a single South Philly corner, though locals all have their own favourite. Beyond the cheesesteak, try soft pretzels, the local 'water ice', and the Italian Market — but the single best food stop is the 1893 Reading Terminal Market, one of America's oldest and largest, where Pennsylvania Dutch counters sit beside global street food.