フィラデルフィア観光・アクティビティ

Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, a Reading Terminal Market food tour, the Museum of the American Revolution, the Rocky Steps and Museum of Art, Eastern State Penitentiary, the Magic Gardens, the Italian Market, the Barnes Foundation, Elfreth’s Alley and an Amish Country day trip. The first three are within a five-minute walk of each other in Old City.

Two days: Old City and the markets on the first, the Parkway museums, the Rocky Steps and Eastern State on the second. Add a third for Amish Country or Valley Forge. It is the easiest big East Coast city to do without a car — the centre is a 30-minute walk end to end.

Independence Hall with a free timed ticket, the Liberty Bell, Elfreth’s Alley, the Rocky Steps and statue, Rittenhouse Square, the Rodin Museum garden, the city’s 4,000 murals, Independence National Historical Park’s smaller sites such as Carpenters’ Hall, and the Museum of Art on the first Sunday of each month (pay what you wish).

Amish Country in Lancaster County (90 minutes, guided from $87), Valley Forge (45 minutes, from $15 self-guided), Gettysburg (2.5 hours), New Hope on the Delaware (1 hour) and Longwood Gardens (1 hour). Guided tours run to the first two; the rest need a car.

Ghost tours of Old City and its colonial graveyards, Eastern State Penitentiary’s Halloween nights in autumn, Delaware River dinner cruises from Penn’s Landing, the Spruce Street Harbor Park lights in summer, BYOB trolley tours, rooftop bars in Center City and a Philly-by-night double-decker bus ride past the lit-up Parkway and City Hall.

Winter is cold but cheap and uncrowded: Independence Hall needs no ticket from January to February, the Christmas Village at LOVE Park and the Macy’s light show run through December, the Museum of Art and the Barnes are ideal for cold days, and Reading Terminal Market is warm and open year-round. The Mummers Parade fills Broad Street on New Year’s Day.

The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall (short and free), the Franklin Institute’s giant walk-through heart, the Please Touch Museum, the Adventure Aquarium across the river in Camden, running the Rocky Steps, Spruce Street Harbor Park in summer, a Delaware River cruise, and the Amish Country buggy rides in Lancaster.

April to June and September to October: mild weather, cherry blossoms in spring and colour in the parks in autumn. Summer is hot and humid but has the July 4th Wawa Welcome America festival; winter is cold, quiet and the cheapest time for hotels.

Yes — it is where the United States was founded, the sites are free or cheap and walkable, the food scene from cheesesteaks to the Italian Market is among the best in the country, and it costs a fraction of New York or Washington. Two days is enough to see why.