PHILADELPHIA TRANSPORTATION
Easy to Get to, Simple to Get Around

PHILADELPHIA, September 2003 – Named “one of the best walking cities in the country” by Walking magazine, Philadelphia boasts founder William Penn’s easy-to-follow grid street design with close proximity to major tourist attractions.

The best ways to get around Center City (Philadelphia’s downtown) are by foot, taxi or public transportation. The furthest attraction in the surrounding countryside is one hour by car. If you’re renting, all major car rental companies have outlets at the airport, train station or in Center City. (New Yorkers in particular will find car rentals a bargain in Philadelphia.)

Getting to Philadelphia:

• Philadelphia International Airport, approximately seven miles from Center City, serves more than 20 airlines, and in 2003 opened a $550 million international terminal with 13 new gates and spacious arrivals hall. The airport is home to dozens of gift, apparel and specialty shops and eateries, as well as various art exhibits and displays. A train takes visitors from the airport directly to Center City and the surrounding region every 30 minutes. (800) PHL-GATE, www.phl.org

• Philadelphia is accessible by car via major highways, including I-95 and the New Jersey and Pennsylvania Turnpikes.

• Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station connects Amtrak, Regional Rail Lines and the SEPTA subway system. (800) 872-RAIL, www.30thstreetstation.com, www.amtrak.com, www.septa.org

Getting Around Philadelphia

• The city layout is a cinch to master. Center City spans just 25 blocks between two rivers – the Schuylkill and the Delaware. In between, the north/south streets are numbered and the east/west streets have tree names (e.g., Walnut, Locust, Spruce, Pine). Each corner of the city houses a city park – Logan Circle, Rittenhouse Square, Washington Square and Franklin Park. Curb cut-outs make the city stroller and wheelchair accessible.

• Colorful directional signs called “Walk!Philadelphia” provide additional lighting, street banners, trees and ramped curbs throughout Center City. The Center City District populates the streets with uniformed ambassadors who act as strolling concierges.

• The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) provides bus, subway and trolley service within the city and Suburban trains operate between Philadelphia and its countryside. Within the city, there are two train lines – the Market-Frankford elevated train (which locals call “the el”) runs east to west and the Broad Street subway runs north to south. On most city routes, the cost for a one-way ride is $2. Day Passes, good for unlimited transportation within the city including one-way to the airport, are available for $5.50. (215) 580-7800, www.septa.com

• Taxis cost $1.80 for the first 1/6 of a mile, and 30 cents for each 1/6 of a mile thereafter. The flat fare to the airport is $20 to and from Center City. You may call ahead to reserve a taxi or ask your hotel front desk to call for one. Companies include Taxi Philadelphia (610) 595-1599, www.taxiphiladelphia.com; and Olde City Taxi, (215) 338-0838

• Rental cars are available at the airport, 30th Street Station and in Center City. Companies include Avis, Budget and Hertz. (800) 331-1212, www.avis.com; (800) 527-0700, www.drivebudget.com; (800) 654-3131, www.hertz.com 

• Rent bicycles or use your own to explore the city. Bike rentals are available at Trophy Bikes, open Monday through Friday, 11 a.m. to 7 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 9 a.m. to
  5 p.m. Rentals (including helmet and bike lock) cost $25 for a full-day, $18 for a half-day. 311 Market Street, (215) 625-7999, www.trophybikes.com

Touring Philadelphia

• Philadelphia Trolley Works offers a narrated tour of three centuries of history, amusing stories and fascinating facts about the City of Brotherly Love. The 90-minute tour departs from 5th & Market Streets. The all-day pass allows you unlimited on-and-off privileges. The cost is $20 per adult, $5 for children 6-12 and free for ages five and under. Ticket price includes a free transfer onto a 40-minute excursion through beautiful Fairmount Park, home to historic mansions and the Philadelphia Zoo. (215) 925-TOUR, www.phillytour.com

• See Philadelphia from an open-top double decker London bus. Big Bus tours depart from 5th & Market Streets and offer stops and pick-up points at tourist attractions throughout the city. The full tour lasts about two hours and features authentic English tour guides. The tour costs $25 for adults, $10 for children ages 4-12. (866) 3-BIGBUS, www.bigbustours.com

• See the sights while seated in one of Philadelphia Carriage Company’s horse-drawn carriages. The narrated tour takes visitors through Society Hill, Old City and the Historic District. The short 20-minute ride accommodates up to four people and costs $25. Tours run between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. Meet carriages at Independence Hall on Chestnut Street between 5th & 6th Streets, (215) 922-6840, www.philacarriage.com

• Journey through Philadelphia by land and sea with Ride the Ducks, an amphibious sightseeing tour. The scenic, 80-minute journey travels from 6th & Chestnut Streets through Old City, the Historic District and South Street before plunging into water for a 20-minute tour of the Delaware River along Penn’s Landing. Fares are $19.95 for adults, $17.95 for children over 12 with a school ID, $10.95 children ages 3-12.
  (215) 227-DUCK, www.ridetheducks.com

• RiverLink Ferry’s Freedom Ferry runs seven days a week from March through December along the Delaware River and offers a picturesque view of the Philadelphia skyline and the Camden waterfront. Rides leave every 40 minutes between 9 a.m. and 5:40 p.m. from Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing Terminal and Wiggins Park terminal in Camden. Roundtrip fare is $6 adults, $4 children ages 2-12. (215) 925-LINK, www.riverlinkferry.org

Touring Philadelphia's Countryside

• New Hope Canal Boat Company offers mule-drawn canal boat rides complete with an historic narrative about the region. Ninety-minute rides run daily at 12 noon, 1:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. Fare is $10 for adults, $8 for children under 12. 149 S. Main Street,
  New Hope, (215) 862-0758, www.canalboats.com

• Go back to the golden era of steam trains when you roll through historic Bucks County on the New Hope & Ivyland Railroad. Trains leave on the hour Monday through Friday between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Fares are $10 adults, $7 children ages 2-11, $1.50 children under 2.
  32 W. Bridge Street, New Hope, (215) 862-2332, www.newhoperailroad.com

• Ride one of the earliest railroads, built in 1831, on the West Chester Railroad, a 90-minute roundtrip journey through Chester Creek Valley, starting from Market Street Station in West Chester. Fares are $8-$12 for adults, $5 for children ages 2-12. (610) 430-2233, www.westchesterrr.net

GPTMC is a non-profit organization dedicated to generating awareness of and visitation to Philadelphia, Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676. For information about arts and cultural attractions in the region, visit the Philadelphia CultureFiles at gophila.com.

Note to Editors: For story angles and photographic images of Philadelphia and its surrounding countryside, visit gophila.com/pressroom.  

July 2003

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