Transportation

Traveling to Philadelphia

By Plane

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) serves the Philadelphia region with 22 airlines offering nearly 325 nonstop departures to 120 destinations in the U.S. and around the world. PHL was named a top performer in a review of on-time flights by Cirium. Once you’ve arrived, it’s about a 25-minute ride on the SEPTA Airport Line or a 20-minute drive to Center City.

By Train

Enjoy the convenience of traveling to Philadelphia via Amtrak. Skip the traffic and take advantage of downtown-to-downtown service from Philadelphia to all major cities — including New York City, Washington D.C., and Boston — throughout the Northeast Corridor on the Northeast Regional and Acela trains from Philadelphia’s 30th Street Station. Visitors can also travel to and from Philadelphia’s Countryside via SEPTA Regional Rail out of 30th Street Station, Suburban Station, or Jefferson Station. SEPTA provides updated information on Regional Rail schedules and fares on their website.

By Bus

Philadelphia is accessible by bus from most major Mid-Atlantic cities and more. The Greyhound Philadelphia Bus Station provides services to towns and cities both within and outside of Pennsylvania. Interregional bus providers Fullington Trailways, Martz Trailways, and Peter Pan Bus Lines also operate services out of the station. NJ Transit, Megabus, and Martz Trailways all operate within or around 30th Street Station.

By Car

Interstates 95 and 76, and the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Turnpikes, provide direct access into Philadelphia. Once you arrive, there are more than 40 public parking lots and garages in Center City plus metered street parking. Read signs carefully for parking hours, as some streets have time limits or are permitted. To pay for metered parking, you can use the meterUP app or a variety of payment methods at one of the kiosks, which will issue a printed ticket for you to place inside your windshield. For more information on parking, visit the Philadelphia Parking Authority.

Getting Around Philadelphia

Named the “Most Walkable City to Visit” by USA Today’s 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards two years in a row. (2023, 2024), Philadelphia’s diverse experiences are just footsteps away from each other. Don’t have time to walk? Below are some more options for getting around Philadelphia.

Photo courtesy of Indego

Public Transportation

SEPTA is Philadelphia’s local transit agency, responsible for Regional Rail, subways, buses, and trolleys. There are two subway lines, the Broad Street Line and the Market-Frankford Line and multiple trolley lines to connect you throughout the city. SEPTA connects Center City with the surrounding neighborhoods and suburbs as far north as Trenton, New Jersey and south as Newark, Delaware. For more information on SEPTA’s intercity transit services, visit their website.

Broad Street Line photo courtesy of SEPTA

Taxis and Ride Sharing

There are hundreds of licensed cabs in Philadelphia, some of the most prominent services being the Philadelphia Taxi Cab Service, 215-Get-A-Cab, and the Germantown Cab Company. Or download the Uber or Lyft app to order a car to your location.

Bike or the Philly PHLASH

Philly’s bike share program, Indego, has over 2,000 self-service bikes and 200+ stations throughout the city, allowing you to rent a bike, go for a ride and explore Philadelphia, then return your rented bike to any station location.

Philly PHLASH is the city’s seasonal transportation loop that makes it easy and convenient to get around to Philadelphia’s most popular attractions, including the Philadelphia Visitor Center, Independence Hall, Philadelphia Museum of Art. The PHLASH bus operates from the spring to the early winter. Riders can purchase passes for one ride, one day, or two days.

Exterior with PHLASH photo credit M. Edlow