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City Guide

  • Population: 1.579 million (estimated in 2019).
  • Area Code: 215, 267.
  • Tax: 16.25% on hotel rooms (based on hotel location), 8% sales tax on purchases.
  • Time Zone: Eastern Standard Time (EST), which is -5 hours GMT. Daylight Saving Time applies between the second Sunday in March to the first Sunday in November, during which time its time offset is -4 hours GMT.
  • Credit Cards and Charge Cards are widely accepted. ATM machines can be found in many major downtown department stores, hotels, and the Pennsylvania Convention Center.

Tipping Guidelines:

  • Restaurants: 15% - 20% of the total bill is a good general rule of thumb, however please note that many restaurants will automatically add 18% gratuity/tips to the bill for parties of 6 or more people.
  • Hotel Personnel/Porterage: $2.00 - $3.00 per piece of luggage or parcel.
  • Valet Parking: $2.00 - $3.00 to attendant.
  • Housekeeping Services: $2.00 - $3.00 daily.
  • Taxi/Towncar: 15% of total fare.
  • Concierge Services: $5.00 or more.

  • Philadelphia International Airport is the largest airport in the Delaware Valley. The airport is served by taxis and the SEPTA R1 Regional Rail Line. Taxis offer a flat rate of $28.50 from the airport to Center City. The R1 railway line serves each terminal throughout the day until approximately midnight and takes about twenty minutes to travel between the airport and center city Philadelphia, making stops at all major commuter tunnel stations: 30th Street Station (Amtrak), Suburban Station (Penn Center, City Hall) and Market East Station (East Market Street, The Gallery, Pennsylvania Convention Center, Reading Terminal). Tickets for the R1 train can be purchased on-board the train, cash-only, for $9.25.
  • Alternatively, you can fly to Newark International Airport or Baltimore-Washington International Airport , each of which has a more or less direct connection by Amtrak to 30th Street Station (1 hr from EWR; 80 min from BWI). Other New York and Washington-area airports are much less convenient.
  • Philadelphia is one of America's most walkable cities. The city is marked extremely well by "Walk! Philadelphia" signs that are placed on each block, sometimes only several feet apart, that guide visitors toward shopping, dining, gallery perusing, cultural enjoyment, local must-sees and public transportation. The city has two very walkable shopping districts as well as the walkable Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which is home to many museums, including the Franklin Institute and the Museum of Art that was made famous in the "Rocky" movies.
  • Phlash Bus: Philadelphia has a seasonal (May-October) trolley bus for tourists called the Phlash. It runs in a 20-stop East-West circuit of major tourist locations, from the Museum of Art in the West to Penn's Landing in the East. Free for kids under 5 and for senior citizens (aged 65 or more). It is $2 per ride or $5 for a one day pass. Look for the purple trolley bus or the winged purple & blue logo.
  • Car rentals are widely available at the airport, or if you are in downtown area, Hertz Rent-A-Car has several locations in the city.

The dining scene in Philadelphia is as diverse as the residents. Few places can compare in terms of quality and dizzying number of options. The only problem you will face is in choosing where to go.

For restaurant reservations and other information, check Open Table.