Philadelphia travel guide

Philadelphia is the home of significant moments in American history, but it’s also a leader in the arts and home to gorgeous green spaces, pop-up beer gardens and terrific dining.

Philadelphia is one of the USA’s most historical cities: it’s where the American War of Independence began and ended, with the creation and signing of the Constitution. You can delve into that history at Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, but Philly is so much more than just a beacon of American liberty.

You can gaze at fine art in The Barnes Foundation’s ultra-modern gallery or feast your eyes on an extraordinary collection of street murals. You can stroll among Old City’s cobblestone streets or coast along a river-top boardwalk on two wheels. You can feast on Maine lobster at Lacroix or tuck into pale ale and pretzels at Frankford Hall.

Philadelphia is known as the only place in the USA where you could feed your brain and your belly at the same time. Between The Barnes Foundation, the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the refurbished Rodin Museum, the city is home to one of the world’s finest art collections.

Philadelphia’s eclectic mix of cuisine is visible in over 100 multi-ethnic neighbourhoods, encompassing everything from the bustling Italian market to African-American festivals and the traditional Amish community, who sell produce in Reading Terminal Market, a purveyor of fresh farm food since 1892.

Revitalised and expanded urban green spaces are popping up all over town too. Dilworth Park has undergone a radical transformation, with a 6,900-square-foot great lawn named the Albert M. Greenfield Lawn, public art, a café and Air Grille owned by the park and a programmable fountain added to the public recreational space.

Cyclists and joggers glide across the 610m (2,000ft) Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk to snatch sunrise views of the Philly skyline, while the enormously successful summer pop-up, Spruce Street Harbor Park (complete with hammock garden, urban beach and floating barges), seems to have become an annual fixture at Penn’s Landing.

Before you leave, snap a selfie with the Rocky statue, in front of the Philadelphia Spectrum, and fling your arms up in the air. Like the city itself, it’s hard to resist.