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Our 90 minute Christmas Light tour takes you to all the best sites for viewing the holiday lights

Take the Philly By Night tour — an extension of the Big Bus Double Decker

Christmas Thru July Sale! Book now to save. Save 10% on Public Holiday Light Tours or Save $100 on Private Holiday Light Tours. Use Coupon Code "july23" during checkout. Offer Expires July 31st,2023

Go City All-Inclusive Pass

$ 39.00 – $ 124.00

Discover over 30 top Philadelphia attractions and save with Go City. Your All- Inclusive Pass gives you 1, 2, 3, or 5 days to see and experience as much of the city as  possible. Visit the Betsy Ross House, get hands-on at the Franklin Institute of Science, hop on  an entertaining guided tour with Big Bus, meet the critters at Adventure Aquarium and so  much more! 

• Access to 30+ attractions for 1, 2, 3, or 5 consecutive days
• Must-do attractions in Philadelphia such as Eastern State Penitentiary and the Philadelphia Zoo
• All on one app – download to your mobile device and scan your pass for  admission

Please note: The Go City All-Inclusive Pass is only valid for a 1 Day pass on the Big Bus even if you have a multiple day Pass.

Operated by Philadelphia Trolley Works, the Big Bus Sightseeing Tours are offered 7 days per week with frequent departures from the Northeast Corner of 5th & Market streets. Climb aboard the Double Decker Big Bus and enjoy the history, cultural attractions, dining and shopping along the route. Hop on and off at any of our 27 stops or just sit back and enjoy the ride!

See the steps that Rocky climbed, Enjoy an authentic cheese steak or Philadelphia Soft pretzel, celebrate Ben Franklin's 309th birthday, retrace the steps of our founding fathers, visit America's first Zoo or shop along South Street.

See The Big Bus staff to have your ticket validated. Guests just show their ticket to reboard the bus. Parking options are available at Stop 1 in the Independence Visitor Center parking garage or visit spothero.com for additional options.

Choose from the 1 Day, 2 Day, or 3 Day PASS to see the sights and tour the city.

Simply show your pass at Stop 1   on the Blue Tour route on the corner of 6th and Market Street. See the map of the  25+ included stops  along the Blue tour route to check where you can hop-on or off throughout the day.

Visiting your first chosen attraction will activate your pass. Once activated, your pass will be valid for the number of consecutive calendar days (not 24-hour periods) indicated on your pass. For example, if you have a three-day pass and visit your first attraction on Monday afternoon, your pass is valid through Wednesday, regardless of how many attractions you visited.

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Up to $20 OFF Sightseeing Passes

Offer ends: tue 30 apr 2024.

• Choose from 55+ attractions and offers
• One digital pass to enter top attractions
• Huge savings and ticket-free entry
• 2 Great Pass options for every budget

Choose the right Pass for you, two simple money-saving options: DAY or FLEX

Choose 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5 days of unlimited Sightseeing for the duration of the Pass.

• Best for first time visitors wanting to see all of Philadelphia.
• Great for families with children , who like to relax and enjoy hop-on, hop-off buses and food offers.
• Also for visitors with an open plan, who enjoy visiting attractions on the go .

Your Pass is valid for the number of consecutive days you select and you can see as many attractions as you like.

Prices: From $30 per day.

Visit any 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 attractions from 35 options over 60 days.

• Best for locals or visitors who may have already been to Philadelphia and want to visit only a few popular attractions.
• Great for visitors with a tight budget for sightseeing.
• Also for visitors on a business trip , with limited time for sightseeing.

Your Pass is valid for the number of attractions you select and you have 60 days (9 weekends) to visit the attractions.

Prices: from $15 per attraction visit.

Why Sightseeing Pass

Philadelphia Sightseeing Passes are designed to save you money even when visiting just 2 Attractions. Created by travel professionals for visitors and locals alike, Sightseeing Passes have already helped over 1 Million customers.

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Philadelphia Visitor Centers

Start at one of these Philadelphia Visitor Centers to discover all there is to see and do throughout the region.

The Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation manages the official visitor centers of Greater Philadelphia and the visitor-friendly public transit service, Philly PHLASH®. Follow @PHLVisitorCntr on X or @PHLvisitorcenter on Instagram for insider updates on Philadelphia happenings.

Independence Visitor Center

At the Independence Visitor Center, visitors can consult helpful multilingual staff for free trip tips, buy tickets to 100+ tours and attractions, and grab memorable souvenirs.

LOVE Park Visitor Center

The LOVE Park Visitor Center is located in a stand-alone kiosk adjacent to the historic Welcome Center building. Services offered include visitor information, tickets for local attractions and museums, and gift shop merchandise.

City Hall Visitor Center

The City Hall Visitor Center, located in the East Portal of the nation's largest municipal building, offers ticket sales and pickups for City Hall tours. These include interior tours and Tower Tours, which feature the city's highest open-air observation deck.

Parkway Outpost

The Parkway Outpost on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway brings visitor resources and retail operations to the apron along the base of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps near the famous Rocky statue.

Philadelphia Visitor Center

Top ways to experience Philadelphia Visitor Center and nearby attractions

• 5th St • 2 min walk
• 8th St • 4 min walk

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Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

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Philadelphia Visitor Center - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Public transportation serving Philadelphia and the Countryside...

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Location & Contact

SEPTA Headquarters

• 1234 Market Street Philadelphia, PA 19107
• (215) 580-7800
• Visit Website

The Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) provides public transportation into and within Philadelphia, as well as serving the surrounding Bucks , Chester , Delaware and Montgomery counties.

SEPTA is the nation’s sixth-largest public transportation system — with train, subway, trolley and bus lines serving a 2,200-square-mile region — giving visitors an easy, convenient and affordable way to explore Greater Philadelphia.

Getting Around

SEPTA provides public transportation to Philadelphia and the Countryside seven days a week, with rides available as frequently as every few minutes, helping residents and visitors navigate their daily schedules and city adventures to big games at the stadium complex , major events like the Philadelphia Flower Show , the city’s magnificent parks and more.

SEPTA’s website is a great resource for schedules and maps where passengers can determine which lines and stops are best for them. Real-time alerts are available online and via the SEPTA mobile app ( iOS and Android ) so riders can stay on top of weather delays and route changes.

Regional Rail

SEPTA’s Regional Rail trains serve Philadelphia and the Countryside, with stations throughout the city and in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties, as well as parts of Delaware and New Jersey.

Three major stations in Center City make public transportation a great choice for exploring the city. Jefferson Station , Suburban Station and William H. Gray III 30th Street Station are within walking distance of some of Philadelphia’s top attractions , including Philadelphia’s Historic District , Reading Terminal Market , City Hall and Dilworth Park , and so much more.

All three stations carry passengers to and from Philadelphia International Airport and Amtrak service.

Subway System

The Market-Frankford Line (MFL) and Broad Street Line (BSL) make up SEPTA’s subway system, carrying hundreds of thousands of residents and visitors through Philadelphia every day.

The MFL , often referred to as the blue line because of the color of the line’s seats and signs, travels an east-west path through the city, with stops in popular neighborhoods like Fishtown , Old City and University City .

Known most commonly to locals as the El, the line is elevated for parts of the ride, giving passengers a bird’s-eye view of bustling business corridors, the expanding skyline and West Philly’s beloved Love Letters murals .

The BSL , also known as the orange line, runs between North and South Philadelphia beneath Broad Street. NRG Station — the final stop at the southern end of the line — is just steps away from the Wells Fargo Center and Lincoln Financial Field , making the BSL a great way for fans to get to Eagles , Phillies , Sixers and Flyers games as well as concerts and other events around the stadium complex.

The line also stops near South Philly dining and shopping destinations like East Passyunk; North Philadelphia attractions like the historic Divine Lorraine Hotel and refurbished Met Philadelphia performing-arts venue; Olney’s North Fifth Street business corridor; and Center City neighborhoods like Chinatown , Logan Square , Rittenhouse Square and Midtown Village.

Trolley Lines

SEPTA’s eight trolley lines provide service at street level and underground, connecting passengers to other transit lines and making stops in Center City and along neighborhood commercial corridors.

Passengers can ride lines 11, 13, 34 and 36 take visitors to leafy West Philadelphia, where they can shop and dine along Baltimore Avenue in Spruce Hill and Cedar Park.

More than 100 bus routes provide ground transportation to SEPTA passengers, carrying riders throughout the city and surrounding region and providing service to Regional Rail stations. Some lines have numbers while others have letters.

A handful are Night Owl routes , meaning they run 24 hours a day.

Norristown High-Speed Line

SEPTA’s high-speed line connects parts of Delaware and Montgomery Counties, with access to the Market-Frankford Line subway, trolley lines and the Manayunk /Norristown Regional Rail line.

The high-speed line stops in towns like Ardmore , where visitors can pop into small boutiques, sit down for a tasty meal and catch a concert or comedy show.

Tickets and Payment

There are multiple ways to pay for a trip on SEPTA. For the best value, visitors can use SEPTA’s smart fare system, SEPTA Key .

Passengers can purchase and reload reusable Key cards with the debit card-style Travel Wallet function online and at SEPTA sales locations and station kiosks .

SEPTA also accepts contactless payment methods (credit/debit card or Apple/Google/Samsung Pay) for travel on buses, trolleys and both subway lines (Market-Frankford Line and the Broad Street Line.)

Fares are consistent across subway, trolley and bus lines. If you don’t pick up a Key card, cash or contactless payment methods are accepted onboard buses and trolleys.

Both subway lines can also be accessed with a tap of your credit/debit card or preferred smartphone payment method (Apple/Google/Samsung Pay).

Quick Trip single rides can also be purchased at kiosks on subway lines and select trolley stations. Conductors are available on Regional Rail trains to assist and can even process a cash or credit card payment onboard.

Riders can also explore the Philadelphia region with the One Day Anywhere FleX Pass , which allows up to 10 rides on SEPTA buses, trolleys, subways and trains, taking you everywhere from Bensalem to the Phillies, from Alden to the Art Museum or Springfield to South Street. Passes are $13 and can be loaded directly on to a SEPTA Key Card.

Also available: a  One Day Neighborhood FleX pass , which allows up to 10 rides on buses, subways, trolleys and trains (up to any Zone 2 station) for just $10.

More information on fares, senior and student discounts, and transfers is available in detail on SEPTA’s website and Key website .

Accessibility

Many of the region’s SEPTA stations are wheelchair accessible, and every bus has a lift or ramp and can be lowered to street level. Accessible stations feature the access symbol next to the line name on SEPTA’s website.

SEPTA's articulated buses include low floor design and front-door ramps.   — Photo courtesy SEPTA

Individually trained service animals are welcome on all forms of transportation, and SEPTA’s website offers a text reader for those who are blind or visually impaired and need to access schedules and fare information. SEPTA Key fare kiosks at stations have Braille and raised lettering, and an audio function that converts on-screen text to spoken word.

SEPTA’s CCT Connect offers transit services to people with disabilities who are not able to use the other lines. Click here for more information on SEPTA’s accessibility services.

For more information about SEPTA and public transportation in Philadelphia, click the button below.

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Philadelphia is a quick trip via Amtrak train from New York, Washington, D.C. and more...

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