Get Around
Explore the City of Brotherly Love with ease.
Philadelphia's centralized location (just 100 miles south of New York City and 133 miles north of Washington, D.C.) make it a convenient travel destination, and the city itself is one of the easiest for visitors to navigate—by car, foot, bus, or bike.
Before European colonization, the area was inhabited by the Lenape, whose village name referenced its easy navigability: Nitapèkunk (today's Fairmount Park area) translates as "Place that is easy to get to."
After deeming the area the "most convenient place upon the Delaware River for health and navigation," William Penn purchased the land from the Lenape, and founded the modern city with streets laid out in a grid to promote green urban living.
Getting to Philadelphia:
From the Airport
Located just seven miles from downtown Philadelphia, Philadelphia International Airport is easily accessible from Interstates 76, 95, and 476.
By Train
30th Street Station is a major intercity rail transit hub. Located between Center City and West Philadelphia, it provides connections to Amtrak, NJ Transit Rail Service, and all SEPTA Regional Rail Lines.
Getting Around the City:
On Public Transit
SEPTA offers a vast selection of routes on many modes of public transit, including: buses, trolleys, subways, and regional railways. In 2018, SEPTA debuted a re-loadable plastic card for fares, the SEPTA Key, available for purchasing and reloading at the Independence Visitor Center.
On Foot
Voted the most walkable city in the nation, Philadelphia features tree-lined streets and neighborhoods that make exploring on foot the perfect way to see the City of Brotherly Love. Stop in for a map of the city and ask us any question you have about getting around.
On Bike
Get around Philadelphia on two wheels is even easier with the city’s bike sharing program, Ride Indego, which has 1,000's of bicycles available at 125 stations throughout the city, including one located right outside Independence Visitor Center at 5th and Market Streets.
