Philadelphia 3-Day Itinerary

The perfect long weekend in Philadelphia: 3 days and 2 nights for about $1,092 for two, flights from New York included.

Three days of must-see attractions, local favorites, and insider tips, with what the weekend costs from where you fly.

Flying from

What 3 days, 2 nights costs

The fare from where you fly, two nights at the typical hotel night and three days of spend. Change it to fit your trip.

Travellers2

Nights2

Travel style

Changes daily spend only; the hotel night stays the same.

Fare · New York to Philadelphia × 2
Economy round trip, usually about $231 each
$462
Hotel night · $150 × 2 nights
What a night here usually costs, from hotel prices we check every week. 2 travellers share a room.
$300
Daily spend · $55 × 2 travellers × 3 days
Restaurants, transport and paid sights, per person per day. The hotel isn't in it.
$330

Trip cost: flights + hotel + daily spend$1,092

3 days, 2 nights, 2 travellers, mid-range, flying from New York. Usual prices we track ourselves, not a price you can book.

How we know

Fare: the middle price of the economy round trips we found from New York on our latest check (half were cheaper, half dearer), for departures in the coming weeks.
Hotel night: the middle nightly price of the Philadelphia hotels we check three times a week (see our hotel price index).
Daily spend: food, local transport and sights per person, from our city guide, by travel style. The hotel isn't in it.
Total: fare × travellers + hotel night × nights × rooms + daily spend × travellers × days. Prices move, so treat it as a guide, not a quote.

Each day's highlights in order. Want more days or a different pace? The planner at the end reshapes it around you.

1
Day 1Independence Hall
1. Liberty Bell
2. Old City
3. Elfreth's Alley
2
Day 2Philadelphia Museum of Art
1. Reading Terminal Market
2. Rittenhouse Square
3
Day 3Eastern State Penitentiary
1. South Street
2. Italian Market
3. cheesesteak crawl

Verified spots in Philadelphia that the classic route skips.

Hidden GemsElfreth's Alley
Tucked between Old City buildings, this narrow cobblestone lane is the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the United States, lined with 18th-century rowhouses.
Hidden GemsMural Arts Philadelphia (administrative office)
The nation's largest public art program has transformed thousands of city walls into vivid, story-driven murals best discovered on a guided walking or trolley tour.
Hidden GemsGraffiti Pier
A crumbling industrial pier along the Delaware waterfront that has been transformed into an ever-changing open-air gallery of striking street art.
Hidden GemsPhiladelphia's Magic Gardens
Isaiah Zagar's sprawling, labyrinthine folk-art environment on South Street encrusts every surface in mosaic tiles, bicycle wheels, and found objects creating a dizzying, joyful universe.
Hidden GemsBartram's Garden
America's oldest surviving botanic garden sits quietly along the Schuylkill River, offering heirloom plant collections and sweeping waterfront views few tourists ever discover.
Hidden GemsThe Mütter Museum of The College of Physicians of Philadelphia
This Victorian medical museum of anatomical oddities and pathological specimens is equal parts unsettling and utterly fascinating for the curious-minded.

Each place was checked on Google Maps: real address, right city, still open.

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