Scenic, Leisure & Tourist Travel

Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC

Think a rental car or taxi cab is your only option for exploring all that Philadelphia has to offer? Think again. Philadelphia is located along the Delaware River, making water travel readily available in the region. This is a relaxing and rejuvenating way to explore the City of Brotherly Love. Or get good exercise by opting to walk or bike Philadelphia — the city already has hundreds of miles of bike paths, is adding more, and is actively working to improve the safety and practicability of pedestrian pathways. And Philadelphia also has unique options for getting around that give a nod to the city’s great history.

Water Travel

Riverlink Ferry

The Riverlink Ferry sails between the Penn’s Landing ferry terminal (Columbus Boulevard and Walnut Street) in Philadelphia and the Wiggins Park Ferry Terminal (at the Adventure Aquarium) in Camden, N.J. Trips across the river take about 12 minutes and depart every hour from each location. Between May and September, you can ride the ferry from 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., with special express trips when the Camden Riversharks play or when concerts visit the Susquehanna Bank Center. For more information, call 215-925-LINK.

Pleasure Cruises

SPIRIT OF PHILADELPHIA: The Spirit of Philadelphia is a great way to see the Delaware River sights. It provides scenic lunch and dinner cruises with unmatched views of the city skyline. The ship departs from Penn’s Landing and can hold up to 550 passengers at one time. Call 866-455-3866.

CRUISEPHILLY: If you really want to set sail on the high seas, consider CruisePhilly! Large luxury cruise ships depart from Philadelphia, with destinations in Bermuda, Canada and the southern Caribbean. Ships sail from the new Philadelphia Cruise Terminal at Pier 1, located just minutes from I-95, the train station and the airport. Call 856-968-2052 for more information.

Walking & Biking

Get out your sneakers, because Philadelphia truly is a walkable city! Well-maintained sidewalks combined with the close proximity of many amenities makes Philadelphia a great place for pedestrians.

If you’re making an inner-city commute, bikes are also a marvelous way to navigate the region. Philadelphia already has 215 miles of bike lanes, one of the largest bicycle networks in the country; and in November 2010, the city adopted Phase 1 of a plan to nearly double the bike lanes in the city to about 400 miles. The plan builds upon existing facilities and is designed to triple bicycling activity by the year 2020.  Additionally, the plan includes major improvements for the city’s pedestrian network.

As the region’s leading bicycling advocacy and education organization, the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia works to make bicycling better by promoting it as a healthy, low-cost, and environmentally friendly form of transportation and recreation.

Traditional & Unique Touring

Horse-Drawn Carriage

What better way to move through historic Philadelphia than in an old-fashioned horse-drawn carriage? Carriages line up at 5th and Chestnut streets, next to Independence Hall, and tour sections of Old City, Society Hill and National Historic Park.

Philadelphia Trolley Works

Take a trolley to get around the city. Philadelphia Trolley Works takes travelers on tours throughout Philadelphia on Victorian-style trolley buses. Your all-day ticket allows you to board the trolley at any of 21 locations and lets you move throughout the city at a leisurely pace.

PHLASH

From May through October, ride the PHLASH trolley to get around Philadelphia. Between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m., the bright purple and yellow PHLASH makes stops at 27 key destinations throughout the city. It stops near many Center City hotels and has direct connections to all SEPTA and PATCO rail lines, as well as all the major tourist attractions, including the Independence Visitor Center, Penn’s Landing, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Franklin Square, African American Museum, Philadelphia Zoo and Please Touch Museum. It’s just $2 to board this tour bus, or you can purchase an all-day pass for $5 per person or $10 per family. Visit the website for routes and schedule information.

The Ducks

Can’t decide if you want to travel by land or water? The answer is simple: Ride the Ducks! The Ducks tour vehicle takes you on a land tour of Philadelphia before becoming waterborne on the Delaware River. How do they do this? Well, they’re amphibious vehicles that were manufactured for use in World War II as ship-to-shore transports. They have since been converted to carry sightseers. Head over to 6th and Chestnut streets in spring and summer months and Ride the Ducks.

BIG BUS

You can also get a great look at the city from atop authentic London double-decker buses. Ride the BIG BUS and hear commentary about the city. The bus makes more than 20 stops throughout Philadelphia, including City Hall, The Philadelphia Zoo, the Art Museum and 30th Street Station; you may disembark or stay along for the ride. Tickets are good for 24 hours, so move along at your own pace. It’s an easy way to get around while also learning a little bit of the city’s history. Check out the website to book your tickets.

View as slideshow (CoolIris 3D supported!)