How to Get Around Philadelphia

Walking is the point. The grid is flat and regular, streets are numbered one way and named the other, and most of what a visitor wants sits within a couple of miles.

SEPTA runs the subway, buses, trolleys and regional rail. Two subway lines cross the city — one east-west, one north-south — and between them they cover most of the centre. Regional rail reaches the suburbs and both airports.

Indego bike share has stations throughout the centre and is the fastest way to cover the mile or two up the Parkway.

30th Street Station is a main stop on the Northeast Corridor — about ninety minutes to New York and just over two hours to Washington D.C. — and one of the great railway buildings in the country.

The airport has a direct regional rail link into the centre taking about twenty-five minutes. Driving is not worth it: the colonial streets are narrow, parking is scarce and expensive, and the city is aggressive about enforcement.