Independence Hall, a cheesesteak at 9th and Passyunk, back to the hotel. Fine for a first afternoon. But that’s a few blocks of a city that’s really a pile of neighborhoods, each with its own main street, its own corner bars and its own very strong opinions.
These are the 10 where we actually spend our weekends. Every one has a real main street and is easy to reach without a car. Some are for eating, some for history, and a couple are just for wandering. Pick two or three and mix them.
Getting around: The Market-Frankford Line (“the El”) runs from West Philly through Center City and Old City to Fishtown. The Broad Street Line runs north-south. Regional Rail reaches Manayunk and Chestnut Hill. Most neighborhoods here are a 10 to 30 minute ride from City Hall.
1. Fishtown
Fishtown is the neighborhood everyone’s been talking about for a while now, and for once the hype mostly holds up. Frankford and Girard Avenues are packed with restaurants, coffee shops, breweries, bars and music venues, and the old rowhouse blocks around them are worth a wander. Come hungry, stay late.
Start with a steak and a shake at Joe’s Steaks + Soda Shop at Frankford and Girard, then work your way up Frankford Avenue. Like it? Stay here on your second trip. Our where to stay guide has a few Fishtown hotels.
2. East Passyunk
East Passyunk Avenue cuts diagonally through South Philly, and it’s one of the best restaurant streets in the city. Old-school bakeries and Italian spots sit next to wine bars and newer places, and sooner or later everybody ends up at the Singing Fountain. Get tomato pie at Iannelli’s Bakery (1155 E Passyunk Ave). Pat’s and Geno’s are where the avenue meets 9th Street, and our cheesesteak guide has opinions about both.
3. Old City
Old City is where the country started, but people actually live here too, and the galleries, cafés, cocktail bars and cobblestone side streets are why. First Fridays bring out the galleries and the crowds.
Hit Elfreth’s Alley, the Museum of the American Revolution and Christ Church, then walk east to the Delaware River waterfront for sunset. Our guide to Philadelphia’s historic sites covers the big stops.
4. Rittenhouse
Rittenhouse Square at lunchtime is office workers on every bench and dogs doing laps on the lawn. The blocks around it are brownstones, restaurants and shops, and Walnut Street west of Broad is the shopping strip. Want a cheesesteak nearby? Cleavers, at 108 S 18th St, is the easy pick.
5. Queen Village and South Street
South Street has been Philly’s loud, slightly chaotic main drag for decades, and it isn’t changing for anybody. A block south, Queen Village calms right down: tree-lined streets, good neighborhood restaurants and Fabric Row on 4th Street.
Do Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens at 1020 South St, then grab a steak at Jim’s (400 South St) or Ishkabibble’s (337 South St). And look up while you walk. Isaiah Zagar’s mosaics are on walls all over these blocks.
6. Fairmount
Fairmount (you’ll also hear “the Art Museum area”) is pretty rowhouse blocks between the Parkway and Eastern State Penitentiary, with plenty of bars and restaurants on Fairmount Avenue. Do Eastern State, walk to the art museum and Boathouse Row, and if you run or bike, this is your base, because the Schuylkill River Trail is right there.
7. Chinatown
Chinatown is small, and it’s one of the best places to eat in the city. Dim sum, hand-pulled noodles, hot pot, bakeries and bubble tea are all within a few blocks of the Friendship Gate on 10th Street.
Our move: a noodle or dim sum crawl, then dessert at a bakery. It’s next door to Reading Terminal Market and the Convention Center, so it slots into any Center City day.
8. Manayunk
Manayunk’s Main Street runs along the Schuylkill and the old canal, with bars, restaurants and shops in old mill-town buildings. The side streets are famously steep. Your calves will mention it the next day. Walk or bike the canal towpath, then get a drink on Main Street. Regional Rail and the Schuylkill River Trail both get you here from Center City.
9. Chestnut Hill
At the far northwest edge of the city, Chestnut Hill feels like a small town that wandered over the city line by accident. Germantown Avenue is cobblestones, stone buildings, independent shops and cafés, and the Wissahickon trails are a short walk away. Take Regional Rail from Center City and it’s an easy day trip without a car.
10. University City and West Philly
Home to Penn and Drexel, University City has leafy campuses, the Penn Museum and lunch from just about every corner of the world. Keep going west and you hit the Victorian twins and big porches of West Philly and Clark Park, which run on a slower clock.
Walk across Penn’s campus, then eat. It’s one stop from Center City on the El, or a walk across the river from 30th Street Station.
How to Plan a Neighborhood Day
Pick neighborhoods that sit on the same transit line so you spend your time eating and wandering instead of transferring. Old City, Fishtown and University City are all on the El. East Passyunk, Queen Village and the Italian Market are close enough to walk between. Manayunk and Chestnut Hill each deserve their own half day, with a Wissahickon hike in between if the weather is good.
Weekday afternoons if you want quiet sidewalks, Friday or Saturday night if you want the neighborhood at full volume. Either way, eat something. In Philly that’s how you actually get to know a place.
So, Where Do You Start?
If it were us: Fishtown one night, East Passyunk the next afternoon, and Chinatown whenever you get hungry in between. Hop on the El, eat something local in each one, and you’ll see why people who move here rarely leave.
Want more ideas? Check out the best things to do in Philadelphia, and before you go, read up on the Philly foods you have to try.
So what’s your neighborhood, and what did we miss? Tell us in the comments.