Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Hotels and City Guide

Philadelphia - Getting There

Airport Guide

Philadelphia’s main airport is PHL (Philadelphia International Airport). It serves more than twenty-eight million visitors each year. While many choose PHL, there are other private landing facilities across the city as well as one minor airport for corporate travelers. The city is also accessible by Amtrak, bus, and of course, car.

Flights
Flying times from various points of departure include:

Boston (1 hour)
Chicago (2 hours and 15 minutes)
Miami (2 hours and 30 minutes)
Los Angeles (6 hours)
London (7 hours)

Philadelphia Airport Information

Philadelphia International Airport
Phone: 215-937-6800 or 800-745-4283 
Address: 8000 Essington Avenue

Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is located about seven miles south of Center City. It is served by direct flights from Canada, Mexico, Europe, and the Caribbean. Connecting flights are available to South America, Asia, and Africa. Within the United States, it has access to over 100 destinations. As of March 2006, PHL was the 10th largest airport in the country and the hub of US Airways. All major airlines offer service to the city. US Airways offers the most non-stop flights. Southwest Airlines and Air Tran often provide discounted travel to and from the city. US Airways and British Airways provide daily non-stop service from London. Air France also offers discounted fares frequently from London with a stop in Paris. American, United, and Virgin Atlantic airlines are also very popular transportation means for this destination.

Other Philadelphia Airports

PHL is easily the best airport to fly into. However, a reliever airport also serves the city, Northeast Philadelphia Airport (PNE). PNE serves the needs of corporate and general aviation users.

Getting Into Philadelphia

From PHL:

Taxis: There’s a $10 minimum fare from the airport to any destination in the city should you choose taxi services. Dispatch services are available twenty-four hours per day, and there are shared ride offers through many of the cab companies to help keep costs to a minimum.

Trains:

SEPTA
215-580-7800
This transit service provides Philadelphia with a network of commuter trains that take passengers into the city or to the suburbs. All SEPTA trains stop at the beautiful 30th Street Station to connect with other commuter trains. The stop at 16th Street and John F. Kennedy Boulevard is convenient to many of the major hotels. The Market East Station stop, at 10th and Market streets, will deposit you beneath the Market East shopping complex and near the historic section. Fares for the commuter trains vary according to route and time of day. They range from $3 to $7 for a one-way fare. Commuter trains are probably the best avenue of travel to take to reach the suburbs, including Chestnut Hill, Germantown, and Merion, PA (currently the site of the Barnes Foundation collection of artwork).

PATCO 
215-922-4600

PATCO operates a line of High Speed trains that travel below street level from Locust and 16th streets to Lindenwold in New Jersey. The trains make several stops along the way, including 8th and Market, 9th and Locust, and 13th and Locust. The trains will continue to transport you across the Benjamin Franklin Bridge to the New Jersey city of Camden. The Adventure Aquarium is a great attraction in New Jersey that can be easily accessed via this train system. NJ Transit operates a shuttle bus from the stop at Broadway to the Aquarium on weekends and to the Tweeter Center when a concert is being held there. Fares on this train range from $1.15 to $2.45, depending on the location to which you are traveling. If you want the best view going across the bridge, try to sit on the very front seat.

Tickets for either commuter train or high speed train service can be paid for in cash or with a major credit card. Tickets can be purchased for use on the SEPTA lines either online from their web site or at the 30th Street, Market East, and Suburban stations. You can buy tickets from several smaller stations during the morning hours. You can purchase tickets on the train itself, but you will be subject to an extra fee if you are departing from a station that sells tickets and you don’t take advantage of that service. Schedules for PATCO’s high speed trains are available at the 16th and Locust streets station. Reservations are not needed for either service.

Car: There are a number of car rental services on site at the airport, so finding a company to meet your needs should be no problem. Center City is just seven miles away on I-95.

By Rail
Amtrak provides service from 30th Street Station (215-349-3196), one of the most beautiful and largest train hubs in the nation, from Philadelphia to Boston and Pittsburgh. The cost from Philly to Boston can range, depending on the type of service, from $97 to $206 one way, with a travel time of 5 hours, sometimes adding an extra 45 minutes to the trip. Service to Pittsburgh costs $45 and takes approximately 7 hours and 15 minutes. To travel from Philadelphia to New York City, a less expensive alternative, albeit a little longer travel time, is to take the SEPTA R7 train to Trenton, New Jersey. Ask for the excursion rate. The cost is $19 for an adult and $13 for a child, and the travel time is approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes. Upon arrival in Trenton, you connect with NJ transit to Newark’s Penn Station, and from there to New York City’s Penn Station (215-569-3752 in Philly; 800-772-2222 in New Jersey; 973-762-5100 from out of state).

Otherwise, traveling from Philadelphia to New York City takes about two hours and costs $50 each way. Amtrak has a high speed train, Acela, which often runs between Boston and Washington, D.C., with a stop in Philadelphia. You can save 20 minutes on the trip from Philadelphia to New York City, but the cost will increase to $95 each way. These trains are especially designed for business travelers, with electrical outlets and conference tables available with every seat. Philadelphia is also served by Amtrak from Chicago, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. Even though Amtrak reservations are not always necessary, it’s a good idea to purchase tickets in advance if you can. It becomes especially important during peak travel times and holidays.

By Road

Philadelphia is a major hub for Greyhound Bus Lines. Greyhound has 24-hour service to destinations east of the Mississippi River. In 2006, the terminal in Philly was the second busiest in all of the United States. The first was the Port Authority Bus Terminal in New York. Six other bus lines provide service to the terminal. They include Capitol Trailways, Martz Trailways, Bieber Tourways, Susquehanna Trailways, Peter Pan Bus Lines, and the bus portion serviced by the New Jersey transit system. Two other bus operators include Megabus and Bolt Bus. New Jersey Transit stops at the terminal to transport passengers between Philadelphia and Atlantic City, as well as some other New Jersey destinations.

By Car

Interstate and highway access in the United States is excellent. If you are driving to Philly, several good roads will take you there. From the north and south, Interstate 95 (also known as Delaware Expressway) delivers you to several exits that will take you to Center City. Interstate 276 (the Pennsylvania Turnpike) goes east through the northern section of the city and over the river, connecting to the New Jersey Turnpike.

Hotels in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania