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You can learn a lot about Philadelphia just by strolling around. (After all, we’re talking about one of the most walkable cities in the country.) But when you want to dig a little (or a lot) deeper, a guided tour is the way to go — and Philly’s tour game is strong.
A wide range of local tour companies offer lots of entertaining and informative options from must-see history to iconic food and from varied architecture to colorful murals. Expert guides show you around during a walk — or by car, bus, Segway, bike or even kayak.
And the sightseeing fun doesn’t stop when the sun goes down. Those who come out at night can join tours that showcase a different side of the city after dark and call upon spirits from beyond (if you’re into that sort of thing).
Below, find a curated list of just some of the great tours and tour companies in Philadelphia and the Countryside.
This highly rated tour company offers a smart, sassy and thoroughly truthful take on both well-trod and well-hidden Philly history. The Philly Phables Walking Tour dedicates 90 history-rich minutes to exploring historic Old City. The company also offers a murder-focused Bad Things Happen in Philly tour, a fun seasonal holiday lights tour, and a Beer & Band trolley tour, featuring live music and stops at beer gardens and breweries. Private tours are also available.
Where: Tours depart from various locations including the Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street
Take your pick from a selection of expert-led walking tours focusing on areas like Independence Hall, the Italian Market and Chinatown. Bonus: Tours are pay what you wish (unless you book a private guided tour for a set fee).
Where: Tours depart from various locations including 919 S. 9th Street
These walking and driving tours cover a lot of ground, from iconic Philly foods to public art in South Philly to attractions (like Longwood Gardens) in the nearby Brandywine Valley. There’s even a private tour of locations featured in the Rocky movies that you can fully customize for your group.
Where: Tours depart from various locations including outside of the Masonic Temple, 1 N. Broad Street
An excellent way to get a close-up view of Philadelphia’s fascinating neighborhoods — and see some impressive art while you’re at it — is to sign up for one of Mural Arts’ walking or trolley tours. Professionally trained guides take you through commercial districts and residential blocks in Center City and beyond, dishing on the stories behind just some of the city’s 4,000-plus murals.
Where: Tours depart from various locations including the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, 118-128 N. Broad Street
The Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia offers guided walking tours that interpret the past, present and future of the Philadelphia region as expressed through architecture, urban design and social history. Private tours are available year-round by emailing [email protected].
Where: Tours depart from various locations including Kahn Park, 11th & Pine streets
These tours offer a fresh take on Philly, with a focus on “movements, activism and resistance.” Guides focus on women and LGBTQ history makers who are often left out of traditional historical overviews.
Where: Various locations including Rittenhouse Square, 210 W. Rittenhouse Square
Listen in as Kalela Williams — a writer, historian and the author of the forthcoming young adult novel The Tangleroot Papers — shares fascinating stories of women’s history, Revolutionary scandals and more. During her newest tour, she offers a living history journey through Old City, covering the roots of slavery and the area’s thriving free Black community.
Where: Various locations including Old City
Learn more about the many historic sites throughout Philadelphia’s Historic District on this 75-minute, 1.25-mile tour, offered daily from April through November. Private/group tours are available as well with advance reservations.
Where: Tour departs from the National Constitution Center, 525 Arch Street
The magical history tour is waiting to take you away. This walking tour through Old City combines magic, comedy and history to shed a comedic light on some of Philly’s oldest tales. Award-winning magician Robert Malissa leads visitors through 75 minutes of Philly history, pausing at a number of stops to perform some mind-bending magic in between historic anecdotes. Note: This tour features some humor that is appropriate for those age 13-plus.
Where: Tour departs from behind The Bourse, 400 Ranstead Street
Tour Philadelphia’s Historic District on this seasonal tour led by a rotating cast of costumed history makers. Each 45-minute tour is led by an actor portraying one of three real-life Philadelphians: colonial brewer Trooper Robert Hare; Bishop Richard Allen, founder of the African Methodist Episcopal Church; and James Forten, a free Black man and abolitionist who was present at the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence. Tours depart from the Independence Visitor Center at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each Saturday and make stops outside of The President’s House, the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Congress Hall and Franklin Court. Bonus: Each tour includes a warm beverage from the Independence Visitor Center Cafe. Tickets are required.
Where: Tours depart from the Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market Street
Philly went vegan long before it was hip. Need proof? Organized by the American Vegan Center, this 76-minute walking tour focuses on Philly’s deep ties to the history of vegetarian and vegan lifestyles. Learn how the history of meat-free living often intersected with the abolitionist and women’s rights movements in the early days of the United States. The tour stops at several locations in Old City where tourgoers learn about trailblazing (and sometimes surprising) pioneers of vegetarian lifestyles, including Benjamin Lay, Sylvester Graham and even Benjamin Franklin. Tour guide and cartoonist Vance Lehmkuhl’s humorous illustrations allow visitors to meat meet these veggie-fueled pioneers at each stop, adding a comedic flair to the interesting history.
Where: Tour departs from the American Vegan Center, 17 N. 2nd Street
Guide Jim Murphy is the author of Real Philly History, Real Fast, a collection of mini-profiles of historical people and sites. His walking tours bring some of these fascinating stories to life, from tales of Philadelphia “superstars” Ben Franklin and William Penn to Philly’s forgotten naval heroes.
Where: Tours depart from various locations including Society Hill
From Temple University’s Dialogue Institute, these tours are designed to advance intrareligious, interreligious and intercultural dialogue in the hopes of sparking open and honest conversations. Topics include religious freedom in early Philadelphia and the yellow fever epidemic of 1793.
Where: Locations vary by tour
On a Big Red Pedal Tour, riders explore Philly by day or night aboard a 15-passenger pedicycle. Together, the group pedals the open-air “tour bus” on a pub crawl through some of the city’s hottest neighborhoods, including Old City and Midtown Village.
Where: Tours starts at Big Ass Slices Bar & Grill, 224 Market Street
Up to 25 guests board a reproduction 1920s commuter yacht for private tours of the Delaware or Schuylkill rivers, offering stellar views of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, Race Street Pier and more. Bonus: The 40-foot yacht is equipped with a full bar.
Where: Tours depart from various locations including outside the Independence Seaport Museum, 211 S. Christopher Columbus Boulevard
After a half-hour hands-on training, visitors take off on motorized Segways on one of four tours. Options include a two-hour, 10-mile showcase of historic landmarks from river to river, as well as a two-hour Mural Arts Philadelphia tour through Old City, Chinatown and Northern Liberties.
Where: Tours depart from Pier 5, 7 N. Columbus Boulevard, Suite 7B
Visitors receive 30 minutes of kayaking instruction before heading out on the Schuylkill River for these fun excursions, which run on select dates through September. Specialty experiences, including private group tours, are also available.
Where: Tours depart from Walnut Street Dock, 2501 Walnut Street
Hop on and hop off this open-top bus tour featuring a live tour guide who points out Philadelphia’s greatest-hit landmarks. It takes 90 minutes to go through the entire ride straight through, but you’re encouraged to disembark to see the sights along the way. Buses run about every 20 to 25 minutes.
Where: Guests can hop on at one of 27 stops including the Academy of Music, 240 S. Broad Street
With double-decker buses running every 20 to 30 minutes, this hop-on-hop-off service hits more than 100 attractions throughout the city. Audio commentary is available in several languages.
Where: Guests can hop on at one of 28 stops including Eastern State Penitentiary, 2027 Fairmount Avenue
A knowledgeable, energetic team dedicated to maximizing visitors’ Philly experiences designs these tours that offer fresh insights into the city, its residents and attractions. Tour guides who are passionate about public art, history, food, entertainment, food sustainability, conservation and re-imagined spaces guide the public on daily walking tours, lead private driving tours or create custom tours, including for large groups.
Where: Tours depart from various locations including South & South 9th streets
In a town of Rocky impersonators, Mike Kunda is one of the most dedicated. His popular three-hour, by-reservation-only tour takes fans through Philly to every important stop — from Rocky to Creed II.
Where: Various locations including the Rocky Steps, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Attention foodies: These casual and fun food tours guide small groups off the beaten path through some of Philly’s most interesting and delicious neighborhoods.
Where: Tours depart from The Singing Fountain, 1538 S. 11th Street
Do spectral spirits really inhabit Independence Hall, St. Peter’s Cemetery, the Powel House, battleship Olympia and other historic landmarks? Visitors find out when they listen to the ghost stories and visit real haunted houses during this candlelight walking tour of Independence National Historical Park, Society Hill and Old City. Private tours are also available.
Where: Various locations including outside Independence Hall, 520 Chestnut Street
On Saturday nights from June through November, author and ghost investigator Adi-Kent Thomas Jeffrey leads lantern-lit tours of New Hope, highlighting stories about the town’s spine-chilling hauntings. Spirit-spotting opportunities increase in October, with tours Friday and Saturday nights and on Halloween, and private tours are available year-round.
Where: Tours depart from Main Street & Ferry Street, New Hope
Authors and professors lead these highly researched, grown-ups-only, off-the-beaten-path tours. All are historic, and many are quite scary. Walking tours run from the mythical (ghosts, vampires, witches) to the despicable (serial killers) and more.
Where: Tours depart from Independence Visitor Center, 599 Market Street
The paranormal stories on this ghost tour are “one part history, two parts haunt.” Guests who dare to take this 75-minute outdoor walking journey see 20 of Philly’s frights, including possibly-haunted historic homes and graveyards.
Where: Tours depart from South 4th & Chestnut streets
The Visit Philly Overnight Package — booked more than 190,000 times since 2001 — comes with free hotel parking (worth up to $100 in Center City Philadelphia), overnight hotel accommodations and choose-your-own-adventure perks.
How to do Philly your own way — and at your own pace...