Philadelphia on a budget
Philadelphia runs about $75/day on a budget with a hostel dorm, Reading Terminal Market meals, SEPTA rides, and free museums on first Sundays. Midrange sits near $175 with a Center City hotel, sit-down dinners, and paid attractions. The 16.5% hotel tax and mandatory 20% tipping are the line items guidebooks skip.
Questions budget travelers ask about Philadelphia
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Cost per day
Philadelphia runs about $75/day on a budget with a hostel dorm, Reading Terminal Market meals, SEPTA rides, and free museums on first Sundays. Midrange sits near $175 with a Center City hotel, sit-down dinners, and paid attractions. The 16.5% hotel tax and mandatory 20% tipping are the line items guidebooks skip.
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What to avoid
Skip Pat's and Geno's cheesesteaks at 9th and Passyunk (locals haven't eaten there in years). Avoid driving in Center City, where garage parking runs $30-45 per day. Stay away from Kensington Avenue north of Lehigh Avenue. The better cheesesteak is at John's Roast Pork in South Philadelphia or Dalessandro's in Roxborough.
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Getting around
Walk Center City's compact 2-mile grid between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. SEPTA's two subway lines, Broad Street and Market-Frankford, cost $2.50 per ride with a SEPTA Key card. Uber and Lyft fill the gaps. Take SEPTA Regional Rail from the airport to Jefferson Station for $6.75, about 25 minutes.
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Airport to city
Take the SEPTA Airport Line from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to 30th Street Station. Trains run every 30 minutes, cost $6.75 on a Key card, and reach Center City in 25 minutes. After midnight, Uber or Lyft runs $20-30 to most Center City hotels. The regulated taxi flat rate is $28.50.
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Food culture
Philadelphia's food identity sits on three pillars. The cheesesteak gets the fame, but the roast pork sandwich at John's Roast Pork in South Philly is likely the better sandwich. Reading Terminal Market, open since 1893, has 80-plus vendors from Amish farm stalls to century-old Bassetts Ice Cream. The Italian Market on 9th Street has run since the 1880s.
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