10 of the Best Neighborhoods in Philadelphia and How To Visit

Begin your outing in the City of Brotherly Love in one of its most, ahem, beloved neighborhoods. Named for the pretty public park at its heart (one of the five original city squares established by Pennsylvania founder William Penn in the 17th century), tony Rittenhouse Square is a destination for shopping, strolling, dining, and people-watching. Once you’ve glided by on a hop-on hop-off bus tour, disembark to get a closer look at the park’s statues and fountains. Visit the Rosenbach Museum and its vast collection of literary artefacts (including George Washington’s personal letters), and dine parkside at the popular Parc bistro.

Insider tip: Rittenhouse Square is home to many of Philadelphia’s top hotels, from the Rittenhouse Hotel and the Four Seasons to the Kimpton Hotel Palomar and the Bellevue Philadelphia, making it an extra-convenient place to start your explorations.

When it comes to historical neighborhoods in Philadelphia, you can’t do better than the aptly named Old City. It was here that the Founding Fathers built the framework for American democracy—and where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted. On a history-themed walking tour, you can see highlights of Independence National Historical Park, from the Liberty Bell to the UNESCO–listed Independence Hall. Afterwards, continue to soak in the neighborhood’s 18th-century ambiance as you stroll its brick-lined streets—and muster the courage for a late-night ghost tour.

The first remarkable thing about the adjacent Fairmount and Logan Square neighborhoods is the view. The area’s major thoroughfare, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, was modeled on Paris’ Champs-Élysées, and it offers an exceptional vista of Philadelphia’s City Hall and skyscrapers. The second is the wealth of top-tier museums and historic landmarks, from the Philadelphia Museum of Art (whose Rocky steps are the best place to soak up that view) and Barnes Foundation to the Franklin Institute and the Eastern State Penitentiary. And the third is the verdant expanse of Fairmount Park: the largest municipal park in town, with walking trails galore.

If you come to Fishtown, you better come hungry. This North Philadelphia enclave, now considered one of the city’s hippest ’hoods, is also one of the best places to eat in town. Options here go well beyond cheesesteaks and other classic Philly staples: Suraya, a destination for Levantine food; Kalaya, which serves authentic southern Thai food; and Laser Wolf, from esteemed chef Michael Solomonov. All three have been awarded (or won) James Beard Awards, demonstrating the sheer amount of culinary firepower in this hip and happening corner of the city. (Still hungry? Book a gourmet food tour to try other locally loved bites across town.)

Though it’s just a quick trip from Center City, the self-contained neighborhood of Manayunk feels closer to a charming, small-town community. Hugging the Schuylkill River and Manayunk Canal, and recognizable for its quaint rowhouses and steep hills, this unique district in Philadelphia is a place for wandering slowly and soaking up the scenery—particularly on its historic Main Street, lined with destination-worthy bars, restaurants, shops, and art galleries. The neighborhood is especially vibrant in the summer months, when events like the Manayunk Arts Festival, among the largest arts festivals in the region, draw out the community in full force.

One of Philadelphia’s iconic areas, the Italian Market also happens to be one of the oldest and largest open-air markets in the US. For nearly 150 years, food lovers have flocked to this section of South Philly to buy Italian ingredients; today, you can still grab fresh mozzarella (and hundreds of other cheeses) from beloved vendors like Di Bruno Bros. More recently, the neighborhood has further diversified, and it’s now home to thriving Mexican, Vietnamese, and Korean communities. For a taste of its eclectic offerings, head to South Philly Barbacoa (which featured on Netflix’s Chef’s Table) for some of the best tacos in town, or book a chef-led tour to try a wide range of local dishes and delicacies.

Considered Philadelphia’s academic epicenter, University City is one erudite place. This West Philadelphia neighborhood’s two most famous residents are the Ivy League University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, and more than 50,000 students call the area home. But you don’t need to be enrolled yourself to make the most of its cultural offerings. Whether you book tickets to the Penn Museum (home to a world-class anthropology and archaeology collection), eat at neighborhood faves like the White Dog Café, or visit the Philadelphia Zoo nearby, there’s a whole lot more to do here than just study for your chemistry exam.

The area of Center City east of South Broad Street goes by several appellations, including Midtown Village and Washington Square West—but “The Gayborhood” best sums up its vibrant cultural offerings and long-standing LGBTQ+ community. This small and walkable neighborhood boasts everything from queer nightlife destinations to the oldest continually operating LGBTQ bookstore in the country, Giovanni’s Room. Book a Gayborhood and LGBTQ history walking tour for a local perspective—or visit during Philly Pride in June to really get festive.

Philadelphia’s Chinatown offers visitors a warm welcome: step under its cherry-red Friendship Gate, located at 10th and Arch Streets, and you’ll know you’ve arrived. Hop-on hop-off bus tours make Chinatown one of their key stops, and it’s worth stepping off to browse its shops (which sell everything from clothing to housewares) and restaurants (where you can sample everything from dim sum and bubble tea to Korean barbecue and Vietnamese noodle dishes). While there’s never a bad time to explore, the Lunar New Year is a particularly lively time to visit this essential Philadelphia neighborhood.

By now, you might be sensing a theme: Philly is a city that takes its food seriously. So seriously that publications like Eater have described its wide-ranging dining scene as one of the world’s best. And few neighborhoods epitomize that better than East Passyunk in South Philadelphia. Although it’s most famous for rival cheesesteak slingers Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks, located right across the street from one another, that’s only the beginning of its culinary attractions. Give those cheesesteaks a try —then, set off on a food crawl to sample the rest of the neighborhood’s best.