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2.5 Hour Philadelphia History Tour with Washington War Tent Show

Recommended by 97% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Philadelphia, USA
Popular pick
Booked 5+ times last week!
  • 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.)
  • Group discounts
  • Mobile ticket
  • Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.9
·
· DIANE_S ·
Nov 2025
Adam’s knowledge of Philadelphia history was so helpful. We’re history buffs also, but learned a lot. With government shutdown going on, Adam had a lot of great ideas on places that were still open. This tour was the highlight of our stay here.
· Joseph_N ·
Oct 2025
My tour guide, Caroline Hodash, was excellent. She was both informative and entertaining, giving great context to where we were and what we were seeing. The communication leading up to the tour was clear and concise. I would highly recommend both Caroline as a guide and this tour!

Overview

Take a deep dive into Philadelphia's history on this small-group walking tour of the city’s Revolutionary landmarks. With a full roster of historical sites like Independence Hall, as well as newer institutions such as the Museum of the American Revolution to see the tent where George Washington lived during the war. This tour combines all the essentials for a keen understanding of Philly’s crucial role in the founding of the United States.
  • A visit to Independence National Historical Park packs in many historic landmarks
  • Receive a discounted ticket to the Museum of the American Revolution to use after the tour
  • Walk down one of the oldest residential streets in America
  • A small-group tour keeps the experience personal

What's Included

  • A knowledgeable local expert guide
  • Fascinating stories of America's most historically significant city
  • See a presentation that features the tent that George Washington lived in the majority of the war
  • Discounted entry in the Museum of the American Revolution at the time of your choice after the tour
  • A donation to a local non-profit historic organization
  • An unforgettable journey through the historic heart of Old City Philadelphia
  • Gratuities
  • Additional food and drink.
  • Souvenirs or personal shopping.

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

  • Signer's Garden
    434-498 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA

    Your guide will meet you at the Signer’s Statue in Signer's Garden; 498 Chestnut St., Philadelphia, PA 19106

End point

  • Old City, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    A central location in the heart of Old City and the Historic District.

Itinerary

1

The Signer

5 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

2

Independence National Historical Park

20 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

3

Independence Hall

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

4

Congress Hall

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

5

Old City Hall

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

6

Liberty Bell Center

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

7

Carpenters' Hall

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

8

Museum of the American Revolution

20 minutesAdmission Ticket Included

9

Elfreth's Alley

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

10

Betsy Ross House

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Not Included

11

Benjamin Franklin's Grave

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

12

The President's House

10 minutesAdmission Ticket Free

Additional Info

  • Confirmation will be received at time of booking
  • Wheelchair accessible
  • Stroller accessible
  • Service animals allowed
  • Near public transportation
  • Transportation is wheelchair accessible
  • Most travelers can participate
  • This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)
Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.9
based on 928 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

Great tour!

Carol_B, Mar 2026
Our tour guide Pat was amazing…so knowledgeable and had a thorough understanding of the history of the area and the beginnings of our country. Very much appreciate her thoroughness and professionalism.

Tom is awesome

Dan_H, Dec 2025
I love history and doing walking tours in various cities. This tour is by far one of the best I've ever had. Tom was so knowledgeable and fun to be around.

A Great Day Exploring Philadelphia's History

Steven_W, Nov 2025
Our tour of Philadelphia was wonderful and gave us a meaningful look at the foundations of American history. We visited Independence Hall, Franklin Court, Benjamin Franklin's grave, the first and second Bank of the United States, the meeting place of the First Continental Congress and the Museum of the American Revolution. Each stop added depth to the story of how the nation began and helped us appreciate the vision and courage of the people who shaped it. Our guide Tom made the experience even better. He was excellent, very animated and truly knowledgeable about every place we visited. His enthusiasm helped bring each landmark to life and made the tour engaging from start to finish. We walked away with a stronger understanding of the city and a greater appreciation for the history behind it thanks to Tom.

History tour

Stacey_H, Nov 2025
This tour was EVERYTHING. Our tour guide truly loved historical facts and it showed in his knowledge of everything.

Fun way to explore city

Mary_J, Nov 2025
Fun way to explore the city! The tour guide PJ was very knowledgeable and fun! If you're going to Philly, check it out!

Historical Philadelphia Walking Tour.

DIANE_S, Nov 2025
Adam’s knowledge of Philadelphia history was so helpful. We’re history buffs also, but learned a lot. With government shutdown going on, Adam had a lot of great ideas on places that were still open. This tour was the highlight of our stay here.

good walk

Kevin_D, Oct 2025
, some buildings closed due to government shut down very good tour knowledge of guide excellent covered a lot of ground

Caroline Hodash is a great tour guide!

Joseph_N, Oct 2025
My tour guide, Caroline Hodash, was excellent. She was both informative and entertaining, giving great context to where we were and what we were seeing. The communication leading up to the tour was clear and concise. I would highly recommend both Caroline as a guide and this tour!

Great tour with lots of...

Michelle_W, Oct 2025
Great tour with lots of history! Even if we couldn’t get into all of the buildings due to government “challenges”, David provided us with plenty of learning along the way. He also gave us plenty of recommendations for restaurants and other sites to visit.

Great tour!

Heather_P, Oct 2025
Carla was extremely knowledgeable on Philadelphia and history. We went through the properties in good time but with plenty of opportunities to ask questions. Saw a lot of properties and historical sites. Would highly recommend.

John was one of the best...

Jennifer_L, Oct 2025
John was one of the best tour guides I’ve ever had. He went above and beyond what was included in the tour because he wanted to make sure we covered everything. This was especially appreciative with the government shutdown, not being able to go into some of the buildings. He even kept the interest of my kids. In fact when my daughter said she was going to start learning about The American Revolution in school, he gave her his card and told her to text or email him if she had any questions! Thanks John for such an amazing tour!

Best. Tour. Ever

Lisa_J, Oct 2025
John was absolutely incredible. His command of historical facts and his endless trivia, and facts really brought the tour to life. We enjoyed every second of the tour and understand why every other tour guide we passed told us we had the best guide!! Thank you John for a great experience in your city,

Tour Guide Extraordinare

linda_f, Sep 2025
The tour guide, Peter, so not only personable but quite knowledgeable. We visited many sites. It was obvious Peter knew the city layout and history quite well. I felt fortunate to have him as a guide.

Great tour

Rita_R, Sep 2025
David did a great job to pack in a lot of history in the 2.5 hours. It was a well paced walking tour with many of the main points at of interest. Really enjoyed the Washington tent presentation. You do not go into the liberty bell venue. So if you want a picture from the inside, plan to do that before or after the tour. David was knowledgeable and accommodating to the groups interests. Also gave us good recommendations for food etc. would highly recommend this tour especially for first time visitors with limited time. We only had 5 hours and this was perfect.

Loved Philadelphia!

Myles_G, Sep 2025
Our first time in Philadelphia. Weather was perfect and not crowded at all. Our Guide Donato was excellent. He knew the history and we really enjoyed his stories. He was the absolute best!

Great Tour

Susan_B, Sep 2025
The guide, Carla, obviously has a live of history. She shared historical information as well as anecdotes. Very knowledgeable as well as personable. The time flew by! Would definitely recommend!

Outstanding walking tour you shouldn't miss!

Vincenzo_P, Sep 2025
I had an unforgettable walking tour through Philadelphia’s Old City. The guide, Maria Gorshin, made me feel warmly welcomed and graciously answered all my questions with patience and insight. Her deep knowledge of historical facts, captivating anecdotes about the birth and evolution of the independence movement, and vivid descriptions of life in the 1700s transported me to another era. Every step felt like a journey through time, enriching my appreciation for each landmark we passed. Kudos to Maria for being such a knowledgeable and engaging guide, and thanks to Viator for pairing me with someone so passionate and personable. It was truly a memorable experience!

Nice tour

Nere, Sep 2025
We have the Viator app to know about that tour. Maria was a good tour guide. We learned very interesting things.

Philadelphia history with PJ.

Mark_E, Aug 2025
PJ our tour guide was very informative and friendly. We had a small group and he took his time to make sure we saw all the highlights.

Pat was a wonderful guide.

Melinda_V, Aug 2025
This was an outstanding tour, covering history from prior to the revolution to shortly after. Pat, our guide, was very knowledgeable and shared so much information. She answered all of our questions and added interesting tidbits about Philadelphia. We covered many historical stops. Ask for Pat when you take this tour.

Captivated by Philly on Foot

Katherine_H, Aug 2025
John, our Tour Guide was phenomenal. He’s extremely knowledgeable and shared golden nuggets of information about Philly and the various historical sites we visited with ease. My interest did not wane even once during the entire tour and I found it easy to converse with John. If you like the outdoors, enjoy getting extra steps into your day and find history fascinating, this tour is for you!

An Excellent Overview of Philadelphia

Nancy_G, Aug 2025
This tour gave us an excellent overview of many of the major sites in Philadelphia. Laura was an enthusiastic and knowledgeable guide. She was attentive to each guest, provided detailed responses to questions and truly seems to love her job. We collected a wealth of information and the tour allowed us to prioritize the sites we wanted to return to and see in more detail.

An excellent walking tour for our family of five!

Natalie_T, Aug 2025
My family and I planned a short historical visit to Philadelphia. Maria Gorshin, our tour guide was fabulous! All three of my children, ranging from 16 to 12 had Maria’s undivided attention. Maria even checked in with me throughout her tour to see how the kids were enjoying it. Overall it was a great day for a walking tour and learn more about our founding father’s.

First time in Philly

Georgina_P, Aug 2025
Very informative and Alex was very knowledgeable and very polity and courteous. I am leaving Philly wanting to come back 🔜

Great tour guide!

Aaron_G, Aug 2025
Wonderful guide! John was thorough and answered every single question we had. The place was so packed full of history, that there was just so much to take in. Recommend 10/10

John was a wonderful and...

rcfranz5989, Aug 2025
John was a wonderful and knowledgeable guy! He had terrific information about a ton of different historical locations!

Revolutionary Philadelphia Walking Tour

Timothy_L, Jul 2025
This was a very rich and full walking tour remembering the American Revolution. PK helped us to understand the flow of events and to make it real.

Very educational. As a...

Joe_B, Jul 2025
Very educational. As a Philadelphian, was great to learn more about the history of my city. Our tour guide PJ was great.

A Wonderful Tour Company

Barbara_S, Jul 2025
This is my second Viator tours experience. The company communicates extremely well with their clients and sends updates and information in a timely manner. The tour guides I’ve had are friendly, personable, knowledgeable, and do a fabulous job sharing the full experience of the areas on the tour. Our guide, Caroline in Philadelphia, was wonderful. Another tour with her would be welcomed. Great company for personalized tour experiences.

Great tour with a great guide

Joseph_F, Jul 2025
John was very knowledgeable,friendly and detailed. He was fun and informative we had a great day in philly

From $45.00

per person

up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)

Book ahead!
On average, this is booked 31 days in advance.

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