Day Trip to Philadelphia From NYC

New York may be that concrete jungle where dreams are made of, but where do you go when you need a break from greatness?

When I lived in NYC, I often needed a break from its dirty, hot, and cramped streets. One of my favorite spots to escape was Philadelphia, the City of Brotherly Love.

No matter whether you live in the Big Apple or are simply visiting, a day trip to Philadelphia from NYC will give you a much-needed break from the five boroughs. Philly offers a more laid-back vibe than NYC and is packed with rich history, iconic foods (hello, cheesesteak!), and plenty of activities.

Day Trip to Philadelphia From NYC Tips

Depending on your mode of transportation, your transportation time could be an hour and fifteen minutes or up to two hours. No matter whether you travel by car, bus, or train, Philadelphia is an easy day trip from NYC.

Take the Acela for the quickest trip and the Megabus or NJ Transit for the cheapest. 

Since a day trip to Philadelphia from NYC only takes two hours (max), you’ll have plenty of time to explore the city. If you’re planning on staying for dinner, you may want to leave later if you think you’ll crash mid-day.

Day Trip to Philadelphia From NYC: Splurge Vs Save

Budgeting your trip? These splurge versus save tips will help you spend your budget on the right stuff.

Philly is so close to NYC, it’s considered one of its bedroom communities. Because it’s so close, you won’t need to spend a lot on transportation. 

Philly restaurants and activities are also less expensive than their NYC counterparts, so a day trip to Philadelphia from NYC means you’ll save a little money anyway. 

If you want to get to Philly in less time, you may want to splurge on the Acela but save on food and activities. Since most of Philly’s iconic foods are street foods (pizza, cheesesteaks, etc.), you won’t need to break your bank to eat here. There are also plenty of ways to save on activities, including free tours and free museum days.

Transportation

Getting to Philly from NYC is relatively easy. The fastest way to Philly is the Acela, which only takes an hour and twenty-five minutes. But the longest route (the Megabus) only takes about two hours.

If you want to minimize your travel time on your day trip to Philadelphia from NYC, the Acela is the way to go.

Splurge

The fastest way to Philly from NYC is by the Acela. It only takes a little over an hour to get here, and a business-class ticket starts at $45 each way. 

A regular Amtrak train takes about an hour and a half for a day trip to Philadelphia from NYC. Tickets start at $19 each way.

Save

NJ Transit takes about two hours to get to Philly from NYC, and tickets cost $15 each way.

Depending on how early you book your Mega Bus tickets, they could cost as little as $1. Wait until the week before to book, and you’ll pay about $15 (which makes the extra $4 for the Amtrak well worth it).

Alicia’s Take

Take the Amtrak, and pay $38 for a roundtrip ticket if you’re not crunched for time. It’s only $8 more than a roundtrip NJ Transit ticket, and you’ll save about an hour of time roundtrip. 

Amtrak’s trains are much more comfortable than NJ Transit’s, and you won’t need to worry about getting stuck in traffic on your day trip to Philadelphia from NYC as you would on the Megabus.

Amtrak trains also leave from Penn Station in Manhattan, which is insanely easy to get to. The Megabus station is slightly out of the way (a hike from Port Authority) and buses are often late. 

Food 

There are so many food choices in Philadelphia (offered at varying price points), it’s not hard to find a good meal in the City of Brotherly Love. What’s difficult is deciding where to eat. 

If you’re planning on a day trip to Philadelphia from NYC, you may not need to spend a lot on food. Yes, Philly’s high-end restaurants are good. But if you’re a visitor to both Philly and NYC, you may want to splurge on high-end restaurant experiences in the Big Apple over its little sister.

That being said, there are plenty of splurge-worth restaurants in Philly if you want a high-end meal out.

Splurge

There are plenty of splurge-worthy restaurants in Philly. Though it’s not as famous of a foodie city as NYC, its rich immigrant history and close proximity to the Big Apple make this second city a destination for food nerds in its own right.

If you want a nice meal out, I’d recommend the following:

• Royal Sushi & Izakaya
• Friday Saturday Sunday
• Vernick Fish

Save

There are so many great food halls and street food vendors in Philly, it’s easy to stick to your budget here. 

The Reading Terminal Market is one of the best food halls on the East Coast, and it’s less than a 10-minute drive from the train station. 

Philly is known for its street food: particularly pizza and cheesesteaks. Cheesesteaks start at $13 and could easily feed two. In Philly, a slice of pizza starts at a few dollars. 

Head to the Italian Market in South Philly for a large selection of Italian street foods, including pizza, sandwiches, and arancini.

Philly is also home to the best barbacoa in North America. South Philly Barbacoa wasn’t only named best barbacoa, its chef Christina Martinez has also won a James Beard award.

The namesake barbacoa tacos cost only $4 each. 

Activities

There’s plenty to do on a day trip to Philadelphia from NYC. From tours to shopping to spa days, Philly has a lot to offer.

Splurge

Philly has plenty of walking tours at a variety of price points. Though not necessarily a “splurge” (tours start anywhere between $15 and $35), these tours offer hours of information and entertainment. 

If you really wanted to splurge, you could book a day trip to Philadelphia from NYC — a fully guided tour from the Big Apple with a private driver and tour guide. 

Food tours in Philly start at around $85 and include all the food. While the price tag may seem high, you are getting a meal and a half worth of food and up to three hours of entertainment. 

Philly’s museums cost around $25 per person for an adult ticket, but there are ways to reduce those costs as well.

Save

If you’re on a budget during your day trip to Philadelphia to NYC, there are plenty of free and cheap things to do in Philadelphia, including free tours, pay-what-you-wish museum days, and self-guided tours.

Free tours are pay-what-you-wish tours that are offered all over Philadelphia. Sign up for a tour, pay a fee to hold your reservation, and tip the tour guide what you think the tour is worth (I recommend between $10 and $25, based on your budget). 

They’re a great way to get to know the city without blowing your budget.

Or, take a self-guided tour of Philadelphia for free!

Museums in Philadelphia (such as the iconic Philadelphia Museum of Art) offer pay-what-you-wish days and free days.

On the first Sunday of the month (10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.) and every Friday night (5:00–8:45 p.m.), pay whatever amount you’d like.

Or, buy the Sightseeing Pass to get admission to two to seven attractions for only around $55. 

The Phillies is Philadelphia’s major league baseball team in the National League. Game tickets start at only $12 a pop.

Getting Around Philadelphia

Philly isn’t a terribly large city. You could easily walk much of it and take public transportation or ride shares to get to its outer reaches. 

It’s relatively flat, so hoofing around Philly for a day isn’t as exhausting as it would be to walk Boston, Seattle, or San Francisco. 

Public Transportation

Philadelphia is home to the U.S.’s sixth-largest public transportation system, SEPTA. Ride trains, trams, and buses to get to your destination. 

If you’re planning on staying Downtown, SEPTA is a great way to get around for only about $2 per ride.

Car

Unlike NYC, Philadelphia is more driver friendly. If you’re planning on driving here for your day trip to Philadelphia from NYC, you’ll find the city easy to navigate. Parking is also relatively easy here — especially compared to parking in NYC.

It’s also relatively easy and inexpensive to take ride shares in Philly, as the city itself isn’t very large.

Walking

Philly is also a walkable city. With few hills (especially in Downtown), you can easily get around each neighborhood on foot. 

Day Trip to Philadelphia From NYC Itinerary

Ready to plan your day trip to Philadelphia from NYC? This itinerary should offer some inspiration to help you plan. 

Breakfast at Penn Station – 7:30 AM

Grab a quick snack at Penn Station while you’re waiting for your train.  

Thanks to the recent Penn Station remodel, this train station now offers plenty of options for a quick breakfast. Enjoy a coffee, pastry, or breakfast sandwich at the station, or grab one to eat on the train.

If you’re taking the Acela, there will be decent breakfast options on board — especially if you book a first-class ticket, which includes a light meal, coffee, and alcoholic beverages.

Philadelphia Tour – 10:00 AM

You should arrive at 30th Street Station by 9:30 a.m. at the latest. That’s enough time to get to a 10:00 a.m. tour (though you may not want to book a morning tour if you’re concerned your train or bus might be late).

The Philadelphia hop-on, hop-off bus tour costs around $36 per person and offers a 90-minute overview of the city. I recommend taking this tour if you’ve never been to Philly before and simply want to get an overview of the layout of the city.

Philly isn’t known for crazy traffic congestion (like New York is), so you won’t spend your day trip to Philadelphia from NYC stuck in traffic.

If you’ve been to Philly before or simply aren’t ho-ho bus people, you may simply want to take Founding Fathers Historical Walking Tour, offered most days at 11:30 a.m. You’ll get an overview of historic Philly as well as a better understanding of the city’s Revolutionary history. 

Philly Cheesesteak – 12:30 PM

I’m sorry but you just can’t visit Philly without at least trying a cheesesteak (yes, even if you’re craving vegetarian or vegan cheesesteaks, there a few options).

The two “dueling” cheesesteak restaurants, Pat and Geno’s, are across the street from each other. Pat’s only serves “real” cheese on theirs (or at least white American cheese), and Geno’s offers “real” cheese as well as Cheese Whiz (my favorite non-cheese product). 

If you’re going on a day trip to Philadelphia from NYC with friends, buy one of each and share so you can try both.

The Italian Market in South Philly is another great spot for an inexpensive lunch. As an added bonus, it’s also a Philadelphia attraction.

Reading Terminal Market offers a long list of food stalls, bars, and restaurants. Just some of the stalls include Pearl’s Oyster Bar, Shanghai Gourmet, DiNic’s roast pork Italian sandwiches, and Herschel’s East Side Deli.

Philadelphia Museum of Art – 2:00 PM

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the most iconic art museums in the country. To get to its entrance, you’ll need to climb up a long set of stairs (the ones Rocky famously ran up and down).

If you’re more into outdoor art than indoor galleries, take the South Philly Art Walking Tour, offered at 2:00 p.m. most days.

Shopping – 4:00 PM

Philadelphia isn’t known as a major shopping destination, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t great shopping here!

Locals head to Rittenhouse Square, Old City, and East Market Street when they want to go shopping.

If shopping isn’t your jam, you can always take this self-guided Rock tour instead. 

Or, get a treatment at the Rescue Spa or the Spa Terme Di Aroma — especially if you’re planning on staying in the city late. You’ll get a chance to rest up before dinner.

Dinner – 6:30 PM

For dinner, I recommend one of the following restaurants:

• Royal Sushi & Izakaya
• Friday Saturday Sunday
• Vernick Fish

Or, head down to South Philly for Italian food. 

You’ll have plenty of time to enjoy a quiet meal before splurging on a ride share back to the train station to end your day trip to Philadelphia from NYC.