Philadelphia Travel Forum

My husband and I are visiting Philadelphia for the first time at the end of July. I've done hours of research online to locate the perfect hotel. It seems we're better off staying in Center City rather than staying in a suburb and driving in everyday. However, before I make the final decision on a hotel, we are now trying to decide if we should take Amtrak instead. We're coming from Richmond, VA, so it would be easy for us to hop on the train and ride to Philadelphia. However, if we do that, I'm wondering if we'll have a hard time once we arrive getting from the station to our hotel. Keeping in mind I haven't yet bookd a hotel I have the following questions:

1. Are there acceptable hotels near the train station? And if so, do you know the names of those hotels or on which streets they are located?

2. If we don't stay near the train station, will it cost us an arm and a leg to take a taxi to a hotel in Center City?

3. How far is the train station from the tourist attractions? (i.e. Independence Hall, Liberty Bell, etc...)

I appreciate any advise/information that anyone can provide.

Thanks!

I am presenting you some links to your Philadelphia accomomodation. The hotels are established near Amtrak Train Station. I wish you have a good choice.

http://www.amtrak.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=Amtrak/am2Station/Station_Page&code=PHL

http://www.hotelgoal.com/us/20111994/philadelphia.htm

The nearest hotel to Amtrak Train Station is Sheraton University City Hotel.
Cassiovieggore

Hey there - I would say your best bet is taking the Amtrak into Philly. You will arrive at 30th street station, which is technically about 15 blocks or so from "Center City" - not a very long taxi ride at all. It will definitely cost less than 10 dollars unless you're arriving during rush hour, in which case it might cost a bit more, but really from 30th street to Center City it's a straight shot for 15 blocks or so and is not a difficult drive at all.

Philadelphia's streets are arranged in a very strait forward manner, so if you'd like to be closer to the train station you should look for a street number closer to 30, however the unfortunate aspect of taking the train is that if you'd like to stay in one of the nicer parts of town, for instance a part of South Philadelphia near the aforementioned attractions (where Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are located), you're looking at a much longer taxi ride, as that area begins around 10th street or so, and progresses as the number get lower. Of course you may get lucky and have no traffic, but in reality it's a big city with traffic so you can't exactly rely on that.

If you use the link for amtrak (www.amtrak.com) you can find the address of 30th street station (or just google it), and from there you can research some hotels you'd like to stay at, and use google maps (www.maps.google.com) to calculate how far from the train station each of the hotels are.

If you need anything else just let me know - cheers and enjoy Philly.


Ben

The train is definitely the way to go. Amtrak goes into 30th Street station and even from there you can take the local SEPTA trains to get closer to your destination depending on where you want to stay, but cabs aren't too bad (fares just went up) The city is pretty manageable walking, but 30th street is probably not really where you want to be. Go Philly dot com has lots of resources/deals (my parents use it all the time!)I think the Loews hotel is a great location http://www.gophila.com/MAP/316.html I've never stayed there - but a good starting point for location for what it seems you want to see (closer to Independence Mall/ Old City, further from some of the Museums)

Although I don't know the 30th Street area well, I don't know why you'd want to stay there, it being not really in the old city center. However, as the others noted, the city center is not a long taxi ride, and the SEPTA train does indeed go to the Reading Station stop (I think that's the name of it) next to the convention center...and since there's a nice convention center (been there, done that), guess what all around it? Hotels!

There are many ways of finding hotels...one is to go to maps.yahoo.com, enter "city hall, philadelphia, pennsylvania" as the place, then enter "hotels" in the search option. City Hall (which is quite a sight itself) is just 8 or 9 blocks west of Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell and that sort of stuff, with the Reading Market in between. This area won't necessarily be cheap (especially during a big convention), but it's very easy to walk around.

Because of the lack of space, we stayed near Rittenhauer Square, which is 3 blocks south and 3 blocks west of City Hall. We stayed at the Latham Hotel (http://www.lathamhotel.com/). When they describe it as "European", they do mean SMALL - well, the lobby is, anyway. But the neighborhood is nice with plenty of places (restaurants, etc.) to walk around in...and if you are at all fit, the historic area is only 12 short blocks away - I took my computer bag on wheels and walked over most of that way to the convention center.

In case I wasn't clear earlier, if you are just arriving in town via Amtrak and have luggage, just take a taxi...

Bill

Oh, I forgot to mention, when I was last in Philly, coming up on Amtrak from Alexandria, in going to board the SEPTA (local railroad) train for the convention center (Reading Market), all I had to do was show my Amtrak ticket, and they waved me onboard. I think they do this all the time, since my wife and her mother had the same experience the year before.

So, if you want to be really cheap (not that the taxi is expensive) and are staying quite close to the Reading stop, this is an alternative, if you don't mind hoofing it a bit with your luggage...

Bill

That Lowes Hotel looks like it's in a great location right in Center City, but I too have never stayed there...

Also the 30th Street Station area isn't a BAD area, I don't know if that was implied or not, but it's just not an area with hotels or an area near touristy places - maybe that was the implication - just wanted to clarify to avoid any possible unjustified fears or anything. Once again enjoy the city.



If you're going to have a cheesesteak, please don't go to Pat's or Geno's. If you've spoken to anyone from outside the city maybe they've told you those are the most popular places to go, but that's all they are really - not to say the sandwiches don't taste great, but there are much better places to go such as John's Roast Pork (also in South Philly, but perhaps a little out of the way if you're taking a cab) and a few other places in and out of the city. If you'll be able to move around a bit just send me a message and I'll let you in on my personal favorites, as well as many of the other tasty or popular choices. Cheers.



Ben

A noted earlier, yes, Septa provides a free trip from 30th street station when you show your Amtrak ticket. This is their standard policy.

I would definitely recommend using Amtrak for your arrival, as you won't want (or need) a car in Philly anyway.

You can walk to almost anything, or use Septa.

As the previous posters have said, take the train! Thirtieth Street Station is the main station. The stop in the center of Philly (Center City) is called, strangely enough, Suburban Station. It's in the center of town directly across from the City Hall. There are many hotels in the Converntion Center area. Another choice might be the Sheraton Society Hill which is in the historic district. From here you can easily stroll to all the historic places plus the Constitution Center. There are many restaurants in this area also. Philly is a great city. ENJOY!

I agree with all previous posts- train is definitely the way to go! 30th street station is very accessible to center city. Taxi would be under 10$ as well as you can take the subway which runs parallel to Market Street, which cuts through the city.

Although 30th street station is not "bad" area, it's pretty empty of any attraction or sightseeing.

Lowes hotel is a good choice as far as location as well as it's a very nice hotel with a great restaurant downstairs.

I also agree with the post about Pats/Genos cheesteaks. they are not the greatest. I would recommend Tony Lukes.