This Pennsylvania City With Rich History And An Amazing Food Scene Is One Of America's Top Travel Destinations

Travelers seeking to combine a passion for American history with a live-for-today eagerness for fantastic food might consider navigating New York City on their next vacation. But there, you'll have to avoid tourist traps like Times Square. Just two hours away by car, Philadelphia boasts the same assets on a more manageable scale (and it's more reasonably priced), making it one of America's top travel spots.

Says who? No less than TripAdvisor named it one of the country's Best of the Best Destinations. The website notes that visitors should make it a point to see famous sites like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, the building where both the Constitution and Declaration of Independence were drafted by the Founding Fathers. However, museums and cuisine are just as much a part of what makes Pennsylvania's biggest city a standout.

Founded in 1682, Philadelphia is America's sixth-largest city by population. Unless you drive or take the train, you'll most likely fly into Philadelphia International Airport (PHL). It's about 10 miles from the center of town, so plan to get an Uber or Lyft to your hotel. Prefer a boutique lodging to one of the big chains? Try elegantly decorated, luxurious The Franklin on Rittenhouse, 15 minutes from City Hall. If you prefer something closer to the action, look for a hotel near Reading Terminal Market and Chinatown, which allows you to get pretty much anywhere you want to go on foot. Anywhere labeled "City Center" will probably do, but Tripadvisor's top pick is the historically chic Loews Philadelphia Hotel.

Reading Terminal Market opened its doors in 1893. Yes, you can get a cheesesteak there, but wouldn't you rather have Philadelphia's other favorite sandwich, Tommy DiNic's roast pork with provolone and broccoli rabe? The Travel Channel named it "The Best Sandwich in America" for good reason. But it has tough competition from the juicy pastrami on rye at Hershel's East Side Deli. And once you've tried both of those, it's fun to find new favorites with each visit, with options that include Pennsylvania Dutch, Georgian, and Caribbean fare.

Philly is a city of old restaurants and bars. A Man Full of Trouble Tavern began serving in 1759. The building now has a museum upstairs and reopened to the public for drinks in 2025. Grab a pint at McGillin's Olde Ale House, too, which opened in 1860.

Two competing Italian restaurants can both claim to be among the oldest in the United States. Ralph's, which opened in 1900 but moved to its current spot in 1915, has remained in the DiSpigno family for more than a century. Dante & Luigi's debuted in 1899 and is more upscale than comforting Ralph's. Get an order of spaghetti and meatballs at both to compare.

Considered one of America's top endangered historical sites, you must visit Philadelphia's Chinatown while you still can. Modern development is pushing out locally owned businesses in the neighborhood, which has been home to Chinese immigrants since 1871. Grab the city's best crispy fowl at Sang Kee Peking Duck House, which was established in 1980 but is still always packed. Nan Zhou Hand Drawn Noodle House is the ultra-casual home of the city's best hand-pulled noodles.

Still want more history? The Museum of the American Revolution is an eye-opening education in the stories of the people who lived through the battles and life on the home front alike. Modern exhibits of 18th-century relics like George Washington's war tent assure that it's an exciting experience even for the museum-averse. For those passionate about the history of medicine, the Mütter Museum on the other side of town is the best of its kind in the nation. 

Once you're sick of museums (and full of great food), a walk around Old City will keep you steeped in what made Philly great in the first place. Known as "America's most historic square mile," the area is where Benjamin Franklin worked and is buried. You can stop in at the Franklin Court Printing Office to see how he produced his influential newspaper, the Pennsylvania Gazette. If you're lucky enough to score a reservation, end your tour of the neighborhood with a meal at Zahav, famed for its modern Israeli cuisine, which won the James Beard Foundation Award for Outstanding Restaurant in 2019. It's even more proof that Philadelphia is still making (delicious) history.