7 Philadelphia Tours Worth Booking

1.Dark Philly Adult Night Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 4,241 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $38Our pick

Walk Old City with a history or folklore professor and hear Philadelphia’s darker stories, from sex in 1776 and mass executions to haunted banks, grave robbery, and Alexander Hamilton’s affairs. The English-language tour costs $38, lasts about two hours, and is for adults only.

“Entertaining, engaging, witty and great story telling! I’m Scottish and the balance of information, humor, language, all played a role in making it a great experience.”

Check availability →Read our full review

2.Revolution and the Founders: History Tour of Philadelphia

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,944 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $29

Spend two hours walking Old City Philadelphia with a guide who has a history degree. Josh, Kyle, Joseph, Vince, and Ted are among the guides praised for lively storytelling. You’ll see the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Franklin Court, Carpenters’ Hall, and more, mostly from the outside.

“Ted our guide was awesome! Very informative, polite and professional. I would highly recommend this if you want to learn the history in the city of Brotherly Love”

Check availability →Read our full review

3.Philadelphia Hop-On Hop-Off City Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 2,347 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $39

Ride an open-top double-decker bus around Philadelphia with live English commentary and up to 25 stops. See Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell area, Reading Terminal Market, South Street, Penn’s Landing, and the Rocky Steps. Ride the full loop first, then hop off to explore.

“Had a wonderful time. Several stops closed due to construction. Wait time in between buses was 40 minutes not 15-20 minutes, which was discouraging since there is no place to sit and wait.”

Check availability →Read our full review

4.Philadelphia Old City Historic Walking Tour with 10+ Top Sites

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 2,020 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $43

Spend 90 minutes walking Philadelphia’s Old City with a former stand-up comedian and history teacher. See 10-plus historic sites, including Elfreth’s Alley, Christ Church, Carpenters’ Hall, the Liberty Bell, and Independence Hall. Guides such as Seamus and Joseph mix clear history with humor.

“Great experience with Ty. He is an excellent presenter and VERY knowledgeable about all things Philly. Highly recommend!!”

Check availability →Read our full review

5.Eastern State Penitentiary Admission

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 894 reviews · 365 days · from $21Best value

Enter Eastern State Penitentiary on Fairmount Avenue and explore its crumbling cellblocks, yards, Hospital Block, and Al Capone’s cell. Steve Buscemi narrates the self-paced audio tour in English or Spanish, with extra stops on escapes, riots, sports, and prison life.

“This is a fabulous activity that you can do at your own pace although there was a tour guide who took us through one particular part of the penitentiary (the hospital wing) and it was brilliant! You get headphones and a cassette type player and you are guided where to go and when to move to the next part so you don’t miss anything. The tour was very informative and very enjoyable!”

Check availability →Read our full review

6.Double-Decker Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 868 reviews · 1 - 3 days · from $39

Ride Philadelphia’s open-top double-decker bus along a 16-mile route with 26 stops. A live English guide adds local stories, while audio commentary is available in eight other languages. Use a one, two, or three-day ticket to reach Independence Hall, Reading Terminal Market, Eastern State Penitentiary, the Rocky Steps, and more.

“The full tour route is 90 minutes so this worked perfectly for us as we only had a day in Philadelphia during a holiday in New York. We completed the full tour first and then decided which we wanted to spend more time exploring.”

Check availability →Read our full review

7.Revolution and The Founders History Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 450 reviews · 2 hours · from $29

Start outside the Independence Visitor Center and spend two hours tracing Philadelphia’s Revolutionary past with an English-speaking historian. See the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Carpenters’ Hall, Betsy Ross’s house, Franklin’s home site, and other landmarks while hearing stories about Washington, Hamilton, Madison, Paine, and more.

“Vince was knowledgeable and extremely helpful. He even walked us to a couple of restaurants which were out of his way”

Check availability →Read our full review