Tim McManus is a freelance writer living in South Philly, where the food is even better than you’ve heard and the people are only half as scary as their reputation. These days, Tim is mostly interested in food and travel writing, but he spent 15 years in his past life as a sports writer and editor in Philadelphia and New York.
Philadelphia is the kind of city where you can walk the same streets as the founders of the country in the morning and spend your night in the restaurant of a chef, creating a completely new experience. Supremely walkable, delightfully unpretentious, and only a little surly, Philly is a world-class city masquerading as a small town. Come for the history, stay for the food, and fall in love with the characters that make Philly unique. The City of Brotherly Love is best explored on foot, so put on some sneakers and hit the cobblestones. We’ll get you started with 30 of the best things to do in Philadelphia. RECOMMENDED:The best Philadelphia hotels with hot tubsThe best hotels in PhiladelphiaThe best cabins in PhiladelphiaThe best Airbnbs in PhiladelphiaThe best attractions in Philadelphia This guide was updated by Philadelphia-based writer Tim McManus. At Time Out, all of our travel guides are written by local writers who know their cities inside out. For more about how we curate, see our editorial guidelines.
What makes a city great? Some would say it’s all about buzzing neighbourhoods, affordable food and drink and a mighty selection of things to do, from art galleries and museums to live music and theatre. Others might highlight things like the happiness of its locals, access to green space and strong community vibes. We factor in all that and more in our annual survey, which asks city-dwellers around the world to tell us what it’s like to live, work and play in their hometowns right now. Thanks to the opinions and insights of locals on the ground and our global network of city experts, we’re able to create a global ranking of the world’s best cities – and the 2024 results are in. As in previous years, the basis of the ranking remains our global survey of the people who know their city best: the locals. Working with research company Potentia Insight, we surveyed thousands of city-dwellers about the quality and affordability of food, culture and nightlife in their city. We also asked locals how their city makes them feel: are they happy there? Is it a beautiful place? Is it easy to make social connections? Their thousands of responses gave us a unique insight into the reality of living in the world’s greatest cities right now. Now that international travel is forecast to bounce back to the highest levels since 2019, many travellers will be planning a city break this year – so in 2024, we added a little extra weight to a city’s global appeal. Each survey respondent was asked which
Talk to any Philadelphian of a certain age—let’s say, elder millennial and above—about their first tattoo and you’re likely to hear a story that starts in the same place: on South Street. It makes sense that the long-time home of Philly’s counter-culture would also be the place to get your first, or fiftieth, piece of ink. Many of those classic tattooing institutions remain and are worth your visit. But they’re hardly your only choice. From Fishtown to South Philly, a new generation of world-class artists has picked up the needle, bringing a wide range of styles and experiences. Whether you’re a walk-in going on an impulse or if you prefer to spend months combing through an artist’s Instagram page, there’s a place for you on this list. Here, the best tattoo shops in Philadelphia. RECOMMENDED: The best things to do in Philadelphia
The kind of steak Philly is best known for is usually served on a roll instead of a plate. That’s a tough perception to shake in the home of the cheesesteak. But the sweeping restaurant renaissance that hit the city over the last decade has also lifted a new generation of steakhouse standard-bearers. With fresh blood added to a roster of long-beloved neighborhood staples, the result is a surprisingly complete scene. Whether your wish is to live like the Rat Pack for an evening or to know where your steak lived before it reached your plate, or if you just have a good old-fashioned expense account to burn, we’ve got a steakhouse in Philadelphia for you. RECOMMENDED: The best restaurants in Philadelphia