Top Philadelphia Historical Tours

Experience Philadelphia like never before on this educational and entertaining guided small-group Segway tour. Learn about Philadelphia’s important history and visit popular locations like Penn’s Landing, the Historic District, the Italian Market, Benjamin Franklin Parkway and Society Hill on a 5- or 10-mile loop around Center City. Guided Segway training and photos from the tour are included. Dress in weather-appropriate clothes with flat, closed-toed shoes.

Experience the history of the United States on this guided small-group walking tour around Philadelphia, the birthplace of freedom in America. See Independence Hall, where the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence (this tour does not enter Independence Hall). Learn about Pennsylvania’s founder, William Penn, and see where George Washington, the first President of the United States, lived. Then check out the galleries and eateries in Old City Philadelphia, America's most historic square mile, followed by a cold beverage at a local establishment.

Discover the birthplace of America on this guided walking tour through the country’s most historic area in Philadelphia. Get a behind-the-scenes look at the Independence National Historical Park and more than 20 other historic sites on this 1.25-mile trek, including the National Constitution Center, Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell Center, and many more.

Walk in the footsteps of America's founding fathers on this walking tour of Philadelphia's Old City. Visit important landmarks such as Christ Church, the Ben Franklin Post Office, Carpenters' Hall, and Independence Hall as your guide narrates local history.

See Philadelphia’s historic landmarks and sites while sipping your own beer or wine and hearing little-known facts from a guide. This sightseeing tour by trolley takes the stress off finding a designated driver for exploring as you see tops sights such City Hall, Love Park, Boathouse Row, the Liberty Bell, Betsy Ross’ House, and the Declaration House. Drinks are BYOB.

Philadelphia is the birthplace of American democracy — and rich in American history. Discover the historical sites in Philadelphia on this expert-guided, 75-minute walking tour. See where George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin lived and worked. Stop at some of the city’s most iconic landmark locations, like Independence Hall. Visit the Betsy Ross House, where the seamstress is said to have sewn the first American Flag; plus Congress Hall, the original Supreme Court building, the Library Company of Philadelphia, Franklin Court at the Independence National Historical Park and more.

Bypass the overpriced tourist restaurants with lackluster food and eat your way through Philadelphia like a local on a 2.5-hour culinary walking tour. Follow your guide to the heart of the city and visit five distinctive eateries to sample iconic Philly favorites, such as cheesesteak, tomato pie, and soft pretzels. Make sure to save room for not one but two desserts at the Reading Terminal Market.

Journey back in time on a guided, 1-hour carriage ride through the tree-lined streets of historic Philadelphia. Visit Philly’s Independence National Historical Park, Society Hill and Old City. This leisurely ride features famous locations like the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Betsy Ross House, Elfreth Alley, and much more.

Philadelphia is one of the country’s oldest cities—and its centuries of history also include plenty of ghost tales, spooky stories, and other macabre myths and legends. Meet your costumed guide in Center City, and explore Philadelphia’s historical landmarks after dark. You’ll see the highlights of Old City, Society Hill, and Independence National Historical Park, and will also hear tales of hidden burial grounds, haunted houses, and other dark secrets.

Focus on the female history-makers of Philadelphia on this history tour. With a small group of just 10 people or fewer, stroll through historic Philadelphia and learn about female pioneers in medicine, politics, and other change-makers. A small group means you'll have plenty of time to ask questions and you'll enjoy personalized attention.

Hear tales of prohibition and gangsters such as Al Capone and Leo Lanzetti on this evening walking tour and pub crawl in Philadelphia. A spirited guide takes you around city landmarks and to local taverns—savor a complimentary drink and snacks, and then make use of drink specials at the places you visit. Good at trivia? Answer quickly and correctly to get more free beer. Don’t miss this lively night out on the town and learn about Philadelphia’s dark side.

See the sights of Philadelphia at your own pace with a 2-day hop-on hop-off tour that includes admission to Eastern State Penitentiary, a National Historic Landmark. With the hop-on hop-off pass, you'll enjoy easy transportation to 27 stops around the city with live commentary by guides on board the double-decker bus. Get off at the attractions that interest you, such as the Rocky Steps, Independence Hall, and the Liberty Bell, to learn about the history and culture of one of the oldest cities in the U.S.

Satisfy your sweet tooth on a 2-hour underground donut tour of Philadelphia. The sugary culinary walking experience is perfect for families and foodies alike. Stop at four of the city’s top spots for fried dough, including Federal Donuts and Beiler’s Donuts. The tour is also a great opportunity to orient yourself to the city, with stops in South Street and Reading Terminal Market.

Experience the History! Enjoy the sites of Philadelphia with a live Tour Guide on board our authentic Double Decker Buses. Due to COVID-19, the ability to hop-on hop-off is suspended until further notice.

This half-day Philadelphia tour ditches the guidebooks and provides a dose of history from a local perspective. Follow a guide through Old City and visit unmissable Philly landmarks. Then ride the subway to Center City for a happy hour pub crawl that includes beers. This small-group walking tour is limited to 12 people for a personalized experience.

Availability: Groups of 4 or fewer must book 5 spots to secure your tour. Description: Hit all the main sites in historic Old City and Independence Park, but hear it all from the perspectives often left out of mainstream tourism. If you have any questions or would like to request a private tour - feel free to reach out! We accommodate time requests, content requests and private parties with special pricing.

Our tour will take you through Philadelphia’s Old City – home to some of America’s oldest and most haunted buildings, roads, and monuments in the nation. “Old City” refers to the area of Philadelphia that was first established as a colony, an area that saw much strife, war, and hardships as the newly formed America fought for its independence. Old City Philadelphia has been continuously inhabited since 1702, making it the oldest residential area in the country – with some residents never really leaving.

Take happy hour to a whole new level on this Philadelphia pub crawl. Get a taste of Philadelphia’s brew culture on this entertaining and educational beer tasting walking tour. Visit three Philly pubs that suit the group’s preferences and enjoy a full-sized beer at each. Learn about the history of each establishment — and the local bar scene — from a knowledgeable guide. One snack is included. Additional food and drinks can be purchased for a charge.

Philadelphia is the birthplace of American democracy—and rich in American history. Discover the historical sites in Philadelphia on this expert-guided private walking tour. See some of the city’s most iconic landmark locations, like the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Visit the Betsy Ross House, where the seamstress is said to have sewn the first American Flag; plus historic Christ Church, the New Hall Military Museum, the Merchants' Exchange Building, Franklin Court at the Independence National Historical Park and more. Local hotel pickup and drop-off included along with the option of adding on a driving tour for an additional cost.

Retrace the footsteps of Benjamin Franklin and his fellow patriots during the founding of a nation on this guided, 75-minute walking tour. Discover colonial Philadelphia's historic past and visit some of the city’s landmark locations, like Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, Carpenters’ Hall, and much more.

I have been giving private tours for nine years and will customize the tour to fit your time and the attractions that you want to see. OR I can figure it all out! Stay in Philadelphia or explore the surrounding counties. Your friend in Philly. Seniors our specialty!! 80 five star reviews on Trip Advisor says you are making the right choice! As of July 1, 2020, I have an audio system that allows us to maintain "social distancing", and yet you hear me loudly and clearly!!

Embark on a pub crawl with a twist when you visit Philadelphia’s spookiest landmarks and drinking dens. Pick from several convenient departure times, and meet your guide in the heart of Center City. With just a small group for company, you’ll follow your guide to centuries-old cemeteries, macabre colonial landmarks, and other eerie attractions. Then, continue onward to three supposedly haunted bars and taverns, where you’ll enjoy drink samples, snacks, and prize giveaways.

Experience Philadelphia’s most artistic neighborhoods like never before on this guided, 2.5-hour, small-group Segway tour. See the best of Philly’s many murals — from Old City to Northern Liberties, Spring Garden and Chinatown — and learn more about the City of Philadelphia Mural Arts Program. Guided Segway training, headsets and photos from the tour are included. Dress in weather-appropriate clothes with flat, closed-toed shoes.

Philadelphia is widely regarded as one of America’s most historically significant cities, and for good reason! This is the city where the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were born. It was Philly that served as America’s capital before Washington DC even existed. Here is where the American flag was created, where Ben Franklin proved that lightning was just electricity, and where the iconic Liberty Bell rang and cracked but endures as a symbol of freedom. These are just a few examples of how Philadelphia has helped shape the United States of America. Come and take a guided stroll along the cobblestone streets of Old City, through the history you think you know. Our local expert will separate the fact from the fiction, and you will be amazed by Philadelphia’s remarkable past.

Explore Philadelphia’s highlights and history with a private tour in a comfortable minivan that accommodates up to six people. Enjoy the flexibility to customize the itinerary to your interests, with plenty of time to experience the destinations that interest you most. Take in historic neighborhoods and traditional markets, or taste your way through Philly’s most essential foods. See the landmarks of American independence, get a glimpse of the thriving arts and music scene, or see iconic sites from the Rocky films as you experience Philadelphia your own way.

Journey around Philadelphia, see some of the city’s most popular sights and drink four local beers on this full-day walking tour. Your guide takes you to the city’s must-see areas, as well as bars and pubs loved by locals. Along the way, pass the Liberty Bell, the National Constitution Center, Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens, Queen Village, and Ben Franklin House. Plus, at each of the four bars you stop at, enjoy a beer and a snack.

Enjoy a personal and private introduction to the City of Brotherly Love on this 2-hour sightseeing tour around Philadelphia. Climb aboard a comfortable minivan and explore the highlights of the city. See Philadelphia’s Historic District — from the Delaware River to 7th Street and from Vine Street to Lombard Street — plus landmark locations like the waterfront region of Penn's Landing along the Delaware River, the South 9th Street Italian Market, Philadelphia City Hall, Love Park, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Rocky steps at the entrance to the Philadelphia Museum of Art and much more.

Delve deep into Philadelphia history with this combination tour, which includes a hop-on hop-off bus ticket, admission to the Eastern State Penitentiary, and an historic walking tour. Hop off the bus tour at any one of the 27 attractions to explore further on your own. See Al Capone's cell and learn about the history of American incarceration at Eastern State. Follow in statesman Benjamin Franklin's steps on an historic walking tour of Old City's highlights.

Join me for a 4 mile run sprinkled with stories most Philadelphians don’t even know! Rather than feeling like a tourist, you’ll become a local weaving through the streets of Philly with me. In addition to being America's first capital and Ben Franklin’s hometown, did you know Philly invented the Cowboy Hat and Fast Food? We explore those little known facts and hundreds more. I'll tie together the unique Philly story as we run through its 5 main squares and tap into common themes like freedom, inclusion, reinvention, pop culture and many American Firsts. Philly's beautiful, flat & straight streets are full of history - perfect for running tours! Whether you're here on vacation, business or even a local, there's no better way to learn about Philly while breaking a sweat! This tour is more fulfilling than running on a hotel treadmill and better than getting lost in the city alone. You'll receive a detailed map overview (PDF) of 50 sites from our run to help you explore further!

Experience Valley Forge National Historical Park on this private driving tour from Philadelphia. Drive around the park and see the regimental monuments and recreated huts used by the troops that camped there in the 1700s. Then enjoy time to walk around the park at leisure. Visit the site of George Washington’s headquarters, the Washington Memorial Chapel, the park’s Visitor Center with museum collection and exhibits and much more. Philadelphia hotel pickup and drop-off included.

This tour combines two of Philly’s best contributions to the country: its history and its food! This is enough food for a meal. Come hungry, leave tipsy, and be in-the-know about Philadelphia’s rich history. We’ll serve you food, drinks, sweets, Ben Franklin, the Liberty Bell, and much more! While the foods during the 17th and 18th centuries may have been bland, we’re serving modernized versions of these foods and drinks that would have the colonials jealous. Learn about Philadelphia’s history in the tastiest way possible.

This fascinating tour of Philadelphia, the city of brotherly love, features such famous sights as the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Liberty Bell and the Betsy Ross House, alleged to be the site where the seamstress and flag-maker Betsy Ross purportedly lived when she sewed the first American Flag. You will also see the Franklin Institute, the Masonic Temple, Independence National Historical Park, Philadelphia History Museum, Declaration House, the place where Thomas Jefferson drafted the original Declaration of Independence, the National Constitution Centre,and Elfreth's Alley. This tour is full of fascinating sights to savour. Your tour. Your way.

We offer a unique experience you won’t find anywhere else. Ben Franklin takes you around the great city of Philadelphia and the wonderful history it holds, making the experience come to life. While experiencing the great landmarks Philly has to offer, you find yourself wound up in the pages of history. People of all ages can enjoy this experience and leave the tour feeling prouder than ever about the beautiful city and the founding of our country in front of their eyes.

Travel along winding country roads from Philadelphia to Lancaster County and Amish country, learning about the history, ideals, and culture of the Amish and Mennonite people on this private driving tour. See how the Amish live and take a ride in a horse-drawn carriage. Browse handmade arts, crafts and other products and experience the simpler life of the Amish people. Then enjoy lunch at a classic Pennsylvania Dutch smorgasbord or market. Philadelphia hotel pickup and drop-off included.

Are you visiting Philadelphia? You must try our scavenger hunt through the Philadelphia Museum district to see all the sights! It will take you from City Hall to the Philadelphia Museum of Art all while taking a few side trips and proposing challenges at every leg. All the while, you will learn some local history and get valuable local tips. This 3-hour self-guided walking tour is completed with your smartphone. You can start it at your leisure, on any day or time. You can also go as fast or as slow as you wish. Pause at any time and resume when ready.

This self-guided audio tour explores the north-central Philadelphia waterfront, focusing on what remains of this historic locale after the installation of Interstate I-95 in the 1970s, and relating (among other things) how early Quaker settlers lived in caves along the waterfront. Keep in mind that this area was where wheeling and dealing went on to encourage local, regional and national enterprise. It was where early American capitalists made their fortunes. It was where the individual American colonies were crafted into a nation. And it was also where terrible urban contagions began. Your guide is historian, writer and tour guide Harry Kyriakodis. He has what is likely the largest private collection of books about the City of Brotherly Love: about 2700 titles, new and old. He's also a founding/certified member of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides and has lived at Pier 3 Condominium at Penn’s Landing since 1997.

Your guide will take you on a poignant journey around the historic sites of the American Revolution where the seeds of independence were taking root long before a musket shot was fired. As you walk around Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross’s homes, along with the homes of numerous other founders, your guide will colour in the missing details of life in Philadelphia during the period: about the political climate of the time, about the tension and excitement around the city. Continue onto JFK Plaza where you can see one of the city’s most ‘instagrammable’ and recognisable sculptures: the LOVE statue. Then drive up the wide lanes of Benjamin Franklin Parkway, a street whose numerous sites could fill up a day on its own. See Rodin’s ‘The Thinker’ and numerous other public sculptures outside the Rodin Museum, before descending the 72 steps to the top of the ‘Rocky Stairs’. From the summit, enjoy sweeping vistas across Eakins Oval, Philadelphia City Hall, and Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

This two-hour afternoon tour demystifies the places that have put East Passyunk on the map and have catapulted this quaint street from its humble beginnings into the epicenter of the city's culinary scene. We'll start at one end of the Avenue and make our way past many of the local highlights, share stories of the restaurateurs, their restaurants and bars. Along the way, we'll check out iconic landmarks and murals.

Walk in the footsteps of Revolutionary War heroes, discover the iconic Liberty Bell, and relive the fight for American Independence with a self-guided audio tour! Journey back in time to historic Philadelphia in the days of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and their revolutionary collaborators. Here's how it works: Within 30 mins, we'll send you two things: a unique password and an app. Download the app onto your phone and enter the password. Then download the tour inside. When you arrive, head over to the first stop. Once there, launch the app and simply follow the instructions from there! Stick to our recommended route for the best experience. This tour does not include entrance to attractions along the route. Check pandemic rules and opening hours before your visit. No expiration — the tour is available from the minute you book until forever!

The American Revolution was dramatic, gritty, and full of uncertainty- an era of unparalleled political and social upheaval, even by today’s standards. This 60-minute guided tour offers visitors an exclusive opportunity to see the Museum's exhibits before we open. Our museum experts will enhance your experience with additional insight into the artifacts and exhibits, provide behind-the-scenes details of the Museum’s creation, and inspire guests to dig deeper into the stories behind objects on display. MUSEUM HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE - Introductory film, available in English and Mandarin, exploring the drama of the American Revolution. - Printed museum maps and guides available in English, Spanish, French, German, Mandarin, and Japanese. - Museum shop featuring unique gifts, books, and artifact reproductions not found in other Historic Philadelphia gift shops.