All About Philadelphia
Guide Sections
Getting There
Air
Philadelphia International Airport ( PHL ) http://www.phl.org/
PHL is seven miles from downtown Philadelphia.
Air Jamaica (+1 800 523 5585/ http://www.airjamaica.com ) Air Canada ( +1 800 776 3000/ http://www.aircanada.ca ) Air France ( +1 800 871 1366/ http://www.airfrance.com ) America West ( +1 800 235 9292/ http://www.americawest.com ) British Airways ( +1 800 247 9297/ http://www.british-airways.com ) Continental ( +1 800 525 0280/ http://www.continental.com ) Delta ( +1 800 221 1212/ http://www.delta.com ) Lufthansa ( +1 800 645 3880/ http://www.lufthansa.com ) Southwest ( +1 800 435 9792/ http://www.southwest.com ) United ( +1 800 241 6522/ http://www.ual.com ) US Airways ( +1 800 428 4322/ http://www.usairways.com )
From the Airport
Car Rental: Alamo ( +1 800 327 9633/ http://www.alamo.com ) Avis ( +1 800 831 2847/ http://www.avis.com ) Budget ( +1 800 527 0700/ http://www.budget.com ) Dollar ( +1 800 4000/ http://www.dollar.com ) Hertz ( +1 800 654 3131/ http://www.hertz.com National ( +1 800227 7368/ http://www.nationalcar.com ) Payless (+1 800 729 5377/ http://www.paylesscarrental.com)
Another attractive ground transportation option is Zipcar, which operates in certain U.S. cities. This new breed of rental car allows you to rent on an hourly basis rather than a daily basis. Be sure to register online before your trip. Zipcar (+1 866 494 7227 / http://www.zipcar.com)
For reliable car hire service in and around the city, contact A&C Transport Car service. (+1 609 573 5163/ http://www.actransportonline.com)
Taxi
There is a $20 flat rate on cabs to Center City Philadelphia. A few of the cab companies include:
Academy (+1 215 333 1111) Airport Express (+1 215 651 7757/http://www.magicyellow.com/) Avistar Avistar (+1 800 763 6845/ http://www.pnfnetwork.com/) PHL Taxi (+1 800 936 5111) City Cab Co. (+1 215 492 6500) Liberty Cab Co. (+1 215 389 8000) Victory Radio Dispatch Association (+1 215 225 5000/http://www.victorycabco.com/)
A.C. Taxi and Blue Car Service ( +1 609 645 2583/ http://www.acblue.com/ ) offers a variety of transportation needs with a fleet of taxis, minivans and stretch limos. Service is offered to Atlantic City (one hour) and New York (two hours). One day prearranged reservation via phone or email for pickup in Philadelphia or New York City.
Atlantic City Airport Taxi & Lou's Luxury Car Service (+1 609 383 1457/ http://www.limolou.com/) serves riders to and from Atlantic City to the region's major airports, Philadelphia, New Jersey and southern New York.
Traffic Information
For up-to-date traffic information, go to: http://www.traffic.com/Philadelphia-Traffic/Philadelphia-Traffic-Reports.html
If traveling overseas, take the safety precaution of registering your trip at https://travelregistration.state.gov and for helpful, practical advice about traveling technicalities and safety standards check out http://travel.state.gov/ .
Train
Amtrak services Philadelphia daily ( +1 800 872 7245; in PA +1 800 562 6960/ http://www.amtrak.com ) and is located on 30th Street.
Bus
Greyhound ( +1 800 231 2222/ http://www.greyhound.com ) accesses Philadelphia daily.
Highway
Philadelphia can be reached from any direction on I-95 and I-76.
Getting Around
This was the first major city to be designed on a grid system, which means that directions make sense: You can walk from the east end of Market Street to the west end in a straight line. The streets running north to south are numbered from two to 69. On-street parking is generally limited to two hours and some streets have their own peculiar restrictions, so read the signs carefully. There is a lot of construction and street repair going on, but generally these are small projects that only disrupt the traffic flow for a few days at a time in any one spot. There are ample parking garages with rates lower than New York and discounts for all-day parking. The local public transportation, SEPTA, has routes that cover the whole region, including a light rail from the airport. SEPTA passes are available at day, weekly or monthly rates. Cab drivers here are as peculiar as they are anywhere, but they are all licensed and generally very reliable. In Center City, the wait for a cab should be no more than five minutes.
Public Transit
SEPTA - Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority is in charge of the metro area. The High Speed Rail Line costs $5.50 one way and serves five downtown locations. It also runs to the Amtrak station and Greyhound bus terminal (+1 215 580 7800/ http://www.septa.org/). SEPTA also operates a local bus and subway system and both the Owl bus and subway run 24 hours a day.
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