Philadelphia: The US city named one of the world’s 100 greatest places

When one talks about visiting the United States, it’s not often you hear about Philadelphia as a travel destination.

For the most part, it is usually places like New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco or even Hawaii.

But given Philadelphia’s connection to the creation of the States as we know it, and its ongoing contributions to American culture, it should definitely be on your list.

Philadelphia, aka the City of Brotherly Love (and Sisterly Affection), was named as such in desire for creating a place of tolerance and acceptance. Situated on the Delaware River on the east coast of the US, Pennsylvania’s largest city is like a well seasoned cast iron pan, filled with a gritty mix of history, culture and soul.

A Unesco World Heritage City, and named by Time Magazine, in 2021, as one of the World’s Greatest 100 Places, Philly is about an hour away from New York City and a fantastic place to explore America’s unique history.

When walking around the city it is hard to avoid seeing important historical places and the associated events wherever you go. The place is, in many ways, the birthplace of America and the amount of county and world firsts on display is both astonishing and illuminating.

Essential first stops on your trip have got to be the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, which are both closely connected to the United States’ Declaration of Independence in separating the American colonies from British rule in 1776. They both sit within the Independence National Historical Park which is the “most historic square mile in America”.

From there it’s a short walk to the Museum of the American Revolution, which is a fantastic place to explore the surrounding historical events in vivid detail. A highlight is the presentation of George Washington’s War Tent, in which its journey is told and displayed in wonderful fashion, taking you all the way from its connection to the Revolution through to the present day.

Philadelphia is a city proud of its history and is filled and known for people who embody hard work and passion for what they believe in.

This is probably a big reason why Sylvester Stallone's Rocky, and now the Creed franchise, which is set in the city, became such a cultural hit, to the point that a statue of Rocky now sits at the bottom of the legendary steps up to Philadelphia’s Museum of Art.

Once you’ve run up the infamous steps, you can look down Benjamin Franklin Parkway, another historical city resident, and see a stunning view of the central city area.

Whilst Rocky Balboa is a fictional figure, Philly has more than enough legendary real life sports figures to its name. Home of the Eagles (NFL), Phillies (MLB), 76s (NBA), Flyers (NHL) and Union (MLS), Philadelphia is arguably the greatest sports town in the States, which is clear wherever you go.

From the street corners to the local bars, everyone is wearing something that shows their support for one of their teams. And everyone, with or without prompting, is keen to discuss their take on the latest in the Philly sports scene. It’s an elevated level of fandom that is incredibly endearing and easy to get caught up in, with fans wearing their hearts on their sleeves.

To get a taste, definitely check out a game from one of the teams that is in season, and then visit a huge sports bar complex like Xfinity Live!, or somewhere more cosy, like Bar-Ly in Chinatown that will meet all your needs for getting into the local sports experience.

Alongside sport, Philadelphia is known for its endless cultural contributions to art, food and music, with the short list of locals reading like a who’s who in their various fields. From Billie Holiday, Grace Kelly, John Coltrane and Noam Chomsky, to Kevin Bacon, Will Smith (West Philly born and raised!), Kobe Bryant, Kevin Hart and Tina Fey, and musical acts like Boyz II Men, Hall and Oates, Pink and The War On Drugs, Philly’s impact culturally cannot be understated.

And with one of the largest collections of public art in the US, the city is like a walking art gallery, with sculptures like pop artist Robert Indiana’s LOVE, the wild and wonderful Magic Gardens space, along with endless awesome murals, adding all variety of colour to a city filled with brown and red bricked buildings.

This isn’t a city that is all colour though, it is also one known for its crime. Philadelphia is one of the state’s poorest cities and is battling gun violence, car-jackings, homicides and many other issues. However, with good planning, and a sensible attitude, you will be fine walking around the more popular areas.

However, with all the walking you’ll be doing, you will need food, and food that fills you up. Luckily, Philly is legendary for its food, both modern and classic. The culinary icon is undoubtedly the Philly cheesesteak. This meat and cheese filled roll is available city wide, and will put you in a food coma quick.

Places like Sonny’s Famous Steaks, Geno’s Steaks, Ishkabibble's or simply any street seller will deliver the goods on this classic sandwich. These historic sandwich spots are complemented by newer spots like Middle Child and Kismet Bagels, which offer great variations on the wider set of American deli sandwich classics.

For a one-stop shop, food hubs such as the Italian Market and Reading Terminal Market will offer all the abundance and variety of food you could ever ask for and are visitor experiences in their own right.

With a wealth of history and culture to explore, Philadelphia has plenty to keep you entertained over many days. But it’s the combination of all these things it offers that make it an essential place to visit in the States. It really is an incredible melting pot that delivers on a variety of fronts to create an experience that really provides an incredible insight into America, where it came from, and what makes it great.

Air New Zealand flies non-stop three times weekly to John F Kennedy International Airport, New York with connections to Philadelphia. See:

Flying generates carbon emissions. To reduce your impact, consider other ways of travelling, amalgamate your trips, and when you need to fly, consider offsetting emissions.

The HBO show The Wire is set in Baltimore. An earlier version of this story incorrectly said it was set in Philadelphia. (Amended April 2, 2023, 11.17am.)