The ca n’t-miss gests in the first World Heritage City in the United States. There’s no way a deficit of stupendous effects to do in Philadelphia, but there are some effects “ youse ” just got to do especially if you’ve no way been to our fair megacity ahead.

Whether it’s handling like Rocky up that magnific gallery way, refueling with a cheesesteak( absolutely obligatory), bowing down to the history made at Independence Hall, or exploring the iconic Reading Terminal Market, these are the guests that make Philly so gloriously Philly.

10-most-essential-effects-to-do-on-your-first-visit-to-philly
Liberty Bell (Picture: Shutterstock)

Read on for the 10 most essential gests to be had in the City of Brotherly Love — and find 10 further amazing Philly gests right this way.

1. Snap a print in front of the Liberty Bell

It doesn’t make a sound, but the Liberty Bell’s communication rings loud and clear “ annunciate liberty throughout all the land unto all the occupants thereof. ” This necrology on the cracked but mighty Bell is one reason it came as a symbol to abolitionists, suffragists, and other freedom- campaigners throughout history.

The Bell draws people from around the world to hitch a print in front of it and its dramatic background Independence Hall. The Liberty Bell Center is free to visit time-round with no tickets needed. Learn further about visiting in our companion to the Liberty Bell.

2. Pose with the Rocky Statue and run up the" Rocky Steps"

Since Rocky’s first triumphant on-screen run up the way of the Philadelphia Museum of Art in 1976, the 72 Way has become a transnational destination — and a Philly ritual of passage.

Trippers from around the world embark on their passage up the stairs, pumping their fists in the air as they cherish the spectacular view of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the megacity skyline. Cheesy? Surely. Fun? Absolutely!

To finish off the experience, head back down to the bottom of the stairs and snap a print with the citation statue of Rocky, first created for Rocky III. also, adventure inside one of the country’s most magnificent art galleries. We promise it won’t fail.

3. Enjoy an authentic Philly cheesesteak

The Philly cheesesteak is incontrovertibly the megacity’s most notorious food. So put your diet on hold for the day, and indulge in a lately ignited roll filled with diced( or thinly sliced) steak and your choice of rubbish and/ or fried onions. Those in the know order their cheesesteak with two words only rubbish selection( provolone, American or Whiz) and “ wit ” or “ without ” onions.

The debate about which original spot culinarians up the stylish sandwich won’t ever end, but for an iconic Philly experience, visit the crossroad of South 9th road and Passyunk Avenue, where rivals Geno’s Steaks and Pat’s King of Steaks feed the millions daily, and do your veritably own taste test.

Looking for vegan options or other out-of-the-box twists on the Philly classic? Philly’s got you covered with a plenitude of indispensable cheesesteak options. ( Pro tip Make time to try all of Philly’s iconic foods, including repast pork sandwiches, hoagies, pretzels, and water ice.)

4. Tour Independence Hall, the motherland of the United States

Where the protestation of Independence was inked and the U.S. Constitution was created. While literal lodestones pullulate in Philly, Independence Hall is where the nation was innovated.

In 1776, the Launching Fathers inked the protestation of Independence in the structure’s Assembly Room. Just 11 times later, representatives from a dozen states met then to lay the frame for the U.S. Constitution. moment, the goosebumps-converting UNESCO World Heritage Site is the centerpiece of Independence National literal Demesne, and guided tenures of this pail-list gem are available time- round.

Free tenures of the Hall are available via timed tickets. Learn further about how to gain tickets in our companion to Independence Hall.

5. Visit the notorious LOVE form

An iconic work of art by Robert Indiana. The City of Brotherly Love is filled with love — literally. One of the best-known milestones is LOVE itself, the Robert Indiana form in John F. Kennedy Plaza( or LOVE Park, as it’s affectionately called by utmost). It’s a prized print op for couples, families, and musketeers eager to show the world how they feel about one another.

The form was restored and repainted in 2018, and the demesne was entirely redesigned to add further green areas and a high-tech water point. A small caller center pavilion was added in 2021. Another LOVE statue sits just west of Center City on the University of Pennsylvania lot near 36th and Locust thoroughfares.

And because love comes in all languages in Philadelphia, there’s an AMOR form — a Spanish edition of the LOVE form — on display at Sister Metropolises Park, a six-nanosecond walk from LOVE Park.

6. Chow down on food from dozens of merchandisers at Reading Terminal Market

One of America's oldest growers request and current food paradise. Set below a former road outstation, Center City’s 133-time-old Reading Terminal Market serves as both a glowing sightseer destination and a trusted source for fresh yield, seafood, flesh, and rubbish for locals.

The public space also provides open seating where guests can enjoy a world of cookeries from dozens of caffs, including Pennsylvania Dutch merchandisers and sandwich slingers like the accredited DiNic’s, serving up hot repast pork sandwiches that compete for the megacity’s much-lauded cheesesteaks. Retail merchandisers vend housewares, jewelry, linens, and further.

7. Visit the stupendous galleries on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway

The Benjamin Franklin Parkway, modeled after the Avenue des Champs- Élysées in Paris, is called Philadelphia’s most cultural afar for good reason.

Some of the megacity’s most important artistic institutions are housed then, including the Barnes Foundation, The Franklin Institute( featuring brand-new core exhibits), The Academy of Natural lores of Drexel University, and the Parkway’s crown jewel, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Another super-popular magnet, the former captivity Eastern State Penitentiary, is just a 15- nanosecond walk from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Curious about the rest of Philly’s gallery scene? Crack open our big companion to Philly’s galleries and lodestones, or step off the beaten path with these uncredited gems.

 8. Dine at a critically accredited eatery( or two, or three.)

There’s no way around it Philly’s dining scene is special. Philly caffs regularly make ” stylish of ” lists from The New York Times, Bon Appétit, Condé Nast Rubberneck, and further.

 9. Ramble through the world- famed Longwood auditoriums

It’s not in Philadelphia proper, but the horticultural legend that's Longwood Gardens is well worth the 50- 50-nanosecond drive from Center City Philadelphia to Kennett Square — and it’s been revamped with new structures and auditoriums as part of its Longwood Reimagined experience.

The Chester County mega theater ( and its 1,100-plus acres) is filled with more than two- dozen auditoriums ( inner and out-of-door ), 10,000 different types of shops, dancing cradles, lush meadows, and winding woods. The various oasis also hosts hundreds of events each time, including new seasonal displays, gardening demonstrations, educational programs, children’s conditioning, musicales, and musical theater.

Spectacular, grand, brilliant, stirring — all of these adjectives adequately describe the magnet, which was lately named one of the world’s 100 topmost places according to Time magazine and USA Today’s stylish botanical theater in America for 2025

10. Explore Philly's hipsterism shorefront

Once made up of uninhabited piers and underutilized public spaces, the Delaware River shorefront has become one of the most vibrant spaces in Philadelphia in the 21st century.

The shorefront’s fashionability is thanks to its instigative lodestones and premises Cherry Street Pier and Race Street Pier, as well as seasonal spots like Spruce Street Harbor Park, Liberty Point, and Independence Blue Cross RiverRink( with its ever-popular Summerfest and Winterfest) — as well as several different and well- attended events throughout the time.