Navigate Philly Like a Local: Best Walking Tours in Philadelphia

Despite being more than 140 square miles, Philly is known for being a great walking city. So it makes sense that the city has an abundance of walking tours. They’re great ways for tourists — and locals — to move through the city, learn from an experienced guide, and discover unknown parts of the city along the way.

Whether you’re a food lover, a history lover, an art lover, or someone desperate to get their guests out of the house for a few hours, these tours go beyond the basic tourist traps and showcase Philadelphia and its hidden gems.

Get to know the architecture and history of Philly one neighborhood at a time. From May to November, the Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia offers tours every Wednesday, Saturday, and Sunday. Chinatown, Old City, Manayunk, Queen Village, and Center City are on the roster, and there is a lot to see, including the underground rail system. Tickets are sold online for $15, but if you have a PA ACCESS card or an Art-Reach ACCESS Card, you can get them for $2. Depending on the area, tours can take up to two hours.

📅 May to November, ⌚Wednesday (6 p.m.), Saturday (10 a.m.), and Sunday (2 p.m.), 📍meeting location varies depending on the neighborhood, 💵$15,🌐preservationalliance.com

You don’t need to wait for spooky season to learn about Philadelphia’s ghost stories. A city that’s over 300 years old harbors many mysteries. The Nightly Ghost Tour takes you on a candlelight walk through Old City and Society Hill graveyards and haunted houses. Tickets are $25, but you can save $3 by booking online or by phone. Children older than 4 are welcome for $15 but must be accompanied by a person over 18.

📅 Monday to Sunday, ⌚7:30 p.m.,📍Group meets at Fifth and Chestnut Streets (Signer’s Garden), 💵$15-$25, 📞215-413-1997, 🌐ghosttour.com

Philly has the most murals in the nation. While it’s impossible to see over 4,000 murals in one vacation, you can expand your art knowledge one neighborhood at a time. In the fall, Mural Arts Philadelphia, the organization behind creating city murals, offers 11 90-minute tours to learn the stories behind the murals in Center City, Bella Vista, South Philly, Germantown, and several other neighborhoods. TourS days and times depend on the place you visit.

📅 Days, times, and meeting places vary depending on the neighborhood, 💵$20-$26, 🌐muralarts.org

History mustn’t be boring, especially in such an artistic city. Magician Robert Malissa’s tour captivates people with historical facts and wizardry alike. You can learn about Philly’s history, including the birth of the American flag, William Penn, Benjamin Franklin, Old City, and more while enjoying comedy and magic performances. This outdoor walking tour is meant for people older than 12.

📅 Thursday to Sunday, ⌚3 or 6 p.m., 📍Group meets near Fourth and Ranstead Streets,💵$30, 🌐phillymagictours.com

If you are more of a runner, City Running Tours has expeditions that will pick up your pace. Their Culture Clash Immigrant Philly tour will take you on a four-mile run through Queen Village, the Italian Market, and South Street to learn about the immigrant communities that call these areas home. This is not a race (and there are breaks), so don’t worry about being left behind. The guides adjust to your pace, so remember to submit your running pace during registration so they can have enough guides accompanying your group. The hour-and-a-half tour costs $40, but children 12 and under can join for free.

📅Monday, ⌚7 a.m., 📍Group meets in the intersection of South Front Street and South Street, 💵$40, 🌐cityrunningtours.com

It wouldn’t be Philly without at least one cheesesteak experience. This two-and-a-half hour tour, run by City Food Tours, takes you to five local restaurants for cheesesteaks, Cheese Whiz fries, tomato pies, soft pretzels, and desserts, all served with a side of Philly food history. For $49, the experience promises to keep folks away from the typical tourist traps and have you eating like a true Philadelphian. The company also runs other tours focused on the Reading Terminal Market, Old City, Passyunk, and the city’s gourmet food scene.

📅 Seven days a week, ⌚Weekdays (1:30 p.m.), Saturday (noon), Sunday (12:30 p.m.), 💵$49,🌐 phillysfoodtour.com

LGBTQ murals, bookstores, and plaques are part of the fabric of the Gayborhood, but there’s much more than meets the eye. For $49, this Beyond the Bell walking tour takes you on an hour-and-a-half journey of pride and recognition. Learn about the folks that made Philly’s rich LGBT history, including activists Gloria Casarez, Kiyoshi Kuromiya, and Barbara Gittings, while also learning about the racial inequalities and controversies within the Gayborhood. Beyond the Bell also offers other interesting tours like the Badass Women’s History tour.

📅 Friday to Monday, ⌚3 p.m.,💵$49,🌐beyondthebelltours.com

Finding the right place to eat in a new city can be hard. Why not let a local chef guide you? Chef Jacqueline Peccina-Kelly runs her own tour company, StrEATS of Philly Food Tours, taking locals and tourists alike to experience food citywide. Her Italian Market Dinner tour focuses on creating a food experience to learn and taste the Italian Market flavors, including homemade bread, handcrafted pasta, Italian meats, cheeses, and desserts. Tickets are $89, and the tour is available in English and Italian.

📅 Wednesday to Saturday, ⌚4 p.m.,📍Group meets at 919 S. Ninth St (Italian Market Visitor Center), 💵$89, 🌐streatsofphillyfoodtour.com

How far will you go for a cheesesteak? Learn the history of the city and the importance of this sandwich while onboard a Segway. This Philly by Segway tour takes you through Old City, Chinatown, Center City, South Philly, the Italian Market, and Society Hill for a taste of the iconic Philadelphia cheesesteak. You must be older than 12 and weigh between 100 and 300 pounds to ride the Segway.

📅 Sunday to Friday, ⌚2:30 p.m., 📍Group meets at 7 N. Columbus Blvd. (Suite 7b), 💵$90, 🌐phillybysegway.com

Navigate Philly’s food scene like a storyteller with Tiny Table Tours. Food writer Maddy Sweitzer-Lammé interviews chefs for a living, getting to know them beyond their crafts. In this walking tour, she brings folks to nine different locations, six of them restaurants. You can have a taste of Philly’s Mexican cuisine, Italian delicatessens, Jewish pastries, and Vietnamese banh mi. If you are vegetarian or pescatarian, make sure to let Sweitzer-Lammé know in advance.

📅 Friday to Sunday, ⌚11 a.m.,📍Group meets along Passyunk Avenue, 💵$95, 🌐tinytabletours.com