Philadelphia: Night Bus Tour & Rocky Steps Photo Stop

The City Lights Up: Philadelphia After Dark on a Double-Decker Bus

You board a double-decker bus at 8pm near Reading Terminal Market and spend 90 minutes riding through Philadelphia's nighttime streets with a live guide. You stop once to climb or photograph the Rocky Steps at the Art Museum, then pass the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Penn's Landing, and the lit Benjamin Franklin Parkway before returning to your hotel around 9:30pm. Hotel pickup is included, and the whole tour is narrated by a local professional guide.

Step-by-step itinerary

Evening city tour and photo stop

• Board bus at Marriott Downtown
• Tour Philadelphia landmarks by night
• Pass by Liberty Bell and Independence Hall
• Drive through Society Hill and Penn's Landing
• Stop at Philadelphia Art Museum Rocky Steps
• Take photos and enjoy city skyline views
• Return to Marriott Downtown

The experience

The bus pulls away from the Marriott Downtown at 8pm, and the first thing you notice is how different the city looks when the sun's gone. The Liberty Bell glows in its case, Independence Hall sits lit against the dark, and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway stretches out in white and gold. You're on the top deck of a double-decker bus, and the whole skyline is there, not the daytime version you'd see from street level, but the one the city puts on for itself after dark. The 90-minute Philadelphia night bus tour passes all the major sites: Society Hill's narrow streets, Penn's Landing along the river, South Street, the Avenue of the Arts. Your guide narrates the whole thing, pointing out stories about the buildings and the people who made them matter.

There's one stop that breaks the pattern. The bus pulls up to the Philadelphia Art Museum, and you get out to climb the Rocky Steps: the ones from the movie, the ones that face City Hall and the parkway. People run them, walk them, stand at the top and take photos of the lit-up downtown behind them. You can do the same, or just snap a picture from the base if the climb doesn't appeal. Either way, you get a few minutes on your feet, and the view from up there at night is the kind of thing you remember. Then back on the bus, and the tour keeps moving through the rest of the city until you're back at the hotel around 9:30pm.

The whole thing is narrated by a local guide who knows the place, not a recording, not a generic script. That matters more than you'd think when you're moving through a city at night and trying to understand what you're looking at. The bus itself is the point. You're not getting out at every stop, you're not doing a hop-on hop-off where you have to plan your own timing. You board, you sit, the city moves past you lit up, and someone who lives here tells you what it means.

What’s included

Your 90-minute tour includes hotel pickup from Center City, transport by double-decker bus with a tour escort, live narration from a local professional guide, and a stop at the Philadelphia Art Museum's Rocky Steps where you can climb to the top or take photos of the nighttime skyline. The tour passes the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Penn's Landing, Society Hill, South Street, the Avenue of the Arts, and the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, all lit up after dark.

Information

Lasts 1h 30m, from US$ 52 per person, with a live guide in English and with free cancellation up to 24 h before.

Days and timesNext departure: 1 Apr 20272 departing soon ›

GroupUp to 45

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends back at the starting point.

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (under 13)

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effort

Operated by Philadelphia TrolleyWorks

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want to see Philadelphia's main historic sites and skyline without planning your own route or timing: the fixed 90-minute schedule and included hotel pickup mean you just show up and the city unfolds from the top of a bus.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 13).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What time does the Philly By Night bus tour depart?

The tour departs at 8pm from the Philadelphia Marriott Downtown near Reading Terminal Market. Suggested boarding time is 7:30pm.

How long is the tour?

The tour is 90 minutes long and returns to the hotel around 9:30pm.

Do you get off the bus at every stop?

No, this is not a hop-on hop-off tour. You stay on the bus for most of the route, but you do stop once to climb or photograph the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Art Museum.

What attractions does the tour pass?

The tour passes the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, Penn's Landing, Society Hill, South Street, the Avenue of the Arts, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and other historic sites throughout Center City.

Is hotel pickup included?

Yes, the tour includes pickup from Center City hotels.

Is the tour narrated?

Yes, a local professional guide provides live narration throughout the entire 90-minute tour.

What happens if the weather is bad?

The tour is subject to favorable weather conditions. If canceled due to poor weather, you'll be offered an alternative date or a full refund.