Philly Weekend Planner started from a familiar pattern: friends visiting for a weekend would either over-plan themselves into exhaustion, trying to hit twenty attractions in two days, or under-plan entirely and miss the things that make Philadelphia worth the trip. Neither made for a good weekend.
This site is a fictional project built for a web development course, but the problem it's solving is real. Most tourism resources list hundreds of attractions with no sense of geography, pacing, or true cost, which leads to what we call itinerary paralysis.
Our mission is to make a genuinely great Philadelphia weekend accessible without requiring hours of independent research.
We built this for two kinds of visitors: regional travelers coming in from places like New York, DC, or Baltimore for a 48 to 72 hour trip, and local Philadelphia-area residents looking for a reason to finally explore a neighborhood they've never gotten around to.
Tell us if you're drawn to history, art and scenery, or food and neighborhoods.
Let us know if you're keeping costs low, staying balanced, or treating yourself.
We match you to one of our three weekend plans, ready to follow or customize.
Philadelphia's compact grid and transit system make it easy to skip the rental car entirely. Here are the basics.
The base fare for bus and subway is $2.90 per ride when you tap a contactless credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay, or a SEPTA Key card. Free transfers are included on up to two connections within two hours.
For a few stops, yes. Independence Hall requires a free timed-entry reservation (plus a $1 booking fee), and Philadelphia's Magic Gardens sells out its weekend timed tickets days in advance. Most other stops, including the Liberty Bell and Reading Terminal Market, are walk-up.
Yes, within a neighborhood. Center City sits on a compact grid between two rivers, and walking across the entire downtown core takes roughly 25 to 30 minutes. Our plans are built to keep each day's stops within one or two connected neighborhoods.
Indego has over 2,000 bikes across 200+ docking stations citywide. A 24-hour guest pass is $15 and includes unlimited 60-minute rides on classic bikes, which is plenty for getting between neighborhoods on your own schedule.