The 31 Best Views in Greater Philadelphia

There are plenty of stunning city views to be seen with a bite to eat and a drink in hand throughout Philly, but few rise higher (literally) than Assembly Rooftop Lounge on the crown of The Logan, Philadelphia’s Hotel. Take the ride up to the ninth floor to enjoy picturesque views of the museums and greenery along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from the chic year-round hotel bar terrace. Also on offer: craft cocktails and wines, charcuterie, flatbreads and lounging in seating nests around firepits.

High above the Schuylkill River in University City is Cira Green, Philadelphia’s “Park in the Sky.” Twelve stories and 95 feet up atop the Cira Centre South garage, the elevated park is a 31,000-square-foot year-round urban rooftop green space featuring seasonal offerings (including a restaurant and beer garden) along with stellar skyline views. The view from the roof’s west side peers out over the gorgeous West Philly campuses of the University of Pennsylvania and Drexel University, while the eastern vista offers unimpeded panoramas across Schuylkill Banks into Center City.

While Philadelphia’s City Hall is no longer the world’s tallest building (as it was from 1901 to 1908), it remains both the largest masonry and largest municipal structure, crowned by the largest statue topping a building. And just below William Penn’s 16-foot-long shoes is City Hall Tower Observation Deck, a glass-enclosed platform with 360-degree views from 548 feet above Center City. Four visitors at a time can take the rustic 100-year-old elevator to the top to capture incredible vistas from river to river, as part of a comprehensive interior tour or a standalone 15-minute tower tour.

Occupying the top floors of the 60-story Comcast Technology Center (the tallest building in the U.S. outside New York and Chicago), fine-dining restaurant Jean-Georges and casual cocktail lounge SkyHigh Bar both offer sweeping views out 40-foot windows 1,121 feet above the city. One of the highest restaurants in the country and the highest publicly accessible point in Philadelphia, the pair of soaring eateries from James Beard Award winner Jean-Georges Vongerichten sit inside the luxe Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia, separated by the mesmerizing waterfall-encased staircase they share.

Alongside visits to the Liberty Bell, Pat’s King of Steaks and other essential Philly to-do’s, one of the most iconic Philadelphia experiences is running up the legendary Rocky Steps fronting the East Terrace of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Make your way up the 72 stairs — just as Sylvester Stallone famously did in the 1976 film — and celebrate by spinning around with your fists in the air to take in a spectacular view down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway from Eakins Oval all the way to City Hall under the gaze of Center City’s skyscrapers.

Where better to view the gorgeous Philly skyline and surrounding cityscape than from what the Fairmount Park Commission calls “Philadelphia’s most scenic overlook”? The sprawling Belmont Plateau expanse along Belmont Mansion Drive in West Fairmount Park is a clearing of green lawn, picnic areas and athletic fields offering an awe-inspiring vista from four miles northwest of Center City and 243 feet over the Schuylkill River. The spot makes for both memorable imagery and general good-time hanging — as immortalized in the classic Summertime by DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince.

Two-century-old Laurel Hill Cemetery is a 74-acre garden burial ground in Fairmount Park dotted with 33,000 gravesites of soldiers, luminaries and colonial Philadelphians. But deep into Laurel Hill East lies perhaps the graveyard’s most stunning view. Secluded along the cliffside between Hunting Park Drive and Strawberry Mansion Bridge is an isolated overlook with incredible (and rare) views out over Kelly Drive and across the Schuylkill River to Belmont Plateau. Penned in by a 170-year-old stone fence, the 360-degree view gives an illusion of standing in a grand forest, not the middle of Philly.

Among the many hills that make up East Fairmount Park, the best spot from which to gaze at the skyline may be from the grassy berm a couple hundred feet east of historic Lemon Hill Mansion (along Lemon Hill Drive). This spot right over Boathouse Row offers a direct line-of-sight toward Center City as it rises above the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Admire the view from the hill, down the walking path to Kelly Drive or from the mansion itself (during open hours, peep the skyline from the wraparound terrace or through its third-floor window bays).

Opened for the Bicentennial (and as summer home of The Philadelphia Orchestra), Highmark Mann Center for the Performing Arts is Philly’s premier amphitheater. If you’ve visited the gorgeous venue, you have undoubtedly experienced the incredible scene from the top of the walkway (on the east side of the lawn) toward the city. Located atop George’s Hill — one of the highest points in Fairmount Park — the view from the crest offers a panorama stretching from the Ben Franklin Bridge all the way across to West Philadelphia with the towering Center City skyscrapers rising mid-frame.

In a clearing deep in West Fairmount Park hides the exquisite Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center, a post-war gift of peace to America from Japan modeled after a traditional 17th-century temple guest house. Surrounding the facility is an oasis of elegant gardens, a koi pond with a tiered waterfall and scores of century-old cherry trees. Wander around to the portion of Horticultural Drive across from the main house where you’ll find a clearing through the trees over the pond (at the stone headwall of the culvert) with a picture-perfect angle for your Instagram.

As the primary thoroughfare from Philadelphia into Southern New Jersey, the Benjamin Franklin Bridge carries over 100,000 cars and trucks daily. But it’s not just vehicles crossing the bridge. Enjoy spectacular views of Center City, Camden and the river below from the Ben Franklin Bridge Pedestrian Walkway 135 feet above the water. The dual walkways (on either side) are 1.5 miles long, with west access along Philly’s North 5th Street and east along Camden’s North 5th Street. (Note that the North and South Walkways alternate access. Check the Delaware River Port Authority’s site for current statuses.)

Located at Pier 53, Washington Avenue Pier and the adjacent Washington Avenue Green offer gorgeous panoramas of the Philadelphia skyline and across the river from 550 feet out into the Delaware River. Take the tree-lined path out to the elevated pierhead for a stunning blue vista up the river from South Philadelphia. Or shimmy up the 16-foot spiral staircase at the pier’s end — part of Jody Pinto’s 55-foot tall public art sculpture called Land Buoy — for some of the best Insta story pics you’ll ever post.

One of the best views you can get of Philadelphia comes from neighboring New Jersey outside Adventure Aquarium (voted one of the best aquariums in the nation), just across the Delaware River from Philly. Take a gander at the shimmering view of Old City, Penn’s Landing and Center City across the water from the museum’s front lawn, then step inside to visit the 15,000 aquatic animals residing within. Looking for even more views? Climb aboard the Battleship New Jersey docked just down the promenade.

Urban pocket park Race Street Pier and bustling artists’ market Cherry Street Pier — former industrial docks sitting 150 feet apart — both offer stunning views of the area surrounding the Delaware River waterfront from alongside the Ben Franklin Bridge. Both jetties offer incredible perspectives from under the massive bridge over the river toward the Camden riverfront, from Cherry Street’s open-air pier end and Race Street’s 12-foot-high river-tip overlook 600 feet into the Delaware River (or turn the other direction from the park and take in the hovering Philly skyline over Old City).

The Philadelphia Union has been thrilling soccer fans since 2010 with both stellar play on the pitch and with beautiful views at its 20,000-capacity soccer-specific Subaru Park in Chester. During breaks in the action, fans can gaze skyward at the stadium’s marquee feature: strikingly impressive looks from under the 14,000-foot cantilevered Commodore Barry Bridge which soars above the site. If you’re high up enough in the stands, you can scope out the coastal plains of New Jersey across the Delaware River.

Aligning the Schuylkill River’s east bank are 15 19th-century riversheds that make up Philly’s iconic Boathouse Row, home to historic private social and rowing clubs. While the dock houses — famously outlined with 6,400 twinkling LEDs at night — are impressive close up, there’s nothing like the iconic view from across the river along Martin Luther King Jr. Drive. There are numerous great spots for great pics along the riverside bike path and its grassy berms, but a particularly great perspective is from the overlook near Fairmount Fish Ladder at the Fairmount Dam.

Rising at Locust Street by Fitler Square, the Schuylkill Banks Boardwalk extends the Schuylkill River Trail out over the river for 2,000 feet toward South Street. Elevated a dozen feet over the water, the spot enables runners, bikers and wanderers to literally walk over the river and enjoy exceptional views of Center City and West Philly, including from four scenic overlook respites. The 15-foot wide pathway also connects to the South Street Bridge via a 460-foot-long ramp, providing even more gorgeous vistas while hopping across the river into University City.

Built as a pumping station to bring water to the city’s 19th-century residents, the Fairmount Water Works (along the river by the Philadelphia Museum of Art) was key to the city’s early population growth. Today, the Greek-inspired architectural wonder is one of Philly’s most beloved photography backgrounds and art subjects. But for a breathtaking view from up and over the site pointed towards West Philly, trek to the waterfront lookout point known as Treehouse in the Sky, a lofty steel-framed gazebo hidden among the trees at the foot of Fairmount Hill.

Each summer heralds the opening of South Philly’s Bok Bar, an upscale yet friendly lounge located atop the former Bok High School featuring a massive rooftop beer and wine garden that offers 360-degree views out towards Center City, the South Philadelphia Sports Complex, the Ben Franklin Bridge and more. The open-air seating and relaxed atmosphere on the old vocational school’s roof offer particularly spectacular vistas during sunsets that illuminate the sky out over West Philly.

The longest continuous one-name one-city franchise in American professional sports, the Philadelphia Phillies (founded 1883) have played their home games at Citizens Bank Park since 2004. The team’s passionate fans crowd “The Bank” for the action on the field, the food, the atmosphere … and some of the most photographable views of the city. Stroll up to the 300- and 400-level upper deck sections behind home plate at the South Philly ballpark and witness an unforgettable view of the Center City skyline over the outfield wall, particularly great at sunset.

Just across the Schuylkill River and the Amtrak railyard from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Drexel Park in University City is a 1.3-acre urban green lawn space built over the former Consolidated Laundry industrial site. Opened in 2008, the 24-hour tree-lined park is a favorite hangout for students, travelers passing through William H. Gray III 30th Street Station and local residents, known for its cozy benches and spectacular off-angled Center City skyline views past Cira Center from West Philly.

Philadelphia’s two most emblematic sites — Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell — stand across Chestnut Street from each other on Independence Mall. And when visitors want to capture one of Philly’s most emblematic images, a stop at Liberty Bell Center offers the perfect view: Independence Hall’s red brick façade and Strickland Steeple through the Center’s glass wall with the Liberty Bell in the foreground. Whether known from history textbooks, in a nationally televised Eagles’ game bumper or from the film National Treasure, this is one Philly view that can’t be missed.

It’s hard to take in all the landmarks around Independence National Historical Park, the home of Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, The President’s House and much more. One solution: Take it in from above. Located on the second-floor mezzanine level of Independence Visitor Center, Liberty View Terrace is an 1,800-square-foot wrap-around outdoor porch overlooking Independence Mall, offering a rarely seen perspective on some of Revolutionary America’s most important institutions. A popular wedding location, the terrace is open to the public when no private events are occurring.

Climbing two stories off the ground, The Rail Park (Philly’s answer to New York’s High Line) is an overhead greenway built atop the elevated tracks of the abandoned Reading Viaduct. The current quarter-mile section (of an eventual three-mile site) of the park rises over the Callowhill neighborhood and several large pieces in the Mural Arts collection including Shepard Fairey’s Stamp of Incarceration, PhilaGuernica, Sendero Verde and the 21-story 承前啓後 (The Past Supporting the Future) on the side of the Crane building.

Constructed during the Great Depression, the 12-story tall Bowman’s Hill Tower in New Hope commemorates General Washington’s historic crossing of the Delaware and features a century-old 124-step spiral staircase to the top which offers stellar views of the surrounding vista for 14 miles across the Bucks County countryside and into New Jersey. Also viewable from the tower is Bowman’s Hill Wildflower Preserve, 134 acres of forests, meadows, hillsides, a creek, two ponds and extensive wetlands in historic Pidcock Creek Valley blanketed with 2,000 native plant species and the wildlife that depend on them.

At over 1,000 acres, Longwood Gardens is Greater Philadelphia’s largest and most famous botanical garden, blooming with nearly 10,000 floral varieties. Dotting the park are a trio of quaint elevated treehouses, including the timber frame Canopy Cathedral, the largest of the three. Adzed posts adorned with hand-carved creatures support a grand staircase leading to an enclosed wrap-around balcony three stories off the ground. There, the large deck’s gabled windows and intricate glass façade offer an expansive view of Longwood’s Large Lake and Italian Water Garden surrounded by warm, glowing lights inside and out.

Part of Montgomery County’s Bryn Athyn Historic District, the century-old 90-room Glencairn Museum is one of the nation’s largest dedicated to religious art and history, containing nearly 8,000 works dating back over 5,000 years. A 90-minute guided tour explores the former Pitcairn family mansion’s architecture and art-and-artifact collection through the Great Hall, Chapel and living area, concluding at the Romanesque Glencairn Museum Tower. A $5 elevator ride climbs nine stories to the observation room, which offers a commanding panoramic view over the countryside tree canopy all the way down to the distant Philadelphia skyline.

Bucks County’s 45-acre Ralph Stover State Park is a destination for hiking, picnicking, kayaking and particularly rock climbing, highlighted by the 200-foot sheer rock face in the park’s High Rocks region — donated by Doylestown-born author James A. Michener — lined with over 60 climbing routes. But you don’t have to be a mountaineer to enjoy one of the most gorgeous views in the countryside thanks to the cliffside benches at High Rocks Vista overlooking Tohickon Creek Gorge and its horseshoe valley below, accessible via several trails and a small viewing area parking lot.

Located in lower Bucks County at the confluence of Neshaminy Creek and the Delaware River, the 339-acre Neshaminy State Park offers picnic areas, a marina, fishing spots, a theater, a popular public pool and over six miles of hiking and biking trail through the tidal marsh area. But take the short River Walk gravel path to the edge of the river at scenic Logan Point (the park’s southernmost point) for a spectacular and surprising zero-elevation unobstructed view of the Center City skyline 15 miles downriver, often complemented by churning barges and tugboats.

Located just off the 140-mile Delaware & Lehigh Trail at Delaware Canal State Park in Bucks County, Nockamixon Cliffs are a two-mile long stretch of up-to-300-foot-high rock faces formed 250 million years ago. The Pennsylvania Geological Survey-designated Outstanding Scenic Geologic Feature offers breathtaking vistas down at the Delaware River valley and New Jersey highlands where the waterway briefly turns north. The Natural Heritage Area is also a nature lover’s hotspot, home to nearly 100 bird species and one of the most important botanical sites in eastern Pennsylvania.

While the historical significance of Valley Forge National Historical Park is undeniable, what is underappreciated is the incredible scenery and sprawling vistas of the park from surrounding trails and overlooks. The best of these sweeping views can be found from the hill below the statue of Prussian ally Major General Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben on the park’s north side. The spot offers a wide elevated view of the Grand Parade field, National Memorial Arch and soldiers’ huts peeking through the trees, as well as of scenic Mount Misery and Mount Joy.