How Greater Philadelphia Is Ready to Welcome You Back

Getting Here & Getting Around

Welcome back, visitors!

The teams behind Greater Philadelphia’s planes, trains and automobiles are ready to help residents and visitors get where they’re going — and do so safely.

Whether it’s visitors arriving at the Philadelphia International Airport or residents exploring the city via SEPTA, the region’s transportation providers have put into place new safety guidelines to help guests travel responsibly. That includes:

Amtrak

Amtrak   — Photo courtesy Amtrak

Amtrak is limiting ticket sales, allowing for plenty of space for physical distancing. And don’t forget your mask — they’re required for all riders (and employees, too). The team at Amtrak has also ramped up the frequency and intensity of cleaning, and, for now, it’s cashless payments exclusively. Bonus: Amtrak is waiving change fees on all reservations booked through August 31, 2020.

Lyft, Taxis and Uber

Ride-sharing services like Uber and Lyft are back with enhanced safety protocols that keep both riders and drivers safe. Following guidance from the city, those services and taxis have installed plastic barriers and will require riders to sit in the backseat.

Megabus

Hopping on a blue Megabus to visit the City of Brotherly and Sisterly Love? Every rider will have an empty seat next to them thanks to the 50% capacity restriction. Additional policies include: face masks for employees and passengers, contactless ticketing and enhanced cleaning.

Philadelphia International Airport

  — Photo courtesy the Philadelphia International Airport

Two of the most notable new features at the Philadelphia International Airport: motion sensor-activated technology in public areas, including doors, faucets, soap dispensers, flush valves, paper towel dispensers and doors, as well as the Grab app, a contactless food-ordering platform that enables guests to order food and bypass long lines without ever pulling out a credit card.

SEPTA

  — Photo courtesy SEPTA

Back to its regular schedule (except for some lines on the Regional Rail), SEPTA is sanitizing each vehicle twice a day. Passenger limits have also been set so riders can spread out and stay physically distant.

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Hotels

Hotels — both those in Philly and in surrounding Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties — are taking proactive steps to ensure residents and visitors have a safe, fun stay at their properties in the coming months.

Those hotels — many of which are new or newly renovated — are following guidance from the city of Philadelphia as well as guidelines set by their brands and organizations like the American Hotel Lodging Association (which released these Stay Safe guidelines).

  — Rendering courtesy Hilton

Additional steps being taken by hotels include:

• Four Seasons Hotel Philadelphia at Comcast Center: The Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts is collaborating with Johns Hopkins Medicine International on its new global health and safety program Lead With Care. In addition, all hotels will appoint a hygiene officer focused on implementing enhancements to already stringent procedures.

Hilton   — Photo courtesy Hilton

• IHG Hotels & Resorts: Working with the Cleveland Clinic, IHG Hotels & Resorts is developing guidance and resources for hotel teams, including those at their 26 Philadelphia region properties — Kimpton Hotels and Holiday Inns, among them). At each individual property, a Clean Champion will help staff deliver elevated cleanliness standards.
• Loews Philadelphia Hotel: Loews Hotels’ Chat Your Service program allows guests to use their own cell phones to communicate with staff for all requests, such as room service, extra towels, concierge advice or car retrieval from the valet.
• Cornerstone Bed & Breakfast: This West Philly B&B has worked to ensure guests’ safety with the implementation of a number of safety precautions, including air-filtration machines in every room, temperature checks for all guests upon arrival and more.

Cambria Hotel Philadelphia Downtown Center City   — Foto pa Visit Philadelphia

Bonus: Stay tuned for more hotels set to open this year in the region, including Philly’s first W and Element hotels; the luxurious new River House at Odette’s in New Hope; and a rustic-chic extended-stay property on the Schuylkill in the Residence Inn by Marriott Philadelphia/Bala Cynwyd.

Food & Drink

Dining outdoors is back in Philadelphia and the Countryside — and indoor dining is available in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties.

As of June 2020, outdoor dining returned — with precautions to keep everyone safe — to restaurants, bars, breweries and more in the five-county region.

Restaurants and bars in Philadelphia and the Countryside are now allowed to seat and serve guests on their gorgeous patios, quaint sidewalks and new “streeteries” (i.e. the city’s term for parking spots converted into outdoor seating).

Morgan's Pier   — Photo courtesy Morgan's Pier

Indoor dining is also back — at 50% capacity — at restaurants in Bucks, Chester, Delaware and Montgomery counties. (And remember your mask, as they’re required for indoor dining.)

So how are restaurants and bars keeping residents and visitors safe?

• Restaurants and bars: Dozens of eateries throughout the region are safely serving outdoor diners with new safety precautions. Those precautions include recommended 90-minute stay limits (Sancho Pistolas, Pistolas del Sur); the installation of glass partitions in dining areas (Jerry’s Bar); reduced seating by reservation only (Morgan’s Pier, Dim Sum House by Jane G’s) and more. Check out our guide to outdoor dining in the region for more info.
• Parks on Tap: Philly’s annual (and awesome) nomadic beer garden is open as of June 12, 2020, at a new stationary home outside of the Fairmount Park Horticulture Center. Numerous safety measures — social distancing requirements, sanitizing wipes and more — are being implemented at this beloved-by-locals spot.

• Breweries in Greater Philadelphia: Many regional breweries have made moves toward safely reopening to guests. The teams behind Berwyn’s La Cabra Brewing and Quakertown’s The Proper Brewing Company invite folks to drink and dine in socially distant outdoor tents, which are rigorously cleaned between seatings. And Perkasie’s Free Will Brewing Co. has supplemented its existing outdoor space by converting a brewery-adjacent field into an outdoor beer garden, complete with sanitizing stations and social-distancing requirements.

Attractions

Museums and attractions in the region are on a rolling reopening, with some open now and others prepping to welcome visitors later in the summer.

New safety precautions abound at the region’s stunning museums and attractions that are currently open or opening soon.

Pro tip: Plan your visit ahead of time, as many attractions require timed tickets or reservations.

Select outdoor attractions have already begun to welcome back excited guests with new safety measures in place:

• Andalusia Historic House, Gardens and Arboretum: This gem of a historic property in Bucks County reopened its 100-acre space for socially distant, self-guided tours on select days beginning on June 15, 2020. Guests can purchase timed tickets online and explore the lovely grounds and exterior of the attraction’s impressive Greek Revival mansion.

Peddler's Village   — Photo by Melina Triantos

• Peddler’s Village: Retail therapy abounds at this major open-air shopping destination in Bucks County, which is back with measures to keep guests safe, including the addition of numerous hand-sanitizer stations and social-distancing markers throughout the property. Need a new mask? Pick one up at Lace Silhouettes. Also new: tables and tents throughout the village, so patrons can enjoy takeout meals, as well as full-service outdoor dining.

Shofuso Japanese House & Garden   — Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia

• Shofuso Japanese House & Garden: Located in West Fairmount Park just a short drive from Center City, Shofuso Japanese House & Garden is one of the first gardens to reopen in Philadelphia come June 24, 2020. Visitors — limited to a manageable 30 people per hour — will be able to enjoy the gorgeous grounds and peek into the historic house from the outside.
• Spirit of Philadelphia: Passengers enjoy stunning views of the Philadelphia skyline on the Spirit of Philadelphia, which is set to relaunch cruises on the Delaware River in late June 2020 with new “standards of cleanliness.” Those include contactless check-in, extended boarding times, a reduction in number of cruises to allow for proper cleaning and more.

Plus, Greater Philadelphia’s bountiful outdoor spaces offer outstanding opportunities for responsible recreation.

Enjoy places like picnic-perfect Clark Park, the exercise-friendly Manayunk Towpath and massive Fairmount Park, which stretches from just behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art all the way to Northwest Philly.

Click the button below to learn more about how and where to get outside safely during Greater Philadelphia’s yellow phase.

Behind Fairmount Water Works   — Foto pa Visit Philadelphia