Airport
Philadelphia International Airport
IATA Code: PHLLocation: The airport is located seven miles (11km) from downtown Philadelphia.
Time: GMT -5 (GMT -4 from March to November).
Contacts: Tel: +1 215 937 6937.
Transfer between terminals: Philadelphia International Airport consists of six terminals (A, B, C, D, E, and F), which are connected by free shuttle bus services.
Transfer to the city: The most popular transport is SEPTA which provides a high-speed rail service between the airport terminals and central Philadelphia and is the fastest connection to the city centre. Fares cost US$7 one way. Philadelphia Trains depart every half-hour between 6am and midnight and the journey takes about 20 minutes. SEPTA also connects to the Greyhound Bus Terminal and Amtrak at 30th Street Station. Bus Routes 37 and 108 run to downtown. Taxis are available day and night, charging a flat rate for transport to the city centre at $28.50. Taxis are found on Commercial Transportation Roadway at zone 5. Shared shuttle vans are also available in zone 7. Call: +1 215 937 6958 for ground transport information or go to their desk on arrivals at each baggage claim area. They can arrange for limousine passage departing from zone 6.
Car rental: Car rental agencies represented at the airport are Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz and National. Information phones are available at all baggage claim areas for each of the on-airport car rental agencies.
Facilities: ATMs can be found in the main concourse of each terminal and Travelex offers currency exchange and flight insurance. There are numerous restaurants, cafes and fast-food outlets throughout the airport. A shopping centre called Philadelphia Marketplace is located in the connecting link between terminals B and C, featuring numerous shops and eateries. There are also duty-free shops available in terminals A and E and wireless Internet throughout the airport.
Parking: Both short and long-term parking is available. Economy parking is available in the remote parking lot, beyond Terminal F.
Departure tax: None.
Website: www.phl.org
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Philadelphia
Over the years numerous taglines have been coined to apply to America's most historic city, Philadelphia. It has been called the 'Athens of the Americas', the 'city of brotherly love', 'the friendliest city', the 'most honest city', 'the safest city' and, most recently, 'the city that loves you back'. Fabulous 'Philly', fifth largest metropolis in the United States, is all these things and more, which is why it is regarded as one of the world's most dynamic destinations and the happy home of more than three million people.
The city is sensibly sited 60 miles (97km) inland from the Atlantic coast on a protrusion of land at the merging of the mighty Delaware River and the Schuylkill River, land granted to William Penn, an English Quaker, back in 1682. Penn's vision was to establish a 'green countrie towne', but because of its location controlling the Delaware Valley and its good freshwater port facilities, Philadelphia soon outgrew its original boundaries and by the 18th century was the second largest English-speaking city in the world.
Today Philadelphia draws tourists mainly for its historical wealth, centred around Independence National Historical Park, regarded as the most significant historic square mile in America where the United States was conceived, declared and ratified. The Constitution of the United States was written here in 1787 and the city was the nation's first capital between 1791 and 1800.
Philadelphia is also a shopper's paradise, featuring the world's largest mall, as well as offering some of the finest dining establishments in the country, thousands of acres of beautiful parkland, attractive boulevards where street fairs and parades are common events, and a vibrant arts and entertainment community. In short, to add to all its other tags, Philadelphia can justifiably be said to offer something for everyone.
