Take a Guided Tour

Our specialized, in-depth tours are great for the adventurous tourist and inquisitive local alike. Our experienced volunteer guides offer tours every weekend with each tour focusing on a different part of Philadelphia.

Each tour lasts 1.5 to 2 hours, rain or shine. Private tours are available.

Sunday, May 4th, 2:00 PM

Rittenhouse Square West

Contrast the many generations of high-rise apartment building architecture on the Square – representing every decade of the 20th century – with the smaller scale of the grand houses on nearby streets while walking past some of Philadelphia’s most fashionable brownstones.

Contrast the many generations of high-rise apartment building architecture on the Square – representing every decade of the 20th century – with the smaller scale of the grand houses on nearby streets while walking past some of Philadelphia’s most fashionable brownstones.

Saturday, May 10th, 10:00 AM

Underground Philadelphia

Discover the Philadelphia Plan, which gave us two Art Deco masterpieces, the monumental 30th Street Station and Suburban Station, the first all-underground rail terminal

Discover the Philadelphia Plan, which gave us two Art Deco masterpieces, the monumental 30th Street Station and Suburban Station, the first all-underground rail terminal. The tour starts at 30th Street Station and proceeds via trolley to 19th St. From the Comcast tower lobby, descend into an underground concourse network to the site of The Fashion District before ending at Reading Terminal. Along the way, lament the loss of Broad St. Station and learn about the 1905-mid-50s trolley and subway lines, the Broad Street subway (1928), the Commuter Rail Tunnel (1984), and the former Reading Terminal.

Sunday, May 11th, 2:00 PM

Navy Yard

Since the closing of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in the late 1990’s, the area has been transformed into one of the most successful redevelopment projects in the city

Since the closing of the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard in the late 1990’s, the area has been transformed into one of the most successful redevelopment projects in the city. Today it is a thriving, mixed-use riverfront community with more than 15,000 people and 150 companies and soon to be residential apartments. Learn about the Navy Yard’s past and see their plans for the future. 

Saturday, May 17th, 10:00 AM

Bella Vista

Bella Vista (“beautiful view”) is a vibrant, historic residential neighborhood and home to the famous Ninth Street Market, AKA the Italian Market, one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating open-air markets

Bella Vista (“beautiful view”) is a vibrant, historic residential neighborhood and home to the famous Ninth Street Market, AKA the Italian Market, one of the nation’s oldest continuously operating open-air markets. The tour will highlight the lively neighborhood’s architecture, diverse ethnic mix, and social changes.

Sunday, May 18th, 2:00 PM

East Falls

East Falls transitioned from a small fishing outpost along the Schuylkill River to a major mill town in the 1800s, but the last mills closed almost a century ago.  As the mills were closing, the neighborhood developed into a ‘suburb’ within Philadelphia

East Falls transitioned from a small fishing outpost along the Schuylkill River to a major mill town in the 1800s, but the last mills closed almost a century ago.  As the mills were closing, the neighborhood developed into a ‘suburb’ within Philadelphia. This tour will look at the changes from 1900 to the mid-century with a walk through the Tudor District, Oak Road, and School House Lane highlighting the highways and byways in between.

Saturday, May 24th, 10:00 AM

Littlest Streets East of Broad

Stroll a charming labyrinth of streets west of Washington Square, a village-like setting right in the heart of Center City, developed in the mid 19th century

Stroll a charming labyrinth of streets west of Washington Square, a village-like setting right in the heart of Center City, developed in the mid 19th century. Experience an intimate “hierarchy of streets” where the larger style-conscious houses are on the main streets, the smaller scale houses built for the aspiring middle class are on the middle-sized streets, and what was worker housing is on the smallest alleys. See Philadelphia as a “livable” city at its best.

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Self-guided Walking Tours

The Preservation Alliance’s self-guided walking tours make it easy to explore, whenever it’s convenient for you and at your own pace.

Click any tour to get a pdf that includes a neighborhood history, map, and photographs and descriptions of each building along the way.

Interested in Historic Philadelphia?

Explore our database listings of African American heritage, historic religious properties, and mid-century modern buildings.

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