The distance from New York City to Philadelphia by car is 98 miles, with a 1h33m driving time. The best road trip stops on the NYC to Philadelphia drive are Freshkills Park, the Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park and Six Flags Great Adventure.
Finding the best things to do between New York City and Philadelphia
The New York City to Philadelphia drive connects two of the USA’s former capitals in New York and Pennsylvania.
5 great New York City experiences to book
- 🕊️ Make sure you get into the 9/11 Memorial Museum by booking tickets in advance.
- 🗽 Take a boat cruise out to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.
- ⛴️ Learn about NYC’s top buildings on an architecture-themed 1920s-style yacht cruise around Manhattan.
- 🌳 Take a pedicab tour around Central Park – and spot the hidden secrets on the way.
- 🍜 Taste the local flavours of New York on a Chinatown and Little Italy food tour.
New York City has a massive range of attractions, and it’s easy to tailor a visit to your tastes. Big-hitter museums include the American Museum of Natural History, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Intrepid Museum,
But there are several niche museums in NYC, too – try the the New York Transit Museum, the Morgan Library, the National Museum of Mathematics and the Skyscraper Museum.
Speaking of skyscrapers, you can go the top of the Empire State Building or the Summit One Vanderbilt and Top of the Rock observation decks,
For heritage, aim for the Dyckman Farmhouse Museum, Ellis Island, Federal Hall, Fraunces Tavern and the Hamilton Grange National Memorial.
Philadelphia is drenched in historic sites, such as the Liberty Bell Center, Christ Church Burial Ground and Betsy Ross House.
The Museum of the American Revolution tells of the country’s birth, but the city’s superb museum collection delves into other areas. The Rodin Museum, the Barnes Foundation, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art are top tier art museums, while the the Franklin Institute, Mutter Museum and Academy of Natural Sciences look at various branches of science. For maritime heritage, plump for the Battleship New Jersey and Independence Seaport Museum.
However, it’s likely to be the Eastern State Penitentiary – the model for prisons around the world – that sticks in your memory long afterwards.
5 great things to do in Philadelphia
- 🥖 Taste the best of Philly on a food tour – including historic Reading Market.
- 🏛️ Get to know Philadelphia’s heritage sites – on a guided walking tour.
- 🍻 Go on a pub crawl – but learn the history between beers.
- 🎨 Let a guide show you Philadelphia’s best murals and street art – including Magic Gardens.
- 🌙 Discover Philly’s dark side – on an adults-only night tour.
NYC to Philadelphia distance and driving time
By car, the distance from New York City to Philadelphia is 98 miles. If traffic is kind, that makes for driving time of around one hour and 33 minutes. The quickest route is down the I-95.
The best stops to add to a New York City to Philadelphia road trip itinerary are Freshkills Park, the Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park and Six Flags Great Adventure.
NYC to Philadelphia road trip attractions: Freshkills Park
Is Freshkills Park on Staten Island the most beautiful park in the world? No. But it does have an extraordinary backstory. Until 2001, this was the world’s largest landfill site. Since then, it has been undergoing a painstaking transformation into a public space that will be three times the size of Manhattan’s Central Park.
Only a few sections of the park are currently open, with the North Park swathe opened in October 2023. This is next to the wildlife refuge, where you can sometimes spot ospreys.
Best stops between New York City and Philadelphia: Thomas Edison Center at Menlo Park
Menlo Park in New Jersey was where prodigious inventor Thomas Edison and his team churned out innovation after innovation. The former lab site is now in Edison State Park, and the Thomas Edison Center’s museum is crammed with artefacts, including original phonograph recordings. Tours of the museum also include entry to the Edison Memorial Tower, built in 1838.
NYC to Philadelphia drive: Six Flags Great Adventure
Six Flags Great Adventure in Jackson Township, New Jersey, is one of the top theme parks on the east coast. There are plenty of retro rides, such as the carousel and flying elephants, but the star attraction is the Jersey Devil Coaster. This is the world’s tallest, fastest and longest single rail rollercoaster.
There’s also a Hurricane Harbor water park on the site, plus a drive-through safari-style wildlife park.
More Philadelphia travel
Other Philadelphia travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- Practical guide to visiting the Penn Museum in Philadelphia.
- State parks near Philadelphia: Visitor guides to Marsh Creek State Park, Neshaminy State Park and Benjamin Rush State Park.
- Getting to Philadelphia: Guide to the Harrisburg to Philadelphia drive and Pittsburgh to Philadelphia drive
- Driving to Philadelphia from interstate: Plan your stops on the Chicago to Philadelphia drive, Cleveland to Philadelphia drive, Columbus to Philadelphia drive, Indianapolis to Philadelphia and St Louis to Philadelphia drive
- Road trips from Philadelphia: The best stops on the Philadelphia to Baltimore drive, Philadelphia to Cincinnati drive and Philadelphia to Detroit drive.
