Going to Lancaster, PA When Vacationing in Philadephia

We have vacationed in Philadelphia and it is a great place for individuals, couples and families.  We went over our spring break.  The weather was nice with average highs close to 60 degrees F (although it was in the 70s when we went) and not crowded at all.  We went to the Liberty Bell when it opened and walked right in next to it.  We found that to be the case at Independence Hall and the US Mint.

There is no need to rent a car in Philadelphia.  Many of the attractions are centrally located.  Also, the Southeastern Pennsylvania Railroad Transportation Authority (SEPTA) operates an extensive network of buses, transit trains and regional trains.  If you stay close to the 30th Street Station, you can get about anywhere you wish to go by SEPTA in the Philadelphia area.

If you are staying for more than a couple of days, you may wish to spend some time in the countryside surrounding Philadelphia.  Lancaster is a great place to visit and you can get there in a little over one hour on Amtrak!  The Keystone service operates 14 trains per weekday each way between Philadelphia and Lancaster, 7 trains on Saturday and 8 on Sunday.  You can spend a day touring the area, have dinner and make it back to Philadelphia at a decent hour.

You may want to experience an Amish Buggy Ride (Abe's is suppose to be authentic), go to a Amish homestead such as the Landis Valley Museum or drive the half-hour to Strasburg to take a 45 minute ride to Paradise (PA) and back on one of the oldest short-line railroads in the US.  Dienners in Ronks, about 15 minutes east of Lancaster gets high rating for lunch and early dinner (they close at 6 every day except Friday when they close at 8; they are also closed on Sundays).  By the way, many of the small shops are closed on Sundays.

If you wish to stay near the Philadelphia 30th Street station, we can recommend the Crowne Plaza Hotel Philadelphia Downtown.  It is one-half mile away from the Amtrak station so you can either walk to it or take a brief cab ride.  All of Philadelphia's historic sites and attractions are close by.    The hotel has a fitness center, outdoor rooftop pool, restaurant and bar.  The rooms feature the Crowne Plaza Sleep Advantage® Program that includes comfortable new beds, guaranteed wake-up calls, quiet zone floors and extra sleep amenities.

Once you get to Lancaster, you may wish to rent a car.  There is an Avis right at the train station that is open on weekdays,  Also on weekdays, Enterprise at 1420 Manheim Pike will pick you up at the station and service your rental needs.  On Saturdays, you can get an Avis car from the 1 West King location about 1.4 miles away.  You can call them in advance to see if they will pick you up.  Again, we do not recommend you go to Lancaster on Sunday since it is difficult to get a rental car and many shops and attractions are closed.