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West Philadelphia
Neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

West Philadelphia

West Philadelphia, nicknamed West Philly, is a section of the city of Philadelphia.

Plan a trip to West Philadelphia→From New York

It has no officially defined boundaries, but is generally considered to be west of the Schuylkill River between City Avenue in the northwest, Cobbs Creek in the southwest, and the SEPTA Media/Wawa Line in the south. An alternate definition includes all city land west of the Schuylkill, thus including Southwest Philadelphia and its neighborhoods. The eastern side of West Philadelphia is also known as University City.

Get in

Getting to West Philadelphia

West Philadelphia is primarily served by stops 30th St through 63rd St of the Market-Frankford subway/elevated train line, which most locals refer to simply as "the El." This transit line which, as its name suggests, runs along Market Street, connects the neighborhoods of West Philadelphia with Center City to the East, ending in the Frankford section of Northeast Philadelphia.

Do

Things to do

  1. 01
    The Palestra
  2. 02
    Rave Cinemas University City 6
  3. 03
    Painted Bride Art Center

    The Bride, as it is known, was founded in 1969 and is dedicated to producing and showing works generated by points of view that are "outside the mainstream," according to the center's website.

  4. 04
    Group Motion Dance Company

    3500 Lancaster Ave.

  5. 05
    Film @ International House
  6. 06
    Philadanco

    Events often take place at the Kimmel Center in Center City.

Eat

Where to eat

West Philadelphia boasts one of the largest and most varied concentrations of ethnic restaurants outside of Center City. However, more familiar chain restaurants, from McDonald's to Boston Market, aren't hard to find for the less-adventurous palate.

  1. 01
    Abyssinia Ethiopian Restaurant

    Good, affordable Ethiopian food, if you can stand the poorly rated service and long wait times.

  2. 02
    Kaffa Crossing Cafe

    Cross between fair trade coffee shop and Ethiopian restaurant.

  3. 03
    Kim's Oriental Food

    37th and Walnut Streets (in the plaza next to the Pottruck Gym).

  4. 04
    Pho Cafe Saigon

    4248 Spruce St,.

  5. 05
    Saad's Halal Restaurant

    4500 Walnut St,.

How locals move

Getting around West Philadelphia the local way

  • Get inAir charter companies such as Monarch Air Group and Mercury Jets fly a variety of private charter aircraft and jets, from charter luxury Gulfstream's down to economical piston twins for small groups and individuals.
  • Get inThe RiverLink and Freedom Ferry services provide travel from Philadelphia to neighboring Camden, New Jersey, between April and September.
  • Get inAccess to the other waterfront attractions, including an aquarium, is also provided by the ferry service.
  • Get aroundThose rates are as follows: Lindenwold, Ashland & Woodcrest Stations and Philadelphia: $3.00 Haddonfield, Westmont & Collingswood Stations and Philadelphia: $2.60 Ferry Avenue (Camden) Station and Philadelphia: $2.25 Travel within Pennsylvania, between Broadway and City Hall (Camden), and between PA and those two stations: $1.40 Any other trip within New Jersey: $1.60 Note that PATCO is not operated by SEPTA and uses its own fare system.

From Wikivoyage: Philadelphia, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-08.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Jack Boucher (see Commons), Wikimedia Commons.