Philadelphia at Christmas | Clarence & Pinafor

The guide

Philadelphia

Christmas trip · Philadelphia, USA

Philadelphia City Hall tower, lit up for Christmas.

Getting there

Philadelphia is an easy Amtrak ride from anywhere in the Northeast — 30th Street Station drops you right by Center City. Flying in? The SEPTA regional rail runs from the airport to Center City in about 25 minutes. The Christmas Village takes over LOVE Park at 1500 Arch Street, right in the heart of downtown — you can see City Hall's tower from the stalls.

Famous for

Philadelphia's Christmas Village has filled LOVE Park since 2008, and it wears its German heart on its sleeve: more than 120 vendors in wooden stalls, a Käthe Wohlfahrt Christmas shop, a towering German Christmas pyramid strung with 3,000 lights, and — in a lovely touch — the market is opened each year by the Christkind, flown in from Nuremberg, Germany. Entry is free, and it runs from Thanksgiving to Christmas Eve.

Bratwurst and Glühwein at the Christmas Village stalls.

Where to eat

Bratwurst, schnitzel, pretzels and Glühwein at the stalls — then try Philadelphia's own legend, the cheesesteak, thin-sliced beef and melted cheese in a long roll. The Reading Terminal Market, a short walk away, is one of America's great food halls and perfect for lunch.

What to do

Take your photo with the famous LOVE statue (Robert Indiana's sculpture has stood in the park since the 1976 Bicentennial), look up at City Hall — America's largest masonry building, crowned with William Penn — and walk to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, where America began. The market's carousel and big wheel keep little ones happy for hours.

German Christmas ornaments — the market's speciality.

The Christmas Village lights glowing at LOVE Park.

Jess's favourite

Philadelphia Zoo: LumiNature

Jess's favourite: the Philadelphia Zoo — America's first zoo, opened in 1874 — goes full magic after dark with LumiNature, a winter wonderland of lights, illuminated animals and shimmering trees. The flamingos look wonderful in lights.

Good to know: the Christmas Village is free to enter and runs from Thanksgiving Day to Christmas Eve. The stalls accept cards, but bring a little cash for the food stands. Weekday evenings are the prettiest — and the least crowded.

Jess always checked the market dates on the official website before travelling — opening days can shift from year to year. And give yourself plenty of time at the airport in December.

Read Jess's diary of the day ↓

Jess's Christmas Adventures · Diary No. 8

Philadelphia: LOVE, Lights, and America's First Zoo

Christmas, seven years ago

Philadelphia greeted me with the LOVE statue — those four big red letters everyone photographs — wearing a dusting of snow. I took my photo like everyone else. Some traditions you don't argue with.

The Christmas Village has been running since 2008, and it feels like a little piece of Germany dropped into Pennsylvania: wooden stalls, the smell of bratwurst, a Käthe Wohlfahrt shop full of ornaments so delicate I was afraid to breathe near them. And the Christmas pyramid! A towering wooden carousel of a thing, strung with 3,000 lights, slowly turning. I stood and watched it for a long time.

Every year the market is opened by the Christkind herself, flown over from Nuremberg — a golden-robed figure who gives the whole thing a proper blessing. I loved that. A market that takes its magic seriously.

City Hall is extraordinary — the biggest stone building of its kind in America, with William Penn standing on top looking over everything. At Christmas the whole square glows, and from the market you can see the tower lit up behind the stalls.

But the evening belonged to the zoo. Philadelphia Zoo is America's very first zoo, open since 1874, and at Christmas it becomes LumiNature — lights everywhere, glowing animals, whole trees made of light. I walked through it all with hot chocolate going cold in my hand because I kept stopping to stare. Some places do Christmas right.

Barnaby's text“From LOVE to lights to lions, Jess — Philadelphia gave you the whole story in a single day. And the oldest zoo in America chose the perfect night to show off.”

— Jess

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