PHILADELPHIA HISTORIC 

ARCHITECTURE TOURS

If you only have two to three hours in Philadelphia, spend it getting to know this historic city through an architectural walking tour by phillyPHAT. We take your family and friends through a memorable Philadelphia sightseeing trip and a fun historic and architectural outing. 

We offer organized and thought-provoking Philadelphia walking tours, both public and private. Experience our historic, World Heritage city through the eyes of an architect.

We also offer two GPS based self guided walking tours using the Voicemap app on your phone. These offer a convenient, inexpensive option when we are not available for a tour, or if you prefer doing them on your own. See the Self Guided Tours page.

"Great buildings and monuments give a city the illusion of being static and timeless. But cities are best seen in movement, in the everyday life of their people, and in the sinews and connective tissue that hold the organism together. Walking is what makes a city livable and, above all, pleasurable. That is the way to survive a city, whether you are a resident or a visitor." Ben Wilson in his book Metropolis

Every building in Philadelphia has a story to tell, from the materials, technology, and styles favored when it was constructed, to the people who designed, built, lived and worked there. Events of historic proportion take place in and around buildings as well. Come with me on this journey to discover all the secrets each building on our tour is waiting to tell us.

The Philadelphia Architecture in-person walking tours we offer include:

Discovering Colonial Philadelphia - The Road to Revolution: We will visit a number of notable properties during this walking tour. We will see buildings that go back almost to the founding of the city in 1682, learning about their styles and the historical events that took place at each.

Phillytecture:  Philadelphia Architecture has been around for 330 years. In that time the city has gone from small houses to skyscrapers over 1,000 feet tall. We will visit a number of notable properties during this public walking tour. We will see buildings that go back almost to the founding of the city in 1682, in styles such as Georgian, Federal, and many Revival styles, learning about American history along the way. We will also explore the transformation of Old City and Society Hill into the diverse cultural and architectural neighborhoods they have become in the last 50 years.

Exploring Philadelphia's Guilded Age to Now: This Walking Tour takes you by some of Philadelphia's most prominent buildings. The buildings in this area are mostly from the mid-1800's through the present. Styles range from Beaux Arts to Chicago and International style.

Hamilton - The Tour Where It Happens!: Hamilton spent a good deal of time here in Philadelphia (some even with his short-term mistress Maria Reynolds), and we explore his life and the places here. We will meet a cast of characters along the way, such as George Washington, John Adams, Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison, among others.

**Spirits of Our Founding Fathers: On this walking tour, not only will we be visiting important sites in the Colonial Philadelphia area, we will also make two stops to do some tastings. The tour concludes with an optional third tasting as well.

**(Unfortunately due to venues closing, this tour is temporarily unavailable)

Discover Our Philadelphia Tours