Thinking of booking a flight that gives me a 22 hour connection in PHL. I'd arrive in the morning on the first day and depart at 8.30 am the following day. Due to the early flight time I'm thinking of staying at an airport hotel. Do any of the hotels near the airport have easy access to public transport? My plan is to head to an airport hotel, check in and then explore the city.

I've been to Philly eons ago, I remember Betsy Ross house and the Liberty Bell. Don't remember anything else.

And, I must indulge in a cheese steak or two when there. What are the best restaurants for this?

Thanks in advance.

If you want to stay near the airport and have easy access to public transit, look for a hotel which runs a free shuttle to/from the airport. You would have great access to public transit by taking the Airport Line to Center City. Alternatively, you can stay in Center City and all major chains have properties walking distance to Suburban Station (where you can catch the train to/from the airport). This means you won't need to worry about the frequency of trains to/from the airport to go into town and can just take the train to/from the airport for your flights (probably what I would do imho).

As for cheesesteaks, definitely a fan of Jim's Steaks. Great steaks and not touristy. You will also find many threads with a quick search full of recommendations. "Center City Restaurants" as a search phrase should yield some good results.

Pats and Genos are kitty corner from each other in south Philly but are not really near any other tourist attractions - but they are the two most famous ones. I like Pats better. http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jul...genos-07201125

The Hilton Garden Inn is 1 block from Market East Station (now Jefferson station) with every 30 min trains to the airport (R1). A cab is flat rate ~$28 and at that early hour would only take maybe 20 min. As stated above any of the large hotels on the BF Parkway are near Suburban station. The R1 stops at all 3 major stations in center city (30th st, suburban and jefferson formerly market east).

Have you read this thread? Some good suggestions in here...

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/mid-a...what-else.html

I hope you don't mind me bolting onto this thread, but my query is so similar it is hardly worth starting a new one.
I have a 23-hour layover in PHL in November, landing at around 16:00 from Munich and taking off around 15:00 Saturday to SFO.
At the moment, I am looking at staying in town and have a booking at the Sheraton Downtown. The plan is to have a decent steak on Friday night, take a 2-3 hour walk around the city in the morning (Liberty Bell, etc), then buzz back to the airport.
Can anyone suggest any improvements to this plan?
Any info on public transit would also be appreciated.

All of downtown Philly (us locals call it Center City) is walkable, so once you are in Center City, you won't have to worry about public transit (unless you don't like to walk - in that case they are plenty of busses and a subway system that runs north/south and east/west). From the airport you can take the train - runs every 30 minutes.

Lots to do and see in Philly and the culinary scene has moved way beyond the cheese steak! We are now considered one of the premier dining cities in the U.S.

If you are interested in a more organized tour - I recommend this company - owned by friends of mine - their Segway tours are loads of fun!

http://www.phillytourhub.com/Home.aspx

The best shopping is on Walnut St. between Broad St. and 18th St.

For fine dining, go to the Rittenhouse Square neighborhood or down to Old City (adjacent to the historic area).

For a cheese steak, head to Jim's on South Street, or for an even more authentic Philly sandwich, go to DiNics in the Reading Terminal Market and order a roast pork with sharp provolone and broccoli rabe - won best sandwich in the U.S. on the Food Network.

For the best museums, go to the Benjamin Franklin Parkway for the Barnes Museum, Rodin Museum and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Thanks very much. I'm quite happy walking around the city for a few hours. I'll need some exercise after the flight from Europe.
And I'll definitely be ready for a cheese steak. That sandwich sounds pretty good too. Thanks for the advice.

Go to Reading Terminal Market! That is a great area with a lot to eat/ sample/ enjoy. Also, short uber to South Street - another great place to walk around.

I don't know that there is a sandwich that is ~more~ authentic to Philly than the cheesesteak, however, both of those are great recommendations (Jim's and DiNics).

For your times, I like the idea of getting a hotel in Center City, although the Sheraton is a big modern soulless convention hotel.

An alternative is the Marriott right in PHL airport; no shuttle required. As mentioned, there's a train to Center City from the airport about every half hour for under $10.

That's settled then. Jim's for dinner on Friday, then a walk around the city on Saturday morning, and lunch at the Reading Terminal Market. Sounds great.

Thanks for the suggestion, but I want to have dinner in the city on the Friday and would rather not go back and forth from the airport twice. If this were a shorter overnight layover, say 2100-0900, then I wouldn't look past the Marriott.
I got a good deal on the Sheraton, about $80, and I can handle soulless for one night. I'm only going to have a beer and go to sleep.

The New York Times travel section weighs in with suggestions for 36 hours - an eclectic mix of traditional and more hipster-ish recommendations (note the lack of any historical sites):

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2...=headline&te=1