Navigating Philadelphia

If you’re heading to Drexel’s campus, commuting for a co-op, or just exploring our city, you’ve got plenty of options. Despite the population, Philadelphia is a relatively small city, which makes it extremely accessible by walking, biking, and public transit. BoltBus, Megabus, Greyhound, and Amtrak also have a large presence in the city, making excursions outside of Philadelphia easy as well – plus Philadelphia International Airport for those farther trips. Philadelphia is easily accessible by public transit. Explore your options to get around the city below!

SEPTA

An acronym for “South Eastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority”, SEPTA encompasses all the subways, trains, buses, and trolleys that take Philadelphians around the city and to the surrounding suburbs.

Market-Frankford Line

With two stops near Drexel’s main campus, the Market-Frankford Line (also known as the Blue Line, the MFL, or “El”, due to its elevated tracks) goes east from the Frankford Transportation Center west towards 69th Street. This line also stops at City Hall where riders have free interchange to the other Philadelphia subway, the Broad Street Line.

Broad Street Line

Decked out in iconic orange, the Broad Street Line follows Broad Street from Fern Rock Station (north) to AT&T Station (south), where you’ll find the stadium complex and Philly’s great sports teams like the Eagles, Phillies, and Flyers.

SEPTA Trolleys

There are several green trolley routes that pass through Drexel’s campus, stopping at both 33rd and 30th streets. You can take them south to Center City and 13th Street, or to the 40th Street Trolley Portal where they then split off into farther routes.

SEPTA Buses

SEPTA buses go all over Philadelphia, but there are several routes that are convenient for Drexel’s campus – you’ll see the 21, 30, 31, 42, and LUCY Loop buses around, with more routes available from 30th Street Station.

Regional Rail

Regional Rail provides train service to the surrounding suburbs, with stops at 30th Street Station, University City (near Penn Hospital), Suburban Station, and Jefferson Station. The Airport line goes to and from Center City every 30 minutes.

Indego Philly Bike Share

Philadelphia prides itself on being one of the most bike-friendly cities in the country, launching its own bike sharing program in Spring 2015. Indego allows visitors or members to rent bikes from 70+ stations located in Center City and parts of North, South, and West Philadelphia. Similar to SEPTA, you can get monthly passes or pay by the trip.

Drexel Shuttles

Drexel operates shuttle buses in loops through University City, Center City, and the Queen Lane campuses for Drexel students with their Drexel ID (DragonCard). Drexel students may also utilize the University of Pennsylvania bus route. Both the Drexel and Penn shuttles are free to ride.

Hotels

If you're visiting, you have many options when deciding where to stay overnight in Philly. Drexel has negotiated discounted rates with participating hotels that are only a few blocks from campus or near the highway. There are additional options nearby in Center City.