Distance scale in Philadelphia is very different than, say, London or New York. If it’s not the middle of rush hour, a cab/Uber ride from the airport to Center City (or vice versa) takes about 15 minutes. It may take 30 or 35 minutes during rush hour. The train is always 25 minutes, and they run every 30 minutes. There are very few places in Center City that are not fairly comfortable walking distance from one another, especially if you don’t go to the Philadelphia Art Museum (which is at the extreme northwestern edge of that area). Cabs and ride-shares are readily available in that area, too.
One of my favorite things in philly is the Magic Gardens art exhibit, a great place to spend an hour or two. We recently had a nice italian meal at the Victor Cafe, which serves good Italian food, and the servers perform opera periodically, really fun!
A Facebook memory from two years ago came up the other day. Photo of us at Reading Terminal Market happy and full after DiNic’s roast pork/provolone/broccoli rabe sandwich (and other snacks)! Awesome and so many food choices there. We visited UPenn earlier that day, one of our first college visits. Hope when you go it’s cooler and less humid.
All great suggestions from the Philly natives – I would second that decide where you are going to stay, and then work from there. It’s a pretty walkable city, and the transit system is extensive but somewhat prone to delays and outages. The Art Museum is wonderful but (as has been said) way the heck over there. I want to add the Academy of Natural Sciences – it’s close to other things that are walkable and sightsee-able. I think Independance Hall is asking a lot of yourself logistically. (Ah, for the days when the Park Rangers let my children hug the bell, and you could just walk all over without tickets or perimeter checks)
Familiarize yourself with the parts of the city you shouldn’t be in, and you’ll be fine.
I would agree with @JHS. The Barnes is exquisite, and the history behind it is interesting. Having seen the collection several times in its original site, I was skeptical about the move, although completely understanding its necessity. The new venue is truly spectacular and the care that was taken to construct and display this amazing collection is something to be applauded. The hours are limited, I believe 11-5 so that may present a problem with your timing, and it is closed on Tuesdays. Tickets to be purchased in advance.
https://www.barnesfoundation.org/
Reading Terminal, and the River Walk, are good suggestions for a more relaxed visit.
I’d suggest taking a hotel near the airport and ubering into the city. There are hop on hop off bus tours, but for me, the Liberty Bell etc is the main attraction.
If you do decide to visit museums, don’t overlook the wonderful Rodin Museum, on the Parkway next to the Barnes.
We did enjoy the Liberty Bell and the market at Reading Terminal. We also went to a museum (not sure which one—it was where a reception was held). It was lovely.
Hi EVERYONE - Thanks so much for everyone’s contribution. I knew I had asked the right people.
Here are some extra details. We are hoping to stay Airbnb in Sharon Hill. Think is it close to airport for morning and on public transport into city centre. Coming from overseas we are having to clear customs in Philly so don’t think we’ll be in centre much before 3pm. We will be arriving on a Wednesday!! So for once something is in our favour and so may make the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Glad to hear weather should be good to especially as we are arriving 10th October - fairly early Oct.
I love gardens and my husband loves beer so the pop-up beer sounds nice @BuckeyeMWDSG.
Also sound ignorant but ‘the Phillies’ is which sport? Husband and I love sport and want to see some college sport when we get to Memphis so would be happy to watch a game of anything.
The Reading Terminal sounds good to pick up a bite to eat - what time would that be closing? Sorry we won’t be able to try ALL the food that has been suggested - but think we will have to have the cheese steaks.
And as @thumper1 says AA might still change our tickets. They changed my son’s so he now has an overnight in Philadelphia but he has a good friend that he will be staying with. Not even sure they’ll make it in to the centre - just catching up as they haven’t seen each other for 2 years! So AA don’t have a good record for honouring flights - however they leave from Manchester which is very convenient for us and have connecting flights to everywhere - so can’t complain.
Once again I want to thank everyone for their input.
Phillies is baseball but the regular season will be over by the time you visit - unless they make it to the playoffs.
Reading Terminal Market closes daily at 6pm.
Haven’t heard that name in a long while! I was born very close to Sharon Hill and that’s where our family doc was located up to age 5 for me. 
I’m confident that they will make it to the playoffs. (fingers crossed)
In Philly now for two weeks cat sitting while daughter in azores- daughter has lived in five different neighborhoods in philly so I’ve had a chance to explore!
Why not start with Hop on and Off bus tour and get an overview of Philadelphia?
Barnes Museum - if you can view the movie " the art of the steal" you will understand the drama about getting this world class collection moved to Philly. take the tour to understand the significance of the room designs and Dr Barnes! Unique, memorable-
The Bourse will have opened their new food emporium- giving The Reading Terminal some competition. Reading Terminal is a must see- and maybe this one,too, due to open late summer
https://www.uwishunu.com/2018/06/philadelphia-bourse-building-new-food-hall-summer/
Everyone has great suggestions-
Not sure how hop on, hop off would work with limited time. They can’t get into the city until at least 3pm and most of those bus things end by about 5. There could be an evening type option though that just tours the sites. With not much time, I’d be inclined to just get an Uber into the city, ask the driver to drive by the main sites and pick a nice restaurant to enjoy. Go back for another visit when you had more time to enjoy the city. If you had more time, the museums, penitentiary, etc. would be interesting, Have fun!
@MomofWildChild You and me both! We’re huge Phillies fans, and enjoying the season so far!!
OP - be advised that the regional train from Sharon Hill to Center City departs approx every 45 minutes on weekday afternoons, so just missing it and having to wait for the next one will eat up some of your touring time. Also, after evening rush hour the trains only run once per hour, which can be a drag if your timing doesn’t work out at the end of day. Unless it’s a huge savings and that’s important to you, it would be much more efficient to stay in a center city hotel. You can take a train right from the airport and be within a few blocks of where you’re staying when you exit the train, do a quick drop-off of luggage and then be immediately out and about in center city. When you’re done for the night, you can either walk back to the hotel or take a short Uber/cab ride. In the early morning, the airport trains run every 30 minutes and won’t take that much longer than driving from Sharon Hill to the airport.
If visiting the Art Museum is a priority, the extended hours on Wednesdays make it very-do-able. Bonus that after dusk (6:30-ish) you will also be able to see Boathouse Row all lit up - an iconic Philly sight! I recommend getting to the museum area while it’s still daylight so you can walk around the perimeter and see the gardens and river and take some nice photos of the city, before you go inside. For touring the museum, consider the free 55 minute “highlights” tour - your tour guide will show you 10-12 highlight pieces throughout the museum. It’s a great way to get a feel for the scope of the museum and where you might want to spend a bit more time after the tour.
Definitely work in a trip to the Reading Terminal Market for that cheesesteak (and do try the roast pork sandwich from DiNic’s as well!!)
I would go see the Super Bowl trophy if you can. It won’t be there for long and not back there for a long time.
;))
@Embracethemess thanks for your insight. We have as yet not booked the airbnb. Chose Sharon Hill because it was close to the airport but might now look at places in town. Where do the airport trains leave from? Is it the city centre or are there stops on the way out?
I would stay in center city as well- not Sharon Hill. The airport trains leave from the city- I think there are 2 stops???
We live in Philadelphia near the Italian Market. You have received a lot of good information but I think you are going to be limited due to your arrival time. Sharon Hill is not a great location (my comment is not about the place itself, just location). I’d choose to either stay by the airport and uber in to the city or stay right in center city and enjoy a walking tour of a particular area combined with dinner.
The Museum of Art has a special on Wednesday nights. They are open until 8:45 and “pay as you wish” from 5pm on. If you are interested in art you could add this to the end or your evening. You could also stay in town, come up with a walking tour of society hill/olde city/ historical sites and have dinner. One of our favorites in that area is Han Dynasty for Chinese. The location on Chestnut Street is located in an old bank. Philadelphia is very walk-able and an uber to another area is very quick.
Please let us know when you get closer to your travel date to confirm times. We love Philly:)
If the Phillies are still playing in October, it won’t be easy to get tickets. But the Flyers (NHL hockey) start playing in October, and so do the 76ers (NBA basketball). If you want to see a pro sports game, you should check their schedules.
It will be easier, faster, and cheaper to travel between the airport and Center City than it will be to travel between the airport and Sharon Hill. OK, that may not quite be true, since you could probably walk from the airport to Sharon Hill (if there were any sidewalks, which there aren’t). But it’s unquestionably true that it will be easier, faster, and cheaper to travel directly between the airport and Center City than it will be to travel between them stopping off at a B-and-B in Sharon Hill each direction.