Guides don't agree on one best time. Month by month below, with the weather, what's on and what it costs to fly there from your city.
Average high and low in Philadelphia, and days with rain
JanuaryChecking fares…Mummers Parade on January 1; otherwise one writer finds it among the worst months, cold and snowy.Center City Restaurant Week falls in January.Pittsburgh's coldest month, averaging 39F high and 23F low; skating and sledding are suggested in January and February.
FebruaryChecking fares…Dark, cold and snowy in Philadelphia, but Independence Hall is not ticketed and the second floor can sometimes be toured.The National Museum of American Jewish History is free in February.Pennsylvania has more than 20 ski resorts, with skiing, snowboarding and tubing.
MarchChecking fares…The most unpredictable month: spring blooms or the worst snow and ice storms. The second half is the safer bet.Philadelphia highs reach the low 50s with lows in the mid-30s.
AprilChecking fares…Philadelphia afternoons are typically above 60F by April.Temperatures run 50 to 80F; parks and outdoor seating fill with locals, but historic sites are not too crowded yet.
MayChecking fares…Highs in the low to mid-70s. Beautiful but more crowded, with school groups at Old City sites and museums.Spruce Street Harbor Park and beer gardens open, and the Once Upon a Nation benches open Memorial Day weekend.Cape May spring bird migration · Horseshoe crab spawning and red knots on Delaware Bay
JuneChecking fares…June to early September is Philadelphia's high tourism season, with the highest yearly rates.Pittsburgh's rainiest month on average, at 3.4 inches.Tourists really start arriving as kids leave school; the Roots Picnic and Philly Pride Parade are summer highlights.
JulyChecking fares…Philadelphia's hottest month, averaging around 85F, with heat waves and high humidity possible.Wawa Welcome America Fourth of July celebrations and the Philadelphia Folk Festival.Historic sites and museums keep extended summer hours, so late-day visits are an option.
AugustChecking fares…Pittsburgh averages an 84F high and 63F low in August.Pennsylvania county fair season runs through summer.Perseid meteor shower at Cherry Springs · Little League World Series
SeptemberChecking fares…The main tropical storm season runs June to November, though landfalls are not common.Philadelphia's high tourism season runs to early September.
OctoberChecking fares…Pennsylvania's fall color is said to linger longer than almost anywhere in the country; the state publishes a weekly foliage report.Spooky season options include ghost tours and amusement park Halloween events.
NovemberChecking fares…Pittsburgh's fall brings festivals, crisp air and football.Christkindlmarkt Bethlehem · Christmas Village in Philadelphia
DecemberChecking fares…Pittsburgh's holiday season is called unmatched.Philadelphia averages about 20.5 inches of snow a year, often from Nor'easters.Weather: Philadelphia averages (1961 to 1990 averages), as listed in its climate table on Wikipedia.
Live fares from your airport. Watch them and we alert you when they drop.
Festivals and seasons through the year
Cancún
The Grand Canyon
Disneyland
Miami
Myrtle Beach
Prague
Bali
Maui
Montreal
Venice
Aruba
New Orleans
Nashville
Disney World
New York
Rome
San Diego
Phuket
Boston
Dubai
Seoul
Florida
Lisbon
Los Angeles
Chicago
Paris
Las Vegas
San Francisco
Edinburgh
Napa
Sydney
Hawaii
Scotland
Punta Cana
Savannah
Washington, DC
Mexico City
Zion National Park
Turks and Caicos
Puerto Vallarta
Honolulu
Banff
Yosemite
Tulum
The Bahamas
Sedona
Seattle
Santorini
Buenos Aires
London
Charleston
Rio de Janeiro
Palm Springs
Yellowstone
Amsterdam
Toronto
Key West
Orlando
Europe
Austin
Machu Picchu
Cabo San Lucas
Niagara Falls
Colorado
Oregon
Arizona
Acadia National Park
Galapagos
Lake Tahoe
Montana
Kauai
Okinawa
US Virgin Islands
Amalfi Coast
Santa Fe
Destin
Curacao
Utah
Joshua Tree
Patagonia
St. Thomas
Florida Keys
Smoky Mountains
Copenhagen
Death Valley
Mallorca
Madeira
Cape Town
Ibiza
Zanzibar
Lake Como
Madrid
New Mexico
Tennessee
Vermont
Wyoming
Bryce Canyon
Oahu
St. Martin
Hilton Head
Dolomites
Cape Cod
San Antonio
Rocky Mountain National Park
Dublin
Catalina Island
Athens
Asheville
Texas
South America
Shenandoah National Park
Phoenix
North Carolina
Medellín
Cairo
Budapest
Arches National Park
St. John
South Carolina
Reykjavik
Mykonos
Milan
Houston
Hanoi
Canary Islands
Big Island of Hawaii
Atlanta
The Caribbean
St. Barts
South Dakota
Rhode Island
New England
Nassau
Lima
Kyoto
Koh Samui
Colorado Springs
Chiang Mai
Stockholm
Porto
Montego Bay
Michigan
Melbourne
Louisiana
Kuala Lumpur
Kruger National Park
Jeju
Florence
Dallas
Zurich
Tampa
St. Kitts
Osaka
Munich
Moorea
Kailua-Kona
Everglades
Door County
Cusco
Calgary
Boracay
Bonaire
Swiss Alps
St. Croix
Seville
San Juan Islands
New Hampshire
Minnesota
Mazatlán
Manila
Kentucky
Isla Mujeres
Guam
French Riviera
Fort Lauderdale
Cinque Terre
Asia
Algarve
Virginia
Tenerife
Sapporo
Nairobi
Mumbai
The Hamptons
Grand Teton National Park
Finger Lakes
Charlotte
Bogotá
Auckland
Maine
Bora Bora
Olympic National Park
Redwood National Park
Sequoia National Park
Big Bend National Park
Mackinac Island
Sint Maarten
Nantucket
Outer Banks
California
Big Sur
Crater Lake
Scottsdale
Nice
Mount Rainier
Cozumel
Badlands National Park
Salt Lake City
Denali
Philadelphia
Tucson
Provence
Guadalajara
Albuquerque
Upper Peninsula
Sonoma
Memphis
Idaho
Da Nang
Cotswolds
Arkansas
St. Louis
Capri
Glacier National Park
Barcelona
Vancouver
Denver
Istanbul
Riviera Maya
Carmel-by-the-Sea
Santiago, Chile
Naples, Italy
Central America
Minneapolis
Sarasota
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Pittsburgh
Helsinki
Pensacola
Johannesburg
Brisbane
Málaga
Phu Quoc
Perth
Dubrovnik
Corpus Christi
Massachusetts
Oklahoma
Torres del Paine
Czech Republic
Ho Chi Minh City
Anchorage
Boise
Louisville
Juneau
Quito
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Canyonlands National Park
Baja California
Blue Ridge Mountains
Fort Myers
Detroit
Kansas City, Missouri
Kathmandu
Reno
Cebu
Brussels
Guangzhou
Chattanooga
Antalya
Daytona Beach
Cairns
Hilo
Alabama
Connecticut
New Jersey
Capitol Reef National Park