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Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site

Explore historic cellblocks and learn about the legacy of American criminal justice reform. The world’s first true penitentiary, Eastern State held about 85,000 people during its 142 years of operation.

Philadelphia CityPASS includes:

Daytime Admission — Entry includes "The Voices of Eastern State" Audio Tour, Mini Tours, art installations, and all exhibits. (Private tours and special events like Night Tours or Halloween Nights are not included.)

Albert Vecerka
Albert Vecerka
Jeff Fusco
Jeff Fusco

Highlights

  1. 01.

    Discover the history of Eastern State through a self-guided audio tour, narrated by actor Steve Buscemi. Hear the real voices of former officers and prisoners as the long-abandoned cellblocks come alive with sounds of daily life inside the ancient prison.

  2. 02.

    Tour rarely seen spaces such as the Hospital Block and Soup Alley through our Mini Tours program. These interactive experiences are brief (5 to 20 minutes each) and are available throughout the day, all across the penitentiary complex.

  3. 03.

    See Al Capone's Cell, restored to how it likely appeared when he was incarcerated at Eastern State Penitentiary in 1929, complete with cabinet radio and writing desk.

Jeff Fusco
Jeff Fusco
Erin Davis
Erin Davis

Visit Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site with CityPASS®

CityPASS tickets offer a great way to see Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site while saving you time and money.

Philadelphia CityPASS

Advice for Visitors

Tips

Eastern State Penitentiary is open rain or shine, and the building does not have climate control. Summers can be quite hot, and winters can be quite chilly. Please dress for the weather, and be sure to wear appropriate footwear. Sandals, flip-flops, open-toed shoes, and high heels are not recommended.

While there are no dining facilities within the penitentiary complex, there are several wonderful restaurants in the surrounding neighborhood.

To get the full experience, allow about two hours for your visit. If you're short on time, don't miss "The Voices of Eastern State" audio tour, stops one through 10; Al Capone's cell; Prisons Today; and The Big Graph.

Visit Dec. 20-31, 2025, to learn how people incarcerated at Eastern State Penitentiary marked holidays such as Hanukkah, Christmas and New Year's. Special activities included with your admission reveal some of the ways they found moments of light, connection and meaning within the confines of prison life.

Learn more on the CityPASS Blog about what you'll see at Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site.

Attraction Features

Amenities

Gift Shop: Eastern State Penitentiary Museum Store

Accessibility

Get information about accessibility.

Parking/Transportation

Get information on parking, transportation and directions.

Contact Information & Hours

  • Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site
  • 2027 Fairmount Avenue
  • Philadelphia, PA 19130
  • Apr-Oct: Daily, 10am-5pm
  • Nov-Dec: Wed-Mon, 10am-5pm (closed Tuesdays)

Last entry one hour before close

Open Tuesday, December 23 and Tuesday, December 30 to accommodate holiday visitors

Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Year's Day

Visit www.easternstate.org to confirm hours of operation.

Darryl Moran
Darryl Moran
Darryl Moran
Darryl Moran

Read reviews from CityPASS® travelers.

Philadelphia CityPASS
Great deal and great places to see!
CityPASS is a very convenient cost effective way to see some of the great sites of the great city of Philadelphia!!
Money saver and a good guidance on fun places
I view CityPASS as a good source to find out fun places at destination city. Philadelphia CityPASS definitely helped me with that.
Amazing Experience
I found out about the CityPASS on my 1st day in Philly and I’m so glad I did because I did not have anything planned. It was inexpensive and perfect. Loved everything about it. I was able to visit 3 attractions without any hassle. I can’t wait to use this again when I travel with my kids.
This is the way to go!
We are new to the Philadelphia area and we were anxious to get out and explore some of the sites with our three kids. We came across the CityPASS and decided to take our last two weeks of summer and dedicate it to exploring. This was truly the way to do it! We used every pass and got our money's worth.
Great Purchase
I bought the city pass during my recent trip to Philly and it made getting into several sights that required timed tickets so easy. It was definitely a great purchase and well worth the price!
Philadelphia CityPASS is rated 4.6 out of 5 by 921.
Rated 5 out of 5 by from Great for a trip to Philadelphia When I went to Philadelphia when the Guardians were playing the Phillies, I got a CityPASS, and it was very helpful to plan my trip. The one difficulty was narrowing things down! I ended up going with Adventure Aquarium, Constitution Center, Drexel Academy of Natural Sciences, Franklin Institute, and the Philadelphia Zoo - a mixture of history, arts, and sciences. I especially enjoyed the hippos at the aquarium, the US history at the constitution center (and its closeness to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall!), and the Disney 100th anniversary exhibit at the Franklin Institute. I definitely want to come back in the future and do the things I didn't do last time. I was disappointed the Philadelphia Museum of Art wasn't included, though.
Date published: 2026-01-14
Rated 1 out of 5 by from Absolute waste of money Not fully informative. I bought the city pass but the hop on hop off tour did not have full coverage and it was never mentioned before I bought it. It would never buy it had I been informed fully about hop on hop off bus route.
Date published: 2025-12-21
Rated 4 out of 5 by from easy access with city pass code easy access with city pass code; reservations help to organize your time.
Date published: 2025-11-07
Rated 1 out of 5 by from Not worth cost. Only valid 9 days? Not worth the cost. Almost impossible to get your money's worth in 9 days time.
Date published: 2025-09-18
Rated 1 out of 5 by from Don't go on a Monday or Tuesday Attractions weren't open. We were in Philadelphia for Sunday & Monday nights. I bought CityPASS so we could visit several attractions and save a few dollars at the same time. The 1st attraction I wanted to see was The Constitution. It is closed Mondays and Tuesdays. The next attraction is closed Mondays thru Wednesdays. We only got to use CityPASS at 2 locations. The 3rd one we tried to visit closed at 5pm.....we got there @ 5:15. Had I known in advance that most of the attractions wouldn't be open, I would NOT have purchased. If you are going to visit Philadelphia, make sure it's not on a Monday or Tuesday.
Date published: 2025-09-07
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All images courtesy of Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site / Header image: John Van Horn