Citizens Bank Park Overview
So you’ve watched a Philadelphia sports team on a nationally televised Monday Night Football, Sunday Night Baseball, a playoff game or random Tuesday night game. You’ve seen multiple up-close shots of cheesesteaks on a flat-top grill, Boathouse Row, the Rocky Statue, some crazy passionate fans and William Penn on top of City Hall and you think you pretty much have the gist of Philadelphia and what it’s like to attend a sporting event here.
Well trust us—you haven’t even scratched the surface.
With three stadiums (and four professional sports teams) located in one complex in South Philly, you’re walking into a sports wonderland. Citizens Bank Park, home of the Phillies since 2004, has remained a premier baseball venue for the last two decades. It’s easily accessible by all means of transportation, has quality, ever-changing food items, a variety of seating options to vary your experiences, and houses a passionate fanbase that once filled the stadium to capacity for 257 consecutive games.
Our five-part guide to Citizens Bank Park will help you plan the perfect trip to see baseball in South Philly. We’ll cover:
- Travel: How to get to Philadelphia
- Lodging: Where to stay in Philadelphia
- Local transit: How to get around Philadelphia
- Ticketing/Seating/Premium: Where to sit, how to buy and whether to opt for premium seating
- Gameday: What to do before/during/after the game
We hope you enjoy this insider look at Citizens Bank Park. Please be sure to sign up for our free newsletter to keep informed about events, schedules, onsales, ticket deals, and everything else you need to know to plan the best fan experiences.
Why you should visit Citizens Bank Park
Tons to explore
It’s a fantastic stadium with plenty of things to see and explore, from food to history to unique features.
Atmosphere
It’s spirited. Come on, let’s be honest: you know you want to experience Philadelphia sports fans!
Philly Classics
There are great food options, outside of cheesesteaks (although there’s FOUR different types of those!)
Family Fun
It has one of the best kids areas in MLB ballparks, including a replica wiffle-ball field called “The Yard.”
Great odds
Despite our reputation or what you may have heard, there’s only a 29% chance of you getting into a fight.
How many Phillies games should you see?
Why not a full three-game series? There are so many experiences, views, and foods in the ballpark that we can assure that you won’t be bored by the end of game 3.
The choices vary from premium Diamond Club seats behind home plate, to a club level full of memorabilia, to upper level sections with views of the Philadelphia skyline, to standing room locations for a nomadic game, and everything in between. But if two games is all you’ve got time for, that’s fine—you’ll just need to accelerate your cheesesteak eating schedule.
When should you go to Citizens Bank Park?
There’s pros and cons to any time of the year.
If you’re planning to travel to support your favorite team on the road, then you’re at the mercy of the schedule makers. But if you have a choice of when to go, April is your most volatile month; you’re going to have some cold, some warm, some rain, some shine, or some combination of them all. May and June can give you some warmth without the dreaded northeast humidity. Then July and August brings that humidity, which can be countered with our suggested places to sit to avoid the sun.
September can bring some great weather, along with a rejuvenated city that is back from the Jersey Shore and ready for (hopefully) playoff baseball and another Eagles season. Then, if you’re lucky, like really really lucky, there’s baseball in October.
So if you’re asking us, we prefer May, June, and September, but really, there’s no bad time to visit Citizens Bank Park.
Where is Citizens Bank Park located?
Citizens Bank Park is located in South Philadelphia. You can’t go much farther south in Philadelphia than the stadium complex; it’s about a 10-minute drive northeast of the Philadelphia International Airport and a 15-minute drive south of Center City.
The stadium complex consists of Citizens Bank Park (home of the Phillies), Lincoln Financial Field (home of the Eagles) and the Wells Fargo Center (home of the Flyers and Sixers). Being removed from Center City allows the arenas to have large parking lots perfect for tailgating (more on that later).
The complex is also home to Xfinity Live!, a large, multi-faceted bar and restaurant facility with indoor and outdoor amenities, as well as the newer Live! Casino and Hotel. This whole complex is easily accessible by the Philadelphia subway system, bus system, and more (more on this in the Local Transit chapter).
Now, a note about the fans
Yes, I’ve hyped up the fans as a selling point to visit Citizens Bank Park already. However, I realize that Philadelphia fans have a reputation which may make people think they’re entering a scene from The Last of Us rather than an MLB ballpark.
But let’s set the record straight; Philly fans are passionate, demanding of their players, and sure… they can be animated at times. But are they these vicious human beings who are going to throw batteries at you for wearing your opposing team’s jersey to a game? Probably not (especially if you’re from anywhere other than New York). Might you hear a few colorful comments hurled towards you from time to time? Maybe. But if you want dull and boring, you’re in the wrong place.
If you climb off of the emotional ledge, you’ll find that Philly fans are just trying to have a good time, and if you’ve got a smile on and are into the game, the abuse will most likely be in good spirits. Laugh at a comment, maybe talk some talk back, and it will probably enhance your experience. But do yourself a favor and leave the Santa suit at home for your own good 🙂 (and make no mistake: he was asking for it!).
About your Citizens Bank Park insider
My name is Matt and I’m ecstatic to be your stadium insider.
Originally from Delco (that’s Delaware County to the uninitiated), I’ve grown up going to Phillies games in Citizens Bank Park and the Vet before it. I’m a huge fan of all Philadelphia sports teams and I frequently follow my own transportation guide by getting on the Broad Street line from Center City and ending up at the stadiums. While it’s been a lifetime of ups and downs, the fall of 2022 was one of the best stretches of my sports life: attending Phillies playoff games throughout my first season as an Eagles season ticket holder.
I’ve loved Citizens Bank Park since my first game there in 2004. Whether it be in the middle of summer during a 99-loss season or in October with 45,000 rabid fans, the park is always ready to provide a memorable experience, regardless of what’s happening on the field. I hope this guide helps your experience at CBP memorable.
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We hope you enjoy this insider look at Citizens Bank Park.
