Things to do · Pittsburgh · United States
18 best things to do in Pittsburgh
18 sights and experiences ranked for a first visit, with honest notes on time, cost and crowds.
Updated By the AMZBooking editorial team
Photo: Popscreenshot, CC BY-SA 4.0
Quick answer
The essential sights in Pittsburgh are Duquesne Incline, Andy Warhol Museum and Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art. Of the 18 picks below, 5 are free, 8 work on a rainy day and 10 suit children. Allow about 3 days to see the highlights without rushing.
Key facts
- Top sight
- Duquesne Incline
- Free sights
- 5
- Good on a rainy day
- Andy Warhol Museum
- Time to see the highlights
- 3 days
At a glance
| Sight | Area | Time needed | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duquesne Incline | Mount Washington | 1 hour | Low cost |
| Andy Warhol Museum | North Shore | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art | Oakland | 3–4 hours | Mid-priced |
| Strip District | Strip District | 2–3 hours | Free |
| PNC Park | North Shore | 3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Grandview Avenue overlooks | Mount Washington | 1 hour | Free |
| Cathedral of Learning | Oakland | 1 hour | Free |
| Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens | Oakland | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Point State Park and Fort Pitt | Downtown | 1–2 hours | Free |
| Senator John Heinz History Center | Strip District | 2–3 hours | Mid-priced |
| Carnegie Science Center | North Shore | 3–4 hours | Mid-priced |
| The Frick Pittsburgh | Point Breeze | 2–3 hours | Low cost |
| Mattress Factory | Central Northside | 1.5–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| National Aviary | North Side | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Kennywood | West Mifflin | Full day | Expensive |
| Carrie Blast Furnaces | Rankin and Swissvale | 2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Gateway Clipper riverboats | Station Square | 1–2 hours | Mid-priced |
| Randyland | Central Northside | 30 minutes | Free |
The 18 best things to do
Experience · Mount Washington
1.Duquesne Incline
Opened in 1877 to carry workers up Mount Washington, this funicular still runs in its original wooden cars, climbing about 120 metres from West Carson Street to Grandview Avenue. The upper station has a small museum of the incline's machinery and history and an observation deck over the three rivers.
Ride up just before sunset and stay until the city lights come on; look through the window into the old winding machinery at the top.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Low cost
- Iconic
- Views
- History
- Kids
- After dark
Museum · North Shore
2.Andy Warhol Museum
Seven floors of a former warehouse trace Warhol's life from his Pittsburgh childhood to Factory-era fame, with paintings, films, screen prints and his time-capsule boxes of everyday objects. The floating, helium-filled Silver Clouds room is a favourite, and visitors can try screen printing in the basement studio.
Start at the top floor and work down chronologically, and check when the basement printing studio is running.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Iconic
- Rainy day
Museum · Oakland
3.Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art
Andrew Carnegie's twin museums share a building and a ticket. The natural history side is famous for its Jurassic dinosaur skeletons, including the original Diplodocus carnegii, and the Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems; the art museum has Impressionist paintings, contemporary galleries and the Hall of Architecture's huge plaster casts of European monuments.
Start in Dinosaurs in Their Time, then cross to the Hall of Architecture; allow a full afternoon for both.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Art
- History
- Rainy day
- Iconic
Market · Strip District
4.Strip District
Along Penn Avenue, family-run shops such as the Pennsylvania Macaroni Company, fishmongers, bakeries, coffee roasters and Asian grocers sell food from shops that once supplied the city's wholesale produce trade. Pavement stalls sell black-and-gold Steelers and Pirates gear.
Come on Saturday morning for the full street-market atmosphere and eat your way along Penn Avenue rather than sitting down for one meal.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Food
- Shopping
- Iconic
.jpg){kind=link}
Landmark · North Shore
5.PNC Park
The Pittsburgh Pirates' ballpark, opened in 2001, is often rated among the best in baseball for its view across the Allegheny to the downtown skyline and the yellow Roberto Clemente Bridge, which closes to cars on game days so fans can walk over. Mid-game races between giant costumed pierogies are a local tradition.
Walk across the Roberto Clemente Bridge from downtown before the game, and pick seats on the third-base side for the skyline view.
- Time needed
- 3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Iconic
- Views
- Kids
- After dark
.jpg){kind=link}
Viewpoint · Mount Washington
6.Grandview Avenue overlooks
A string of platforms along Grandview Avenue looks straight down on the Point, where the Allegheny and Monongahela join to form the Ohio, with downtown's towers and bridges spread out below. The Monongahela Incline, opened in 1870 and among the oldest in the United States, connects the eastern end to Station Square.
Walk the 1.5 km between the tops of the two inclines, then ride down the Monongahela Incline to Station Square for a different view.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Views
- Photo spot
- Couples
- After dark
Architecture · Oakland
7.Cathedral of Learning
The University of Pittsburgh's 42-storey Gothic Revival tower is one of the tallest educational buildings in the world. Its vaulted ground-floor Commons Room is open to visitors, and the Nationality Rooms are working classrooms decorated in the styles of the cultures that built Pittsburgh, from Scotland to China.
Check the Nationality Rooms tour schedule; some rooms can only be seen with a guide, and December brings holiday decorations.
- Time needed
- 1 hour
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Architecture
- History
- Rainy day
Garden · Oakland
8.Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
A Victorian glasshouse opened in 1893 at the edge of Schenley Park, Phipps has more than a dozen rooms of palms, orchids, desert plants and a tropical forest, with seasonal flower shows and Chihuly glass. Its Center for Sustainable Landscapes is one of the greenest buildings in the world.
Visit during the winter holiday show or the spring flower show for the most impressive displays; on cold days the warm rooms are a welcome break.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Nature
- Rainy day
- Couples
- Kids
- Photo spot
Park · Downtown
1.Point State Park and Fort Pitt
At the tip of downtown, a large fountain marks the confluence of the three rivers. The park traces the outlines of Fort Pitt, and the Fort Pitt Museum and the 1764 Fort Pitt Block House, the oldest building in Pittsburgh, tell the story of the French and Indian War.
Walk out to the fountain at the point for the view up to Mount Washington, then follow the riverfront trail along either bank.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- History
- Outdoors
- Views
Museum · Strip District
2.Senator John Heinz History Center
Western Pennsylvania's history museum, a Smithsonian affiliate in a former ice warehouse, covers steel, glass and the Heinz company, and holds set pieces from Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, filmed in Pittsburgh. The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum inside covers the Steelers, Pirates and Penguins.
Families should head straight for the Mister Rogers' Neighborhood display, including King Friday XIII's castle.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- History
- Kids
- Rainy day
Museum · North Shore
3.Carnegie Science Center
On the Ohio River next to Acrisure Stadium, this hands-on science museum has a planetarium, a robotics hall, a big miniature railroad and village, and the USS Requin, a Second World War submarine moored outside that you can walk through.
Allow time for the Requin tour and the Miniature Railroad and Village, and check planetarium show times on arrival.
- Time needed
- 3–4 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Rainy day
- History
Museum · Point Breeze
4.The Frick Pittsburgh
Industrialist Henry Clay Frick's family home, Clayton, is preserved with its original furnishings, alongside a small art museum, a greenhouse and the Car and Carriage Museum, which displays vintage automobiles including a 1914 Rolls-Royce. The lawns and café make it a relaxed half-day.
Book a guided tour of Clayton, the only way to see the house interior, and leave time for the car collection.
- Time needed
- 2–3 hours
- Cost
- Low cost
- History
- Art
- Architecture
- Off the beaten path
Gallery · Central Northside
5.Mattress Factory
This museum commissions room-sized installations from artists in residence, spread across a former mattress warehouse and nearby row houses in the Mexican War Streets. Permanent works include Yayoi Kusama's mirrored infinity rooms and light installations by James Turrell.
Visit the separate row-house galleries on Sampsonia Way as well as the main building; many visitors miss them.
- Time needed
- 1.5–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Art
- Rainy day
- Off the beaten path
Zoo · North Side
6.National Aviary
In Allegheny Commons Park, the National Aviary houses hundreds of birds, many in free-flight rooms where you walk among them, including a tropical rainforest, a wetlands room and an outdoor area for Andean condors. Penguins, sloths and lorikeet feedings are popular with children.
Ask about scheduled feedings and encounters on arrival; feeding the lorikeets is a highlight for kids.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Kids
- Nature
- Rainy day
.jpg){kind=link}
Theme park · West Mifflin
7.Kennywood
Founded in 1898, this traditional amusement park about 15 km southeast of downtown is a National Historic Landmark with classic wooden coasters such as the Thunderbolt, Jack Rabbit and Racer alongside modern rides like the Phantom's Revenge. Its Potato Patch fries are a local institution.
Kennywood is seasonal, with holiday lights events in winter; check the calendar and buy tickets online for lower prices.
- Time needed
- Full day
- Cost
- Expensive
- Kids
- Active
- History
Historic site · Rankin and Swissvale
8.Carrie Blast Furnaces
Furnaces 6 and 7 at the former Homestead Works, built in 1907, are among the few pre-war blast furnaces left in the region. Rivers of Steel runs guided tours through the rusting towers and stoves, now overgrown and decorated with graffiti art, explaining how iron was made for Pittsburgh's steel mills.
Tours run seasonally and fill up; wear closed shoes, as the site is uneven industrial ground.
- Time needed
- 2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Book ahead
- Book guided tours in advance through Rivers of Steel.
- History
- Photo spot
- Off the beaten path
Experience · Station Square
9.Gateway Clipper riverboats
Sightseeing, dinner and themed cruises leave from Station Square on the Monongahela and loop around the Point onto the Allegheny and Ohio, passing under many of the city's bridges. It is the simplest way to understand Pittsburgh's three-rivers geography.
Choose an evening sightseeing cruise for the lit skyline, and combine it with the Monongahela Incline next to Station Square.
- Time needed
- 1–2 hours
- Cost
- Mid-priced
- Views
- Kids
- Couples
- After dark
Experience · Central Northside
10.Randyland
Artist Randy Gilson turned a derelict corner building and its courtyard into a riot of bright paint, mismatched chairs, flamingos and found objects. The free outdoor space is a photo stop near the Mattress Factory and the Mexican War Streets' restored row houses.
Pair it with a stroll through the Mexican War Streets and a visit to the Mattress Factory a few blocks away.
- Time needed
- 30 minutes
- Cost
- Free
- Free
- Art
- Photo spot
- Kids
Pick by interest
| Interest | Best picks |
|---|---|
| Art and museums | Andy Warhol Museum, Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art, Senator John Heinz History Center and Carnegie Science Center |
| History | Duquesne Incline, Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art, Cathedral of Learning and Point State Park and Fort Pitt |
| Views | Duquesne Incline, Grandview Avenue overlooks, Point State Park and Fort Pitt and PNC Park |
| Outdoors and nature | Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Point State Park and Fort Pitt and National Aviary |
| Food and markets | Strip District |
| After dark | Duquesne Incline, Grandview Avenue overlooks, PNC Park and Gateway Clipper riverboats |
| With children | Duquesne Incline, Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art, Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens and Senator John Heinz History Center |
| On a rainy day | Andy Warhol Museum, Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art, Cathedral of Learning and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens |
What to book ahead
- Carrie Blast Furnaces: Book guided tours in advance through Rivers of Steel.
Plan the rest of your trip
Questions travellers ask
+What is the number one thing to do in Pittsburgh?
Duquesne Incline. Opened in 1877 to carry workers up Mount Washington, this funicular still runs in its original wooden cars, climbing about 120 metres from West Carson Street to Grandview Avenue.
+What can you do for free in Pittsburgh?
Strip District, Grandview Avenue overlooks, Cathedral of Learning, Point State Park and Fort Pitt and Randyland. More free things to do.
+What is there to do in Pittsburgh when it rains?
Head indoors to Andy Warhol Museum, Carnegie Museums of Natural History and Art, Cathedral of Learning and Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
+What is there to do in Pittsburgh at night?
Duquesne Incline, Grandview Avenue overlooks, PNC Park and Gateway Clipper riverboats are best after dark.