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5 Things to Do if You’re in Pittsburgh for Just One Day

We had an interesting question come up in our Facebook group where a member was coming to Pittsburgh for just a single day and looking for things to do.

In the past, we’ve published guides to the city, like our first-time in Pittsburgh weekend guide to hit some of the highlights over about 2 1/2 days or our top 10 attractions in Pittsburgh to share our favorite highlights. But until now, we have not published an itinerary on what to do if you’re exploring Pittsburgh for just one day.

As such, this article was born with a selection of our top experiences you may want to consider whether you’re in Pittsburgh for just a few hours or an entire day!

Note: Doing every category of activity in this article could make for one very busy day and is, to some degree, not practical depending on how much time you have. While it is technically doable to hit them all if you’re in town from sunrise to after sunset, this article is meant to be a shortlist of highlights that are great introductions to the city and will encourage you to come back for more. Don’t feel compelled to do it all if you’re short on time!

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A Local’s Guide to the Best Hotels in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh has thriving tourism scene that brings in millions of visitors per year, be it for our many sporting events, major conventions, or purely from the fact that the city is pretty awesome (okay, we may be a bit biased on that one).

If you are one of those millions of visitors, you’re in luck- this one is for you!

Since founding Discover the Burgh, one of the most common questions we receive is “what hotel should I stay at during my visit?”. To help answer this question, and continue our quest to experience everything Pittsburgh has to offer, we decided to make it our mission to personally review every single Pittsburgh hotel.

We do this not via a Google search, not by passing through the lobby or on a 30-minute guided tour, but by personally reserving a room and staying in every single hotel in the Pittsburgh.

To cover the best hotels in Pittsburgh that we have visited so far, this guide was born!

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How to Get to Pittsburgh from the Airport – Car, Bus or Uber

Are you flying into Pittsburgh International Airport for your first visit to Pittsburgh? Let us be the first to give you an early welcome to the Steel City!

But if you found your way to this article, odds are good you’re planning the best way to get into the city after arriving and may be considering common options to reach Pittsburgh such as renting a car, hopping on the 28X Airport Flyer bus, or taking a rideshare service like Uber or Lyft.

So let’s break down what you need to consider with each option!

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Courtyard by Marriott University Center Review – Value Stay

As we continue our quest to stay in every hotel in Pittsburgh, we are sometimes to find a gem hiding in plain sight.

For those looking for a comfortable stay in Oakland, the Courtyard by Marriott University Center is a great option. With some of the best room rates in the city, comfortable rooms typical for the chain, an on-site pool, and a quiet location in the heart of the neighborhood, there is a lot to love about this spot.

We were guests courtesy of the Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh University Center, and share more about what to expect in this review!

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The 10 Best Things to See in Pittsburgh for First Timers

In the 10+ years of running Discover the Burgh, we’ve made it our mission to experience the best that Pittsburgh and southwest PA has to offer.

Thankfully, you don’t need a decade exploring the region to get the best out of Pittsburgh, and if you’re coming in to the city for a first-time visit and want to check out the best of the best, we’ve got you covered.

The following are our favorite ten attractions that make Pittsburgh Pittsburgh. Whether you visit one or two, or all of these (and many more featured on this site outside of this article!), you’re sure to have a great time exploring the Steel City!

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10 Reasons to Visit Pittsburgh in December 2026

While Pittsburgh in December marks the start of winter, the city itself is in holiday mode more than anything. We have just come off the heels of Light Up Night, and our Christmas markets, numerous Christmas events, and other festivities are at their peak.

Of course, as with all of our other monthly recommendations list, we also have a few great places to drink and museums to explore on the exceptionally cold days that are coming into the city because, let’s face it, winter is coming and sometimes you just want to be inside.

So if you are looking for things to do in Pittsburgh in December, check out the following options.

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How to Read Pittsburgh Parking Signs – Meters, Permits, and More

When it comes to parking in Pittsburgh, odds are good you are going to see a lot of signs. We have a lot of them.

Signs to denote when there are meters. Signs to denote permit parking. Signs to denote delivery parking. Many neighborhoods also have street cleaning rules to consider, too.

We often hear from visitors who find our parking signs to be confusing. So in this one, we thought we’d break down some of the most common parking signs you’re likely to see, and share what each means in an (hopefully) easy-to-follow guide.

Note: This article only covers meter, permitting, and street cleaning signs within the city of Pittsburgh. Boroughs and suburbs may have different rules and signs to watch out for.

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10 of the Best Airbnbs in the Laurel Highlands for a Getaway

When you think of the Laurel Highlands, you may not realize just how big the area is. This one encompasses Westmoreland, Fayette, and Somerset Counties and runs all the way from New Kensington in the north to Ohiopyle in the South and well past Mount Davis to the East (a solid two-hour drive from Pittsburgh).

As far as rentals are concerned, the vast majority of apartments in the Laurel Highlands are found in the area in and around Ohiopyle thanks to the numerous (and popular) parks that are nearby. Despite this, there are some pretty awesome Airbnbs found elsewhere in the Laurel Highlands too, and we did not want to overlook a few of them (specifically some in the furthest reaches of Somerset County).

As such, while most of the Laurel Highland apartment rentals featured below are within close proximity to Ohiopyle State Park and others nearby, some can be a considerable distance away. As such, we strongly encourage you to check the maps prior to making any bookings as the driving times for stops on your itinerary could be significant if you do not notice this in advance.

Notes: All images are credited to Airbnb and their respective hosts. We have not personally stayed in the below rentals, but frequently book apartments when traveling and think the properties have many of the highlights we look for when renting- namely great locations, amenities, and reviews to name a few. These will be highlighted in more detail within the article although booking conditions may have changed since the initial publication.

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5 Places to Park in Downtown Pittsburgh for Cheap

One complaint we hear on a regular basis about exploring downtown Pittsburgh is that it is expensive to park.

We always thought this was an interesting statement, given that Pittsburgh’s parking garages are, in our experience at least, much, much cheaper than most major cities.

The complaint about parking downtown has a kernel of truth, however. Some garages do charge $20, $30, $40, or more to park- typically the result of extreme surge pricing whenever popular events are going on. These private garages are often able to price on a whim and get unsuspecting visitors to pay because, well, that’s the price.

But here’s the truth- many garages do not charge this much, and, dare we say, are quite reasonable. If you know where to park, particularly in many of the Pittsburgh Parking Authority garages, you will likely never pay much more than $8 after 4 pm and on weekends, or sub-$20 for a full-day during the work week.

So in this one, we thought we’d share five places to park in downtown Pittsburgh that won’t break the bank. These are, for us at least, the only places we will ever park- and we reap the reward in the form of massive savings every time.

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AC Hotel Strip District Review – Great Location With Standard Rooms

The AC Hotel in Pittsburgh’s historic Strip District is a comfortable, albeit somewhat standard hotel in the chain that offers budget-friendly rooms and a killer location right at the edge of the popular neighborhood and downtown Pittsburgh.

Whether you’re coming in for a conference at the convention center next door or utilize this one as a base to explore Pittsburgh, you’re in for a comfortable, no-frills stay here!

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