Plan a Trip Archives - Discover the Burgh

The 10 Best Things to See in Pittsburgh for First Timers

December 16, 2025December 3, 2025

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!

10 Reasons to Visit Pittsburgh in December – Holiday Time

November 25, 2025November 25, 2025

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.

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

October 14, 2025October 14, 2025

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.

10 Cool Airbnbs in the Laurel Highlands for a Getaway

September 18, 2025September 16, 2025

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.

5 Places to Park in Downtown Pittsburgh for Cheap

August 20, 2025July 29, 2025

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.

AC Hotel Strip District Review – Great Location With Standard Rooms

May 6, 2025

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!

The Oaklander Hotel Review – True Luxury in Oakland

December 11, 2024

We are lucky to have many hotel options available in Pittsburgh, with several neighborhoods offering great accommodations for visitors.

Pittsburgh's Oakland neighborhood, home to college campuses like the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon, is one such neighborhood. For those looking for a high-end experience with luxury at every corner, a stay at The Oaklander is a must as it offers lovely amenities all while being steps away from the highlights of the neighborhood that gives the hotel its name.

We got the chance to stay at this one overnight as guests of the hotel and had what may go down as arguably one of the best experiences we have had at any Pittsburgh hotel to date!

Traveler’s Rest Hotel Review – Boutique Hotel on the GAP

August 29, 2024August 29, 2024

As avid travelers, we've done our fair share of overnight stays in hostels and boutique hotels- from $3 hole-in-the-walls in central China to high-end lodge-esque accommodations dedicated to hikers in Patagonia. Whenever we need to travel economically, we look toward shared dorms and private rooms in order to meet our travel goals.

One thing that always bothered me about the Pittsburgh hotel scene is that our budget and boutique hotel offerings are much more limited compared to higher-priced chains.

Traveler's Rest is one boutique hotel that opened up in South Side near Station Square and it certainly fills a need!

I was invited to the hotel for an overnight stay and wanted to share a bit more about this hidden gem in the South Side.

Note: I was a guest of Traveler's Rest Hotel for this review and have since returned for a tour after the property was upgraded to take updated photos and see the changes first-hand. As always, all opinions are my own.

Courtyard by Marriott Downtown Review – Central Location

November 11, 2023

When it comes to hotels in the Cultural District in Pittsburgh, it is hard to beat the Courtyard Marriott Downtown.

Part of this is because the hotel is right in the middle of the Penn Avenue business district, but the other part is simply that the hotel is within just a few blocks of the theaters, the convention center, Market Square, and so much more.

But the real perk of this hotel is that if you are lucky, you may also find a room rate that doesn't break the bank. A reasonable price with a location to match? That is a winner- even if this hotel doesn't stray too far from the mold of the chain.

Breeze Airways Review – Budget Flights Return to Pittsburgh

November 3, 2023July 20, 2023

As frequent travelers, we're always on the lookout for a great deal and an easy route flying out of Pittsburgh International Airport.

Whenever a new budget carrier comes to the airport, we find ourselves getting quite excited at the prospects as reaching new destinations for a far cheaper price-point.

So when Breeze Airways announced routes and subsequent expansions into the Pittsburgh market to cities that haven't been serviced in quite some time, we knew we had to fly on them as soon as possible. As it turns out, one such route was one we wanted to travel on and we booked our flight right away.