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

Ride the Duquesne Incline

If we had to pick one quintessentially Pittsburgh experience, it would be riding the Duquesne Incline for a commanding view of the city skyline and three rivers.

We truly have one of the best skylines in the world, and riding the Incline is one of the best ways to see it.

Although we have two inclines along Mount Washington, the Duquesne Incline is arguably the best for visitors to enjoy because the viewing platform at the top has a postcard view of Pittsburgh. No matter how many times we ride up and walk out to the viewing platform, our breath gets taken away, and we fall in love with the city over and over again.

It is worth noting that the Duquesne Incline can get a very long line at the lower station, especially on nice weekends in the summer months. If you would like to go up to Mount Washington and enjoy a view and are short on time, the Monongahela Incline is more commuter-friendly and still has solid views about a mile away- just not the iconic view you see everywhere online.

If you have a personal vehicle, there is a paid parking lot at the bottom station of the Duquesne Incline on West Carson Street, and the top station has some limited metered street parking on Grandview Avenue as well. If you are on foot, you can take a pedestrian walkway along the Fort Pitt Bridge from Point State Park (behind the Fort Pitt Museum) to reach the lower station in a few minutes as well.

If you have no wait at the Duquesne Incline and ride up, enjoy the viewing platform, and ride back down, you can likely enjoy this entire experience in under an hour. However, lines and optional detours like exploring Mount Washington nearby can expand the amount of time you would need for this one considerably.

Enjoy the Rivers on Foot, Bike, or Cruise

Naturally, given that Pittsburgh’s skyline is beautiful in part because we are located at the confluence of three rivers (the Allegheny and Monongahela flow around downtown and combine to form the Ohio, heading west), if it is a nice day, you would do well to take in an activity that can get you closer to the water, or on it!

There are many ways to enjoy Pittsburgh’s three rivers, whether you take a ride on the Gateway Clipper (which offers a 60-minute highlights loop around the rivers), rent a bike for a long ride on our river trails, or simply walk down to Point State Park to enjoy the confluence for yourself.

No matter what you do, you will get to take in both Pittsburgh’s skyline and rivers from a perspective quite different from the overlook view on Mount Washington. For that, we think it is a wonderful combo for a single-day visit- especially if the weather is nice.

If you have a personal vehicle, the Gateway Clipper has a paid parking lot in Station Square and can also be reached by riding the T trolley from downtown or the North Shore (it is the same stop is at the base of the Monongahela Incline, too!). The Three Rivers Heritage Trail on the North Side has limited free parking along the water at River Ave near Heinz Lofts. Bike rentals can be picked up at Golden Triangle Bikes with a city-operated First Street Garage for parking nearby, or via one of the numerous POGOH bike terminals found throughout the city.

• Our five-mile self-guided walking tour of Pittsburgh may also be a great idea if you wish to ride both inclines, enjoy the river trails, see downtown, and explore Point State Park. This route takes a minimum of 2.5 hours (for fast walkers) and can be expanded to a half-day if you wish to add on stops like the Fort Pitt Museum or detour to other neighborhoods.
• The 15-mile Loop around the river trails is also a great option for a long bike ride, too. The amount of time to bike this loop varies based on your average biking speed, and us as fairly seasoned bikers typically take about 1.5 hours without stopping.
• If you do not want to walk or bike long distances, taking a tour on the double decker hop-on, hop-off bus tours can be a great idea, too! These tours take a much larger loop around the city and you can get a great feel for many of our neighborhoods. Tickets are available with hop-off options or a just the ride option for those short on time and want to take a loop only. You’re looking at about 2.5 hours for just the ride, and 4+ hours if you hop off at all.

Explore the Strip District

Beyond skyline views, if we had to pick one neighborhood for a single-day exploration to get a feel for Pittsburgh, it would be the Strip District, especially from morning through early afternoon.

The Strip District is one of Pittsburgh’s most vibrant neighborhoods. It was once a hub for industry, with a vibrant produce terminal supported by a now-closed rail line. That terminal spurred the opening of many international grocery stores of all ethnicities, and the Strip District became a bit of a food hub in the city as much as it was a place of industry.

The industrial elements are now gone, the food remained, and the Strip is a bustling spot to shop for food, enjoy artisan and specialty stores, and partake in a number of great restaurants- including the original Primanti Bros (known for Pittsburgh’s famous sandwich with fries and coleslaw on top).

Whether you stop at Primantis or snack your way through numerous street food vendors, the Strip District is a real treat. That being said, historically the Strip District would mostly close down by mid-afternoon; however, more restaurants and nightlife have opened up in recent years such that it is now quite bustling in the evening hours even if the grocers still close in the afternoon or early evening.

• Although we are personally biased towards other restaurants in the Strip District, if you have Primanti Bros. on your list during your quick visit to Pittsburgh, be sure to eat at this location. It is the original and our favorite. Just be sure to add a fried egg onto whatever sandwich you order if you’re keen on that extra.

Take a Quick Loop Through a Museum

Pittsburgh has a rich history and more museums than we can quickly count. Odds are you won’t experience more than one in a single day visit (and may not hit any at all, if we’re honest). But if you have a bit of time to kill and want a quick peek, we have five museums you may want to consider. They are:

• The Heinz History Center – A massive museum in the Strip District focused on all things southwest PA history, including exhibits on Heinz foods, steel and glass making, modern innovations, colonial history, Mister Rogers Neighborhood, and so much more. A great add-on if you’re already in the neighborhood.
• The Andy Warhol Museum – A museum dedicated to Pittsburgh’s most famous artist, Andy Warhol, on the North Side (near the river trail), and said to be the largest museum in North America dedicated to a single artist. Yes, it’s huge. The museum operates its own parking lot across the intersection as well.
• The Carnegie Museum of Art & Natural History – A two-in-one museum in Oakland, founded by Andrew Carnegie, with an impressive collection of artworks and natural-world exhibits. You could easily spend a whole day at this one, so being strategic in a short visit is key. Both museums can be enjoyed on a single ticket! This museum has a paid parking garage on-site for visitors.
• Phipps Conservatory – Pittsburgh’s premier botanical gardens, also in Oakland just steps from the two Carnegie museums, with themed flower shows and an impressive collection that changes throughout the year. Phipps has free street parking outside of the conservatory; however, it can fill up. Plenty of metered street parking can be found on nearby streets as well.
• The Fort Pitt Museum – Compared to the above spots, this museum is quite small, operates seasonally, and focuses solely on Pittsburgh’s colonial history around the confluence at Point State Park. So if you are walking through the park and want to learn a bit more about why the confluence was so important in shaping the Pittsburgh we know and love today (and the museum is open), you can enjoy this one fairly quickly. This one is best accessed by walking in from downtown or across the Fort Duquesne Bridge the North Shore.

Apart from the Fort Pitt Museum, you may find you have to be quick at the other museums if visiting in a single day. Yes, you can make your way through them all in an hour or two. But in many cases that may feel quite rushed (particularly at the Carnegie Museums, as this one is really two spots that can be enjoyed on the same ticket).

So while we do think visitors coming in for a single day should check out a museum, be prepared that you may want more time at some. We could easily spend a full day in most of these!

Enjoy the City’s Dining or Beer Scene

Finally, we’d be remiss if we did not encourage you to make an evening of your visit and enjoy a night out at one of our acclaimed restaurants or, if you are staying the night, perhaps partake in our city’s vibrant beer scene!

Pittsburgh truly is one of America’s best food cities, and we have a number of gems you may want to consider checking out during a brief visit.

If you like hot and trendy restaurants, we personally would recommend checking out our top 10 restaurants in Pittsburgh list to see our current favorites. If you like fan classics that have stood the test of time, we also have recommendations for Pittsburgh institutions you may want to check out instead. Just be aware that many restaurants require reservations these days, so be sure to confirm any booking requirements for any spot prior to visiting.

If you want to hit up a Pittsburgh brewery, we have nearly 100 within a 90 minute driving radius of the city, and within the city limits itself there is no shortage of great spots to try. We even have several breweries along bike trails that could make for an easy detour if walking or taking a ride as mentioned above. Or, if you’re visiting during the summer months, you may even want to enjoy a brew at the floating barge, Shore Thing, on the North Side near PNC Park, too!

Our food and dining scene is truly so vast that it is rather hard for us to pick out a handful of spots to recommend in this one, so you’ll do well to check out some of the prior guides to see what stands out to you for your drinking or dining plan of attack. But whatever you do, don’t miss a great meal out when visiting our city.

Although a single day in Pittsburgh is not enough to do it all, the above cross-section of highlights is a great first start that will help you fall in love with the city and plan a longer return visit in the future!

Do you have a favorite recommendation to see the best of Pittsburgh in just one day? Comment below to share!