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48 Hours in Pittsburgh On a Budget

April 7, 2018 /

Lately, Sean and I have been spending a lot of time exploring the city of Pittsburgh. He grew up in this area and has lived near the city his entire life, so he knows his way around pretty well. But, being from California, I haven’t spent too much time in the Steel City.

The first time I ever visited, Sean and I went for a Halloween party down in the South Side. We last minute dressed up as people from the movie, The Purge, and spent hours dancing in our “blood-stained” clothes. It was dark when we got there, but I still got to see a pretty amazing view of the skyscrapers upon entering the city.

Since then, we’ve gone back and visited a few times. It’s only about a 40 minute drive from where we live, so it’s a good way to spend a few hours on a Sunday. The nice thing about Pittsburgh is that there is SO MUCH variety. Depending on which part of town you hit, you could spend the day tasting wine or craft beers and whiskey, enjoying their public parks, learning the city’s history or soaking in the art scene in their many museums, or trying new foods from what seems to be an endless supply of restaurants.

Each time Sean and I have visited, we’ve made a point to try not to do anything TOO extravagant. We both love little weekend getaways and exploring new areas. But, we have a couple of larger trips planned for this year and financial goals that we’re working towards. We don’t want to go out every weekend and blow our paychecks, ya know?

That seems to be a common theme in most people’s lives as well. Everybody wants to go out and travel the world and have new experiences, but nobody seems to have the money to do it.

I told Sean that even though he’s grown up in this area, we should take a couple of days and explore the city like we were tourists. We looked up all of the free things that there are to do in “the Burgh” and we headed up there. We broke our touristy days up into a couple of weekends, but all of the things on our list could easily be done in one go, especially if you are going to be staying in or a little closer to the city.

Hopefully, this sample itinerary can inspire you to get out there and explore the City of Champions or even just take a weekend to explore your own hometown as if you were a tourist on a budget.

 

48 Hours in Pittsburgh On a Budget 

Day 1:

Entering the City:  

The first step to exploring Pittsburgh is getting there, and although I’ve never gone a way that disappointed me, there IS one way I do think you should enter the city to get the best first impression. I learned that Pittsburgh was named the only city in America with an entrance. I didn’t really understand why because, although their entrance was good, the way we came (from the north) never made me feel like it was anything THAT spectacular. It wasn’t until we drove as if we were coming from the airport that we truly understood how it earned that title. You drive over the bridge through the Fort Pitt Tunnel and when you come out, the city and all of it’s glory is the first thing you see. Tip: It may be worth it to make your way into Pittsburgh the night before or even at early sunrise so you can catch a glimpse with the buildings all lit up.

Oakland:

Start with a fresh smoothie or green juice at Salud Juicery in Oakland and head to the Cathedral of Learning. You could easily spend an entire day here if you wanted. We explored the Nationality Rooms, which can be found on both the first and third floors. Each room on the first floor is locked, so you have to purchase a tour ticket if you want to enter them. The tickets are cheap (only $4 each) and the rooms are really interesting to go in and explore, but after viewing the bottom floor rooms, we felt like the rooms on the third floor were actually more interesting (and they were free). The rooms at the bottom floor have a more private feel to them, but on the third floor, they just seemed to be a little more interesting. Start here early in the day because the tours stop at 2:30, and there are a variety of different rooms you’ll want to explore. Before you leave, make sure to ride the elevator up to the 35th floor and peak out the windows. It’s a view you won’t want to miss.

Lunch: Stop in at Lulu’s Noodles for a bite of their Pad Thai or a bowl of their hot and sour soup. And you absolutely have to try their bubble tea! This Chinese restaurant has awesome food, large portions and doesn’t cost a fortune.

From here, head to the Casino to score some free parking. Walk through to the front (and try not to spend too much in the slot machines on the way) and head towards the subway, also known as the T. You can ride it into downtown for free, or for the low price of $2.50 each way, you can make your way all the way towards Station Square. In downtown, walk around a little bit and explore some of the shops and restaurants that Pittsburgh has to offer. If you want to score some awesome Steelers/Penguins/Pittsburgh/Pirates gear, stop in at Steel City and you’ll leave feeling like a local. (Something I learned VERY quickly is that there is an overwhelming sense of pride in Pittsburgh fans.) When you get to station square, make sure you don’t miss out on the view from Mt. Washington Overlook. Ride the incline up and you’ll get one of the the best views of the city you could wish for. It isn’t free to ride the incline, but it’s an experience everyone should have. If you’re driving, you can always just park at the top and look out. This is a great spot to end the day because, even though it’s a good view while it’s light out, it’s even better at night when you can see the city all lit up.

Day 2:

Strip District:

Today, head out early and explore everything that the strip district has to offer. Start with some donuts and coffee at Peace, Love and Little Donuts. You can go for some of their more plain flavors, but good luck leaving without something from their “Funkadelic” section. Our personal faves: Fruity pebbles, blueberry pancake, raspberry cheesecake and caramel macchiato. But they’re famous for their maple bacon donuts.

Once you’ve hit your sugar high, walk it off a little bit by strolling up and down the strip. There are plenty of outside vendors as well as little niche shops along the way. And if you happen to still be hungry, you can pick up some fresh fruit from Wholey’s Market. You’ll be surprised with how cheap you can pick up a carton of strawberries. The strip is also a good spot to look for cute souvenirs. We started collecting magnets from our travels and we found our favorite Pittsburgh magnet at a little shop in the strip called Art of Steel. (We also picked up the cutest little Pennsylvania shadow box for our house. Now I just need one that’s California.) Before you go, make sure to hit up Pennsylvania Libations for a free tasting of the state’s local craft liquors.

For lunch, hit up the iconic Pittsburgh restaurant, Primanti Bros for a sandwich topped with coleslaw and french fries.

Make sure you save enough room to splurge a little bit on some wine tasting at Pittsburgh Winery. If you’re like me, you will fall in love with their atmosphere as well as their wine selection. Make sure you do a tasting of their reserve wines and grab a bottle to take home with you. (If you buy a bottle, the tasting fee is waived.) We chose their zin. Stay for happy hour and get $5 glasses of wine while you soak in the mixture of California/Pittsburgh vibes that their cellar has to offer.

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Have you visited Pittsburgh yet? What are your favorite places in the city to explore? There’s still a lot for me to see here, so I’d love to hear your recommendations!

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