If you're going to spend 2 days in Pittsburgh, you can have a great time with many activities. 48 hours in Pittsburgh is perfect if you want to see all the highlights of the city and more!
Pittsburgh is a city in Pennsylvania with many things to do. People know it as the City of the Bridges in the United States. That's because there are many bridges in the city.
There are many reasons why spending 2 days in Pittsburgh is great. For example, Downtown Pittsburgh is amazing to explore. Furthermore, there's a gorgeous viewpoint in Pittsburgh. And you can also find great parks and museums in the city.
I included all highlights of the city in this itinerary!
Table of Contents
Getting to Pittsburgh
When you're want to spend 2 days in Pittsburgh, you first need to get there!
To get to the city of Pittsburgh, you have several options. You can travel to this place by airplane, train, bus, or car.
Airplane
One way to get to the city when you want to spend 48 hours in Pittsburgh is by airplane. The airport of the city is the Pittsburgh International Airport.
There are lots of flights that go to this airport. This includes flights from both the United States itself and abroad!
To reach Downtown Pittsburgh from the airport, you can travel by bus. The ticket price for this is $2.75.
You can also travel by taxi. This is a convenient option to get to the city center, but it is also the least affordable. A taxi ride from the airport to Downtown Pittsburgh costs about $40.
Train
You can travel by train if you want to get to the city of Pittsburgh.
The train is one of the best ways to get there if you want to spend 2 days in Pittsburgh.
This is a great way to reach the city if you are coming from a place near it. For example, it is a great way to travel if coming from Cleveland. Moreover, it is also great for traveling from Philadelphia.
The train is a comfortable way to move around!
Bus
There are various bus companies that offer routes to the city of Pittsburgh. This is a very cheap way to get to the city, but the ride also takes longer and is more uncomfortable. But it's perfect if you want to spend 48 hours in Pittsburgh on a budget!
Car
Another way to get to the city if you want to spend 2 days in Pittsburgh is by car.
You can also reach the city of Pittsburgh by car. There are many roads leading to the city of Pittsburgh.
When you are traveling by car it is easy to reach specific places in the city of Pittsburgh!
Itinerary for 2 Days in Pittsburgh
Now you know everything you should know before going to Pittsburgh! Spending 2 days in the city is incredible. You can do many things in 48 hours.
Here's the best 2 days in Pittsburgh itinerary!
Day 1: The First Day of 2 Days in Pittsburgh
Today is the first day of your 48 hours in Pittsburgh. You're going to explore Pittsburgh and do many things. For example, you will explore Downtown Pittsburgh, go to a viewpoint, and visit a museum. It's going to be a very fun day for sure!
Breakfast at La Gourmandine
Let's start your first day with breakfast! You can have breakfast at La Gourmandine. La Gourmandine is a lovely place in Pittsburgh where you can have delicious food. It's a perfect beginning of the 48 hours in Pittsburgh.
This place is all about France! The place got its name because of the French word "Gourmand". That's someone who loves great food and someone who likes eating in French.
The owners of La Gourmandine have a few goals. First, they care a lot about authenticity. Besides that, they care about simplicity and passion! I love that about this place.
When you're going here, the owners want you to have the feeling as if you're in a traditional bakery in France.
Moreover, they only use natural and fresh ingredients. Also, one of the owners studied in France. There, she learned about French techniques.
There's delicious food at La Gourmandine. For example, there's traditional French bread. The only ingredients of the bread are flour, yeast, salt, and water!
The croissants at La Gourmandine are delicious as well. Furthermore, if you like chocolate, you should definitely try the pain au chocolat! And there are many more delicious dishes.
Having breakfast here is great. It's the perfect way to start your 2 days in Pittsburgh! You'll have an amazing French feeling while being in Pittsburgh. Furthermore, the place looks lovely from the inside and the atmosphere is great too!
Explore Downtown Pittsburgh
Downtown Pittsburgh is a great place to start your 2 days in Pittsburgh!
That's because you find here most of the activity of the city. Here you can see what the city is like! Moreover, it is the perfect place to get to know the city.
There are lots of restaurants, and shops here. Also, there are boutique shops with unique items that make this a great place for shopping.
Furthermore, in Downtown Pittsburgh, you find many theaters, clubs, and hotels. This makes it a great place to go to later during the day as well!
Also, there are some lovely buildings in this part of the city. For example, you find here the skyscrapers of the city of Pittsburgh. This is wonderful to see! That's one of the reasons why you should definitely go here during your 48 hours in Pittsburgh.
Now you can see these buildings from up close, later on, you can see them from above!
Going to this place in Pittsburgh and walking through it is an amazing activity! You'll have a lot of fun for sure.
See the Market Square
One of the best places to visit in Downtown Pittsburgh is Market Square.
This is a large public space that you can find at the point where Forbes Avenue and Market Street cross.
This place in Pittsburgh is one of the most historic ones. Many important buildings were on this square. That's why you should definitely see it during your 48 hours in Pittsburgh.
For example, you could find here the first newspaper company of Pittsburgh.
Nowadays, it is still a bustling place in the city. You find here lots of restaurants, cafes, and stores, which makes it a very fun place to visit.
Also, many events and celebrations take place at Market Square in Pittsburgh.
If there happens to be an event during your 2 days in Pittsburgh, I recommend going there!
Walk Through Point State Park
Another great thing in Downtown Pittsburgh is Point State Park. This is one of my favorite activities of this itinerary for 48 hours in Pittsburgh!
This is a beautiful park next to the Ohio River.
It is a great place to go if you are looking for a relaxing place. That's because Point State Park is great for a relaxing stroll or if you want to hang out!
You find here beautiful nature. There are lots of trees and there is a large field of grass. These trees look very beautiful!
Also, you can see the city's skyline from here, which looks awesome. This is also a great place to take a photo. I especially like the contrast between nature and buildings here!
Lunch at Corner Mercantile
The first morning of your 2 days in Pittsburgh is over. So it's time for lunch! Today, you're going to have lunch at Corner Mercantile if you follow this itinerary.
Corner Mercantile is a great place for lunch with lots of dishes to choose from. The place serves delicious sandwiches.
I'd definitely recommend having the vegan sandwich. This is a sandwich with smoked tempeh, avocado, plant-based mayo, and more!
Besides sandwiches, you can also have soup at this place. The soup is also great for lunch!
Furthermore, you can also have a quiche or flatbread here. What I love about these dishes is that the restaurant makes them from scratch! And they do that every day, so it's very fresh.
Also, the salads at Corner Mercantile are very good as well! The restaurant uses seasonal ingredients for the salads.
One of the most delicious salads is the Mediterranean salad. But I would also recommend having the BBQ Tempeh Salad!
Moreover, don't forget to have a drink here as well. There's great coffee and tea.
One of the things I love about Corner Mercantile is that the owners care a lot about the quality of the food. This is one of the reasons why I'd recommend having lunch here if you're 48 hours in Pittsburgh.
They want you to know that the food is real and they don't lower the quality to make the food taste as delicious as it does.
Furthermore, every time you go here, there will be something new on the menu.
Also, they work with farms that are local and owned by families. And the flavors change every season!
Ride the Duquesne Incline
When you want to do something unique when you are 2 days in Pittsburgh, you should go to the Duquesne Incline.
This is a funicular that you can find on the opposite of the river if you're looking from Downtown Pittsburgh. You can find it on the slopes of the hill Mount Washington
In the past, the Duquesne Incline was a steam-powered funicular. People used it to move a lot of objects up and down the hill.
Later, when this was no longer necessary, the Duquesne Incline was there to carry people.
To be more specific, the Duquesne Incline was there to carry people who lived at Mount Washington. It helped them with a more comfortable way of moving up the hill in comparison to walking.
Later, as there were more roads and cars, people weren't using the Duquesne Incline as much as before. And in the year 1962, it looked like the Duquesne Incline would close.
But the people of the place liked the Duquesne Incline so much that they raised money to restore and keep it! So this place is also interesting for those who like history.
Nowadays, it is one of the most popular places for tourists in the city. It's definitely a must-see for your 2 days in Pittsburgh.
What makes the place even more special is how it looks. The lower building of the Duquesne Incline has very old architecture.
Furthermore, you can see the name of the Duquesne Incline on the front of this building.
Also, the color red of the building makes this place look even better! This is also why you should see it when you're 48 hours in Pittsburgh.
Get a Panoramic View of the City at Points of View Park
When you arrive at the top with the Duquesne Incline you arrive at Points of View Park.
Points of View Park is a beautiful small park that you can find on top of Mount Washington. It's one of the most beautiful things to see during 48 hours in Pittsburgh.
The park got its name from the sculpture that you can find on top of the hill. Here you can see a sculpture with the name Points of View. This sculpture features George Washington and Guyasuta, a leader of the Seneca people.
What's great about the park is the wonderful view you can get from there.
From the park, you can see the city of Pittsburgh from above.
This makes it a great place for taking pictures! Furthermore, it is amazing to look at the city. Everything looks so small from here!
What I also like about this place is that you can see all the places that you visited during your 2 days in Pittsburgh!
See the Andy Warhol Museum
After seeing the city from above, it is time to see other great things in the city of Pittsburgh.
Now it is time to go to The Andy Warhol Museum. You find this museum on the North Shore of the city.
You find here a large permanent collection of artworks that Andy Warhol created.
What's great is that this is the largest museum in the United States where you can see the art of only one artist.
Andy Warhol's art is of the pop art genre, which is modern art. This is an art movement that was very popular during the 1950s. Pop art is art that focuses on popular culture and the mass media.
The Andy Warhol Museum has 17 galleries with almost 1000 paintings. Furthermore, there are lots of prints, sculptures, photos, and more at the museum.
Besides the permanent collection, there are also rotating exhibitions.
These rotating exhibitions focus on a particular part of the museum's collection. Also, it can be about artists that have similar works like Andy Warhol, or that fit with Andy Warhol in another way.
Because of these rotating exhibitions, there is always something new when you visit!
Dinner at The Commoner
Today was a great day with many activities. You explored a lot of Memphis, which is great. Now, it's time to have dinner in Pittsburgh.
On the first day, you will have dinner at The Commoner if you follow this itinerary. It's a great restaurant to visit when you're 48 hours in Pittsburgh!
The restaurant creates variants of American tavern food. There are many delicious dishes at The Commoner.
Furthermore, if you're going to have dinner here, you should have one of the starters for sure. There are delicious crispy potatoes, there's great focaccia and there's more!
Moreover, don't forget to have a look at the delicious desserts as well. One of the desserts is the chocolate ganache. This one is very delicious if you like chocolate and hazelnuts!
Also, the dishes at The Commoner don't only taste amazing, they also look incredible!
The executive chef of The Commoner is Dave Racicot. Dave Racicot is a very good chef. Before he became the chef of this restaurant, he had a lot of experience at other restaurants.
For example, he worked in a restaurant in Las Vegas. And he also opened concepts himself!
Day 2: Exploring More of the City During 2 Days in Pittsburgh
It's the second day of your 48 hours in Pittsburgh! You're going to do a lot today, so let's begin!
Breakfast at Bruegger's Bagels
On the second day of your 3 days, you're going to have breakfast at one of my favorite places in the city. It's Bruegger’s Bagels!
Bruegger's Bagels is a wonderful place with many delicious options for breakfast. For example, there are great sandwiches.
But I'd especially recommend having one of the amazing bagels!
There are many bagels to choose from. For example, there's a rosemary olive oil bagel. This one is very delicious.
But you can also have a plain bagel, a blueberry bagel, or another one!
Also, this is an amazing place to go if you'd like to have delicious coffee in the morning. The coffee at Bruegger's Bagels is always fresh!
Bruegger’s Bagels is very old and there are more than 250 locations in the country.
It all started in 1983 when the owners came up with the idea. They went to New York because they wanted to learn everything about bagels.
They learned everything about traditional methods to bake the bagels. After that, they started Bruegger's Bagels.
I love that story and it's very impressive that there are currently more than 250 locations!
See The Frick
After breakfast, you should definitely go to The Frick Pittsburgh.
Here you find several museums and historical buildings that are great to visit.
What's great about this place is the most famous building on the complex. You find here the Clayton. This is a building that looks very pretty.
Together with the gardens that surround the Clayton, this is a great place to visit! The whole garden estate looks very beautiful.
Besides that, the collection of The Frick Art Museum is wonderful to see! There are lots of masterpieces here.
Some of the artists whose work is on display here include Rubens, Jan Steen, Carle van Loo, and more. These works of art are wonderful to visit during this morning of your 2 days in Pittsburgh!
Lunch at EatUnique
Now, it's time to have lunch! One of the best places for lunch in Pittsburgh is EatUnique. I recommend having dinner here on the second day of your 48 hours in Pittsburgh!
EatUnique is a great place that exists since 1997. Back then, its name was Craig Street Coffee.
The founders of the restaurant created a casual spot where people could get some food and relax.
First, they wanted it to be a place where you could get coffee with a limited menu. That's why the name of the restaurant was Craig Street Coffee.
But it changed a lot! Nowadays, it's an eatery with many dishes! For example, there are sandwiches, soups and more! I love the story of EatUnique a lot.
Furthermore, the eatery focuses on fresh and unique food!
The dish I love the most here is the impossible burger. This is a burger that tastes exactly like meat but is actually plant-based. It's very delicious and I'd definitely recommend having it.
Also, the double chocolate brownie is amazing as well! Especially if you love chocolate, you should try that one for sure.
Furthermore, the sea salt chocolate chip cookie is also very good and unique! There are also delicious drinks at EatUnique. They serve great seasonal drinks such as lemonade.
Explore the Carnegie Museum of Art
Do you like seeing art during your 48 hours in Pittsburgh? Now it's time to see even more art in the city!
A great place to do that is at the Carnegie Museum of Art. This is a great art museum with an incredible collection of artworks.
The museum focuses on contemporary art and it was the first museum in the country to focus on that art genre.
The founder of the museum is Andrew Carnegie, which is why the name of the museum is the Carnegie Museum of Art. He was one of the largest players during the Industrial Revolution.
What's great is that you can see many different types of art here. There is fine art, decorative arts, photography, and architecture.
The permanent collection of the museum consists of almost 40,000 objects. Furthermore, this collection includes works from many places in the world.
You can find the objects of the permanent collection spread over different galleries.
One of the most interesting things about the museum is that there are many changing exhibits.
Every year, there are lots of changing exhibitions. Each of these exhibitions focuses on a different selection of artworks.
Also, there are often events at the Carnegie Museum of Art that are great to attend. For example, there are lectures, talks, workshops, and more. When there is an event during your 2 days in Pittsburgh, you should definitely go there!
See the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens
After seeing art at the Carnegie Museum of Art, it's time to see some of the most beautiful nature in Pittsburgh. This is a great activity when you are 48 hours in Pittsburgh.
The best place to do this is at the Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens.
This is a beautiful botanical garden that you can find in Schenley Park.
It is a very old complex that dates back to the year 1893.
You can find here many stunning gardens with all kinds of plants and flowers.
What's great is that there are both indoor and outdoor gardens. Each of these gardens focuses on a particular type of plant or flower.
The Palm Court is one of the most beautiful gardens of the botanical garden. At this indoor garden, you find a large variety of palm trees, which is great to see!
The Rooftop Edible Garden is an outdoor garden where you can see vegetables and fruits. This garden provides the cafeteria of the museum with fresh produce, which is great!
Another pretty garden is the Japanese Courtyard Garden. You find here a Japanese garden that includes many bonsai!
Relax at Schenley Park
Want to relax when you're 48 hours in Pittsburgh? Schenley Park is a large park in the city of Pittsburgh. There are many things to do and see in the park, which is great. Also, the park is very old as the city created it in 1889, which is very interesting!
When you are 2 days in Pittsburgh, you should definitely go here!
If you are looking for a very relaxing place, then Schenley Park is a great place to visit!
There is beautiful nature in the park, and there are many great lakes!
Also, you find here lots of hiking trails, which makes it the perfect place for hiking!
Besides that, there is a playground in the park and it is a great place for doing sports. For example, you can go golfing here, which is fun! Also, there is a skating rink and you can swim in the park!
Dinner at Roots Natural Kitchen
The 48 hours in Pittsburgh are almost over and now it's time for dinner! I recommend having dinner at Roots Natural Kitchen.
At Roots Natural Kitchen, you can have natural food. That's because the restaurant says that there are many benefits when you eat natural food! For example, they say you'll have more energy, sleep better and feel better.
They also say that food is a powerful tool, so you should actually use it! Roots Natural Kitchen is very unique and I love that about this place! If you're going to have dinner here, it's definitely going to be a great experience.
Moreover, the food also tastes amazing. You can get delicious bowls here.
For example, you can get a pesto caesar bowl or a tamari bowl.
But what I love about this place is that you can also create your own bowl! If you want to do that, you can choose between many different ingredients. This is amazing as your dish will be exactly how you want it to be. The bowls also look amazing.
Besides that, the restaurant also has a great atmosphere.
Roots Natural Kitchen has two locations in Pittsburgh. The location at 3610 Forbes Ave is most convenient. That's because that one is close to Schenley Park.
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