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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Wilkes-Barre
Give Wilkes-Barre one night as a Coal Region base: downtown for food and a show, then drive out to the mines, Seven Tubs and the casino.
Wilkes-Barre is a small city of about 41,000 in the Wyoming Valley, 20 miles southwest of Scranton on I-81. It is a car town: downtown has the river, a restored 1938 theater and Main Street college bars, while the things worth the drive — mine country, Seven Tubs, the casino and the minor-league ballpark — sit outside the centre. Most travellers use it for one night between Scranton and Hazleton, or as a stop on the I-81 run.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (ice and snow), late Jul–Aug humidity
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–100 excl. bed · Mid $110–180 excl. bed · High $200+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Police non-emergency 570-208-4200 · Poison control 1-800-222-1222
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $2–5 |
| Diner breakfast | $8–15 |
| Pierogi plate | $8–14 |
| Beer: draught at a bar / six-pack at a store | $5–8 / $10–16 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi or rideshare3.1 mi (5 km) taxi or rideshare | $12–20 |
| Casino admission and parking | Free (check) |
| eSIM or data SIM, about a week | $15–30 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- AVP · Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International (Avoca)
- About 15 min south of downtown by car; daily flights to Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Detroit, Newark and Philadelphia. Rental cars at the terminal.
Typical fares
- AVP → downtown, taxi or rideshare
- about $30–45, 15–20 min (check)
- Martz bus Wilkes-Barre → New York
- fare and duration check
- I-476 toll, Wilkes-Barre → Lehigh Valley
- toll varies by entry and exit — check
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Drive. LCTA buses cover the city and Luzerne County but run on limited schedules, and taxis or rideshare are the fallback after dark. Downtown is walkable for a night out; everything else — Seven Tubs, the casino, PNC Field — needs a car.
See and do
Known for
- Coal mining history in the Wyoming Valley
- F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey
- Pierogi and diner-car food
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Scranton | I-81 north, about 20 miles | About 30 min |
| Hazleton | I-81 south | About 35 min (check) |
| Jim Thorpe | I-81 south to I-476, then PA-903 | About 1 h |
| Clarks Summit | I-81 north to I-476 | About 40 min |
| Lehighton | I-476 south through the toll section | About 1 h |
| Pottsville | I-81 south, then PA-61 | About 1 h 15 min |
Sleep
- Downtown (Public Square and River Street)
- Walkable to the Kirby Center, Main Street bars and the river common; best for one night without a car.
- Highway 315 / Mohegan Arena strip
- Chain hotels, the casino and the arena; you need a car for everything.
- Wilkes-Barre Township near the mall
- Cheapest chain rooms and the Wyoming Valley Mall; 10 min drive from downtown.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Thank you | Thank you |
| Where is the bus stop? | Where is the bus stop? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| To this address, please | To this address, please |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Winter ice on pavements and steep side streets; snow tires or all-season tread help Dec–Mar.
- Downtown is quiet after the bars close; walk in pairs and use rideshare late.
- I-476 is tolled from mile 20 to 115 — carry change or a transponder.
- Some corner bars post no prices: ask the total before you order.
Downtown is fine by day and busy on event nights; the real risks are winter ice, quiet blocks after bar close and highway driving in snow. Use rideshare late and keep to lit streets.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Wilkes-Barre yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Coal mining history in the Wyoming Valley
- F.M. Kirby Center for the Performing Arts
- Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hockey
- Pierogi and diner-car food
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Luzerne County Transportation Authority: www.lctabus.com/
- Visit PA — Seven Tubs Recreation Area: www.visitpa.com/region/upstate-pa/seven-tubs-recreation-area-pinchot-state-forest
- Wikivoyage: Wilkes-Barre, revision 5217743 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5217743
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Wilkes-Barre
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Police non-emergency570-208-4200
- Poison control1-800-222-1222
No embassies here; nearest consulates are in Philadelphia and New York City.
Tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/wilkes-barre). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.