Practical Information for visiting Pennsylvania

Coverage is good in the cities and along the main corridors.

It drops noticeably in the Appalachian ridges, the northern forests and the deeper valleys — plan for no signal on the mountain roads.

Free Wi-Fi is standard in cafés, libraries and hotels.

Pennsylvania is safe for visitors. Both big cities have neighbourhoods with serious crime, and they are not areas a visitor would have reason to enter; the central districts and the tourist areas are well policed.

Ordinary precautions apply: lock the car and leave nothing visible at a trailhead.

Mountain driving in winter is the genuine hazard, along with heavy lake-effect snow in the northwest. Deer collisions are among the most common in the country, and the risk peaks at dawn and dusk in autumn.

In Lancaster County, watch for unlit buggies at night on rural roads.

No vaccinations are needed and tap water is safe.

Ticks are a serious issue here. Pennsylvania reports more Lyme disease cases than any other state, and ticks are active from spring through late autumn in grass and woodland everywhere, including suburban gardens. Check thoroughly after any walk.

Summer humidity in the southeast is taxing, and the mountains get cold quickly at altitude in any season.

Both cities have excellent hospitals; the rural centre and north are a long way from a major one. Insurance covering medical costs is essential for non-US visitors.

Tipping is expected: 18-20% in restaurants and bars.

The alcohol rules are unusual. Wine and spirits come from state-run Fine Wine & Good Spirits shops; beer has historically come from separate distributors or licensed outlets, in set quantities. Rules have loosened but still surprise visitors, and Sunday hours can be limited.

Around the Amish communities, do not photograph people, and give buggies a wide berth.

Right turns on red are permitted after stopping unless signed. The drinking age is 21 and identification is checked routinely.

911 reaches police, fire and ambulance statewide.

Major trauma centres are in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh and the larger regional cities. Air ambulance covers the rural middle, where road transport times are long.

211 is the statewide information and assistance line.

Winter road conditions are published by the state transport department, and mountain passes are the first to close in a storm.