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Major city · United States

Baltimore

Give Baltimore 2 nights: Inner Harbor and Fort McHenry one day, Fells Point and Mount Vernon the next. Skip it as a Washington day trip — the good parts need an overnight.

Weather
see forecast
Currency
USD
Best months
Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov
avoid Jul–Aug (humid, heat index near 35°C), late Jan–Feb (coldest, occasional snow)
Airports
BWI · DCA · IAD
Nights
2
Not field-verifiedbasic guide
Print / PDF guide
3 pages, for the metro and roaming-off days
Map
Google Maps Apple Maps Street View
Rules in force · 7Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs …Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but ta…
  • North America ↗Crossing between the US, Canada and Mexico by land needs your passport even on a day trip; rental cars need the company's written permission to cross, and most US and Canadian rental insurance stops at the Mexican border.
  • North America ↗Cannabis is legal in Canada and in many US states, but taking any amount across the US, Canadian or Mexican border is a federal crime — including edibles and vapes.
  • North America ↗The busiest US and Canadian national parks need timed-entry, campsite or lodge reservations in summer; release dates are months ahead.
  • United States ↗Check whether you need an ESTA (Visa Waiver Program) or a visa on the official CBP and State Department sites; apply only through esta.cbp.dhs.gov, not third-party sites, and allow time before you book.
  • United States ↗Several popular national parks use timed-entry or vehicle reservations in peak season; check each park's page on nps.gov and book on recreation.gov before fixing your dates.
  • United States ↗Medical care is very expensive for visitors; buy travel insurance with high medical cover before you fly.
  • United States ↗Tipping is expected: about 15–20% at sit-down restaurants and bars, and a tip for taxis, hotel staff and guides.

Baltimore is a working seaport, not a museum city: the Inner Harbor holds the aquarium and the ships, Fort McHenry sits across the water, and the best eating and drinking is in Fells Point, Federal Hill and Hampden. It is 40 miles from Washington, DC, so it works as a 2-night stop on the Northeast rail corridor rather than a day trip.

Essentials

Quick answers and what things cost

Quick answers

The questions people ask first about Baltimore, one line each. Tap a card for the full answer.

Cost cheat-sheet

2026 desk estimate · check

Typical prices for the everyday things, as ranges. Your currency is shown next to the local price.

  • Coffee$3–6
  • Street or quick mealCrab cake sandwichCrab cakes are priced by the pound of meat; expect more at harbour restaurants.$15–25
  • Beerdraught in a Fells Point pub / can at a shop$6–9$2–4
  • Taxi, about 5 km5 km taxi or rideshare$12–20
  • Museum or sight ticketNational Aquarium entryTimed tickets; check the official site before you travel.$40–50
  • Budget bedHostel dorm bed, a night, per personUS$45
  • Mid-range bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomUS$180
  • High-end bedMid-range double room, a night, per roomUS$320

A day, not counting the bed: Budget US$80 · Mid US$160 · High US$300

Prices in local money; change the currency in the header to see yours next to them. Every price and the budget calculator →

Decide

What it is known for, and when the weather works

At a glance

What the city is known for, how you fly in, and where to find the phrases.

Fort McHenry and the Star-Spangled BannerNational AquariumInner Harbor and historic shipsFells Point pubs and Little ItalyMaryland crab cakes and pit beefEdgar Allan Poe's grave and house
Airports
BWI Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall (About 10 miles south of the centre; light rail runs from the terminal to the Inner Harbor in about 30 min, or a free shuttle to the BWI rail station for MARC/Amtrak to Penn Station (about 15 min).) · DCA Washington Reagan National (Further out; use it only if the fare is much better — you then need a train or car from Washington.) · IAD Washington Dulles International (Best for some international routings; add 1.5–2 h by road or rail to Baltimore.)

Weather and climate

Forecast from Open-Meteo · averages rounded

Baltimore: next 7 days

Loading forecast…

Forecast: Open-Meteo (CC BY 4.0), model data for this point.

Air quality

Loading…

Model estimate (CAMS via Open-Meteo), not a street-level station; readings near busy roads run higher.

Jan

7°C

−1°C

10 rd

Feb

8°C

0°C

9 rd

Mar

13°C

4°C

11 rd

Apr

19°C

9°C

11 rd

May

24°C

14°C

11 rd

Jun

30°C

19°C

10 rd

Jul

32°C

23°C

11 rd

Aug

31°C

22°C

10 rd

Sep

27°C

18°C

9 rd

Oct

21°C

11°C

9 rd

Nov

14°C

6°C

9 rd

Dec

9°C

1°C

10 rd

High / low °C · rd = rain days

Arrive & move

Airports are listed under At a glance; this is how to move once you are in

Getting around

The centre is walkable: Inner Harbor to Fells Point is about 20 min on foot, to Mount Vernon about 25. The Charm City Circulator runs free bus loops through the harbour, Fells Point and Mount Vernon — check current routes and hours, as they have changed. Light rail links the airport, the ballpark and Penn Station; the Metro subway is of little use to visitors. Taxis and rideshares cover the rest; a car is a liability downtown because parking runs about $5/hour near the harbour.

See & do

Day-trips, door to door

Day-trips

Door-to-door, not ride time
Washington, DCgo

Door to door: About 1–1.5 h

MARC or Amtrak from Penn Station to Washington Union Station

Trains run through the day; book nothing, buy on the day. A full day, not a half.

Annapolis

caution

Door to door: About 1 h

Car or bus via US-50, about 30 miles

Best with a car; the historic centre and the Naval Academy need most of a day.

Ellicott City

go

Door to door: About 45 min

Car or MARC to nearby stations, then a short ride

Hillside Main Street with shops and food; pairs well with a half-day.

Havre de Grace

caution

Door to door: About 1 h

Car north on I-95, about 40 miles

Waterfront town at the head of the Chesapeake; car needed.

Eat & sleep

Which area to sleep in

Where to sleep

Areas, not hotels: pick the one that fits your arrival time and plans.

Inner Harbor

Walk to the aquarium, the ships and the ballpark; hotel-heavy and the priciest, but the easiest base without a car.

Fells Point

Cobbled waterfront streets, pubs and Little Italy; quieter at night than the harbour and 15–20 min on foot from the aquarium.

Downtown / Mount Vernon (Midtown)

Cheaper rooms, Penn Station access and the Walters Art Museum; a 20–30 min walk or short bus ride to the harbour.

Federal Hill (South Baltimore)

Local bar-and-restaurant strip, 10–15 min walk to the Inner Harbor; good for a second visit.

Practical

What a day costs, what to watch out for, and the pocket card

Cost per day

2026 estimate, excluding the bed unless stated
Budget
$70–110 excl. bed
Mid
$130–200 excl. bed
High
$250+ excl. bed

Trip budget

2026 estimate · converts to your currency
Mid-range double room1 × 2 nights × US$180US$360
Food, local transport, entries2 × 2 days × US$160US$640
Light rail, airport to Inner Harbor, one way2 × US$2 · checkUS$4
MARC, BWI rail station to Penn Station, one way2 × US$6 · checkUS$12
eSIM, about a week of data2 × US$20US$40
Buffer 10%Price creep, a taxi you did not plan, one splurgeUS$106
Trip total≈ US$291 per person per day, bed includedUS$1,162

2026 estimate in US dollars, before sales tax; flights excluded. Your choices stay in this browser.

Prices of common things

Coffee$3–6
Crab cake sandwichCrab cakes are priced by the pound of meat; expect more at harbour restaurants.$15–25
Pit beef sandwich$8–14
Beer: draught in a Fells Point pub / can at a shop$6–9 / $2–4
National Aquarium entryTimed tickets; check the official site before you travel.$40–50
Fort McHenry entrycheck$15–20 per car
5 km taxi or rideshare$12–20
Light rail ridecheck$2

2026 estimate; check locally.

Watch out

Safety

The tourist core — Inner Harbor, Fells Point, Federal Hill, Mount Vernon, Hampden — is busy and generally fine by day and evening. Crime is real but concentrated in specific West and East Baltimore blocks; don't wander there on foot at night, and use a rideshare after dark.
  • Crime is concentrated in specific West and East Baltimore blocks, not the visitor districts. Stay in the harbour, Fells Point, Federal Hill, Mount Vernon or Hampden after dark, and take a rideshare rather than walking through empty blocks.
  • Do not walk north or west from the Inner Harbor at night expecting to reach a nice neighbourhood — the transition is abrupt.
  • Weekday I-95 and the Baltimore-Washington Parkway jam roughly 6–9:30am and 3:30–6:30pm; the MARC train beats the drive.
  • Parking near the harbour is about $5/hour; free park-and-ride at suburban light rail and Metro stations is the cheaper play.
  • Summer humidity pushes the heat index to about 35°C and occasionally higher — plan indoor stops in the middle of the day.

Emergency numbers

Police, fire, ambulance
911

Pocket card

One page · print or save as PDF

Fill in, then print or save as PDF

Stays in this browser only; nothing is sent anywhere.

BaltimoreBaltimore

Pocket card · Voykit

My bed tonight

—

—

—

To this address, pleaseTo this address, please

Emergency

  • Police, fire, ambulance911

Embassy

No embassies in Baltimore; they are in Washington, DC, about 40 miles away. US tipping: 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, $1–2 a drink, 15–20% taxis.

My embassy: —

Fare anchors (2026 estimate)

  • BWI → Inner Harbor, light rail: about $2, about 30 min (check)
  • BWI rail station → Penn Station, MARC: about $6, about 15 min (check)
  • Taxi Inner Harbor → Fells Point: $10–15
  • MARC Baltimore → Washington Union Station: about $8–9 one way (check)

Say or show

  • How much is it? — How much is it?
  • Can I pay by card? — Can I pay by card?
  • Where is the light rail station? — Where is the light rail station?
  • Is this seat taken? — Is this seat taken?
  • Thanks, keep the change. — Thanks, keep the change.

Prices before sales tax; tipping is expected.

Deep dive

What this guide covers so far, and its sources

Not a trip line yet

This is a basic guide: no airport-to-bed contract, walking clusters or day plans are published for Baltimore. Airport, fare and schedule details are unverified; check the operators before you fly.

What we know, and what is coming

On this page

  1. Best months: Apr–Jun, Sep–Nov · avoid Jul–Aug (humid, heat index near 35°C), late Jan–Feb (coldest, occasional snow) · month by month →
  2. 3 airports and 4 areas to sleep in
  3. Weather: a 7-day forecast and monthly averages
  4. Cost per day in 3 bands
  5. 4 day-trips, door to door
  6. 5 things to watch out for, with emergency numbers

Coming as the guide grows

  1. An airport-to-bed path that says whether a late landing still works
  2. Walking clusters with bag rules
  3. Day plans checked against opening hours
  4. Field-verified times and fares

Meanwhile

Back to United States

Sources