Baltimore, the Ravenstown, has transformed itself into a lively city with well connected roadways to get around. It has a plenty of beautiful attractions to see, from historic sites to museums and art galleries. The best way and easiest way to get around and explore the Charm City is by car. The city has several cost-effective and convenient travel options. The public transit system is managed and operated by the Maryland Transit Administration. Read on to know how to get in and around Baltimore.
Image by Lipton sale via Wikimedia CommonsTraveling to Baltimore
Getting to Baltimore by Plane
BWI Airport- Baltimore Washington International Airport is situated 10 miles from the south of downtown area. It can be reached by light rail or car. There are many non-stop flights to the airport. Some of the airlines serving the city are as follows: Continental airlines, Northwest, United, American, US Airways, AirTran, Delta, and Southwest.
Address: 7062 Elm Road, Baltimore, MD 21240, United States
Phone: 1 410 859 7111
Website:
www.bwiairport.com/en
To and From the BWI Airport
Take Interstate-195 to north Route 295, to get to the city from the BWI airport. Shuttle service is available that connects the airport to an Amtrak train station.
SuperShuttle manages vans between all the main downtown hotels to the airport. The fare for SuperShuttle service is $22 for each person. Car rental service is also available at the airport. The Light Rail is also available from the airport to the city. The fare is approx $2.
Getting to Baltimore by Bus
It is easy to get to Baltimore via bus. Buses are convenient and affordable. Regular bus service is offered via Greyhound, Peter Pan Bus Line, and more bus service to and from Baltimore.
- Greyhound operates in many parts of North America. The station is located a few blocks south of the stadium district, close to Inner Harbor in Baltimore.
- Apex Bus operates from New York to Baltimore.
- Bolt Bus operates from New York's 33rd and 7th to Baltimore's Marc Penn Station. You can take a light rail from there to go to downtown or Inner Harbor.
- MVP Bus operates a service between Washington, D.C. and New York.
- Metropolitan Shuttle-Baltimore Charter buses station is at 11141 Georgia Ave., Ste. 218, Wheaton, MD 20902, United States (Phone: 1 866 556 3545)
Getting to Baltimore by Car
The easiest and convenient route from the south and north to Baltimore is via Interstate-95.
If traveling from the north side, take Interstate-95 south to exit 53 via the Fort McHenry Tunnel, Interstate-395 to downtown (north).
If traveling from the south side, take Interstate-95 (north) to exit 53, Interstate-395 to downtown (north).
If coming from the west, follow Interstate-70 (east) to exit 91, Interstate-695 south, also known as the Baltimore Beltway. Follow exit 11A, Interstate-95 to Interstate-395 to downtown (north).
Getting to Baltimore by Train
Baltimore is served by Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) and Amtrak.
Amtrak runs intercity rail service to Baltimore. This service is connected to several major United States cities.
MARC is a commuter rail service that runs in Baltimore city; Maryland, Harford County, Martinsburg, Frederick, West Virginia and Maryland; Washington, D.C.; and Maryland, Brunswick. This service runs Monday to Friday. The fare to the airport is $4 per-person one-way
Train station: Penn Station, 1515 North Charles Street. It is served by both Amtrak and MARC.
Duration of journey:
- From Washington, D.C. to Baltimore- 35 minutes
- New York - 2 hours and 15 minutes
- Boston - 6 hours 5 minutes
- Orlando - 18 hours and 30 minutes
- Miami - 24 hours
- New Orleans - 27 hours
- Raleigh -7 hours
Getting Around Baltimore
The public transportation system in Baltimore is managed and run by Maryland Transit Administration (MTA). The MTA offers effective and affordable ways to navigate the city, such as Light Rail, MARC train service, bus service and Metro subway. The best mode of transport to travel around Baltimore is by car, be it rental or your own.
Public Transportation
Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) manages and runs buses, the Maryland area rail commuter, Light rail and metro subway. Monthly or weekly passes are available.
- For local bus, the single one-way ticket would cost $1.70
- For 90-minute Light Rail ride: the fare is $1.70
- For express bus, the one-way fare is $2.
- The fare for MARC train and commuter buses depends on the journey.
- Day pass can also be taken; the cost is $4.
You can purchase the pass from vending machine at the light rail or subway stations or at any bus operator.
You can purchase a
CharmCity card for $10. It is a plastic rechargeable card. You can buy the passes online via the MTA’s transit store at retailers across Baltimore or at 6 St Paul Street.
Light Rail: It connects the center to the southern and north suburbs and provides service to the BWI airport and Amtrak Penn Station, Baltimore.
Getting Around Baltimore by Charm City Circulator
Charm City Circulator bus is a city-run service that run in every 10minutes. The Charm City Circulator is free of charge. It provides services to best attractions of the city. There are four color coded routes- orange, purple, green and banner.
Orange Route: Operates from east to west from Hollins Market to Harbor East.
Purple Route: operates from north to south between Penn Station and Federal Hill.
Green Route: Operates from downtown east, serving the Johns Hopkins medical center, Power Plant Live and Fells point.
Banner Route: Runs from the Inner Harbor to Fort McHenry.
Bus timings: The Circulator buses during summer run from Monday to Thursday- 6:30am-9:00pm, Friday-until midnight, Saturday: 9:00am-mightnight; and Sunday-9:00am-9:00pm
Getting Around Baltimore by Taxi
Hail a taxi on streets of Baltimore. Checker or Yellow Cabs are easily available in Baltimore. The fare begins at $1.80 for the first one-eleventh mile, plus an additional $0.20 for each extra one-eleventh mile. Evening trips might charge an extra surcharge. Some of the taxi companies operating in Baltimore are:
Uber www.uber.com/cities/baltimore
Lyft www.lyft.com/cities/baltimore
Yellow Cab Address: 6051 Belle Grove Rd, Baltimore, MD 21225, United States
Phone: 1 410-609-1200
Website:
www.yellowcabofbaltimore.com DIAMOND CABAddress: 1920 Ashburton St, Baltimore, MD 21216, United States
Phone: 1 410-947-3333
Website:
www.diamondcab.com
Arrow CabAddress: 5020 Wabash Ave, Baltimore, MD 21215, United States
Phone: 1 443-575-4111
Website:
www.arrowcabmd.comChecker Cab Assoc IncAddress: Baltimore, MD, United States
Phone: 1 443-966-3075
Website:
www.taxicabbaltimoremd.comBest BWI Taxi Cab incAddress: 1201 W Pratt St, Baltimore, MD 21223, United States
Phone: 1 443-377-1616
Website:
www.bwitaxicab.com Baltimore City TaxiAddress: 5020 Wabash Ave, Baltimore, MD 21215, United States
Phone: 1 410-327-7777
Website:
www.baltimorecitytaxi.com
Getting Around Baltimore by Car
The best way to get around Baltimore is by car, either car rental or your own.
Car hire: In Baltimore, there are many car rental companies. Some of the car hire agencies in Baltimore are:
Rent-A-WreckAddress: 4010 W Northern Pkwy, Baltimore, MD 21215, United States
Phone: 1 410-466-1441
Website:
www.rentawreck.com/cheap-car-rental-baltimore-MDEnterprise Rent-A-CarAddress: 1307 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD 21231, United States
Phone: 1 410-276-4850
Website:
http://www.enterprise.com/car_rental/deeplinkmap.do?gpbr=1837&bid=004&cnty=US&mobi=trueAvis Car RentalAddress: 101 W Fayette St, Baltimore, MD 21201, United States
Phone: 1 410-685-6405
Website:
www.locations.avis.com/us/md/baltimore/ba5
Everyday Car RentalAddress: 5306 Park Heights Ave, Baltimore, MD 21215, United States
Hertz Rent A CarAddress: 5720 Reisterstown Rd, Baltimore, MD 21215, United States
Phone: 1 410-358-7685
Website:
www.hertz.com/rentacar/reservationBudget Car RentalAddress: 903 Dulaney Valley Rd, Towson, MD 21204, United States
Phone: 1 410-321-5580
Website:
www.locations.budget.com/us/md/towson/t8m
Spirit Rent-A-CarAddress: 3303 Washington Blvd, Baltimore, MD 21227, United States
Phone: 1 800-716-4144
Website:
www.spiritrentacar.comBicycle hire: You can also hire a bicycle to get around Baltimore. The city has a biking route. Some of the bicycle rental companies are:
Light Street Cycles: It rents out bicycles.
Address: 1015 Light Street
Phone: 1 410 685 2234
Website:
www.lightstcycles.comBaltimore Bicycle Works- Hire a bike from here-
Address: 1831 Falls Road
Phone: 1 410 605 0705
Website:
www.baltimorebicycleworks.com
Getting Around Baltimore by Water Taxi
Water taxi is the one of the most popular way of getting around Baltimore. There are plenty of water taxis in the city. If you want to take tour of the city’s main attractions and views, this is the best option. There are blue and white in color taxis that stops at more than 30 places. It shops across the Inner Harbor, Fort Mc Henry, Fells Point, Maritime Park, and more. Day passes are available. For adults, the fare is $9.00 and for children below the age of 10, the fare is $4.00. In collaboration with the Charm City Circulator service, some routes across the Inner Harbor are free of charge from 7:00am-7:00pm.
**You can purchase the water taxi ticket online, or at the taxi kiosk at Harbor place, or on boat.
Getting Around Baltimore Map Guide
