we would like to stay in baltimore by night and go to dc by day. we will only be there 1 1/2 days. can someone recommend a hotel near the baltimore airport that would also have easy access to transportation to the city and evening dining choices. we will not be renting a car.
thanks

What is your reason for doing this? It is not a good plan.

ditto vjp's comment.
Getting into DC from BWI is pretty easy, but evening dining choices near the airport hotels are sparse. You will waste a good portion of your time in transit. Unless there is a very compelling reason to stay around BWI, you will be much better off staying in DC.

Have you thought about staying downtown in Baltimore and riding the train to DC?

we are flying into Baltimore on Sunday and will get in around 1pm. We are flying out of Baltimore on Tuesday morning at 8am. We really don't know where to stay or what we are doing in between. Except our daughter is performing at Kennedy Center Monday evening between 8 and 10 pm. We thought it would be easier traffic wise if we just stayed near the airport. We won't have a car. So we thought we would take the train into the city on Monday morning and find lots of things to see until we see her perform and then take the train back out to our hotel. If someone can suggest an alternate plan I am all for it. I just need to find a hotel with easy access to dc and baltimore airport.
thanks

You could stay in Baltimore's Inner Harbor area and take the train down to DC from Penn Station--the station is located approx. 2 miles from the Inner Harobr. There's a flat rate taxi fee from BWI to downtown of approx. $30. Alternatively, from the airport you could take the light rail (located at the airport) or Amtrak (requires a short shuttle ride to station) from the airport to Penn and then taxi the short distance to the hotel. Sounds as though you'll have Sunday afternoon to explore and eat, might be nice to see some sights while you're here.

http://preview.tinyurl.com/ctdvzc

http://preview.tinyurl.com/c3ubgb

Perhaps it's only me, but the OP is spending a day and a half in the area with one full day of it in DC so I'm not sure how staying the in Inner Harbor (as great as it is) makes much sense.

There are a number of chain hotels at BWI with shuttle service to the terminals.

The key to making this work , jwuch, is going to be making certain that there is public transportation from DC back to BWI after 10 pm on Monday night. The MARC schedule has a train leaving DC's Union Sta at 10:30 but getting there from the Kennedy Center is cutting it pretty close.

Really, flying into Reagan National would have been much simpler. But good luck with your trip and especially with your daughter's performance.

I would stay near Union Station and take the earliest train on Tuesday a.m. to the airport around 6:30 - 7:00, assuming no checked baggage.

If you are flying Southwest, you need to be home at a specific time or there have been fare changes you don't want to pay.

does the light rail at BWI go to the Inner Harbor?

http://www.bwiairport.com/en/travel/...rans/lightrail

Light Rail service is available to downtown Baltimore, Timonium, and Hunt Valley from BWI Marshall Airport. To go to Penn Station, please exit the train at Mt. Royal Avenue, and take the Penn Station Light Rail. There is only one fare for both trains at $1.60 each way.

If the OP is going to DC, then it makes NO sense at all to stay in Baltimore. The "W" in the airport name "BWI" stands for Washington.

You can get an express bus from the BWI airport terminal to the Washington Metro's Greenbelt station, or take a shuttle from the terminal to the BWI train station and take a MARC commuter train into the city. The only reason to stay near the airport rather than in DC is the early hour of the OP's flight, since the DC Metro doesn't wake up until after 5 AM.

Ooops just remembered that you arrive on Sunday: the MARC commuter trains don't run on weekends, though you can catch an Amtrak train into the city, too.

"Except our daughter is performing at Kennedy Center Monday evening between 8 and 10 pm."

There is no train to BWI at that time. The last train leaves Union Station at 10pm.

Wait, there is a MARC train at 10:30. That assumes you can get from the Kennedy Center to Union Station in time to get it.

will we have trouble getting from dc to bwi in the am. I would rather stay in the city and take one of those evening tours of the monuments due to our limited time. So we should stay near union station?
thanks

I think staying near Union Station is a good idea so you will be close in the morning on Tuesday. You will not have trouble getting from DC to BWI in the am unless you oversleep or there is a track problem.

I think the MARC train line you want is the Penn Line
http://www.mtamaryland.com/services/...N_HTML_New.cfm

You can check the Amtrak from Union Station to BWI at www.amtrak.com

>>Wait, there is a MARC train at 10:30. That assumes you can get from the Kennedy Center to Union Station in time to get it.

I totally skipped over your post, obxgirl. Sorry.

ok so you have convinced me to stay near union station. now i have to find a hotel. any suggestions??? We are sort of on a budget.

Thanks, MikeT, I know that shouldn't have bothered me.

Hey, jwuch, help us out a little. What does "sort of on a budget" mean?

$1? $100? $3,000?

I'd check out the Red Roof near Chinatown (500 H Street NW). If they have rooms, they'll probably be in the range of $140 to $180 a night. You'll be a short cab ride from Union Sta, less than 10 minutes. The Hotel Harrington is another lower budget place. Consider Priceline.