Will be in Baltimore for a long weekend and I have a few questions.

1) Can you get by without a rental car? Is it possible to take public transit to the Stadium and Inner Harbor from the airport?

2) Can you take public transit from the Baltimore airport to DC?

thanks

I'm not an expert, but I do go there once or twice a year. (In fact, I will be there this weekend).

I always get a rental car, but that's because I have business outside of the Inner Harbor area. You can take a cab from the airport, no problem. Downtown is not that far.

Once there, you can take a cab, but I have found that cabs aren't roaming the town everywhere (especially late at night). If I need a cab, I pop into the nearest hotel and see if they can call me one (if there's not one there already). If you do get a car and stay in the Inner Harbor, parking will probably cost you.

From the Stadium to Inner Harbor to Fells Point isn't far. Whether you need a car depends on what you're interested in seeing.

Sorry I can't answer #2 for you.

You can get around Inner Harbor area and a lot of downtown without a car.

From BWI, walk north, past the E terminal baggage claim area, and just outside the doors is the "Light Rail". Purchase tix from a machine: $1.35 1-way or better, get the $3 all day unlimited travel on lightrail, bus & subway ticket.

You will be at the end of the line, so just ride (north) and get off at either Camdem Yards or Convention Center stop. (I assume you will not be carrying a lot of luggage!)

2- BWI to DC? 3 public trans choices

a) catch the B30 Metrobus from BWI from the bus shelter you'll see outside the E terminal while walking to the LightRail (have exact amount $2). The bus will make a ~35 minute trip to the GREENBELT Metro station, where you purchase Metro pass (consider the $5 all day pass).

b) take free shuttle bus from outside baggage areas to the BWI RR station. If a weekday, take MARC commuter rail to DC Union Station. Fare $5, less if r/t

c) if weekend, take shuttle bus to RR station, and take AMTRAK to Union Station. Expensive: $20+ for coach, more on Acela.

I often arrive a BWI and just don't bother to pick up my luggage, and go to InnerHarbor for the day, return to pick up my bags, and continue to DC. (remove the x in my eddress to reply)

Thankyou both for the help.
R-travels brought up a point I considered of leaving luggage and picking up later. I won't have much (backpack).
I am going for a Ravens football game.

Now without the car rental I am concerned about my backpack at the game.
Are there lockers in the rail stations?

I didn't know the $5 light rail did not work between Baltimore and DC on weekends. That throws a wrench in the whole thing.

Don't count on getting a locker anywhere! I spent a lot of time, and phone calls in April, to no avail.

If the Stadium is like many others, you won't be able to bring in your backpack. As I suggested, just check it on your flight TO BWI, but don't pick it up at the airport, until after the game.

If you take lightrail back to the airport, then you can catch the B30 Bus to Greenbelt, as I suggested. Lightrail runs ~ each 12 minutes, the B30 Metrobus runs each 40 minutes, leaving BWI at 9:40am until 10:20pm with one last trip at 10:50pm

The Lightrail runs weekends between BWI and Baltimore, it's just that the MARC commuter train from BWI to DC doesn't run weekends. Email me if you need more help, but remove the X in my eddress, it's to foil spam-bots.

R-travels
thanks for the great advice.
let me be more specific though,
we will fly into BWI on a Sat. am for a Sunday afternoon game.

Problem is we want to avoid the car rental if possible (traffic, parking, etc.)

We need the backpack for a change of clothes and will stay in downtown Baltimore Sat. night. Before the game Sunday afternoon we must find a place to dump the pack. Since you said there are no lockers this will leave one of two options

1) go to the airport early am Sunday and check them for the late night flight.

2) get a car rental

suggestions?

Where are you staying? If it's a bigger hotel (even sometimes a smaller one if the hotel staff is nice), you may be able to check it with the bellman at the hotel, then pick it up later. Usually not a problem if you're picking it up in the same day. I don't know how much of an inconvenience this will be for you since you have a flight later on in the day.

Airlines don't let you check in hours and hours ahead of time. However, you can always check with the airline. I recommend you check with the hotel option first.

Thanks mina but our flight is about two hours after the game and not really an option to return downtown again.

Airlines have maximum window before flight that you can check yourself and/or stuff in - might not work to check bag in AM for PM flight.

Agree with above poster who said backpacks not allowed at most stadiums - can't bring them in in NY or Boston, maybe not anywhere.

Leave it at hotel seems best idea, but you say you won't have time to return - could be a problem.

Call the Ravens, or better yet, Ravens Stadium. In Washington, you can bring bags into Fedex Field but they must be hand-checked.

A similar BWI dilemma. Does anyone know if people other than ticketed passengers allowed in the gate area (concourse E to be specific).

topping

Denise,

The answer is "I don't know" but given the security I would be very surprised if non-ticketed BWI passengers could make their way to the gate E. The day I flew out, there was around a 35 minute wait to get through security, as well, so even if you could, would you necessarily want to?

When attending ravens games, I have noticed places immediately outside of the stadium where you can check a backpack, in case you brought one only to find out you can't enter with it. I have always found a bag check on the promenade that leads from the north parking lots into the stadium (btw Camden Yards and Ravens stadium).