michele

I will be in Washington DC for a while and would like to take a daytrip up to Baltimore one day to see the Aquarium, Inner Harbor, etc. -- general touristy stuff. The catch is that I will not have a car and am not particularly interested in renting one. I thought about taking Amtrak up, but someone told me that the Amtrak station in Baltimore is nowhere near the tourist sites I'm interested in. Is that true? The same person also suggested that there are commuter trains that go up. Do these go closer to where I want to go? Does anyone know the stop in Baltimore that I should be looking for, and the cost? Thanks in advance.

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Ruth

The commuter train is the MARC and you can catch it at Union Station. It runs only in the morning and evening rush hours. You want the line that will take you to the Camden Yards Station--don't remember which one that is. Also don't remember their website address, but their phone number is 800/325-7245.

?

Actually runs all day till 8 or 9pm but only Mon-Fri. Runs more frequently during commute times. $5 to BWI , can't tell you how much more beyond there. Should be easy to do a search for MARC train on www.google.com.

michele

If the MARC train runs only on weekdays, then that doesn't help me because I would be going up to Baltimore on a weekend.

Is there any public transportation from the Baltimore Amtrak station to the Aquarium/Inner Harbor area?

Daniel Williams

Hi Michele,

Check out www.mtamaryland.com for MARC train schedules.

The MARC Camden line takes you a few blocks from the Inner Harbor (Baltimore Camden Station)...the MARC Penn LIne will drop you off at Penn Station in Baltimore. MARC trains only run on weekdays as mentioned ($10.25 round trip), so if you want to go on a weekend, Amtrak is the only way to go by train...it will drop you off at Penn Station ($41-46 round trip).

I would beg to differ with the someone who told you Amtrak's Penn Station is nowhere near the tourist sites. Penn Station is about a 25-minute walk from the Inner Harbor and the Aquarium. Alternatively, you can catch the #3 bus (have $1.35 change ready) which stops on St. Paul St. right next to the train station and goes straight to the Inner Harbor OR take the Light Rail from Penn Station and get off at Camden Yards ($1.35). Or you could simply take a taxi from Penn Station, taxis are plentiful...and will cost you around $5 to the Inner Harbor.

Enjoy. Baltimore can be a lot of fun.

DAN

michele

Wow, thanks Daniel! You always have lots of good info on Philly, Montreal, NY, & all sorts of places.

Although I must say, it seems really strange that Amtrak costs SO much more than MARC, and what a shame that MARC doesn't run on the weekends.

Daniel Williams

Hi Michele--

I agree with you 100% that there should be MARC trains on weekends; the difference in price is annoying but I've come to accept it. Unfortunately, the Northeast Corridor is where Amtrak makes most profit, so intercity travel is more expensive here.

Another quirky thing about Baltimore is that the subway does not run on Sundays(which won't be going anywhere you will, so don't worry about that). If you do decide to come to the city on a Sunday, note that the light rail from Penn Station only starts running at 11am. All these things drive me crazy about the city, but armed with MTA schedules, I've managed to live pretty well without a car. I wish I could improve the public transport but alas...
You'd think Baltimore would want to make things as easy as possible for tourists to come visit...

Thanks for enjoying my input. Glad to know someone noticed DAN

AJ

I am interested in getting from Baltimore Airport to central Washington arriving on a Saturday and returning on Thursday. Any ideas cheaper than a taxi?

J

I would have to disagree with Dan's comments. As a Baltimore native, I would strongly recommend against walking from Penn Station downtown. It is a very long walk and some of the neighborhoods around the area are borderline (some are great-but if you got lost and went the wrong way you could end up in trouble-especially by yourself. ) The bus is a good idea, as is the light rail or a taxi.

Daniel Williams

J. Weaver

Yes I agree that a taxi, bus or light rail are Michele's quickest options from Penn Station (certainly at night). However, I must stand up for myself since I have walked from Penn Station to the Inner Harbor on many an occasion...but agree that one would not want to risk getting lost. I should have specified, if one is to walk from Penn Station, to go down Saint Paul one block, take a right on Mt. Royal, turn down Charles and take that all the way to Pratt. IMO that's the safest-feeling way since there's lots of stores to duck into and there is some people-traffic. It's about a half an hour walk, but through the quite charming Mount Vernon neighborhood.

DAN

Claudia

Regarding getting to downtown Washington from BWI: there is a Amtrak station near the airport. The airport shuttle used to go there because there is a parking lot there. However, I think that lot might be under construction. I would think you get get more information from the BWI website. Also, Super Shuttle might also provide service into DC. Either would be cheaper than taking a cab; in fact renting a car would probably be cheaper too. Good luck.

RTraveler

Best buy for getting around Baltimore is the all day pass for $3. Unlimited travel on light rail, bus, and subway. Tickets available at machines at most lightrail stops, maybe others.

Catch light rail from the BWI terminal, passing Camdem Yards & Inner Harbor area, ending at Penn Station Baltimore.

(to reply, remove x from my e-ddress)