Maryland · United States
Baltimore travel guide
Baltimore is a city in Maryland, United States, home to about 586,000 people.
- Nearest airport
- BWI13 km · Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
- Currency
- USDUnited States dollar
- Time zone
- America/New York
- Language
- Carolinian, Chamorro, Hawaiian
About
About Baltimore
Baltimore, also known as Baltimore City, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland. It is the 30th-most populous U.S. city with a population of 585,708 at the 2020 census and estimated at 569,997 in 2025, while the Baltimore metropolitan area at 2.86 million residents is the 22nd-largest metropolitan area in the nation.
Baltimore's long and rich history traces its earliest roots back to 1661, when David Jones became the first white person to settle within its city limits, but begins in earnest in 1729, when the colonial government joined the patchwork of small hamlets together into the Town of Baltimore. Quickly after incorporation, Baltimore grew into one of the largest cities and most important ports in what is now the United States, and during the American Revolution also briefly served as national capital.
Wikipedia and Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Things to do
What to see and do in Baltimore
See
The Inner Harbor is the center of the city not only in the geographic but also in the tourist sense: it's a baffling, boisterous scene with plenty of eating and shopping, and often also live music by jazz groups, crooners, and the like. You'll hear Baltimoreans themselves scorn the Inner Harbor as a hypercommercialized tourist trap that's devoid of true local culture. While they have a point, the local perception is a bit of an exaggeration: prefab ambience or no, the harbor is a must-see attraction for visitors to Baltimore, not least because of the excellent museums and other attractions it offers.
Do
If there's one thing Baltimoreans love, it's sports — their tenacious loyalty to their local teams is remarkable even in the high-intensity world of American sports fanhood. That's especially true when it comes to Major League Baseball's Baltimore Orioles and the NFL's Baltimore Ravens, Charm City's representatives in the big four leagues of U.S. pro sports. Both of these teams' home stadiums are situated within a few blocks of each other in South Baltimore, just a stone's throw from the Inner Harbor: Camden Yards and M&T Bank Stadium, respectively.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Where to stay
Which part of Baltimore to stay in
Baltimore has an absolutely staggering number of officially designated neighborhoods. Though some are just a few blocks in size, each has its own unmistakable character.
The vast majority of visitors stay in the Inner Harbor, right by the main attractions. Few cities have such a well-defined tourist district, and it is therefore no surprise that nearly all the major hotels in the city are located there. Business travelers can certainly stay in the Inner Harbor and remain close to the central business district, and thus get better views from their rooms. But the most convenient business hotels, chain hotels all, are located downtown. The business district is not a very good location if you are looking for nightlife — after being duly creeped out by the emptiness of the downtown streets after dark, you'll only give up and head to the Harbor or Midtown anyway.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
When to go
The best time to visit Baltimore
Baltimore has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; September is the wettest, with about 114 mm of rain.
Comfortable means average daytime high between 18 °C and 29 °C and under 80 mm of rain in the month. Averages for 1991–2020 over the surrounding area, a grid square about 50 km across, so a coast or a nearby mountain can make the town itself warmer or cooler. Data: CRU TS v4.10, Climatic Research Unit, University of East Anglia (Open Database License).
Getting there
Getting to Baltimore: airports and arrival
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), about 13 km from the city centre in a straight line; Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, 61 km) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD, 82 km) are also within reach.
Getting in
Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI) is located about 10 miles from the city center and offers non-stop flights from just about every major airport in the United States, plus a handful of international flights. The dominant airline at BWI is Southwest Airlines, which uses BWI as an operating base to connect eastbound overnight red-eye flights from the West Coast to the East Coast and the Caribbean. Frontier Airlines connects BWI to several US hub airports. Several other airlines also serve BWI, but only as a spoke airport in support of hub airports elsewhere.
Getting around
Public transportation in Baltimore is nothing spectacular. Fares to ride light rail, buses and subway are $2.00 each way, and $4.60 buys you a day pass that gets you unlimited rides on all three. You can buy a physical pass from any bus operator or vending machine at subway/light rail stations, or using the CharmPass app on your smartphone. As a general rule, the light rail system is far more useful for getting to the city than getting around within it. You may wish to park outside the city (for free!) and take the light rail in.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
BWI · Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
DCA · Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
IAD · Washington Dulles International Airport
Local knowledge
Eating, drinking and staying safe in Baltimore
Eat
A wide variety of dining options can be found in Baltimore, but no visit to Maryland is complete without a sampling of the local favorite: steamed crabs! During the summer harvest season (May to September), picking crabs or indulging in a crab feast is a popular way to spend the afternoon with family and friends. However, offseason, crab may be imported from as far away as Texas. Steamed shrimp, corn on the cob, and beer are popular side dishes. If steamed crabs are too adventurous, you should at least sample a crab cake, crab bisque, or vegetable crab soup.
Drink
The two neighborhoods with the largest concentrations of drinking establishments and clubs are Fells Point and the Inner Harbor. Fells Point is the city's most popular district for both eating and drinking, located about a 15 minute walk or a short cab ride from downtown. Many bars in this area feature live music and most have excellent selections of Maryland and imported craft beers. Meanwhile, the Inner Harbor nightlife scene is centered on Powerplant Live!, a two-block area of nothing but bars, clubs and restaurants. It has an outdoor area featuring music and other events during good weather.
Stay safe
Baltimore's reputation as a dangerous city was cemented internationally by the HBO series The Wire — a reputation that's not entirely unwarranted, but with which the average traveler should not get overly concerned. Most crime occurs between individuals that know each other, or in impoverished areas of the city, where tourists will have little reason to go. Few if any travelers will have any encounters with that isolated culture of drug and gang-related activity. Muggings are the crime for tourists to be concerned with. The areas of Baltimore that attract tourists are safe.
Wikivoyage contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0; excerpted.
Questions
Baltimore: questions travellers ask
When is the best time to visit Baltimore?
Baltimore has no month that is both mild and dry by the measure used here. July is the warmest month, with average highs of 31 °C; September is the wettest, with about 114 mm of rain.
Which airport is closest to Baltimore?
The nearest airport with scheduled flights is Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport (BWI), about 13 km from the city centre in a straight line; Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA, 61 km) and Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD, 82 km) are also within reach.
What currency is used in Baltimore?
United States dollar (USD).
Nearby
Destinations near Baltimore
Sources: city facts from Wikidata and Wikipedia; airports from OurAirports; climate from CRU TS v4.10 (University of East Anglia Climatic Research Unit), 1991–2020 monthly means, 0.5° grid; places to stay, guest scores and amenities from each operator's own public pages. How this guide is made.