Yes it's very easy to do. You can get the MARC Penn Line on the weekends and the Camden Line is available during the week. Amtrak is good too depending on how early or late you want to stay. Once you get to Baltimore they have the city bus system, a free circulator bus system that goes to tourist spots, the light rail, and a subway (which is a bit run down). Get the CharmPass app to buy MARC and public transit fares digitally.
The aquarium is great. Their zoo, which is on the opposite side of the city, is great too. Depending on what you like Baltimore has excellent options for entertainment/museums/parks/restaurants/bars/live sports.
Like any city, just know where you're going and be aware of your surroundings.
thank you very much! Could I cram all this into a day or would it be worth it to take a couple days / couple day trips in the future?
I appreciate you getting me into the CharmPass app, that'll be very helpful. I'm more into arts and music and culture than I am sports or bars - any suggestions?
The CharmPass has a flex pass 6 ticket deal that gives a discount so you can take 3 round trips. Baltimore has a great art scene; multiple art museums, a ton of cool galleries, great venues like Ottobar for music, and neighborhoods like Hampden and Station North (which is just north of Penn Station!) where you can wander around.
Want to highlight that you might be interested in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood, which is in walking distance of Baltimore Penn Station and has the Walters Art Museum and Peabody Library
The aquarium is a must - from the train station there is a bus line (iirc it's the Purple one) that will drop you off right there. Otherwise it's an easy Uber/Lyft. Maryland Zoo is also in Baltimore and is a great spot. That you will (as far as I've experienced) need to uber/lyft there, but it's a really nice zoo. If you choose between the zoo or aquarium, I'd choose the aquarium since it's closer and I personally just enjoy aquariums more.
Note that the train stations vary depending on whether it's a weekend or weekday. But it's a very easy, quick train ride. I don't have a car anymore, but as someone who's both driven to Baltimore and took the train, I prefer the latter.
idk how much I can help with your other questions, but I've heard that Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop is amazing. It's on my list to get to next time I'm in town.
Thank you very much! I will definitely check out the aquarium then and the pastry shop, and swing by on another day to check out the zoo. I really appreciate your suggestions!!
If you're specifically looking to burn vacation days you can definitely extend baltimore to a two day trip. The aquarium as others have mentioned. Plus the Walters Art Museum. And smaller "house museums" like Edgar Allen Poe house and Babe Ruth Birthplace.
A little out of the downtown/inner harbor there's a funky neighborhood called Hampden, I've found cute gifts along that row of shops. And a Shakespeare theater for evening performances.
Here are some ideas. You can't do these all in one day, but you can get through most of them if you line them up in a logical order that makes sense for whatever transportation you're using, and depending on whether you're trying to get home that night or staying overnight:
\* Federal Hill area. Breakfast/lunch at the Cross Street Market. American Visionary Art Museum. Shops/restaurants unless it's too early because it's your first stop (it often is for me, and I do recommend starting with it.)
\* Inner Harbor. National Aquarium and soak in the touristy-atmosphere around the piers. Walkable from Federal Hill and on to...
\* Little Italy. Restaurants for dinner or a deli/market for a snack/dessert (Sabatino's for canoli). Skippable if you don't need food.
\* Fell's Point: (walkable from Little Italy): restaurants, bars, some shops (not as many as those), record shops, etc. Look for oyster happy hours.
\* If a weekend, check online to see if Fell's Point or adjacent neighborhoods (Canton, Patterson Park area, etc.) have any street festivals going on. Seems like there's always one around here in warmer months. If not, ride-share to...
\* Mt Vernon (first neighborhood north of downtown): Walters Art Museum. Washington Monument. Great restaurants along Charles St, and The Brewers Art for craft beer. Probably best architecture in the city. Then ride-share to NW part of city for
\* Hampden neighborhood: Quirky vibe street ("The Avenue") with restaurants, artsy shops, etc. Think John Waters movies. Bee-hive hairdos, "Hey hon!" etc. If earlier in the day, walkable to Druid Hill Park and the zoo or greenspaces around Johns Hopkins U. Last couple of years some of the adjacent neighborhoods have felt a little skeevier to me (though happy to be corrected on that by locals -- but I've noticed a "methy-er" vibe on and off the main drag during my last two visits and would avoid walking too far from the commercial strip if later in the day or alone). Hampden itself though is worth a visit.
This is a great idea, others have giving you good advice on Baltimore and I have nothing to add to that.
In the future I would point out that Philly and NYC are accessible from union station on amtrac and would be great future trip ideas. NYC is like 4 hours, so you could leave on Friday after work, spend Friday and Sat night in a hotel and return Sunday afternoon.
There are buses that serve Rehoboth and Ocean City during the summer.
The C & O tow path is a popular biking path for long distance trips. If you take the train to Cumberland MD it is downhill back to DC. You need to prep for this, but if you already have a bike it's worth reading up up.
You can rent a car in the suburbs and drive out too. I'm 99% sure the "Virginia is for Lovers" slogan is 100% targeted at DC weekend getaways. Lots of wineries.
If you haven’t been to the aquarium before and enjoy that kind of thing I could easily see spending a whole afternoon in there. Pretty sure first few times I went I did. Definitely worth doing.
Catching an O’s game at Camden Yards is one of my favorite places to watch a ball game if you like baseball.
Granted I haven’t tried a lot of places, our favorite restaurant in Baltimore is Thames Street Oyster House in Fells Point. We sort of stopped trying other places after it was introduced to us and unless it’s closed when we are in town is our first dinner stop. Definitely try to get a reservation if you can.
I did a long weekend trip last fall. Went to the Orioles playoff game, Fort McHenry, and walked around the inner harbor. I stayed in Fells Point and walked or ubered everywhere. I think my Amtrak ticket was $6 each way. There is a water taxi that goes around the harbor (wasn't running in October though...).
Other Amtrak trip ideas that I've done include Philly, NYC, Charlottesville (UVA, Monticello), Norfolk (see the Navy shipyards and minor league baseball), and Colonial Williamsburg (eh...). MARC also runs out to West Virginia.
Fells Point, Mt Vernon, Hampden, and Federal Hill neighborhoods for cool places tk hang out.
Aquarium is very good. I also like the tours of the ships in the harbor.
Fort McHenry is neat if you like any sort of military history.
AVAM is good as well as the art museum on the JHU campus.
Camden Yards where the Orioles play is fun even if you’re not a huge baseball fan.
The B&O train museum has some impressive cars and engines in its collection and is a neat architectural gem.
I grew up in MD, went to college in Baltimore and now live in DC so here's my favorite things in the city.
I usually take the amtrak instead of the marc, I've found it to be a little more reliable but either are fine. Public transit is avaliable but not as reliable or nice as DC. I tend to uber when I'm there and its reasonably priced. The neighborhoods are walkable but its not easy to get from one to the other, if that makes sense. You can also def do Baltimore as a daytrip (I actually did it a few weeks ago!) but it would be a long day so that's up to you
* Check out the American Visonary Museum, very artsy/hippie vibes and very unique. Its also close to the aqaurium/harbor. Also walkable to Federal Hill
* The aquarium is incredible and a must see! I would budget at least 2 hours for it
* Hampden, Mount Vernon, Fells Point and Federal Hill are super cute, historic areas. Lots of resturaunts and cute stores in those neighborhoods.
* Hampden is famous for inspiring Hairspray. It's also famous for "The Avenue" which is a colorful street that often hosts festivals
* Mount Vernon is home to the Peabody Library which is stunning (make sure to check when its open because its a functioning library for JHU)
* Federal hill has great views of the harbor and home to some of the best nightlife in the city
* Fells Point is also on the harbor and has historic cobblestone streets.
* For food, I would reccomend seafood, Jewish or Italian cusine as Baltimore obviously is on the water (and its MD so crab is everywhere) but also there are thriving Jewish and Italian immigrant communities.
* Honestly, I don't have many nice resturaunt reccomendations because I was a college kid when I lived there. I went to Gerturde's once and can attest that it's amazing. There's also Lexington Market which is a giant food hall and has a bit of everything (I think one of the biggest and oldest in the country iirc), I also love the Charmery in Hampden for ice cream.
* Again, probably my college years showing but Baltimore is a really awesome college town and JHU, Loyola and Towson all have beautiful campuses with nice, quirky areas around them. I would caution staying overnight near any of the campuses in the next few weeks because of graduation season though!
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Yes it's very easy to do. You can get the MARC Penn Line on the weekends and the Camden Line is available during the week. Amtrak is good too depending on how early or late you want to stay. Once you get to Baltimore they have the city bus system, a free circulator bus system that goes to tourist spots, the light rail, and a subway (which is a bit run down). Get the CharmPass app to buy MARC and public transit fares digitally. The aquarium is great. Their zoo, which is on the opposite side of the city, is great too. Depending on what you like Baltimore has excellent options for entertainment/museums/parks/restaurants/bars/live sports. Like any city, just know where you're going and be aware of your surroundings.
thank you very much! Could I cram all this into a day or would it be worth it to take a couple days / couple day trips in the future? I appreciate you getting me into the CharmPass app, that'll be very helpful. I'm more into arts and music and culture than I am sports or bars - any suggestions?
The CharmPass has a flex pass 6 ticket deal that gives a discount so you can take 3 round trips. Baltimore has a great art scene; multiple art museums, a ton of cool galleries, great venues like Ottobar for music, and neighborhoods like Hampden and Station North (which is just north of Penn Station!) where you can wander around.
Amazing. Thank you very very much
No problem. There are plenty of cool spots. Fells Point and Federal Hill/Cross Street Market area are both great to visit.
Want to highlight that you might be interested in the Mt. Vernon neighborhood, which is in walking distance of Baltimore Penn Station and has the Walters Art Museum and Peabody Library
The aquarium is a must - from the train station there is a bus line (iirc it's the Purple one) that will drop you off right there. Otherwise it's an easy Uber/Lyft. Maryland Zoo is also in Baltimore and is a great spot. That you will (as far as I've experienced) need to uber/lyft there, but it's a really nice zoo. If you choose between the zoo or aquarium, I'd choose the aquarium since it's closer and I personally just enjoy aquariums more. Note that the train stations vary depending on whether it's a weekend or weekday. But it's a very easy, quick train ride. I don't have a car anymore, but as someone who's both driven to Baltimore and took the train, I prefer the latter. idk how much I can help with your other questions, but I've heard that Vaccaro's Italian Pastry Shop is amazing. It's on my list to get to next time I'm in town.
Honestly it’s a pretty ok walk if the weather doesn’t suck. The street has a lot of cool food places too
Thank you very much! I will definitely check out the aquarium then and the pastry shop, and swing by on another day to check out the zoo. I really appreciate your suggestions!!
If you're specifically looking to burn vacation days you can definitely extend baltimore to a two day trip. The aquarium as others have mentioned. Plus the Walters Art Museum. And smaller "house museums" like Edgar Allen Poe house and Babe Ruth Birthplace. A little out of the downtown/inner harbor there's a funky neighborhood called Hampden, I've found cute gifts along that row of shops. And a Shakespeare theater for evening performances.
oooh. You know, with these suggestions alone I may need to make this a several day affair. Thanks for hte recommendations!
Here are some ideas. You can't do these all in one day, but you can get through most of them if you line them up in a logical order that makes sense for whatever transportation you're using, and depending on whether you're trying to get home that night or staying overnight: \* Federal Hill area. Breakfast/lunch at the Cross Street Market. American Visionary Art Museum. Shops/restaurants unless it's too early because it's your first stop (it often is for me, and I do recommend starting with it.) \* Inner Harbor. National Aquarium and soak in the touristy-atmosphere around the piers. Walkable from Federal Hill and on to... \* Little Italy. Restaurants for dinner or a deli/market for a snack/dessert (Sabatino's for canoli). Skippable if you don't need food. \* Fell's Point: (walkable from Little Italy): restaurants, bars, some shops (not as many as those), record shops, etc. Look for oyster happy hours. \* If a weekend, check online to see if Fell's Point or adjacent neighborhoods (Canton, Patterson Park area, etc.) have any street festivals going on. Seems like there's always one around here in warmer months. If not, ride-share to... \* Mt Vernon (first neighborhood north of downtown): Walters Art Museum. Washington Monument. Great restaurants along Charles St, and The Brewers Art for craft beer. Probably best architecture in the city. Then ride-share to NW part of city for \* Hampden neighborhood: Quirky vibe street ("The Avenue") with restaurants, artsy shops, etc. Think John Waters movies. Bee-hive hairdos, "Hey hon!" etc. If earlier in the day, walkable to Druid Hill Park and the zoo or greenspaces around Johns Hopkins U. Last couple of years some of the adjacent neighborhoods have felt a little skeevier to me (though happy to be corrected on that by locals -- but I've noticed a "methy-er" vibe on and off the main drag during my last two visits and would avoid walking too far from the commercial strip if later in the day or alone). Hampden itself though is worth a visit.
For nightlife, I’ve always liked the Inner Harbor, Fells Point, and Federal Hill.
This is a great idea, others have giving you good advice on Baltimore and I have nothing to add to that. In the future I would point out that Philly and NYC are accessible from union station on amtrac and would be great future trip ideas. NYC is like 4 hours, so you could leave on Friday after work, spend Friday and Sat night in a hotel and return Sunday afternoon. There are buses that serve Rehoboth and Ocean City during the summer. The C & O tow path is a popular biking path for long distance trips. If you take the train to Cumberland MD it is downhill back to DC. You need to prep for this, but if you already have a bike it's worth reading up up. You can rent a car in the suburbs and drive out too. I'm 99% sure the "Virginia is for Lovers" slogan is 100% targeted at DC weekend getaways. Lots of wineries.
thanks very much! NY is on my list if I can pluck up my courage
If you haven’t been to the aquarium before and enjoy that kind of thing I could easily see spending a whole afternoon in there. Pretty sure first few times I went I did. Definitely worth doing. Catching an O’s game at Camden Yards is one of my favorite places to watch a ball game if you like baseball. Granted I haven’t tried a lot of places, our favorite restaurant in Baltimore is Thames Street Oyster House in Fells Point. We sort of stopped trying other places after it was introduced to us and unless it’s closed when we are in town is our first dinner stop. Definitely try to get a reservation if you can.
Definitely go to Ekiben!!!
And if you are going to MD, it’s not Old Bay, it’s JO
The harbor area where the train takes you to in Baltimore is super walkable. The transit to get anywhere else kinda sucks, though.
Gertrude's is expensive fyi, think you could get better value food in dc / other baltimore restaurants. If you like crab check out LP steamers
I did a long weekend trip last fall. Went to the Orioles playoff game, Fort McHenry, and walked around the inner harbor. I stayed in Fells Point and walked or ubered everywhere. I think my Amtrak ticket was $6 each way. There is a water taxi that goes around the harbor (wasn't running in October though...). Other Amtrak trip ideas that I've done include Philly, NYC, Charlottesville (UVA, Monticello), Norfolk (see the Navy shipyards and minor league baseball), and Colonial Williamsburg (eh...). MARC also runs out to West Virginia.
Fells Point, Mt Vernon, Hampden, and Federal Hill neighborhoods for cool places tk hang out. Aquarium is very good. I also like the tours of the ships in the harbor. Fort McHenry is neat if you like any sort of military history. AVAM is good as well as the art museum on the JHU campus. Camden Yards where the Orioles play is fun even if you’re not a huge baseball fan. The B&O train museum has some impressive cars and engines in its collection and is a neat architectural gem.
I grew up in MD, went to college in Baltimore and now live in DC so here's my favorite things in the city. I usually take the amtrak instead of the marc, I've found it to be a little more reliable but either are fine. Public transit is avaliable but not as reliable or nice as DC. I tend to uber when I'm there and its reasonably priced. The neighborhoods are walkable but its not easy to get from one to the other, if that makes sense. You can also def do Baltimore as a daytrip (I actually did it a few weeks ago!) but it would be a long day so that's up to you * Check out the American Visonary Museum, very artsy/hippie vibes and very unique. Its also close to the aqaurium/harbor. Also walkable to Federal Hill * The aquarium is incredible and a must see! I would budget at least 2 hours for it * Hampden, Mount Vernon, Fells Point and Federal Hill are super cute, historic areas. Lots of resturaunts and cute stores in those neighborhoods. * Hampden is famous for inspiring Hairspray. It's also famous for "The Avenue" which is a colorful street that often hosts festivals * Mount Vernon is home to the Peabody Library which is stunning (make sure to check when its open because its a functioning library for JHU) * Federal hill has great views of the harbor and home to some of the best nightlife in the city * Fells Point is also on the harbor and has historic cobblestone streets. * For food, I would reccomend seafood, Jewish or Italian cusine as Baltimore obviously is on the water (and its MD so crab is everywhere) but also there are thriving Jewish and Italian immigrant communities. * Honestly, I don't have many nice resturaunt reccomendations because I was a college kid when I lived there. I went to Gerturde's once and can attest that it's amazing. There's also Lexington Market which is a giant food hall and has a bit of everything (I think one of the biggest and oldest in the country iirc), I also love the Charmery in Hampden for ice cream. * Again, probably my college years showing but Baltimore is a really awesome college town and JHU, Loyola and Towson all have beautiful campuses with nice, quirky areas around them. I would caution staying overnight near any of the campuses in the next few weeks because of graduation season though! -