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Getting There By Air:

Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI)
Tel: (410) 859 7111 or 1 800 435 9294.
Website: www.bwiairport.com

Baltimore/Washington International is located 16km (10 miles) south of Baltimore, off Route 295, 48km (30 miles) northeast of Washington, DC.

Approximate flight times to Baltimore: From London, is 8 hours 30 minutes; from New York is 1 hour 15 minutes; from Los Angeles is 5 hours; from Toronto is 1 hour 35 minutes; from Chicago is 1 hour 50 minutes and from Sydney is 21 hours.

Airport facilities: A wide range of restaurants, bars, shopping and duty-free, as well as business and postal services, ATMs and bureaux de change. TDD phones and visual paging for the hearing impaired as well as wheelchair service. Wi-Fi is available throughout. Car hire is available from Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National, Enterprise and Thrifty.

Transport to the city: By road, the trip Downtown takes about 20 minutes; half this to Baltimore's Penn station. The BWI Super Shuttle can be ordered on your arrival (tel: 1 800 258 3826, website: www.supershuttle.com), as can The Airport Shuttle (tel: (410) 381 2772 or 1 800 776 0323; website: www.theairportshuttle.com). The Bay Runner Shuttle (tel: (410) 912 6000; website: www.bayrunners.com) transports passengers to Easton and Salisbury. Some hotels have their own complimentary shuttle service. Alternatively, an airport taxi Downtown costs about US$32.

The regional Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) train (tel: 1 866 743 3682; website: www.mtamaryland.com) and national Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245; website: www.amtrak.com) can take you from the airport to Penn station in 30 minutes.

Getting There By Road:

The road network in America is very good. The general rule for numbering on US freeways and interstates is that the odd numbers go north-south and even numbers go east-west for the entire length, although at any single, localized point this may seem different. Interstate roads are designated by the letter ‘I' and a corresponding number.

Driving is on the right. Speed limits on motorways can vary. The general maximum is 90kph (55mph), occasionally rising to 105kph (65mph). Speed limits in residential areas can be as slow as 30kph (20mph), with specifically posted limits near schools. It is illegal to pass a yellow school bus when it is stationary with its lights flashing. Seat belts are obligatory for front-seat passengers. Prosecution for drink-driving is severe - the maximum legal alcohol to blood ratio is 0.08%.

The legal driving age in Baltimore is 16 years. A British driving license is valid, although a temporary International Driving Permit is also a good idea. Third party insurance is mandatory, although it is highly recommended for driving visitors to ensure that they have adequate travel medical insurance, as medical treatment in the USA is costly.

Many gas stations situated on main roads are open 24 hours a day and operate a pre-pay system at the pumps using a credit card - otherwise, drivers should make themselves known to the cashier.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) (tel: 1 800 763 9900; website: www.aaamidatlantic.com) provides emergency service and information in addition to reciprocal benefits to members of automobile clubs in other countries.

Emergency breakdown service: AAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357/AAA HELP).

Routes to the city: All the major routes approaching Baltimore meet the I-695, called the Baltimore Beltway, which circles the city. The Jones Falls Expressway (the I-83) winds into the central Inner Harbor district, from the north. The I-395 comes in from the southeast, with good access to Downtown Baltimore and the Port. The Baltimore National Pike road (US Route 40) approaches from the west, from Frederick. The I-95 comes from Philadelphia and New York in the northwest and continues southwest towards Washington, DC, running parallel to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The I-97 leads in from the south, linking Baltimore to Annapolis. The I-895, the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel Thruway, bypasses Downtown.

Tolls operate at the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (I-895), at the Fort McHenry Tunnel (I-95) and both north- and southbound at the Francis Scott Key Bridge (part of the Baltimore Beltway). There are also tolls northbound on the John F Kennedy Memorial Highway (part of I-95).

Approximate driving times to Baltimore: From Washington, DC - 45 to 60 minutes; Philadelphia - 1 hour 30 minutes; Harrisburg - 1 hour 30 minutes; and New York - 3 hours.

Coach services: Greyhound (tel: 1 800 231 2222; website: www.greyhound.com) operates frequent coach services, connecting Baltimore with all major US and Canadian cities. The main bus station, Downtown Baltimore Terminal is at 2100 Haines St (tel: (410) 752 7682). The Baltimore Travel Plaza, Best Western Hotel, 5625 O'Donnell Street (tel: (410) 633 6389) is less busy. Both are open 24 hours a day.

Getting There By Rail:

Penn Station, 1515 North Charles Street (tel: (410) 291 4165/9), is located about 3.2km (2 miles) from the inner harbor. It is served well by MARC and AMTRAK and has restaurants, ATMs, a postal vending machine, waiting room, phones, baggage checking, porter service, full disabled access and car hire. There is no integrated national enquiries hotline, so contact your service provider or relevant station.

Rail services: Baltimore is situated along the north-eastern Amtrak corridor from Washington, DC to Boston via Philadelphia and New York. Journey times are as follows: Washington (40 minutes), New York (2 hours 30 minutes), Boston (7 hours), Orlando (20hours) and Miami (24 hours) in Florida, New Orleans (38 hours) in Louisiana and Raleigh (7 hours) in North Carolina. Change in Washington for local trains to West Virginia.

Getting Around:



Public Transport
Maryland Mass Transit Administration (MTA) (tel: (410) 539 5000; website: www.mtamaryland.com), operates a Light Rail system, a Metro Subway, buses and the MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter) between Baltimore and Washington, DC. Day Passes are available, giving unlimited local bus, Light Rail and Metro Subway access. Those 65 years and older can ride for about a third of the cost on the local bus, Light Rail and Metro Subway, and approximately half fare on the MARC Train service.

The Light Rail connects the center to the northern and southern suburbs and offers service to BWI Marshall Airport and Amtrak's Baltimore Penn Station. It operates at street level, crossing several bodies of water by bridge. It stops at the plush Mount Vernon district, Lexington Market area and the cultural area around Cathedral Street and Oriole Park. Buy your ticket from a vending machine before boarding.

The 14 station Metro Subway runs from the Owings Mills corporate and shopping complex through the heart of Downtown Baltimore's business, shopping and sightseeing districts to world-renowned Johns Hopkins Hospital. The metro is clean and fast, if limited. Alight at Lexington Market or Charles Center to walk to the Inner Harbor area. Buy a ticket from a vending machine before boarding.

Buses run frequently, providing an easy means of seeing the city. Pay exact fare as you board.

Taxis
Taxis can be hailed on the street, boarded from ranks and booked by phone. Grab a Yellow Cab (tel: (410) 752 1096) or Atwater Cab (tel: (410) 682 2100), both of which use meters. Tips of 15% are generally expected.

Use Ed Kane's Water Taxis to see the whole Inner Harbor area (tel: (410) 563 3901 or 1 800 658 8947; website: www.thewatertaxi.com). It's rather like a bus service, serving 17 landing points, and is great fun. From April to the end of September, the water taxis go out to Fort McHenry National Monument. Normal service runs 1100-1800 in winter and 1000-2000 in the busier months. Buy a well-priced all day unlimited pass. Private hourly hire can be arranged for groups.

Driving in the City
Don't drive in the Downtown area if you can avoid it; the one-way system is tricky and parking is both expensive and difficult. Metered street parking requires plenty of ‘quarters' (25 cents); time per quarter decreases as you get closer to the center. Some locations limit stay to an hour - others give up to four hours; less central spots can be used for up to 10 hours. To save hassle, save your car for out-of-the-way and out-of-town attractions.

At traffic lights, unless otherwise specified, a right turn on red is permitted after making a complete stop. At crossroads with no lights, the car to the right has the 'right of way'. At a junction, a flashing amber light means ‘be prepared to stop'. A flashing red means ‘stop' and proceed on a first-come, first-go basis. Cars must stop for all pedestrians crossing the street.

Car Hire
Foreign driving licenses are valid as long as they are in English. If your own insurance policy doesn't cover driving abroad, make sure you take out optional CDW (Collision Damage Waiver). Minimum driving ages range from 21 to 25 depending on the company.

Most of the major companies are available: Alamo (tel: (410) 859 8092 airport or 1 800 462 5266; website: www.alamo.com); Avis (tel: (410) 859 1680 airport or 1 800 577 1521; website: www.avis.com); Budget (tel: (410) 691 2913 airport or 1 800 314 7934; website: www.budget.com); Dollar (tel: (866) 434 2226 airport or 1 800 800 3665; website: www.dollar.com); Hertz (tel: (410) 684 7900 airport or 1 800 654 3131; website: www.hertz.com); National (tel: (410) 859 8092 airport or 1 800 227 7368; website: www.nationalcar.com); and Thrifty (tel: (410) 283 0898 airport or (410) 783 0302 downtown or 1 800 847 4389; website: www.thrifty.com).

Bicycle Hire
Cyclists will enjoy the Gwynns Falls Trail - a unique urban biking (and hiking) route. Light Street Cycles, 1015 Light Street (tel: (410) 685 2234; website: www.lightstcycles.com) hires out bicycles and organizes guided group rides, but is closed on Sunday.

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