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. It is Maryland’s busiest airport, with around 22 million passengers annually using the airport and its new Concourse A/B.
Approximate flight times to Baltimore: From London is 8 hours 30 minutes; from
New York is 1 hour; from Los Angeles is 5 hours 40 minutes; from Toronto is 1 hour 40 minutes; from Chicago is 1 hour 50 minutes and from Sydney is 24 hours.
Airport facilities: Facilities include a wide range of restaurants, bars, shopping and duty-free, as well as postal services, ATMs and bureaux de change. There is a 24-hour disabled request help service. Car hire is available from
Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Hertz, National and
Thrifty. Business facilities are also available.
Transport to the city: BWI Super Shuttle minibus service (tel: 1 800 258 3826, website:
www.supershuttle.com) and
The Airport Shuttle (tel: (410) 381 2772
or 1 800 776 0323; website:
www.theairportshuttle.com), go to Downtown hotels every 30 minutes 0600-2300 (journey time – 30 minutes) and also can be pre-booked for other journeys.
Bay Runner Shuttle (tel: (410) 912 6000; website:
www.bayrunners.com) transports passengers to Easton and Salisbury. Certain hotels have their own complimentary shuttle service. A
MARC (tel: 1 866 743 3682; website:
www.mtamaryland.com) train goes to Penn station (journey time – 30 minutes), weekdays 0700-2200.
Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245; website:
www.amtrak.com) also provides a daily service to Penn station in Baltimore but services can be irregular. There is a continuous, free shuttle bus between the airport and the BWI train station (journey time – less than 10 minutes). Taxis and limousines are available at the airport.
BWI Airport Taxis (tel: (410) 859 1100; website:
www.bwiairporttaxi.com) specifically meet arrivals. The trip Downtown takes about 20 minutes.
Getting There By Road:The motorway (interstate and freeway) 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 the even numbers go east-west over the whole 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. The speed limits on the different motorways can vary. The general maximum is 90kph (55mph), with some spots in and around Baltimore being 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. Seatbelts 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 the cost of medical treatment in the USA is huge.
Petrol (‘gas’) is about two times cheaper in the US than it is in Europe. 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, it is necessary for drivers to make themselves known to pay the cashier.
The
American Automobile Association (AAA) (tel: 1 800 763 9900; website:
www.aaamidatlantic.com) provides emergency service and information and may offer reciprocal benefits to members of automobile clubs in other countries.
Emergency breakdown service: For emergencies dial 911.
AAA 1 800
or 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 right into the central Inner Harbor district, from the north and Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. The I-395 comes in from the southeast, with good access to Downtown Baltimore and to the Port of Baltimore. The Baltimore National Pike road (US Route 40) comes in from the west, from Frederick. The I-95 comes from the northwest, Philadelphia and beyond that, from New York. The I-95 continues southwest towards Washington, DC, running parallel to the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. The I-97 leads in from the south as the main route 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; 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, 210 West Fayette Street (tel: (410) 752 7682), is situated in quite a run-down area, although it is busy during the day. There is a second, less frequented station point at the
Baltimore Travel Plaza, Best Western Hotel, 5625 O’Donnell Street (tel: (410) 633 6389).
Getting There By Rail:Penn Station, 1500 North Charles Street (tel: (410) 291 4261), is located in the Mount Vernon district. Both the local provider,
Maryland Area Rail Commuter (MARC) (tel: 1 866 743 3682; website:
www.mtamaryland.com), and the national provider,
Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245; website:
www.amtrak.com), use this station. Facilities at Penn station include restaurants, ATMs, a postal vending machine, waiting room, baggage checking, porter service, full disabled access and car hire. The standard of service on both MARC and Amtrak is good, with modern networks and comfortable conditions. There is no integrated national enquiries hotline. Travelers with enquiries should contact the separate service providers or the relevant route/destination station.
Rail services: Baltimore is situated along the northeastern Amtrak corridor, which goes from Washington, DC to Boston via Philadelphia and New York. Other destinations are Orlando (journey time – 20 hours) and Miami (journey time – 24 hours) in Florida, New Orleans (journey time – 38 hours) in Louisiana and Raleigh (journey time – 7 hours) in North Carolina. MARC trains head north to Perryville and south to Washington DC (journey time – 35 minutes), from where there are MARC connections on the Brunswick line to destinations in West Virginia (journey time – 1 hour 20 minutes).
Getting Around:Public TransportMaryland Mass Transit Administration (MTA) (tel: 410 539 5000; website:
www.mtamaryland.com), operates a
Light Rail system, the
Metro Subway, local
buses and the commuter railway
MARC (Maryland Area Rail Commuter between Baltimore and Washington, DC).
The
Light Rail connects the center to the northern and southern suburbs, running parallel in the Downtown areas to Howard Street, with convenient stops for the plush Mount Vernon district, Lexington Market area, and the cultural area around Cathedral Street and Oriole Park.
The
Metro Subway is clean and fast but has limited stops. It runs from the northwest of the city and then west to east across Downtown. The Lexington Market and Charles Center stations are within walking distance of the Inner Harbor area.
Buses are frequent and an easy means of getting around the city for sightseeing, although visiting several points might involve many bus changes.
TaxisTaxis can be hailed on the street, found from taxi ranks and booked by telephone. They are particularly convenient for accessing specific locations in the Downtown area, where driving a car can be very frustrating.
Yellow Cab (tel: (410) 752 1096) and
Atwater Cab (tel: (410) 682 2100) are two of the main operators. Taxis (‘cabs’) are metered. Hotel staff and taxi drivers will be able to provide a fairly accurate idea of current fares to main tourist destinations. Tipping of approximately 15% is generally expected.
Baltimore’s water taxi service provides an excellent and cheap way for visitors to see the whole Inner Harbor area, as well as other districts such as Little Italy, Fells Point and Federal Hill. The service is operated by
Harbor Boating (tel: (410) 563 3901
or 1 800 658 8947; website:
www.thewatertaxi.com). It is more like a bus service than a taxi service, as there are several different routes, serving 35 attractions and various key districts. In summer, the water taxis also go out to Fort McHenry National Monument.
Driving in the CityDriving is not recommended in the Downtown area, not only because of the busy one-way streets but also because of the cost and difficulty of parking. There is some street parking with meters, which take a combination of small change, although ‘quarters’ (25 cents) are the most useful. The time available per quarter decreases as the streets become closer to the central area. Tourists will mostly be visiting these central districts, around the Inner Harbor area, which can be achieved without a car. Nevertheless, a car can be of use 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 HireA foreign driving license, provided it is in English, is valid in Baltimore, although an International Driving Permit is also a good idea, as this carries a photograph. Optional CDW (Collision Damage Waiver) insurance is always recommended if not already covered by the driver’s own policy. There is a minimum driving age ranging from 21 to 25.
Referred to as ‘car rental’, most of the major companies are available in Baltimore. These include
Alamo (tel: (410) 850 0199
or 1 800 327 9633; website:
www.alamo.com),
Avis (tel: (410) 859 1680
or 1 800 331 1212; website:
www.avis.com),
Budget (tel: (410) 276 7266
or 1 800 527 0700; website:
www.budget.com),
Dollar (tel: 1 800 800 4000; website:
www.dollar.com),
Hertz (tel: (410) 850 7400
or 1 800 654 3131; website:
www.hertz.com),
National (tel: (410) 850 0199
or 1 800 328 4567; website:
www.nationalcar.com) and
Thrifty (tel: (410) 850 7139
or 1 800 367 2277; website:
www.thrifty.com).
Bicycle HireLight Street Cycles, 1015 Light Street (tel: (410) 685 2234; website:
www.lightstcycles.com) hires out bicycles, but the facility is not open on Sunday. Children’s bicycles are also available, as are accessory items, such as child trailers, vehicle racks and cycle luggage racks.
Bike Baltimore, 1001 Fell Street (tel: (410) 342 2004; website:
www.bikebaltimore.com), does both bike rentals and cycle tours.
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The Columbus World Travel Guide has been published for 26 years and is sold in over 90 countries worldwide.
Word Travels is a comprehensive travel guide covering hundreds of cities and holiday resorts in more than 125 countries.
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