Getting around Baltimore

Is it easy to get around Baltimore without a car?

Yes, around the harbor. The core sights sit on a walkable waterfront, and the free Circulator bus and the free Harbor Connector boats reach most of the rest.

Is Baltimore a walkable city? The Inner Harbor certainly is: Waterfront Partnership describes seven miles of waterfront promenade, and the National Aquarium, the Historic Ships, the Maryland Science Center and the Finger Piers all sit on one loop of it. Federal Hill is a climb up from the south shore; Fells Point is about 1.5 miles east.

For anything farther, here is the free option the city's own pages point to:

Sources: Waterfront Partnership, About page; National Aquarium, visit page; Visit Baltimore, ballpark page; Baltimore City DOT, Charm City Circulator and Harbor Connector pages; National Park Service, Fort McHenry directions.

How does the free Charm City Circulator work?

It is a free city bus with five routes serving more than 100 destinations. Buses run 7 am to 8 pm Monday to Thursday, 7 am to midnight on Friday, 9 am to midnight on Saturday and 9 am to 7 pm on Sunday.

No ticket, no fare card: you just get on. The five routes, with the frequencies Baltimore City DOT publishes:

There is no service on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day or New Year's Day. The city's trip-planning app is TripShot, which shows buses live. The Circulator connects with the Light Rail, the Metro, MARC and the Harbor Connector, and the city lists AVAM, Historic Ships, Little Italy, the Maryland Science Center, Power Plant Live! and Rash Field among the places it reaches for free.

Sources: Baltimore City DOT, Charm City Circulator page and operating hours page.

Is there a water taxi in Baltimore?

Yes, but it works differently now. The Baltimore Water Taxi is an on-demand boat you book in the TransiGo app, with the fare shown before you book. The free Harbor Connector commuter boats run on weekdays.

Three services share the harbor, and they are easy to mix up:

• The Baltimore Water Taxi (on-demand): drop a pin in TransiGo, pick a destination, see the price, ride. The operator says it runs daily during scheduled service hours, with availability that may vary by season and weather. Harbor Boating, Inc., the company behind it, has worked the harbor since 1975.
• The Harbor Connector (free): HC1 links Maritime Park and Locust Point every 15 minutes, 6 am to 8 pm; HC3 links Pier 5 and Federal Hill every 15 minutes, 7 am to 8 pm; HC2 serves Canton, Locust Point and Maritime Park every 45 minutes at commuter times. All Monday to Friday.
• Weekend loops until 13 December 2026: the Harbor Connector runs an Inner Harbor Loop (Pier 1 at Harborplace, Harbor East, Federal Hill, Fells Point, Locust Point) and an Outer Harbor Loop, 10:30 am to 7:30 pm.

The Harbor Connector does not run on New Year's Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve or Christmas Day, and it can pause for wind, lightning or low visibility.

Sources: Baltimore Water Taxi, water taxi page, about page and FAQ; Baltimore City DOT, Harbor Connector page.

How much is the hop-on hop-off boat in Baltimore?

About $18 to $20 per adult for a day pass in 2026, on the Baltimore Water Trolley. It is seasonal: it ran April to October and is closed until spring 2027, with 2027 prices not yet published.

The Water Trolley is the old hop-on hop-off water taxi under a new name. Two routes and eight stops, meeting at Fells Point:

• Inner Harbor Route: Harborplace, Federal Hill, Locust Point, Fells Point, Harbor East and back to Harborplace.
• Outer Harbor Route: Fells Point, Locust Point, Fort McHenry, Canton Park, the Lighthouse and back to Fells Point.
• The 2026 season: weekends in April, Friday to Sunday from May to Labor Day, then weekends to 31 October.

The operator's two pages print slightly different 2026 adult prices ($18 online on one, $20 on the other), so take "about $18 to $20" as the guide. It runs rain or shine, and you may bring your own food and drink. Until it returns, the sightseeing cruise from Light Street is the way to see the whole harbor from a deck.

Sources: Baltimore Water Taxi, trolley page, trolley schedules and FAQ.

No trolley until spring? The sightseeing cruise still loops the harbor from 555 Light Street, with recorded narration and a bar on board.

★ 4.7 · 45 minutes · from $34

Explore the Inner Harbor sightseeing cruise → Tour details

How do you get from BWI Airport to the Inner Harbor?

Take the Light Rail from the station outside the lower level of the terminal, by Concourse E. The fare is $2.00 each way.

The Light Rail (Light RailLink) runs from BWI Marshall Airport into downtown Baltimore. Get off at Convention Center or Camden Yards, the two stops the National Aquarium names as its nearest. First and last trains from the airport, per BWI:

• Monday to Friday: first 4:45 am, last 12:40 am.
• Saturday: first 5:05 am, last 12:45 am.
• Sundays and holidays: first 10:35 am, last 8:40 pm. Late Sunday flights need another plan.

Heading straight for the fort? Fort McHenry is 11 miles from BWI, per the National Park Service.

Sources: BWI Marshall Airport, MTA Light Rail page; National Aquarium, visit page; National Park Service, Fort McHenry directions.

How do you get from Washington, D.C. to Baltimore?

By MARC train from Union Station, on the Penn Line to Baltimore Penn Station or the Camden Line to Camden Station by the ballpark. By car it is about 38 miles, just off I-95.

The two MARC lines that matter here:

• Camden Line: Union Station to Camden Station, right next to Oriole Park, a short walk from the harbor. A weekday commuter line; check MTA's timetable.
• Penn Line: Union Station, BWI and Baltimore Penn Station, at 1500 N. Charles Street, about a mile north of the Aquarium. The Penn Line also runs on weekends. From Penn Station, take the free Circulator, a taxi or a ride-share down to the water.

How long is a drive from DC to Baltimore? No official figure is published, and traffic on I-95 decides it, so check a map app on the day. Train timetables are on MTA Maryland's MARC page.

Sources: MTA Maryland, MARC train page; Visit Baltimore, ballpark page; National Aquarium, visit page and visiting from D.C. page; Penn Line, Wikipedia (weekend service).

Where do you park at the Inner Harbor?

In the garages around the harbor, and look for validation: the National Aquarium's partner garages charge a flat $18 per visit, and the Maryland Science Center validates at three nearby garages.

Parking deals the attractions publish:

• National Aquarium: a flat $18 per visit (up to 24 hours) at partner garages, with validation.
• Maryland Science Center: $15 a day at the 414 Light Street garage, $14 at the Federal Parking Garage (11 E. Lee St) and $15 at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court garage, with validation.
• Harbor cruises from Light Street: parking is extra on the sightseeing and sunset cruises. The Christmas Express listing offers discounted parking at the Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Garage, 30 East Lee St.
• Free parking: at Fort McHenry (limited at peak times) and at the Baltimore Museum of Industry on Key Highway.
• AVAM: metered street parking on Covington St and Key Highway; the meters run 24/7.

Sources: National Aquarium, visit page; Maryland Science Center, parking page; GetYourGuide listings; National Park Service, Fort McHenry directions; AVAM, visit page.

How do you get to Fort McHenry from the Inner Harbor?

Ride the free Banner Circulator, which runs between the Inner Harbor and Fort McHenry about every 40 minutes and stops outside the main gate. The fort is about three miles southeast.

Fort McHenry stands at 2400 East Fort Avenue, at the tip of Locust Point. Other ways there:

• By car: just off I-95, with free on-site parking.
• By water, in season: the Water Trolley's Outer Harbor Route stops at the fort from April to October. Water Taxi tickets cannot be bought at the fort.
• Tickets: $15 for visitors 16 and over to enter the Star Fort, card only, valid for seven days. The grounds, visitor center and film are free.

On Key Highway, on the south shore, sits the Baltimore Museum of Industry and the story of the working harbor. The museum ticket costs from $14, rated 4.9 out of 5 from 13 reviews, and parking there is free.

Sources: National Park Service, Fort McHenry directions and fees pages; Baltimore City DOT, Charm City Circulator; Baltimore Water Taxi, FAQ; GetYourGuide listing.

Frequently asked questions