Restaurants and antique shops, art collections, monuments and boat trips: there is much to see and do in the port city nicknamed “Charm City” . A good starting point is the Inner Harbor, in the center of the lively largest city in the US capital region with a total of 620,000 inhabitants. Baltimore is part of the Chesapeake Bay and most of the attractions are also on the water. These include: The collection of historic ships that make up the Baltimore Maritime Museum including the USS Constellation , the only ship surviving from the Civil War era. The Passport Voyage of Discovery takes visitors below the surface of the sea at the National Aquarium in Baltimore.
A ride with the water taxi or a boat tour and of course a visit to a harbor restaurant, where you can taste the delicious blue crabs that are caught in the Chesapeake Bay, are interesting. Other nearby attractions include the interactive Maryland Science Center, Davis Planetarium, the fun American Visionary Art Museum and the new Geppi’s Entertainment Museum. Baltimore is known for its colorful neighborhoods such as Little Italy or Fells Point and its well-stocked museums, which are located on the hills around the harbor.
According to travelationary, the most renowned are the Walters Art Museum and the Baltimore Museum of Art. Others are dedicated to specific people or themes, such as baseball star Babe Ruth, jazz icon Eubie Blake, and mother Elizabeth Ann Seton, the first American to be canonized. Other sites highlight railroad history, such as the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Museum.
Or the American Civil War exhibit near President Street Station, where the bloodshed of the Civil War began. Yet another museum focuses on dentistry: in the National Museum of Dentistry George, for example, you can see Washington’s third teeth.
Young guests love Port Discovery, a lively interactive museum designed by a Walt Disney team especially for children, or the award-winning Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. The ESPN Zone is open to all sports enthusiasts. The large building in the heart of the city, housed in a former combined heat and power plant, houses restaurants that focus on sports-themed entertainment.
Location and Size
Baltimore is the largest city in the US state of Maryland and one of the most important seaports in the United States. The city is spread over 209 km² of land and 29 km² of water. Baltimore is 40 miles north of Washington, DC (1 hour drive) and 186 miles south of New York City (3.5 hours drive).
Population
About 620,000 people live in Baltimore.
Arriving by air
Baltimore Washington International Airport is located 10 miles south of Baltimore and 32 miles north of Washington, DC.
Climate
Due to its location near the Atlantic Ocean and the Chesapeake Bay, the city of Baltimore has a temperate, humid climate with warm summers and mild winters.
Spring is warm and relatively dry with daytime temperatures around 16°C.
In summer , the weather in Baltimore is hot and humid, with the hottest and wettest months of the year being July and August. Daytime temperatures reach around 29°C. In late summer and early autumn, thunderstorms can occur, and hurricanes are also possible. Autumn weather is pleasant, with warm daytime temperatures and cool nights. The winters
are cool. The coldest month is January, when daytime temperatures drop to around 4°C and nighttime temperatures to around -2°C. Snowfalls are possible but don’t last long. Baltimore’s annual rainfall is around 9,900 mm.
| Average temperatures in Baltimore in °C | ||||||||||||
| Month | Jan | Feb | March | Apr | May | June | July | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec |
| Max | 5 | 7 | 12 | 18 | 23 | 28 | 31 | 29 | 25 | 19 | 14 | 7 |
| Min | -5 | -3 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 19 | 18 | 15 | 8th | 3 | 2 |
VUSA tips for Baltimore visitors
Take a water taxi to picturesque Fells Point . Once the home of Baltimore’s shipyards, the restored Fells Point now serves as a popular backdrop for filmmakers. In the evening there is spook and guided ghost tours.
Take a bus, boat or taxi to Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine, where guides in period costume explain how Baltimore was saved from being drawn into the War of 1812. The national anthem of America – The Star-Spangled Banner – was written here and at this time.
Sharks, rays, dolphins and other sea creatures can be seen up close at the National Aquarium in Baltimore. Afterwards, take a guided tour of the city’s historic sites or take a cruise through the Inner Harbor. Visit the Waterfront Visitor Center for details.
The African American exhibit at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum is also worth a visit, as is the National Great Blacks in Wax (North Avenue), an exceptional collection of famous African Americans. The exhibition also includes a replica of a slave ship from the horrifying past.
Chesapeake Bay crabs are a Baltimore delicacy. The best place to buy them is colorful Lexington Market, established in 1782 as America’s oldest known food market.
With a virtual journey through time, the Baltimore Museum of Art offers an overview of its creation and the Cone sisters’ commitment to art, then the path leads directly to the masterpieces of Matisse, Picasso and Cezanne.
The history of the sport, its greats and records – that’s what the Sports Legends Museum at Camden Yards tells you all about. On the upper floors is the Geppi’s Entertainment Museum, which presents American pop culture on an area of 1,700 m², represented by comics, film posters, drawings and paintings.
Order pasta or pizza from one of the many cozy restaurants in colorful Little Italy, the part of town founded by Italian immigrants in the 1840s.
Popular Neighborhoods in Baltimore
Mount Vernon – Rich in culture
The George Washington statue on a nearly 60 m high pillar points the way to the renowned Mount Vernon neighborhood, which is named after the country home of the first US President. Those who are fit should climb the steps of the column. From the top you can enjoy a fantastic view of Baltimore. But the district offers much more: for example the Walters Art Museum with its enormous collection from several millennia. In the Enoch Pratt Free Libraries you can find out more about Edgar Allen Poe and HL Mencken. A theatrical performance in the Center Stage, an opera in the Lyric Opera House, a concert in the Joseph Myerhoff Symphony Hall or in the Peabody Conservatory of Music complete the cultural offering. Also impressive in this Baltimore neighborhood is the Basilica of the Assumption, built by Benjamin Latrobe, the architect who designed the US Capitol.
3200 Mount Vernon Memorial Highway, Mount Vernon, VA 22121
Excursions in the area
Annapolis
Maryland’s beautiful waterfront capital, 28 miles southeast of Baltimore, is considered the sailing capital of the United States. Annapolis is also home to the US Naval Academy. The beautiful House of Parliament in the former capital of the USA is the oldest in the USA, in which the legislature meets without interruption. The neighboring mansions belonged to the signers of the Declaration of Independence. On the bustling lakefront is a statue of Alex Haley, author of the novel Roots, whose protagonist Kunta Kinte is said to have arrived in America at this point on a slave ship. At noon, the parade of ensigns, which is well worth seeing, takes place in the Naval Academy, after which you can visit the chapel and crypt of John Paul Jones, the “Father of the USA Navy”.
Frederick
has a historic district that spans 50 streets. The city is 75 km west of Baltimore. It is best explored by horse-drawn carriage or on foot. From Frederick, visit the major Civil War battlefields at Antietam and Hagerstown, known for its Washington County Museum of Fine Arts and concerts by the Maryland Symphony Orchestra.
Six Flags America and Hurricane Harbor
Located between Washington DC and Annapolis, the amusement park features numerous thrill-seeking roller coasters and an interactive section for children. The “tropical Caribbean” theme runs through the entire park.
Six Flags Hurricane Harbor, Route 537, Jackson, NJ 08527;
