Getting Around

By Car -- If you plan to stay near the harbor, it is easier to walk or take a water taxi than to drive and park. That said, driving in downtown Baltimore is fairly easy. The streets are on a straight grid; many are one-way. The major northbound streets are Howard, Charles, and Calvert. Cathedral and St. Paul are southbound. Lombard and Pratt are the major east and west streets. On the west side, Martin Luther King Boulevard connects the harbor with the cultural district; it runs both north and south.

Need to find an address? Buildings are numbered east and west from Charles Street; 100 East Lombard is in the first block to the east of Charles. Baltimore Street is the dividing line for north-south addresses; 100 South Charles is a block below Baltimore.

If you need to rent a car, the major agencies at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport include Alamo (tel. 800/327-9633), Avis (tel. 800/831-2847), Budget (tel. 800/527-0700), Dollar (tel. 800/800-4000), Enterprise (tel. 800/325-8007), Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131), National (tel. 800/227-7368), and Thrifty (tel. 800/347-4389).

By Light Rail, Subway & Bus -- The Maryland Transit Administration (MTA) operates the Light Rail, a 27-mile system of aboveground rail lines reminiscent of the city's old streetcars. It travels on one north-south line, from the northern suburb of Timonium to Glen Burnie in the south, with a spur to Penn Station. The key stop within the city is Camden Station, next to the Orioles' ballpark. The Light Rail is the ideal way to get to a game or to travel within the downtown area between Camden Yards and the Inner Harbor to the train station, the performing-arts district, or Mount Washington. Trains run every 15 to 30 minutes Monday through Friday between 6am and 11pm, Saturday between 7am and 11pm, and Sunday between 11am and 7pm. Tickets, which cost $1.60 one-way, are dispensed from machines at each stop. Better yet, get a day pass for $3.50 -- it's good on all MTA transportation.

The MTA also operates the Metro, a subway system that connects downtown with the northwestern suburbs. Trains run from Johns Hopkins Hospital in East Baltimore through Charles Center and north to the suburb of Owings Mills. Service is available Monday through Friday from 5am to midnight, Saturday and Sunday from 6am to midnight. The fare is $1.60; you can also purchase the aforementioned day pass, which allows unlimited trips on the Light Rail, the Metro, and city buses for $3.50.

A network of buses, also operated by the MTA, connects all sections of the city. Service is daily, but hours vary. The base fare is $1.60; exact change is necessary.

To get information and schedules for all MTA services, call tel. 410/539-5000 or visit www.mtamaryland.com.

By Taxi -- All taxis in the city are metered; two reputable companies are Yellow Checker Cab (tel. 410/841-5573) and Arrow Cab (tel. 410/261-0000). For airport trips, call SuperShuttle (tel. 410/258-3826).

By Water Taxi -- The water taxi makes for a pleasant way to visit Baltimore's attractions. Ed Kane's Water Taxi (tel. 800/658-8947 or 410/563-3901; www.thewatertaxi.com) runs between about a dozen Inner Harbor locations, including Harborplace, Fells Point, Little Italy, Canton, and Fort McHenry; the main stop at Harborplace is on the corner between the two pavilions. Just tell the mate where you want to go. The cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children 10 and under for a full day's unlimited use of the water taxi and trolley to Fort McHenry. Tickets include a "Letter of Marque," a set of discount coupons for area restaurants, museums, and shops.

From May through Labor Day weekend, the 13 water taxis generally run about every 15 to 18 minutes, from 10am to 11pm Sunday through Thursday and until midnight Friday and Saturday. From October through April, taxi service runs from 10am to at least 6pm, sometimes later. In April, September, and October, Friday and Saturday service runs until midnight. The trolley service to Fort McHenry is in operation between April 1 and September 1, daily from 10am to 5 or 7pm, depending on when the fort closes. It runs on weekends only in September. The trolley may be discontinued once Fort McHenry water taxi service begins. Service is always weather permitting; you can pick up a schedule at the main stop at Harborplace.

BY Double-Decker Bus -- New in 2005 is the Big Bus Company (tel. 410/396-6611, or 877/BALTIMORE for reservations), which operates distinctive double-decker buses on a 14-mile guided route around Baltimore, stopping at various downtown attractions as well as more out-of-the-way places, such as the Maryland Zoo, Baltimore Museum of Art, and B&O Railroad Museum. For one price ($25 adults, $22 seniors, $10 children 4-10), you can ride the 90-minute round-trip or get on and off wherever and whenever you like over a 24-hour period. Buses leave from the visitor center five times a day.

On Foot -- You'll need to know only a few streets to get around. The easiest is the promenade around the Inner Harbor, which runs along the water from Federal Hill to Harbor East to Fells Point and Canton. Because of construction, portions of the route are not quite finished -- but it's still a pretty walk. You can take it to the American Visionary Art Museum, Maryland Science Center, Harborplace, National Aquarium, USS Constellation, and Maritime Museum, as well as to shops and restaurants.

Pratt and Lombard streets are the two major east-west arteries just above the Inner Harbor. Pratt heads east to Little Italy, while Lombard extends west to the stadiums. Charles Street is Baltimore's main route north and home to some good restaurants, Baltimore's Washington Monument, and the Walters Art Museum, all within walking distance of the Inner Harbor. St. Paul Street is the major route south.