Baltimore Penn Station

[iowa train fan]

My daughter and friend leave tomorrow morning for Baltimore from Lancaster PA. and I asked this before and you guys gave great advice then. I was hoping you might be able to give a little more detail on what might work for them. You mentioned they have light rail, bus or cab from Penn Station to the Inner Harbor hotels. What would be the easist way for two young girls (19) to get to their hotel and how would they do it. Is the light rail station right at Penn Station? Where would they get the bus? I assume cabs will be waiting outside the station. They will have suit cases to deal with as well. Thank you so much for past advice and I hope you will be able to give us some great ideas and peace of mind. Thank you

 

[Shanghai]

I have been to the Baltimore Penn Station on three occasions

over the past two years and always found taxis waiting at

the front door of the station. I have always arrived during

the day.

 

[AlanB]

The light rail trains come right to the station, using one of the original platforms of the station.

As to which option is easier, I can't really help on that one. And of course part of that answer depends on them too and how well they handle being in a strange place and looking for things.

 

[Eric S]

Taxi would obviously be the simplest, just walk outside the station entrance and cabs are waiting. No chance of getting lost that way, easy to handle baggage that way too. However, it would be the most expensive.

Light rail is an option, but depending on where the hotel is located, may not be the best option as it runs a few blocks west of the Inner Harbor. It is however an easy walk from the light rail station(s) to the Inner Harbor and the light rail line that serves Penn Station only runs as far as Camden Station (just a few blocks west of Inner Harbor) so there would not be a concern of riding too far. Not sure off-hand what the fare is, but they would need to be sure to buy tickets from the ticket vending machine before boarding. Also, I think the Penn-Camden shuttle train runs every 20 or 30 minutes.

The bus (Charm City Circulator) might be a better option than light rail. It is free and runs more frequently than the light rail shuttle train. To catch the bus, walk out of the main station entrance and turn immediately to the left (east). There is a bus stop on the street just east of Baltimore Penn Station. The one thing at the bus stop is to be sure to board the Charm City Circulator, not one of the regular MTA city bus routes. Depending on the hotel, the bus might get them closer than light rail does.

 

[jb64]

My children and I used the Charm City Circulator with suitcases and had no problems. There was a stop right on the corner of the block of our hotel.

 

[iowa train fan]

Perfect!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Thank you so much for all your advice, you guys are life savers, at least for my wife and I and our sanity. Sounds like we will direct them to the bus, thanks for the detailed directions

 

[Eric S]

If you're going to go with the bus (Charm City Circulator) be sure to look it up online and find the route map so you know which stop is best for your hotel, or their hotel I suppose. Also, check the map, because the bus runs on one-way streets, so if they need to return to the train station later the stop will likely be on another street one block over. Nothing too complicated or unusual if you are familiar with city bus transit systems, though.

One other thought, not to discourage the bus, but keep in mind that during rush hours the bus will likely be very full and there may be little or no room for luggage. Other than rush hour, though, bags should not really be a problem, as others have indicated.