National Aquarium
Baltimore’s headline attraction on the Inner Harbor piers, with sharks, rays, jellies, a rooftop rainforest and dolphins, timed admission that can sell out and late opening on Friday evenings.
Maryland
Baltimore
Baltimore is Charm City, a working harbor town on the Chesapeake Bay where the Star-Spangled Banner was born, steamed crabs come by the dozen and every neighborhood has its own personality.
The Inner Harbor is the front door, with the National Aquarium on its piers, a Civil War-era sloop of war and a Second World War submarine moored along Pratt Street, and water taxis and harbor cruises gliding past the Domino Sugars sign. A short ride away, Fort McHenry is where an American flag survived a night of British bombardment in 1814 and inspired Francis Scott Key to write the national anthem. Fells Point keeps its cobblestones, sailor bars and ghost stories, Mount Vernon has the first great monument to George Washington and some of the finest townhouses in America, and Federal Hill looks down on the American Visionary Art Museum, one of the most original museums in the country. Babe Ruth was born a few blocks from Camden Yards, and Edgar Allan Poe is buried downtown. This guide books the experiences worth booking, from a Fells Point food tour and an evening ghost walk to a harbor cruise and a small-group tour with a stop at Fort McHenry, flags November hours and holiday closures, and shows how to fit the harbor, the fort and the neighborhoods into a first visit.
Don't miss
National Aquarium
Baltimore’s headline attraction on the Inner Harbor piers, with sharks, rays, jellies, a rooftop rainforest and dolphins, timed admission that can sell out and late opening on Friday evenings.
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
The star-shaped fort whose defense against the British in September 1814 inspired the Star-Spangled Banner, with a free visitor center and film, waterfront grounds and a modest pass for the historic fort itself.
American Visionary Art Museum
America’s national museum of self-taught, outsider and visionary art, a joyful, mirror-mosaic complex at the foot of Federal Hill, open Wednesday to Sunday.
Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum
The modest rowhouse where George Herman Ruth was born in 1895, now a museum of the Babe’s life and Baltimore baseball, a few blocks from Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Things to do in Baltimore
Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine
The star-shaped fort whose defense against the British in September 1814 inspired the Star-Spangled Banner, with a free visitor center and film, waterfront grounds and a modest pass for the historic fort itself.
Baltimore Walking Foodie Tour in Fells Point
A small-group afternoon walking tour of historic Fells Point with tastings at four restaurants, a signature drink at a fifth stop and the stories of the old port, rated 4.9 from more than 200 reviews.
Historic Ships in Baltimore
A floating museum of four historic vessels moored on the Inner Harbor, led by the 1854 sloop of war USS Constellation, with a Second World War submarine, a lightship and a Coast Guard cutter to climb aboard.
American Visionary Art Museum
America’s national museum of self-taught, outsider and visionary art, a joyful, mirror-mosaic complex at the foot of Federal Hill, open Wednesday to Sunday.
Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum
The modest rowhouse where George Herman Ruth was born in 1895, now a museum of the Babe’s life and Baltimore baseball, a few blocks from Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
Baltimore: Small-Group Historic Neighborhoods Guided Tour
The city’s most-reviewed tour: a small-group, air-conditioned van tour from the Inner Harbor visitor center past Fells Point, Mount Vernon and Federal Hill, with a stop at Fort McHenry. Rated 4.6 from nearly 500 reviews.
Baltimore Bewitched: Raven’s Revenge, Bones and Ballads Ghost Tour
A one-hour evening ghost walk through Fells Point, full of Edgar Allan Poe lore, haunted taverns, an old cemetery and sailor legends, rated 4.5 from nearly 200 reviews.
Baltimore Inner Harbor Sightseeing Cruise
A 45-minute narrated cruise from the finger piers past Federal Hill, Fells Point, the Domino Sugars sign and the harbor skyline, departing daily and rated 4.6 on Viator.
Mount Vernon and The Millionaires Walking Tour
A two-hour guided walk through Mount Vernon Place, Baltimore’s most elegant neighborhood, with its Washington Monument, marble churches, Tiffany glass and the stories of the philanthropists who built it. Rated 5.0 on Viator.
Where to stay
Hotels we would book ourselves, from splurges to good-value bases.
$$$$Pendry Baltimore
Fells Point (Thames Street)
Baltimore’s five-star splurge on the Fells Point waterfront, set in the historic Recreation Pier on Thames Street, with an Italian chophouse, a whiskey bar, a seasonal pier-end pool and cobblestone streets outside the door.
Rates on Expedia →
$$$The Royal Sonesta Harbor Court Baltimore
Inner Harbor (Light Street)
A classic upscale hotel on Light Street facing the Inner Harbor, with harbor-view rooms and big suites, an indoor heated pool, a rooftop health club with courts and an easy walk to the aquarium, Federal Hill and Camden Yards.
Rates on Expedia →
$$Kimpton Hotel Monaco Baltimore Inner Harbor
Downtown (Charles Street)
A playful boutique hotel inside the 1906 Beaux-Arts headquarters of the B&O Railroad, with Tiffany stained glass in the lobby, 202 bold rooms, a daily social hour and a pet-friendly welcome, a few blocks from the Inner Harbor.
Rates on Expedia →
$$The Inn at Henderson’s Wharf
Fells Point (Fell Street)
A 38-room boutique inn on the Fells Point waterfront at the end of Fell Street, with harbor-view rooms, a private courtyard, a marina, included continental breakfast and the cobblestones of the old port on the doorstep.
Rates on Expedia →
$Tru by Hilton Baltimore Harbor East
Little Italy and Harbor East
A bright, good-value Hilton between Little Italy and Harbor East, with a free hot breakfast buffet, free Wi-Fi, covered self-parking and an easy walk to the Inner Harbor, Harbor East and Fells Point.
Rates on Expedia →Baltimore guides
First Time in Baltimore: What to Book, How Many Days and Getting Around
The practical primer for a first visit to Baltimore: how many days to plan, what to book ahead from aquarium entry to a Fells Point food tour, November 2026 hours and holiday closures, getting around, and where the harbor, Fort McHenry and the neighborhoods fit.
Where to Stay in Baltimore: Inner Harbor, Downtown, Fells Point or Harbor East
How to choose your base in Baltimore, from a five-star hotel in the historic Recreation Pier to a classic harbor-view hotel on the Inner Harbor, a boutique stay in the old B&O Railroad headquarters, a waterfront inn in Fells Point and a good-value Hilton by Little Italy.
