Baltimore

Inner Harbor, old waterfront quarters and a day trip from Baltimore

The Inner Harbor has the big museums, but locals rate the old waterfront neighbourhoods east and south of it far higher. Two days covers the essentials; a third adds a day trip.

• Harbour day: the National Aquarium when it opens, then the Historic Ships, where you can board the USS Constellation, the last Civil War-era vessel still afloat. In the afternoon, take the water taxi across to Fort McHenry, whose defence in 1814 inspired "The Star-Spangled Banner". Spend the evening on the cobbles of Fells Point.
• Neighbourhood day: lunch at Lexington Market, then the Walters Art Museum in Mount Vernon, and the American Visionary Art Museum in Federal Hill for some properly strange folk art. Time it for an Orioles game at Camden Yards if you can.
• With a third day: the B&O Railroad Museum for train lovers, the quirky shops of Hampden, or a trip out to Annapolis, which works as a day trip by public transport. Washington, D.C. is about 40 miles away, an easy rail hop.

Many museums close on Mondays or Tuesdays, so check opening days first. Summer weekends fill the waterfront rooms early, so reserve your hotel ahead; Fells Point and Harbor East sit closer to the better restaurants than the business district, which empties after dark.

A rental car earns its keep for Annapolis, and Amtrak runs north to New York.

Crab season, warm Mays and Baltimore's mild autumns

Blue crabs are harvested from May to September, the season for crab feasts; out of season, crab is often shipped in from as far as Texas.

Late spring is the best all-round choice. May highs reach about 24°C and June 29°C,, warm enough for water taxis and evening ball games. September (27°C) and October (20°C) are almost as good, and the Baltimore Marathon runs through the streets in October.

July is hot and muggy, with highs around 32°C and late-day thunderstorms. On average the city sees 43 days a year at 32°C or more. Hurricane remnants occasionally flood downtown streets in late summer.

Winter is cold but variable. Average snowfall is 19 inches (48 cm), varying widely from year to year, and hotel rates fall.

Big dates draw crowds. The Preakness Stakes horse race, held on the third Saturday in May, was run at Pimlico until 2025 and moved to Laurel Park in 2026 while Pimlico is rebuilt. Baltimore Pride fills Mount Vernon and Druid Hill Park for a weekend in June.

How a Baltimore crab feast works, plus crab cakes at Lexington Market

A crab feast is a ritual, not a meal. Steamed blue crabs arrive by the pile, coated in Old Bay seasoning. The table works through them by hand for hours, with steamed shrimp, corn on the cob and cold beer on the side. Whole crabs too much work? Order a crab cake. Faidley's in Lexington Market is the famous name for jumbo lump crab cakes.

Lexington Market dates to 1782 and makes a good lunch stop; look for coddies, cod cakes squeezed between two saltine crackers with yellow mustard.

Two local sandwiches split the city. East Baltimore has pit beef, barbecued slowly in a pit and served rare on a kaiser roll with onions and plenty of horseradish; Chaps, on the far east side, is the usual recommendation. West Baltimore answers with lake trout, which is really fried whitefish, in such quantity that the bun is mostly decoration. Finish with a fudge-topped Berger cookie.

The cheap local beer is National Bohemian ("Natty Boh"); for craft beer, try Brewers Art or Union Craft. Fells Point has the densest cluster of bars, including The Horse You Came In On Saloon, which claims to be the country's oldest continuously running tavern.

You may still spot an arabber, a vendor selling fruit from a horse-drawn cart; the city is the last place in America where they work.