Which Airports To Use?

There are three different airports in the DC and Baltimore areas. It certainly depends on how much extra time you have on your hands, but by shopping around the different airports you may be able to find a phenomenal deal depending on from where you are coming. BWI is the airport for Baltimore and is located about 12 miles from downtown Baltimore and 32 miles from Washington DC. Regan Airport (DCA) is 4 miles from Washington DC and 40 miles from Baltimore. Lastly, Washington-Dulles Airport (IAD) is in Northern Virginia and is 27 miles from Washington DC and 60 miles from Baltimore. There is a significant tradeoff when flying into Dulles as far as a greater distance away, however there are an abundance of budget airlines that fly to Dulles that might just make the trip worth it.

Traveling to Baltimore from BWI

From BWI there are several options that you can take. Maryland Transit offers a light rail service between the airport and downtown Baltimore. When you arrive at BWI just look for the Light Rail Blue Line. It will cost you $1.60 to get downtown and there are several stops along the way allowing you to transfer to the subway, bus or another light rail. If you are headed for Baltimore Penn Station you can simply switch from the blue line to the red line once you arrive downtown (Camden Yards) and that will get you the rest of the way. It is important to remember that the light rail runs 6:00am to 11:00pm weekdays, Saturdays 7:00am to 11:00pm, and Sundays and Holidays 11:00am to 7:00pm.

Another option is to take the MARC Train, a regional rail service directly from the Airport to Baltimore Penn Station (Penn Line). This is a more direct service that costs slightly more than the light rail at a price tag of $4.00. However, it has fewer stops than the light rail and can get you straight to Penn Station without taking any transfers. This train runs approximately every 45 minutes from 6:26 am until 12:19 am Monday through Friday.

Lastly, there is a bus that services the airport, but it really does not help anyone out who is traveling to downtown. It is not really useful in that its closest stop to downtown is a light rail station so it would simply be prudent to take the train.

As a side note, if you are specifically headed to Johns Hopkins Hospital you can take the light rail blue line and transfer to the Metro Subway at Lexington Market. There is a dedicated subway stop at the hospital that drops you off in the middle of the campus and you should be able to walk where you need to go. In addition to this you can either take the light rail red line or the MARC train (Penn Line) to Baltimore Penn Station where you can catch a $10 cab to the hospital.

Traveling to Baltimore from Washington DC Airports

If you either happen to be in Washington DC or have a flight into Regan International (DCA) or Washington-Dulles International (IAD) there are a couple options to consider in traveling to Baltimore. I explained in my Washington DC post how to travel from the airports DCA and IAD to Union Station in Washington D.C. From Union Station the best two options are Amtrak and the MARC Train. Amtrak service runs from Union Station to Baltimore Penn Station in about 30 minutes and costs about $14. The MARC Train takes about an hour and costs $7 dollars. It is important to understand that there are two different MARC Trains that leave Union Station and go to Baltimore. The Camden Line does not go Penn Station. It goes to Camden Station which is located near Camden Yard in the Baltimore Harbor. From this station it is possible to walk 6 blocks to the Subway station or hop on the light rail. The Penn Line goes to Penn Station and does not stop at Camden Station.

I think that about sums up the options. If anyone has any comments or questions please let us know. It would help to hear about specific routes to specific destinations that would be of interest to other students.

• Fortunately, the Philadelphia International Airport is only 7 miles away from center city, which is extremely close compared to other cities. For those people who just have to take a taxi, be prepared for a hefty $26.25 flat fee plus tip in order to get a ride into town. When it comes down to it, that is about a $60 fare roundtrip, which in my opinion just isn’t worth it. Instead of looking for that taxi line when you get your bags, head across the pedestrian bridges that can be found in terminals A – E. They will all be marked with signs for the SEPTA train. The R1 train runs between PHL and center city every 30 minutes from 5 am until 12 am with the total trip taking 15 minutes. With the price of a ticket costing only $7 there is certainly not a better option in town. In center city the train makes a stop at 30th Street Station which is basically walking distance to the University of Pennsylvania and is 6 blocks east of the STEP 2 CS testing center. If your final destination is to the outskirts of the city or the suburbs the next stop is Suburban Station where you can transfer to any of the SEPTA Regional Rail Line.
• Here’s a little more complicated, but worthwhile tip if you are headed to Camden NJ. Take the R1 one more stop to the Market East Station then cross the street and walk down to 8th and Market. There you can pick up the PATCO train, which will drop you off in downtown Camden. PATCO costs around $1.50 from Philadelphia to Camden and takes about 10 minutes on a train that runs all day long.
• For those of you who aren’t as excited as I am about public transportation or simply have a bag that is too tough to handle, there is a pretty cheap shuttle that runs from the airport to Center City. Check out Lady Liberty Airport Shuttle that runs from the airport to Center City for $10, which is also not a bad second option.
• For more information, remember to check out the Septa Trip Planner for details on exactly where you need to go. We also have a comprehensive set of travel options on the Philadelphia and Camden city pages.