Will I have enough time to takea quick run to DC and see the white house , capitol hill etc. ?
BWI is much closer to Baltimore than Washington. It could take you about an hour to get to downtown DC if the traffic isn’t bad (and of course the same time to get back, if you don’t get stuck somewhere–Washington traffic congestion is officially measured as third worst in the U.S.).
White House is closed to public tours, except VIPS and groups arranged through congressional offices. (Of course you can look at it from the street.) It’s no longer easy to get into the Capitol either. The National Gallery of Art and the Smithsonian museums are among the best in the world, but three hours is barely enough time to go through the front door of any one of them (and Smithsonian has a dozen buildings).
Better bet might be Baltimore’s Inner Harbor. Visit National Aquarium, Maryland Science Center (a science museum with IMAX films), walk around the waterfront, take a cab to Fells Point (the “hang-out” neighborhood with restaurants and small shops).
You can catch trains from BWI rail station to downtown DC and Baltimore. If you go to DC the best west to get around is the subway.
i mean best WAY to get around…(whoops).
You can take the light rail to the Inner Harbor - it’s about a 20-minute ride and costs (I think) $1.60 one way. There’s no one on the trains to take your ticket, but there are periodic checks and if you’re aboard without one, you face a $500 fine! :eek: It departs from the airport just outside the international gate area and you can get off at Camden Yards or the Convention Center and walk a few blocks to the waterfront.
Should you do this, make sure you get the BWI Airport train back and not the other one - the routes diverge before the airport spur.
Excellent , thanks folks