How to get around Baltimore
Though local transit isn’t a draw, or a big expense for your trip to Baltimore and Camden Yards, much of your other planning will hinge on how you want to get from place to place. Depending on how much you want to do in Baltimore besides baseball games, you might even plan your lodging based on the bus or light rail routes.
As we said in the Travel chapter, cars are for commuters, and as long as you’re in Baltimore, you should do as people who live there do, and either walk or take public transit. Taxis and rideshares are also easily available whether you’re in a pinch or just want more convenience.
The areas near the stadium and Inner Harbor are fairly safe, but you do want to make sure you’re getting off at the right stop. We’ve discussed in greater detail in the Lodging chapter, but it’s important to pay attention and get off at your stop when riding around Baltimore.
In this chapter, we’ll cover:
Walking to Camden Yards
Inner Harbor - A walkable neighborhood
Downtown Baltimore is tightly packed, which means that whether you’re going to the aquarium, your hotel, the Babe Ruth Museum, or to Camden Yards, your feet are your best option. This will impact your lodging choices, and we’ll get to that later, but we recommend that you choose a hotel within a 15-20 minute walk of the stadium.
In addition to proximity, there is an ease that comes with walking. Any hotel you might stay at is either one or two main streets away from Camden Yards, so it’s hard to get lost. Just one or two turns will take you to Pratt Street, and it’s a straight shot from there, unless you want to stop at a bar on the way. And if that’s the case, the bars are just one block away from Pratt.
When it comes to walking to and from Camden Yards, Pratt takes you where you need to go.
Unless you have things to do outside of Baltimore’s downtown, you can do a whole weekend in Baltimore with just walking, with the occasional public transit or rideshare thrown in.
Getting to Camden Yards by Public Transit
First off, though the system is pretty big, we encourage you to keep within two miles of Camden Yards so there isn’t too much to keep track of. Your public transit options are light rail or bus.
The light rail is a single line that travels north/south through the city and deposits you directly outside the B&O Warehouse at Camden Yards. With that said, all of the relevant hotels for your trip are to the east of the ballpark, so the light rail would just be for going to and from BWI Airport. But should you need to use it for something else, you can find the list of stops, schedule and map for the Light RailLink here.
Our real focus for getting around the city itself is the buses, and there are two types.
1) The four city circulators, which are free, divide the downtown area into four zones, and are labeled by color. The orange line, appropriately colored for the Orioles, is the circulator that can take you to and from the park from the hotels to the east of the ballpark. The stop at West Pratt Street and South Eutaw Street is a block from the best team bars and the centerfield gates.
2) There are a lot of commuter buses, which connect Baltimore to its suburbs, and the one for you to be aware of is the Navy Citylink bus. Traveling along West Lombard street, the Navy Citylink connects the area around the stadium to the Inner Harbor and Fells Point to the east, areas where we think it’s great to stay. Like the light rail, the Citylink buses cost $2 per trip, but you can get better rates if you buy day or weekend passes.
However, there are a lot of buses going around downtown Baltimore, and you should consult Google Maps and bus drivers before you get on the bus to make sure you’re going to the right place.
On gameday, there is always a steady flow of foot and bus traffic towards the stadium, so keep tabs on the people wearing orange and black.
Is Public Transit in Baltimore safe?
For the most part, yes. During the day and on either end of games, you will be among many other passengers, and when it comes to public transportation, there is always strength in numbers. But if you stay late at one of the nearby bars and find the streets empty, you should not be taking public transportation in Baltimore. Instead, opt for a rideshare.
Driving to and parking at Camden Yards
Camden Yards is blocks away from two exits on I-95, exits 52 and 53. Our rule of thumb is to exit at 52 for team lots and 53 for independent lots. The team lots are shared with the Ravens to the south, and the non-affiliated lots are past the outfield to the north.
There’s always plenty of parking near Camden Yards, some through the team, and many through outside vendors (the Orioles claim there are 30,000 available spots near the stadium). Unfortunately, street parking is hard to come by, and maxes out at 4 hours when you do find it. There are lots of reliable garages that offer flat rates after 5pm, so don’t waste your time trying to look for street parking. Either buy a parking spot in the team lot via the Orioles app, book a spot on the SpotHero or ParkWhiz apps, or just find yourself a nearby garage and be done with it.
Visitors who need accessible parking can aim for team lots A and B, which are first come first serve, but they have attendants to help you find another spot if they’re both full.
If you have a chance to grab a parking pass through the team, we say go for it. You’ll lock in a good price at $18 and won’t have to worry about finding a spot. There aren’t that many available, though, and they go fast, especially for marquee in-division series.
ParkWhiz
Sample taken 4/2/24 for game on 4/26/24.
SpotHero
Sample taken 4/2/24 for game on 4/26/24.
ParkMobile
Sample taken 4/2/24 for game on 4/26/24.
Stadium Lots Near Camden Yards
Camden Yards team lot parking options. Map courtesy of Google Earth, altered to showcase parking lots.
If you are parking in a public lot, exit at 53, and turn right two blocks later on Pratt street. With the University of Maryland medical school and hospital right there, there are lots of ticketed lots, which are by far your best option.
No matter what type of lot you park in, you should look to park between Pratt Street to the south, West Fayette Street to the North, Martin Luther King Boulevard to the west, and South Howard Street to the east. Beyond those streets you’re farther from the stadium than you need to be, and to the north and west, in neighborhoods you don’t want to have to walk back to at the end of a game.
In sum, don’t stress over parking. Make it easy on yourself and buy a parking pass or book a spot on an app ahead of time. Putting yourself through a lot of stress to save $5 or spending extra time driving around downtown in search of parking is a waste of time and effort.
There is no designated taxi stand at Camden Yards, but both Uber and the Orioles offer guidance on where to order an Uber to get home. Rather than ordering the ride from directly outside the stadium, they encourage you to exit the stadium in left or centerfield, walk north to Pratt Street, where traffic will be headed away from the stadium, to efficiently order a ride home.
We prefer to order a rideshare to the intersection of Washington Boulevard and Paca Street — specifically across the street from Pickles at the entrance to the Hilton Garage (213 S Paca St, Baltimore MD 21201). There were very few cars and even fewer fans clogging up the sidewalks. Right outside the best bars, this is a great place to schedule a ride and grab a postgame can of Natty Boh.
When coming to Camden Yards via rideshare, just have the driver drop you off as close to the stadium as he can. If you need to plot a destination, you can use either the Hilton or Marriott as good spots to end your ride.
Bottom Line
If you’re driving, buy a spot in advance and make things easy for yourself. If you’re not driving, you can get around between limited points on the city’s buses, but stay alert and don’t use them late at night. Walking will be your best friend, and we suggest staying at a hotel that you can talk to the ballpark from.
