Baltimore v Annapolis

My husband and I are having a touring holiday in September starting in Washington, touring Virginia and have booked all our accomodation apart from the last 2 nights. I can%26#39;t decide whether to stay one night in Annapolis and one in Baltimore or 2 nights in one of them with a day trip to the other.I am wondering whether parking would be more of a problem in Baltimore. AlsoI would like to fit in some shopping before I head home so I would like some advice for best shopping! Looking at the map I can%26#39;t really tell which of them would be easiest to drive to Dulles airport from either. All suggestions gratefully received!

Baltimore v Annapolis

Baltimore or Annapolis? It really depends on what you are looking for. They are about an hour apart, so doing a daytrip wouldn%26#39;t be difficult at all.

The Baltimore Inner Harbor area has lots of options: aquarium, science museum, several historic ships %26amp; sights, shopping/eating arcade, and is very touristy. Camden Yards is one of the nicest parks to watch a baseball game, if you%26#39;re interested in that.

Annapolis is more tranquil, with a cute inner marina area with little shops and restaurants. Much more relaxing than Baltimore.

Your best shopping in the area is going to be in DC area. Northern Virginia (just outside of DC) should have good shopping as well, McLean comes to mind.

Both cities are 1-2 hours from Dulles, depending on traffic. Only on a very slow traffic period (i.e. middle of the night) will it take you 1 hour, so plan on closer to 2 hours, or possibly more. If you%26#39;re in the middle of rush hour, the DC beltway is horrific.

Baltimore v Annapolis

It all depends on what you want. Baltimore has a big city feel (although it%26#39;s not very big) and has many attractions: Fort McHenry, Aquarium, Oriole Park at Camden Yards (baseball) and several restaurants, bars, and museums.

Annapolis has more of an historic feel and is a small town right on the water. It also has some things to do: boat rides, shopping, restaurants, etc. You might run out of things to do if you spend 2 nights there as opposed to 2 nights in Baltimore or splitting them up.

Annapolis is only 35 mins from Baltimore (not an hour like the above poster mentioned) so you should be able to rent a car or use some kind of transportation service to get there and back to Baltimore.

Personally, I would recommend either staying both nights in Baltimore or splitting them up. Annapolis is a wonderful town (I need to go back myself) but I don%26#39;t know if there will be enough to do in Annapolis for 2 nights. You might be finding there is more you want to do in Baltimore.

Both have waterfront attractions so you%26#39;ll see a lot of what you%26#39;ll see in Annapolis, in Baltimore.

And when you get a hotel in Baltimore, your parking should be included or be a little extra ($20 a day). Driving around town isn%26#39;t much of a problem as there are usually places to park, but it can get expensive. You might be better off using the Light Rail when you can and then taking cabs as well.

Baltimore is a city in desperate need of an improved Metro system.

Either way, good luck and have fun!

As far as shopping, there is a large outlet mall between Annapolis and Baltimore called Arundel Mills.

It literally is 20 minutes from Downtown Baltimore and 20 minutes from Annapolis.

They have a large selection of higher end stores at discounted prices.

I personally would spend one night in each city. They are both interesting places to visit.

I hate to say this... being a resident of Baltimore... but I would recommend staying two nights in Annapolis and daytripping to Baltimore. While you wouldn%26#39;t be ';close'; to Dulles if you stayed in Annapolis, you would be closer than you would be if you were in Baltimore.

Personally, I don%26#39;t like shopping malls and wouldn%26#39;t seek one out on a vacation. Annapolis has a lot to offer in terms of quaint shops and restaurants all within walking distance of the Annapolis City Docks.

Here is where Annapolis could be a problem: on a warm, sunny weekend day parking in downtown Annapolis can be just as atrocious as Baltimore or DC. I would consider parking when looking at lodging options. Also, you should consider that the Naval Academy has 3 home games in September (15, 22, 29). This could make things busier and more crowded that normal.

';Personally, I don%26#39;t like shopping malls and wouldn%26#39;t seek one out on a vacation. ';

You might if you were from Scotland like the OP, and your Sterling was worth $2 to the Pound! There are bargains galore to be found for UK visitors, and many of them spend a bit of their holidays ';hitting the malls';. :)

Irishfan: That is definitely true!

Have decided on 2 nights in Annapolis with a day trip to Baltimore. More to save me packing and unpacking than anything else! Looking forward to fitting in as much as possible.

PS Will definately be taking advantage of the current exchange rate with some retail therapy!