The distance from Washington DC to Baltimore by car is 39 miles, with a 53 minute driving time. The best road trip stops on the Washington DC to Baltimore drive are the United States National Arboretum, the NASA Goddard Visitor Center and the National Cryptologic Museum.
Finding things to do between Washington DC and Baltimore
The Washington DC to Baltimore drive connects the national capital to the biggest city in Maryland.
5 Washington DC experiences worth booking
- 🏛️ Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the US Capitol Building, with the Library of Congress or Supreme Court included.
- 🏡 Combine George Washington’s Mount Vernon with Old Town Alexandria on a history-packed day tour.
- 🕊️ Take a guided walking tour of Arlington National Cemetery, including the Changing of the Guard.
- 🚲 Visit the monuments and memorials of the National Mall on a bike tour that gets you closer than the bus routes.
- 🍽️ Go on a tasting tour of Georgetown’s top foodie highlights.
Washington DC has an enormous range of tours, experiences and attractions available. You could happily spend weeks in the Smithsonian Museums alone. Top choices, however, include the nighttime monuments and memorials tour, small group guided visits to the Capitol and National Library of Congress and Lincoln assassination tours that visit Fords Theatre.
There are several underrated Washington DC attractions to add in to the itinerary if you have time. I like the National Museum of the American Indian, Lincoln’s Cottage and Dumbarton Oaks next to Rock Creek Park.
Memorable Washington DC accommodation options include the Willard, where Martin Luther King Jr wrote his I Have A Dream speech. There’s also the Watergate Hotel, a luxurious conversion of the offices from the Watergate scandal.
Baltimore is a character-packed port city that has spruced itself up in recent years and has a wealth of attractions to explore. The Fort McHenry National Monument is the number one historical attraction, but there’s plenty to see around the Inner Harbor. The National Aquarium, American Visionary Art Museum, Historic Ships and Port Discovery Children’s Museum are the big hitters.
Top experiences include historical sightseeing tours, sailing on Inner Harbor and ghost tours in the Fell’s Point neighbourhood.
For other options, try brewery-hopping tours, helicopter rides and Fell’s Point food tours.
Washington DC to Baltimore distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Washington DC to Baltimore is 39 miles. This makes for a driving time of around 53 minutes. The quickest route is along the Baltimore-Washington Parkway.
The best stops on a Washington DC to Baltimore road trip are the United States National Arboretum, the NASA Goddard Visitor Center and the National Cryptologic Museum.
Washington DC to Baltimore drive: United States National Arboretum
The National Arboretum is both a place of science and recreation. It was established by an Act of Congress, and its primary aim is the growth and scientific understanding of important plants. However, there are also display gardens within the arboretum, and a couple of interesting oddities. These include the National Capitol Columns, which were originally part of the US Capitol Building, but were removed as they failed to adequately support the dome.
There’s also the National Bonsai and Penjing Museum, which is all about the art of horticulture in miniature.
Best stops between Washington DC and Baltimore: NASA Goddard Visitor Center
The NASA Goddard Visitor Center in Greenbelt, Maryland, showcases the work NASA does here. The Goddard Space Flight Center manages many space missions and is a key scientific research base.
The Visitor Center covers astrophysics, planetary science, space communications and engineering, amongst other topics. It also gives an insight into what a vast organisation NASA is. Entry is free.
Washington DC to Baltimore road trip attractions: National Cryptologic Museum
The National Cryptologic Museum in Annapolis Junction is essentially the National Security Agency’s attempt to present a friendly face to the public.
This museum takes a look at cryptology, and its importance to security. At the simplest level, this is about codemaking and codebreaking, but there’s a heavy emphasis on intelligence work, too.
More Washington DC travel
Other Washington DC travel guides on Planet Whitley include:
- The best of the DC Smithsonian Museums – including the National Museum of the American Indian and National Museum of Natural History.
- What to expect at the Museum of the Bible, National Postal Museum, National Building Museum and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington DC.
- National Mall bus tour vs bike tour: What’s the best way to see Washington DC’s monuments and memorials?
- Getting to Washington DC: The best stops on the Chicago to Washington DC drive.
- Road trips from Washington DC: What to see on the Washington DC to Pittsburgh drive.
