Where to Stay in Baltimore in 2023 | Best Areas & Hotels

Deciding where to stay in Baltimore can be a bit tricky, but once you get the right info and get to know the city better, things become significantly easier.

Just remember one thing: unlike most cities in America (and in the world), the most important and interesting things in Baltimore are not located downtown but in the other parts of the city.

The 4 Best Places to Stay in Baltimore

Baltimore is not a small city, but most of the attractions are in close proximity to each other. They surround the downtown area from the north, south, and southeast, and all of them offer something different and special.

The best areas to see everything include:

1. Downtown: Unlike other cities in America, the downtown of Baltimore is not the most important part of the city — it is not very safe and is only suitable if you’re traveling on a budget.
2. Inner Harbor: Definitely the most family-friendly and tourist-friendly part of Baltimore, full of restaurants, accommodations, and activities of all kinds.
3. Mount Vernon: The obvious choice for lovers of culture, history, and art, we are talking about the most high-end and elite part of Baltimore.
4. Fells Point: Located on the waterfront in close proximity to Inner Harbor, it is another tourist-friendly place, offering the best nightlife in Baltimore.

Where to Stay in Baltimore: Best Areas & Hotels

Apart from budget-friendly downtown, the best accommodations are located to its South and North. Inner Harbor is a major tourist hub and is full of all kinds of hotels and motels, making it the most suitable choice for family-friendly travelers and budgets.

Mount Vernon is another counter-intuitive example because, at the same time, it is the poshest area in the city, but in terms of accommodation, it is quite versatile and even affordable.

Finally, Fells Point is quite similar to the two other areas, barring its unique traits, but offers a smaller number of budget options.

1. Downtown

While Baltimore’s downtown is overshadowed by the neighboring Inner Harbor and Mount Vernon, it’s still the business and administrative center of the city, full of beautiful old architecture and interesting things to see and visit.

First, we recommend that you go to the Lexington Market, which is a very large indoor market with a long and rich history. Established in early 1782, it is one of the oldest and longest-running indoor shopping centers in America.

It’s full of all kinds of shops, but it’s where you’ll find the best meat and seafood. Baltimore’s downtown offers something quite unique and one-of-a-kind for lovers of the gothic, the supernatural, and the macabre.

The city is one of the places where Edgar Alan Poe resided, also — unfortunately — his final resting place. You can go and visit his grave at Westminster Presbyterian Church and pay your respects or learn more about him, his life, and his work at the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum.

While on the topic of great Americans, this part of Baltimore offers one more “shrine” — the Babe Ruth Birthplace and Museum.

It’s a must-see museum for all baseball fans since Babe Ruth is one of the sport’s greats.

He mostly left his mark in New York, but Baltimore is his birthplace. Surprisingly enough, Baltimore’s Downtown is the best place in the city if you’re planning to spend as little money as you can.

Unlike the other American downtowns, this one is full of cheap apartments and hotels where you can stay without having to spend a fortune.

However, the cheapest comes with a price: the downtown is not the safest part of Baltimore, and you had better visit the named attractions during the day.

Downtown Budget Hotels

• 2BR Lux Apartment With Rooftop Deck, Gym & Parking is a great two-star apartment located in the heart of the city. It offers free Wi-Fi, free parking, a small gym, and a nice and comfortable rooftop.
• Candlewood Suites Baltimore – Inner Harbor, an IHG Hotel is a very cheap three-star hotel that offers free parking, free Wi-Fi, and facilities for disabled people. It also has a fully equipped gym and a 24/7 front desk.

Downtown Mid-Range Hotels

• La Quinta by Wyndham Inner Harbor Downtown is a decent, pet-friendly three-star hotel. Every room has free Wi-Fi, a private bathroom, a flat-screen TV, and a desk. It also has a fitness center, facilities for disabled people, and a nice breakfast every morning.
• Sleep Inn & Suites Downtown Inner Harbor is another pet-friendly three-star hotel located in the center of the city. It offers free parking and free Wi-Fi for every guest, a fitness center on the premises, facilities for disabled people, and breakfast in the morning.

Downtown Luxury Hotels

• Chase at 39 West is a four-star complex of apartments that offers units with fully equipped kitchens, living rooms with satellite TV, and dining tables. There’s also a fitness center and airport shuttle available.
• Deluxe Designer Theme 1BR Apt near the Inner Harbor is an 80 square meters four-star apartment in the heart of the city. Aside from the great location, it offers a private bathroom, bedroom, fully equipped kitchen, and a living room.

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2. Inner Harbor

As you move from the downtown to the south, things immediately start getting better and better. A dark and Gotham-like shipyard during the 70s, today Inner Harbor is described as “the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the world.”

Full of shopping places, beautiful buildings, and museums, it’s probably the most tourist-friendly area in Baltimore. Also, it’s quite safe and always full of visitors.

Inner Harbor is one of the longest-lasting seaports in all of America and the part of Baltimore where you can get connected to the water-taxi transport. From here, you can also visit nearby attractions like Fells Point or Harbor East.

While near the ocean, make sure you also visit the one-of-a-kind maritime museum called the Historic Ships in Baltimore and take a look at — or even board — the four historical ships.

Don’t forget the old lighthouse, either! In Inner Harbor, there are more museums and educational institutions than you can count, but some are more important than others.

Here are the ones we’d prioritize:

• The National Aquarium — one of the largest and most visited institutions of its kind in America.
• The Maryland Science Center — a versatile museum about science, space, dinosaurs, and the human body.
• The Port Discovery Children’s Museum is mostly suitable for children up to age ten.
• The Lloyd Street Synagogue — is the third-oldest synagogue in the USA.
• American Visionary Art Museum is mainly about “outsider’s” art and “raw” art.
• The Top of the World Observation Level is located on the 27th floor of the Baltimore World Trade Center and provides the best view of the city.

Because it’s constantly crowded with tourists, Inner Harbor offers a variety of hotels of every type, star number, and size.

It’s slightly more expensive and more upscale than downtown, but not by too much. Do note that Inner Harbor is also one of the safest and most family-friendly areas in Baltimore.

Inner Harbor Budget Hotels

• Comfort Inn & Suites Baltimore Inner Harbor is a relatively cheap pet-friendly, three-star hotel located just south of Baltimore’s downtown. It offers modern rooms with flat-screen TVs, refrigerators, and microwaves. There’s also free Wi-Fi throughout the building and a gym on the premises.
• Tru By Hilton Baltimore Harbor East is another relatively cheap three-star hotel, but this time part of the famous Hilton chain of hotels. Located in the nearby area between Jonestown and Inner Harbor, it has a fitness center on the premises and offers breakfast.

Inner Harbor Mid-Range Hotels

• Staybridge Suites Baltimore – Inner Harbor, an IHG Hotel is a great three-star hotel, especially suitable for couples. It offers private parking and free Wi-Fi, a fitness center on the premises, facilities for disabled guests, and nice breakfast every morning.
• Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards is another great three-star hotel that has much to offer besides being located in the most popular neighborhood in Baltimore. It has a restaurant and a fitness center on the premises, and very tasty breakfast is served each morning.

Inner Harbor Luxury Hotels

• Hyatt Regency Baltimore is a four-star luxury hotel, part of the famous Hyatt chain of hotels, and probably one of the best accommodation options in Baltimore. It has basically everything — from an outdoor swimming pool to an on-site gym and a restaurant.
• Residence Inn by Marriott Baltimore Downtown/ Inner Harbor is another very upscale four-star hotel, part of another very important chain of hotels, Marriott. Again, we have a bar, restaurant, and fitness center on the premises, as well as very professional room service. Sometimes, the brands speak for themselves, and you can’t go wrong.

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3. Mount Vernon

Just to the north of Downtown and on the opposite side of Inner Harbor lies the area known as Mount Vernon, the most historically important and most beautiful neighborhood in Baltimore.

What makes it so special? Just take a stroll through its well-constructed streets and old buildings, and you’ll feel like you’ve time-traveled to the age of the American Founding Fathers.

Actually, the area gets its name from George Washington’s house in his home in Virginia. Speaking of America’s first president, Mount Vernon is organized around the Washington Monument — a colossal landmark column created by Robert Mills in 1815.

It is the first monument in the country dedicated to the father of the American nation and definitely the most important monument in the whole of Baltimore.

Mount Vernon Place — the park space around the monument — is also described as one of the most finely made urban spaces in the country. After you’ve visited the column, head straight to the Mount Vernon Cultural District.

We’ll let the list speak of the things you’re going to find there:

• The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
• The Walters Art Museum
• The Lyric Opera House 
• Centerstage
• Spotlighter’s Theater
• The Peabody Institute
• Contemporary Museum 
• Enoch Pratt Free Library
• Eubie Blake National Jazz Institute
• Garrett Jacobs Mansion
• The George Peabody Library
• Maryland Historical Society
• Theatre Project

Plainly speaking, lovers of culture are going to feel like they’ve arrived in paradise since each of these institutions has its own story to tell, and more importantly, is functioning at its full strength.

From theater and painting to music, literature, history, and science, you won’t find anything lacking. Mount Vernon is famous for being the home of Baltimore’s richest and most fashionable families.

But in terms of accommodation options, everything is not as posh as it sounds. Aside from the wide range of five- and four-star hotels, there’s a bunch of cheap motels and decent three-star hotels that can receive guests on much smaller budgets.

Mount Vernon Budget Hotels

• Motel 6 Baltimore Downtown is a very cheap two-star hotel located just north of Baltimore’s downtown. It offers free Wi-Fi and free parking, and modernly decorated rooms with plasma TVs. It also offers facilities for disabled guests.
• Midtown Inn is another very cheap two-star hotel with a perfect location — right in the middle of Baltimore. A historic building from the 1860s, it offers a 24-hour desk, facilities for disabled people, free Wi-Fi, and non-smoking rooms.

Mount Vernon Mid-Range Hotels

• The Ivy Hotel is a relatively expensive four-star hotel located in the heart of Mount Vernon, very close to the center of the city. It offers fine-dining restaurants on the premises, but also a bar, a fitness center, and a spa and wellness center too. 
• Central and Trendy Baltimore Townhome Pets OK! is another three-star accommodation option, located in the heart of Mount Vernon. Around 75 square meters in size, it has two bedrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and a bathroom, and a flat-screen TV.  

Mount Vernon Luxury Hotels

• Ulysses is a five-star hotel and definitely one of the best and most elite accommodations in the whole of Baltimore. It offers a bar, a restaurant, and a great breakfast every morning, but also a fine nightclub on the premises. The hotel is especially suitable for couples.
• Hotel Revival Baltimore, part of JdV by Hyatt is a great four star-hotel that has much to offer. The hotel has an on-site restaurant, a bar, and a fitness center. Facilities for disabled people are available too, as well as a nice breakfast every morning.

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4. Fells Point

To the east of Inner Harbor lies Fells Point, another magnet for tourists and one of the oldest neighborhoods in Baltimore.

Established some time around the 1760s, this area located on the waterfront is the definite nightlife hub of the city, where you’ll find the most vibrant and ecstatic places. A quick fact: aside from the many bars, restaurants, and coffee shops, there are around 120 registered pubs at Fells Point.

Not only is Fells Point full of pubs and bars (some of them quite old), but it’s the most versatile and inclusive place in Baltimore since it’s full of minorities and different cultures, making it even more fun and vibrant.

Here’s a list of the best places to truly experience Fells Point:

• Cat’s Eye Pub
• The Horse You Came In On Saloon
• Tavern at the Admiral
• DogWatch Tavern
• The Rockwell

But Fells Point is still Baltimore, and more importantly, it is a very old part of the city: a nice way to transition from nightlife to history is by joining a tour that combines them both.

Baltimore Ghost Tours is all about visiting haunted pubs with real actors; Baltimore Wicked History Tours, on the other hand, is about discovering the decadent history of the city’s nightlife.  

From there onward, it’s all about history and old buildings. The Robert Long House, for example, is the oldest house in Baltimore; there’s also The Saint Patrick Catholic Church, which is one of the oldest catholic churches in the region.

Finally, visit The Caulker’s Houses to hear the whole story of Fells Point. Fells Point is a top location in Baltimore, attracting a lot of tourists during all parts of the year.

Because of that, it’s not the cheapest place, and for that matter, it’s quite similar to Inner Harbor and Mount Vernon. There are a lot of luxurious four-star hotels and great, not-so-cheap three-star hotels, but only a couple of two-star options.

Fells Point Budget Hotels

• Nice bedroom next to Fells point is a two-star guest house that offers its apartments, particularly suitable for couples. Every unit is equipped with a flat-screen TV, a sitting area, a bedroom, and a private bathroom. There’s free Wi-Fi too.  
• Cozy Rowhouse Next JHH is a very cheap two-star hotel, which doesn’t offer much, except for the nice location, and the very low price. There’s free Wi-Fi in the rooms, flat-screen TVs, towels, and bed linen.

Fells Point Mid-Range Hotels

• Courtyard by Marriott Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor is a very elegant three-star hotel that offers quite a lot: from an on-site restaurant and the bar, the 18th-century-like furnishing, free parking and Wi-Fi, to the 24-hour desk, and the facilities for disabled people.
• Admiral Fell Inn Baltimore Harbor, Ascend Hotel Collection is another three-star hotel, which leans more to the luxurious pole than to the mid-range. Again, it boasts a famous restaurant on the premises, a fitness center, facilities for disabled guests, and a tasty breakfast every morning.

Fells Point Luxury Hotels

• Canopy By Hilton Baltimore Harbor Point – Newly Built is a luxurious four-star hotel that offers free parking, free Wi-Fi, and free bikes. It has room service, a restaurant, a bar and a gym on the premises, and a tasty breakfast every morning.
• 1840s Carrollton Inn is another four-star hotel that has free Wi-Fi and parking that offers a spa and wellness center, has a gift shop on the premises, and has quick, professional room service. Particularly suitable for couples, it also boasts facilities for disabled guests.

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So, Where Should You Stay in Baltimore?

Reaching the end of this guide left us surprised and intrigued. Baltimore is an old and interesting city, but to fully enjoy it, you have to forget about your intuition for a moment and find the right place to stay for your budget and taste.

But forunately for you, there are countless options available, including:

💲 Most Budget-Friendly Area	Downtown
👪 Best for Families	Inner Harbor
🥂 Most Luxurious Area	Mount Vernon
👫🏽 Most Tourist-Friendly	Fells Point

So, with so much to see and do, what are you waiting for — book your trip to Baltimore today and experience all that the city has to offer for yourself!