Car rental in Baltimore

Car Rental in Baltimore: Driving in “Charm City”

Baltimore is a fascinating city to visit, with a super charming bay area for shoppers and diners alike, and an incredible history, not least in terms of race relations in the United States. Even though Baltimore is a fairly large city, driving throughout Baltimore is not challenging, particularly if you’re accustomed to city driving. The roads are designed on an intuitive grid system, and even though the city itself has fairly good public transportation, a rental car will greatly ease your exploration of the city at large and the best of its wider surroundings. Here is a brief guide to finding cheap car rentals in Baltimore.

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Baltimore rental cars are available in over 15 locations throughout the city, including the Baltimore Airport (BWI), at the Sheraton, in White Marsh, and downtown, as well as in the northwestern and eastern parts of the city. Baltimore car hire typically starts at around $45 a day for short-term rental car contracts. This daily rate for Baltimore rental cars drops to just $30 a day when you extend your rental period to at least a week!

Tips for Finding Cheap Car Rental in Baltimore

The cheapest location at which to rent a car in Baltimore is at the Baltimore Airport, located just 12 miles south of the city. Also known as the Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, this location can typically offer the most competitive prices in Baltimore, particularly because it is home to the greatest number of rental car companies in the city. Alamo, Avis, Thrifty, Budget, Dollar, and Hertz are just a few of the major names in rental car services to rent cars at the Baltimore Airport. Even if you aren’t flying into Baltimore, you can often save around $10 a day by picking up your rental car at the airport. You can take the MARC train or BWI airport shuttle from numerous stops throughout Baltimore to conveniently reach your rental car company at the Baltimore Airport.

If it is troublesome for you to travel to the airport to pick up your Baltimore rental car, choose from a number of other locations that offer competitive rental car prices, including at the Baltimore Sheraton, downtown, and in White Marsh.

Rental car prices typically rise during the busiest tourist months of the year, July and August. If you can avoid visiting Baltimore in these hot and packed summer months, you can often save a lot of money on rental cars, as well as accommodations and dining throughout the city.

Particularly if you are not travelling to Baltimore during the busiest months of the year, you can often save $5 or more by booking your rental car last minute. Budget’s location at the airport often offers great deals on Baltimore rental cars that are booked just a month in advance of your arrival.

Key Things to Remember: Driving Your Rental Car in Baltimore

• Parking your rental car in downtown Baltimore:

o There are a great deal of parking spots available throughout Baltimore, though the easiest way to park downtown is in one of the many parking garages. You can often save money by booking a parking spot in advance by using the online Parking Panda service. Spots booked in advance typically cost around $5 an hour in downtown Baltimore, with a daily max rate of between $15 and $25. The farther away from downtown Baltimore that you park, the cheaper the price of parking.

o Parking is not permitted on many of the streets in downtown Baltimore, but if you do find metered on-street parking throughout the city, it typically costs $2 an hour to park, and time limits often apply.

• Driving along toll roads with your Baltimore rental car:

o There are numerous toll roads in the state of Maryland. The ones located in the direct vicinity of Baltimore include:

1. The John F. Kennedy Memorial Highway, a tolled section of I-95 northwest of Baltimore.
2. The Baltimore Harbor Thruway Tunnel
3. And the Francis Scott Key Bridge

o While toll roads throughout the United States are increasingly transitioning to electronic monitoring, most of the toll roads that serve Baltimore continue to use toll booths. This means you pay with cash at the toll booth on whichever toll road you use. You can expect to pay between $2 and $8 for the use of Baltimore toll roads in your rental car.

o If you will be required to drive along toll roads often during your trip to Baltimore, ask your rental car company if your car has been outfitted with an EZ-Pass, which will save you a few dollars each time you use a toll road. Some surcharges may apply.