Baltimore: what to see in 1 day

The Inner Harbor is the point to start from, where the dock hosts the USS Constellation, the last full-rigged sailing ship built by the United States Navy still afloat, visitable by climbing aboard to see decks and cabins of a mid-1800s vessel. Nearby you find the entrance to the National Aquarium, whose architecture of glass pyramids is now one of the symbols of the port's skyline, also for those limiting themselves to skirting it along the waterfront walk.

Crossing the pedestrian bridge on the south side of the port you quickly climb to Federal Hill, a park hill from which you enjoy one of the most noted views of the city: from here the entire Inner Harbor is seen, with the docks and skyscrapers of the center in the background. At the foot of the hill, the surrounding neighborhood also hosts the American Visionary Art Museum, recognizable by its facade covered with mirrors and mosaics.

Returning to the port for lunch, the afternoon is when it is best to choose a direction. Toward the east, following the coast for a couple of kilometers or taking one of the water taxis that connect the docks, you reach Fell's Point, the oldest port nucleus of the city: cobblestone streets, row houses in brick and a waterfront that has maintained a more maritime and less touristy character compared to the Inner Harbor.

Alternatively, heading north you reach Mount Vernon, the 1800s neighborhood built around the first monument dedicated to George Washington in the United States, which you can climb for another view of the city. Around the column are concentrated grand houses and the Walters Art Museum, with collections ranging from Egyptian art to European art, with free admission.

Whichever direction is chosen, the rest of the afternoon and dinner naturally unfold in the same neighborhood: Fell's Point offers a concentration of pubs and seafood restaurants along the small harbor, while Mount Vernon has a more residential atmosphere, with restaurants hidden among the row houses.

Baltimore organizes well around a fixed pivot, the Inner Harbor, and an afternoon choice between two quarters of opposite character: the waterfront of Fell's Point or the nineteenth-century elegance of Mount Vernon. Neither is more correct than the other, and the choice depends simply on what you prefer to see of the city in a few hours.

Other corners remain left out, linked mainly to the industrial history of the city, but between the harbor, the hill and one of the two historic quarters you already touch well the different souls of Baltimore.