Logistics between DC and Baltimore

Get a Cab.

Not a local but a frequent visitor. I’d prioritize for more DC time - there’s a lot to see and do.

I’d do one DC activity Wednesday and then travel up to Baltimore mid-afternoon. Thursday is a full day in Baltimore before the game. Friday is kind of up to you which city you’d rather spend the time in. I’ve never left luggage in DC but if you can find a place you’d have time to do another museum or such before heading out to Dulles in the afternoon.

The transit route would be: train (MARC or Amtrak) to Washington Union Station, Metro Red Line to Metro Center, then Metro Silver Line to Dulles.

Enjoy! Camden Yards is one of my favorite MLB ballparks.

A taxi would probably be several hundred dollars. And the beltway on Friday afternoon (actually anytime) can be a nightmare.

Things go wrong on both Marc trains and metro, so I’d head back to DC early before taking the silver line to Dulles. The silver line to Dulles takes about an hour from DC.

I will throw out another option. I don’t know if the Udvar-Hazy is in your plans but it is only a couple of miles from Dulles. There is a public bus between the Udvar Hazy and Dulles and there are luggage lockers at the museum. You could go Marc train / Metro / bus to Udvar Hazy, visit the museum, and then bus or cab to Dulles.
https://airandspace.si.edu/visit/udvar-hazy-center

Maybe look into renting a car in Baltimore for one day with return at Dulles?

When I fly out of Dulles I just rent a car for a day. I pick it up at the BWI rental car facility and drop it at Dulles. It costs between $72-85 dollars normally. Since your flight is at 5:15pm and you should be there by about 2:15pm

The wild card is getting around the Washington beltway. It should take about 1.5 hours from BWI to Dulles, but it’s taken me almost 3 hours on a couple of occasions. If flying out of Dulles we spend the night at a hotel near it.

If you take the the MARC take it to Union Station. Then take the metro’s red line to Metro Center and switch to the silver line.

Thanks for the help so far. The Udvar-Hazy museum has me intrigued. I keep reading about traffic nightmares and so I really don't want to take a taxi or rent a car if I don't have to. Or if I were to rent a car, is there a roundabout way to get to Dulles with some interesting stops that would take me west and then south toward Dulles instead of taking the beltway?

Allen,
In answer to your question about a roundabout way to get to Dulles from Baltimore. The answer is not really. The metro DC area is huge and trying to go farther out than the beltway won't help you. Also, there are not magic sites to visit.

Traffic is terrible, but not as much as it used to be since many federal employees work from home these days and don't commute.

Going to Baltimore on Wednesday, you should use google maps, but likely take the Baltimore-Washington Parkway. Not sure where your hotel is located in Baltimore, but hope it is in the city center where the stadium and dock area is located. Be careful where you go in Baltimore, since crime is not good there. You should be good near the stadium.
If you have an Orioles game Thursday evening, is that the evening prior to your Friday flight. If so, I suggest that you arrive at Dulles no later than 3PM for your flight.

If you are driving a rental car, and have a smart phone use google maps for your routing. Before that you can do a MAPQUEST for a projected map. However, traffic will dictate your routing. Most likely, you will take the beltway north of the city.

Thanks geovagriffith. No, we weren't planning on having a car for this trip. We'll take some form of public transportation to Baltimore and we are staying across the street from the stadium. I'm trying to figure how to spend the Friday before I have to go to the airport. I've checked out a couple of luggage storage places in DC close to Union Station but neither opens before noon. Likely spending the morning in Baltimore makes the most sense. I'm not opposed to a taxi or car service even at the quoted rates of about $180, but I'm not sure of the point if traffic will make it longer than the expected 1-1.5 hours.

Or if I were to rent a car, is there a roundabout way to get to Dulles with some interesting stops that would take me east and then south toward Dulles instead of taking the beltway?
P

I think you mean west because east would put you in the wrong direction for Dulles.

There aren’t many bridges across the Potomac. If you don’t take the Beltway, the next bridge to the west is at Point of Rocks, MD which is quite a ways further.

If you’re a fan of history there’s a lesser known Civil War battlefield (Monocacy) just south of Frederick that I enjoyed visiting. Frederick has a nice little downtown area as well that could be a nice lunch option.

Yes, west. I've edited my post.

During rush hours, the Baltimore-Washington parkway is basically a parking lot, so I disagree with the idea of taking it. Afternoon rush hour starts about 1pm now. The parkway is even terrible on weekends.

If coming from Dulles we take some back roads to get to the I95/I495 beltway and take it north towards Baltimore and get onto I95. We stay on it to MD32 east to the BW Parkway (MD295) north. If heading into Baltimore, I’d stay on I-95 to I-195 east (towards BWI airport) to the BW parkway north. The parkway ends in Baltimore just north of I-695, but just keep going straight and it goes right past both stadiums.

If you really wanted to go west, it is a longer drive and traffic could still be an issue. Take I-70 west to Frederick where you’d pick up US15 south. You’d stay on it, then get onto Rt. 7 (Leesburg Pike) east at Leesburg. Stay on Rt. 7 and get onto Rt. 28 south. That will take you to the airport. There are no great sights going that route unless you had time to stop at Harpers Ferry. Considering the time it would take to go that route plus the time you’d need at the airport, there isn’t a lot of free time to play with.

With the caveat that I haven't needed to get from Baltimore to Dulles on a weekday recently - I'd do a one way car rental or book a car service if I couldn't drive my own car. The hassle of taking the train into DC and then the train out to Dulles with luggage seems substantial. Also, near the stadium you have already missed most of the Baltimore Beltway, so you only have to contend with DC.

I also wouldn't really plan to do anything on Friday but get to the airport. If you did a one-way car rental, traffic will probably be getting lighter by 8:30 or 9 am - you could leave Baltimore for the Udvar-Hazy Center and probably have a couple of hours there before you would need to leave to return a rental car at the airport (only about ten minutes away). If the traffic is really terrible, you can shorten your time at Udvar-Hazy (or spend more time if traffic is light). I'd actually be surprised if you left downtown Baltimore by 10 am and weren't standing in the Udvar-Hazy by noon.

If you really don't want to rent a car, I would think a car service leaving Baltimore at noon would easily get you to the airport for your flight with a large margin for problems.

I think what HK suggests above is great advice.

I've lived in the DC area for about 12 years. I'm by no means an expert, but driving can be a nightmare - especially coming from Baltimore and going around the beltway (495). I think taking the train into DC and then either Metro or a taxi/Uber/Lyft out to the Dulles area is what I would do.

The Udvar-Hazy is absolutely amazing and well worth a few hours. There are SO many planes to see and the space shuttle alone is worth it. They also have an observation tower where you can watch planes take off/land at Dulles.