Overview
Baltimore County surrounds (but doesn't include) the City of Baltimore, in Central Maryland. It is a very populous county, filled with independent suburbs of Baltimore, whose populations surged during the white flight of the 1960s from the city in the face of desegregation and the riots of 1968.
Updated from Wikivoyage on 1 October 2026 · Something wrong or missing? Improve it on Wikivoyage
Plan your trip
Best time to visit & weather
Most comfortable: Apr–Jun, Sep–Oct. Summer highs reach about 90°F; winter lows dip to about 30°F. Very hot (Jul) — plan outdoor time for mornings. Wettest: Jul and Sep. (climate data from nearby Baltimore)
Blue bars: average daily high and low (°F). Purple columns: average monthly rain and melted snow (inches).
Getting there
- From you: to see whether to drive or fly, and how long it takes.
- BWI Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, Baltimore — 16 mi away (major hub). Directions
- DCA Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington — 45 mi away (major hub). Directions
The Jones Falls Expressway (I-83; locally called the JFX) is the principal route into the county, coming south from Pennsylvania or north from downtown Baltimore. You can also enter the county by US-1 and MD-140.
Full “Get in” guide ↓Sample 3-day trip
- Day 1: Pikesville — explore the town.
- Day 2: Towson — Hampton National Historic Site, Towson University, Goucher College.
- Day 3: Owings Mills — Irvine Nature Center, Soldiers Delight Natural Environmental Area.
Built from the best-covered destinations in this region; open each for its own day plan.
Places in Baltimore County
Other destinations
Get in
The Jones Falls Expressway (I-83; locally called the JFX) is the principal route into the county, coming south from Pennsylvania or north from downtown Baltimore. You can also enter the county by US-1 and MD-140.
Get around
The Baltimore Beltway, I-695, is the principal route connecting the various suburbs of Baltimore County, but the Francis Scott Key Bridge, which carried it across Baltimore Harbor in the southeast, collapsed in March 2024 after a ship collision. Alternate routes include the Fort McHenry Tunnel (I-95), the Baltimore Harbor Tunnel (I-895), and the west side of the I-695 loop, as well as other routes through the city.
Cities and neighborhoods
The cities and neighborhoods are organised by their location relative to Baltimore City, in the same way as the city's district-guides. Some neighborhoods outside Baltimore city-limits are covered in the district-guides, those district-guides are linked to here.
North
West
East
Nearby
Baltimore
City / town · 9 listings · 7 mi away
Patapsco Valley State Park
Park · 3 listings · 12 mi away
Linthicum
City / town · 10 listings · 14 mi away
Ellicott City
City / town · 23 listings · 14 mi away
Hanover
City / town · 5 listings · 16 mi away
Edgewood
City / town · 1 listings · 16 mi away
Bel Air
City / town · 2 listings · 16 mi away
Glen Burnie
City / town · 6 listings · 17 mi away
My experience
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