DC to NJ thru Baltimore - Need Road Advice

[GrillingFool]

So I get the great joy of taking a road trip soon.
(I will have many tissues to use every time I fill up with gas
because I will be crying like a baby, LOL!)

(Oh good, just heard that oil hit a new high today, whee.)

(And to offset the gas costs, I am NOT staying in a motel...
I am camping in a state park. $12 a night vs $75!)

Anyway....

From Washington DC, through Baltimore and onward to points
north on I-95....

Through Baltimore...
Better to stay on I95 and go through the expensive tunnels
or
Better to take 295 out of DC and 695 around the south of Baltimore?
Time isn't really an issue... traffic, ease of path and TOLL COST are.

I will be going thru sometime earlyish afternoon on a Sunday.

Decisions, decisions.

 

[Loprraine]

So, you're asking for the best route thru Baltimore, not what to see? Just checking.

Edited to add, I know one person that bypasses a lot of highway traffic by taking a back route close to Manasas. We're hoping to find that route , if we do, I'll let you know.

 

[GrillingFool]

Yup, just passing through this time.
Saw the Inner Harbor a decade or so ago, that was great!
This trip, Baltimore just gets a wave as I pass through.

 

[GrillingFool]

shameless bump... any Baltimorians out there?

 

[TATTRAT]

Fells point, inner harbor, power plant live are all worth seeing. Fells in particular has a million and six different venues for fun/eating/drinking etc...

As far as a route, avoid DC at all costs, there is a lot of things going on this week end, from the celebrate Fairfax festival to the Nude Bike ride in the Capital. Traffic in general is a pain normally...

95N, expect a lot of congestion north of Richmond, then again around Fredricksburg's and Quantico, then all around DC...


A complete different way, have you thought about going up 13North, Chesapeake bay bridge tunnel, and up the eastern shore? great way to get to Baltimore, and a lot more scenic then 95.

 

[GrillingFool]

Not visiting Baltimore... heading for New Jersey.

I just want advice on the best route through Baltimore....

via I95 and the harbor tunnel, or
via 695 south of the city.....

 

[Katie H]

Use 695. It goes around the city to the West, but check Google to be sure. You'll see exits like "Towson," etc. You definitely don't have to go through the city. However the Harbor Tunnel may be more direct, but there is a toll charge.

Buck and I lived in suburban Maryland just below Baltimore and traveled there often.