What's the best way to get from Baltimore to Philadelphia?

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DoctorWannaBe

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I'm going to some interviews in Philadelphia and have found that it is almost half the price to fly into Baltimore via Southwest Airlines. Can someone tell me the best way to get to Philadelphia from Baltimore, so I can see if it will save me any money overall? I'm not 25, so I'm not sure it is reasonable to rent a car. Thanks!

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Amtrak is super easy and convenient. However, it may be a bit pricey. You can take Amtrak directly from BWI to 30th Street Penn Station (downtown Philly). - amtrak.com

A cheaper option is greyhound. Check out the greyhound site to see if it leaves from BWI. Check if the carrier is Peter Pan cos if you ride the Peter Pan bus, they show you a movie:) - greyhound.com
 
greyhound is mad cheap... but you have to take a taxi to the med school (whether it's JHU or UMD). It's probably going to be only $5-10. But if you take the Amtrak, there is a shuttle from the train station to JHU med (free) and a Lightrail to UMD med ($1-2).
 
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just so you know, i dont think philly is operational as a southwest city until like may 8th or something.
 
Definitely amtrak--greyhound is a disaster waiting to happen. The only issue is cost--an amtrak ticket from balt to philly will probably run around $100 roundtrip. So, it might jus tbe cheaper and more convenient to go straight to philly.
 
You might try renting a car, I'm not 25 either, but I was able to rent a car in philly for not that much, especially if Amtrak is expensive. Try Priceline, but make sure you call to ask how much extra you have to pay for being under 25.
But if you're not used to driving on the east coast, and have never been there, and would get lost easily, Amtrak might be the way to go.
 
If you can somehow rent a car, the drive is only about 3 hours. Otherwise, I say go Amtrak. It's not too expensive.
 
Thanks for the advice. I looked into Amtrak and I don't think it would save me much money by going into Baltimore. Hotwire.com had a fare straight to Philadelphia that is the same price as flying Southwest to Baltimore. It's too bad Southwest isn't opening their Philadelphia service sooner. Also, I have family in Philadelphia so I don't need a car once I'm there. Has anyone had any luck flying with Hotwire.com?
 
Actually, the drive from Baltimore to Philly is only like an hour and a half. If I were you, I would take greyhound and have someone pick you up at the bus station.
 
The drive between Balto and Philly is more like 1.5 hours, not 3, unless you are driving in rush hour traffic or something.

You should be able to rent a car, as long as you are 21. There are at least a couple of companies that rent to 21 year olds, but I think they make you pay extra for it.
 
I flew with hotwire once, and it worked out ok for me. As long as you can pick the times so you don't get really bad flights it should be ok.
 
Originally posted by markus21
you have to take a taxi to the med school (whether it's JHU or UMD). It's probably going to be only $5-10. But if you take the Amtrak, there is a shuttle from the train station to JHU med (free) and a Lightrail to UMD med ($1-2).

dyslexia? o_O
 
If you want to rent a car, I recommend you use Enterprise because they have the lowest "under 25" fee. I also made the drive from Baltimore to Philly and it was no big deal. Good luck at your interview!
 
The "Chinatown" bus or something is the absolute cheapest way -- I think it's $15 or something. Do a google search and you should find it. From what I hear it's reliable.

I went to Hopkins, and have been back forth 10 or so times this year (some times to fly out of BWI for the savings in $$) and I've usually gone with greyhound. Twice the bus (out of 20 times) has been late for more than one hour, and once I had to take Amtrak because thee bus never showed up from 8 PM until the next morning. So this is a possibility. USUALLY however, greyhound is ok.

Amtrak is the smoothest ride, but yeah it's $90 round trip or $150 if you take Acela. I don't have any idea why they charge so much money -- a commuter train from Philly to NY is about $20 round trip. By 2020 there will be a commuter link between SEPTA and MARC and you will be able to travel from DC to NY for about $30 round trip.
 
Originally posted by thewebthsp
The "Chinatown" bus or something is the absolute cheapest way -- I think it's $15 or something. Do a google search and you should find it. From what I hear it's reliable.


It's illegal.

But anyway, driving is the easiest way to go.

2 choices from Baltimore:

95N

or

Rt 1 N (if you like the scenic route)

2 hours tops.
 
Living in Philadelphia, I myself have used BWI many times (I went to school in the midwest). There are car/shuttle services that serve Philly from BWI and are pretty reasonable as well. You are not the only one to realize the disparity in rates (which is diminishing), so they do exist. I have never used one, but that is another option for you. The drive is only an hour and half tops.
 
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