Train Washington DC: Baltimore, Philadelphia, Boston

Train Washington DC: which city and which train?

You can take a train from Washington, DC to Baltimore, Philadelphia or Boston, and all of them leave from Union Station. The station is at 50 Massachusetts Avenue NE. Trains are one part of the wider guide to public transport washington dc that visitors use to get in and out of the city.

Two companies run the trains. MARC is Maryland's commuter rail, and it goes to Baltimore. Amtrak is the national railroad, and its Northeast Regional stops in Baltimore, Philadelphia and Boston. The Acela is Amtrak's faster train on the same line. For Boston it is the fastest option the official pages list, at about 7 hours, while Amtrak does not publish a time for the Northeast Regional to Boston on the pages we checked. Amtrak's Acela page says the train serves Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore and Washington, DC, and Wikipedia lists Boston and Washington as the two ends of the Acela, so you stay on one train through New York. Its timetable minimum is 6 hours 30 minutes and a typical run is 6 hours 38 minutes to 6 hours 50 minutes, which Amtrak rounds to about 7 hours. Check the exact itinerary on amtrak.com before you buy.

MARC and Amtrak compare like this for Baltimore. MARC publishes its timetable (60 to 65 minutes) and its ticket rules, and cash on board costs a $5.00 surcharge. Amtrak publishes seat and onboard details but no Baltimore time or price on the pages we checked. Between Union Station and BWI Rail Station, the BWI Airport page gives about 30 minutes by Amtrak and about 35 minutes by MARC, so the two trains take almost the same time. Wikipedia puts the line at 39 miles (63 km) between Washington and Baltimore Penn. Plan with the 60 to 65 minutes of MARC.

Union Station is on the Red Line of Metro, which is the Metro line for getting to the station. The National Park Service says Metro is the best way to reach the National Mall, but its page does not name a station for the Smithsonian museums, so check the museum's own page for the nearest stop.

The best day trip is the one where the train ride is the easy part.

Step 1: Pick Baltimore, Philadelphia or Boston

Baltimore is the best train trip from Washington, DC for one day, because the ride is about an hour. The MARC Penn Line timetable lists trips of 60 to 65 minutes between Baltimore's Penn Station and Union Station. The Amtrak Northeast Regional also stops at Baltimore Penn Station.

Philadelphia is farther, and the Northeast Regional takes about 2 hours from Washington, DC, according to Wikipedia's Northeast Regional page, since no Amtrak page we opened publishes it. The Northeast Regional stops at William H. Gray III 30th Street Station. Amtrak's page for that station lists SEPTA as the local transit connection. Read the exact time from the timetable on amtrak.com for the trip you want.

Boston is a far bigger trip. Amtrak lists the Acela at 7 hours, so plan it as a trip with a hotel, not a day out. The Acela runs straight through without a change in New York. Amtrak's Northeast Regional page lists Boston stops at South Station and Back Bay Station.

Key Takeaway Baltimore is about 60 to 65 minutes by MARC, while Boston takes 7 hours on the Acela, so only Baltimore works as a comfortable day trip.

Step 2: Choose MARC or Amtrak for Baltimore

Choose MARC if you want a plain commuter train and a clear timetable, and choose Amtrak if you want to book on amtrak.com. Both leave from Union Station and both serve Baltimore Penn Station.

The MARC timetable for Sunday, 25 October 2026, shows six trains from Penn Station to Union Station. The first leaves at 8:55 am and the last at 6:00 pm. That is the timetable toward Washington, so check the return trip before you go. The page does not label the day as a weekday or a weekend, so read the timetable for your own date.

MARC also has a limit you should know about. Its 5-Day Weekly tickets are not valid on Saturday or Sunday, so buy a one-way ticket for a weekend trip.

Amtrak's own pages do not list a Washington to Baltimore time or price, so we do not give one. The BWI Airport page does say that Amtrak takes about 30 minutes and MARC about 35 minutes between BWI Rail Station and Union Station. That is the airport stop, not Baltimore's Penn Station. If you fly in, read our guide to which Washington, DC airport to pick.

Pro Tip Check the MARC timetable for the exact day you travel, because the timetable showed only six trains toward Washington on a Sunday, from 8:55 am to 6:00 pm.

Step 3: Buy your ticket before you board

Buy your ticket before you get on the train. MARC sells tickets in the CharmPass app, at ticket machines at Union Station and Baltimore's Penn Station, online at mta.commuterdirect.com and by phone at 410-697-2212. The machines at both stations take cash.

Paying on board is the costly option. MARC accepts cash only on the train. It adds a $5.00 surcharge if a machine or ticket office was available where you boarded, and the conductor cannot take bills over $20.

A MARC one-way ticket is good for six months from the purchase date. Seniors and people with disabilities pay half fare, and two children under six ride free with a full-fare adult. The fare for Washington to Baltimore is only in MARC's Penn Line fare chart PDF, which we did not open, so we do not state it.

For Amtrak, book on amtrak.com. Amtrak's Northeast Regional page lists coach seats with at least 39 inches of legroom, power outlets, free Wi-Fi, a cafe car and a quiet car. It does not list fares. Check the price on the day you travel.

Step 4: Board at Union Station

At Union Station, find your gate on the board, go when it posts, and be on the platform before it closes. Amtrak posts boarding gates 15 minutes before departure. It closes them 3 minutes before the train leaves. The Philadelphia train leaves from the Amtrak concourse behind the main hall, and the gate is only assigned at that point, so the same rule applies to every Amtrak trip. Wikipedia says the upper level has tracks 7 to 20 and the lower level tracks 22 to 29, so the platform can be on either level.

Union Station is open 24 hours to ticketed passengers. Metro has six lines, called Green, Yellow, Red, Orange, Silver and Blue. The station sits on the Red Line of Metro, and Amtrak, MARC and VRE trains stop there. Metro's Union Station page shows the first Red Line trains toward Glenmont at 5:38 am on Sunday and Monday to Thursday, and at 6:38 am on Saturday. WMATA's general Metro hours are 5 am to midnight Monday to Thursday, 5 am to 2 am on Friday, 6 am to 2 am on Saturday and 6 am to midnight on Sunday, and its rider tools give exact first and last trains. Pay with a Smart Trip card (the card Metro's pages call SmarTrip) or a contactless card, and tap in and out with the same one. If your day includes the White House, the National Park Service names Federal Triangle and Metro Center as the closest stations. Read our Metro map guide if you start from a hotel across town. If you drive, drop-off is at the Massachusetts Avenue exit.

For more on the building itself, see our guide to Washington, DC Union Station.

Step 5: Spend your day in Baltimore

You can see the best part of Baltimore in a few hours, because the Inner Harbor sits south of Penn Station and most visitors head there. Amtrak's Baltimore station page names the Walters Art Museum, the National Aquarium and the B&O Railroad Museum as places nearby. The station is at 1500 North Charles Street. Local transit there includes the Baltimore Light Rail and the Charm City Circulator.

A harbor cruise is an easy way to see the waterfront. The 45-minute Baltimore Inner Harbor sightseeing cruise is run by Watermark Journey and leaves from 555 Light St. The ticket is from €30 per person, rated 4.7 from 315 reviews on GetYourGuide, and shows free cancellation. It is a narrated cruise, and the 315 reviews make 4.7 a firmer signal than a small sample. The cruise does not suit people prone to seasickness, and drinks and snacks cost extra. A guided tour is not needed for this day, because the train, the station and the harbor all work on your own. You can also do the harbor on foot for free, so the cruise is only worth it if you want to see Fort McHenry and the skyline from the water.

For a view from above, the Baltimore helicopter tour is run by MyFlight Tours. It takes 5 to 15 minutes, runs in groups of up to 8 people and is from €70 per person, rated 4.9 from 32 reviews. It departs from Martin State Airport at 701 Wilson Point Rd, not from the harbor, so you need a ride from the station. You choose your route over the stadiums, skyscrapers and harbor, and the 32 reviews are a small sample next to the cruise. Flights are not suited to people over 136 kg (300 lbs).

Some readers who want a day out from DC search for dc wine tours, so here is the honest match. The day trips page lists guided Baltimore, Annapolis, Gettysburg and Mount Vernon trips, but it has no wine tour. A day by train to Baltimore needs no car, and that is its one clear edge over most bus tours.

Things to Do in Washington DC's count of GetYourGuide listings in October 2026 found 2 Baltimore tours, from €30.

When the train is the wrong choice

The train is the wrong choice if you want Philadelphia or Boston in a single day from Washington, DC. Boston alone is about 7 hours each way on the Acela. Amtrak also lists work on the Northeast Corridor, with service changes between October 9 and November 15, 2026, at the Portal North Bridge, so check your date before you book. A single Metro ride in Washington, DC costs $2.25 to $6.75 on a weekday, so add that to your budget for getting to Union Station. For a short day trip, Baltimore is the only city here that fits easily.