This summer, I'd like to plan a one-week baseball trip for myself, and need your advices and opinions to make it happen.

After checking out all the different options and asking for advices, I've chosen to make the following trip :

- Washington (1 NFL preseason game vs. Ravens - 3rd preseason game where the starters play at least half the game)
- Baltimore (1 game vs. Texas, August 22)
- Philadelphia (2 games vs. Houston, August 23 and 24)
- Washington (5 games, 1 vs. my rivalry team, the Cubbies, and 4 vs. my favourite team, St. Louis, August 26, 27, 28 and 29)

In order to limit expenses, I'd like to book my plane tickets from Paris to Washington, then travel between those cities by train. During that trip, I'll try to do an many things as possible during the day (sightseeing, monuments, museums, ...), then enjoy the games at the ballpark.

Now I have two options :
- cheapest flight (630€) round-trip to Baltimore (BWI), arrives late on Saturday (miss the NFL preseason game) and leaves early on the Sunday (miss the last Cardinals game)
- more expensive flight (710€) round-trip to Washington (IAD), arrives at 4pm on Saturday and leaves late on the Sunday

If I take the more expensive flight, I might be able to go to the 3rd Redskins NFL preseason game (the one where they play the starters at least one full half), which is scheduled at 7:05pm. Since I arrive 3 hours earlier at IAD airport, is it conceivable for me to get to the Redskins stadium in time, or is that wishful thinking ?

Besides, the flight back homes leaves at 6:40pm, meaning I could go to one more baseball games without having to book one more night at the hotel. The Cardinals, my team, play the 4th and last game of that serie on the Sunday, at 12:35pm. It looks like that might work too !

What do you think ? Wishful thinking or crazy schedule that might just work ???

I’d arrive at 4pm at IAD, take a cab to my hotel in downtown Washington (near a station to go to the ballpark). I then take a metro to the Redskins game at 7pm.

Then, back to the hotel, one night, and leaving early for a train to Baltimore. I leave my stuffs at the hotel, then go to the stadium for the afternoon game. I spent the rest of the day there, one night in Baltimore, and take a train to Philly on the Monday.

I stay there two days, attend two games, back in DC on the Wednesday, where I have the rest of the week to visit. I’d attend all 4 Cardinals games played at Nationals Park in late August, and thus wold have a great chance to see Carpenter, Wainwright, and even maybe Strasburg…

Then, hurry to take a cab back to IAD airport to fly back home…

In 9 days, that’d be 8 baseball games and 1 NFL preseason game, but this is the reason why I’m doing this trip

There are a lot of trains between the cities but not all the sights and stops are train friendly. Have you considered renting a car? Its only a few hours between Wash/Balt/Phili and there is a lot thats just more accessible via car. Just a thought.

Anyway, I used to live in DC and was reporter for SportsTicker out of Camden Yards, so if you have any questions feel free to ask

As far as not being comfortable driving, don't worry, most people here don't know how to drive anyway so you'll blend right in

FrenchKnicks wrote:If there is a bus going from DC to BWI, I should be fine. I'll take option 1 and enjoy my time. Being constantly in a hurry on a trip isn't the best thing to do !

I'll be in Baltimore for one day and a half, two days in Philly, and 5 in DC. I hope to take great pictures of the cities and at the ballpark.

I don't know the bus options... but there's two train options, the MARC and Amtrak. For $7 on the MARC you can get a one way between Union Station in DC to BWI. For $8 on the MARC you can go between Union and Penn Station in Baltimore. Union Station is also part of the DC metro system. On the weekends (and weekdays for that matter), you can take Amtrak, but it's more expensive and I've never taken it between DC and MD.

FrenchKnicks wrote:BWI is the closest to Baltimore, so I could just go there with the light rail. If I don't go to a game on my last day, I'll have plenty of time to go to the airport, so I could catch a bus going to BWI. There aren't many planes going to DCA, and they are way mor eexpensive actually.

BWI is the one I talk in my first option. IAD is the second option.

If it's way more expensive then, yes, don't go to Washington/Reagan. You do save a lot of time flying out of there (DC mass transit is remarkably easy to use) and save commuting costs... I'm unsure about international flights, but for me Dulles and Reagan ended up costing the same once cab fare is factored in.

What would be the best options for each ride ?

Check out megabus.com as well as boltbus.com - if you book it early enough, you can get tickets for as cheap as 1 us dollar!

That sounds like an awesome trip though

Thanks for your advice, I'll book my plane tickets early tomorrow.