Preakness InfieldFest

BWI Marshall Rail Station (a separate building from the terminal, reached via a free, frequent 24/7 shuttle bus) connects to Baltimore Penn Station and Washington Union Station via MARC's Penn Line, or to the wider Northeast Corridor via Amtrak. From either downtown station, a further Light Rail/Metro Subway/bus or rideshare leg is needed to reach Pimlico.

Once in the Baltimore area, six local MTA bus routes stop near Pimlico Race Course directly, without needing the Light Rail/Metro Subway shuttle-bus connection.

BWI's Light Rail Central Line stop is inside the airport itself, and the same line runs north through downtown Baltimore all the way to the Cold Spring Lane stop, no transfer required for this leg. From Cold Spring Lane, the MTA runs a dedicated connecting shuttle bus to Pimlico Race Course. Alternatively, the Metro Subway's Rogers Avenue station also has a connecting shuttle bus to the track, but reaching it from BWI requires transferring from Light Rail to Metro Subway downtown, a longer routing than the direct Cold Spring Lane option.

Standard BWI pickup zones along the outer curb of the Departures/Upper Level. Local press and the Maryland Transit Administration both recommend rideshare or transit over driving on race day given limited on-site parking and heavy traffic around the track.

The genuinely closest hotel to the track, at 4200 Primrose Ave, a few minutes' drive from Pimlico.

≈ $60-90 / night approx, book direct with the hotel

1654 Whitehead Court, Baltimore, MD 21207

Typically $70-130 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates

200 West Saratoga Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Typically $70-130 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates

17 West Mulberry Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Typically $70-130 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates

110 Saint Paul Street, Baltimore, MD 21202

Typically $70-130 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates

100 Hopkins Place, Baltimore, MD 21201

Typically $70-130 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates

5810 Reisterstown Road, Baltimore, MD 21215

Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates

4 West University Parkway, Baltimore, MD 21218

Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates

3 West Preston Street, Baltimore, MD 21201

Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates

868 Park Avenue, Baltimore, MD 21201

Typically $120-220 a night off-peak guide, higher on festival dates

Full-service hotel in nearby Pikesville, a short drive from Pimlico.

≈ $93-180 / night approx, book direct with the hotel

Downtown waterfront hotel on the same Light Rail Central Line used to reach the Cold Spring Lane shuttle-bus connection to Pimlico, no need to change lines.

≈ $198-280 / night approx, book direct with the hotel

Directly at BWI airport with a free 24-hour airport shuttle, a fly-in-and-out option for attendees not staying overnight in Baltimore proper. Pimlico itself is a further Light Rail/rideshare trip from here.

≈ $117-208 / night approx, book direct with the hotel

Baltimore-wide Airbnb inventory is active, concentrated in Inner Harbor, Fells Point, and Federal Hill rather than immediately around Pimlico itself; race-day short-term-rental demand in Baltimore is generally understood to rise around Preakness weekend as a citywide event pattern.

Hipcamp lists private-land camping/glamping/RV options in the rural Maryland counties well outside Baltimore city.