As the largest city (although not the capital) in Maryland and the state's major cultural and industrial centre, Baltimore is a destination that maintains a strong relationship with the sea and its waterways. Historically, the city owes much to the exploitation of its proximity to viable shipping routes, the legacy of which is distinctly evident in its present status as a busy cargo port.

Present day Baltimore is a city with a distinct sense of pride in its heritage and an awareness of its contribution to America’s national identity. It is also a modern destination with a solid visitor infrastructure and all the amenities of contemporary life. Tourists will find countless accommodation options, abundant dining choices and no shortage of day and night time entertainment options.

A walking tour of the city wouldn’t be complete without taking in the Inner Harbour, an area popularly considered to be the focal point of visitor and resident activity and home to a large number of shops and restaurants as well as several of the main tourist attractions including the National Aquarium and the Baltimore Public Works Museum.

There’s plenty for visitors of all backgrounds in Baltimore with attractions that will keep kids and their parents entertained and others with more specific themes aimed at culture seekers or history buffs. Fort McHenry and the Star-Spangled Banner Museum are musts for anyone with an interest in how America got its national anthem and invariably top the list of any well- considered sightseeing agenda.

The city has plenty of hotels to choose from with establishments covering a variety of budgets, making it possible for most visitors to find something that caters well to their requirements. Big name hotel chains such as Radisson Plaza Lord Baltimore Hotel and the Sheraton Inner Harbor have establishments in Baltimore and offer excellence and high standard of service.

The area we now know as Baltimore was originally home to Native Americans of the Susquehannock tribe but began to have an interest taken in it by explorers at the beginning of the 17th century with the arrival of John Smith in 1608.

Throughout the 1600’s, the waterways of the region brought significant volumes of both cargo and immigrants into the area. Since then, the city’s far westerly position has made its harbours an attractive destination for shippers across the globe. Indeed today, some 30 million tons of cargo make passage through Baltimore’s port every year.

The influx of immigrants into the area saw the establishment of a permanent settlement that was officially hailed as a city on 30 July 1729 and named on behalf of Caecilius Calvert, the second Lord Baltimore. The city’s location in close proximity to the Caribbean ensured that it saw rapid growth during the remainder of the 17th century, benefiting most significantly from the sugar industry.

In the early 19th century, the city of Baltimore became a key player in the War of 1812 with the soldiers from Fort McHenry fending off an attack from the British at the famous Battle of Baltimore. It was this battle that inspired Francis Scott Key to write the poem, The Star-Spangled Banner, which was later to be adopted as the country’s national anthem.

The city entered into another significant period of growth in 1827 with the building of the Baltimore and Ohio, the country’s first ever railway. This new and speedy form of transport provided strong competition for the trade established in the west by the Erie Canal in New York. Towards the end of the century, heavy industrial development began as Sparrows Point steel mill was opened and the two world wars that followed in the next century brought no shortage of requirement for steel, consequently bringing greater development for the city.

Baltimore suffered something of a setback at the beginning of the 20th century when on 7 February 1904, the Great Baltimore Fire devastated the greater part of its business district, destroying over 1,500 buildings in just 30 hours. The city was quick to recover however and successfully rebuilt the district without any assistance from neighbouring cities. Following WWII, the city saw more development on a residential level with suburban areas expanding rapidly. The downtown area by contrast suffered something of a decline and by the 60’s was in a state of neglect with little money being pumped into it. Two decades later, in the 1980’s, the development of the Inner Harbour and Camden Yards brought a new prosperity to Baltimore and helped shaped it to become the city that it is today.

Baltimore’s climate is typical of a coastal city, seeing hot, humid summer seasons and cold, wet winter seasons with slightly more temperate weather in the seasons between. Baltimore’s temperatures are not however, as hot or cold as in other easterly located cities in the US on account of the influences of the ocean

Summers see temperatures in the high 20’s or low 30’s (ºC) with July being the hottest month. Temperatures begin falling around the middle or the end of September and by October have dropped to a maximum of 20ºC. Rainfall during this season ranges from around 3.5 to 4.5 inches with August generally seeing the highest volumes. Summer is a good time to visit if you can deal with the heat and if you want to spend time on the beaches in the Maryland area otherwise for sightseeing holidays, it might be advisable to holiday in May, June, September or October.

Winters are pretty cold affairs with minimum temperatures in January and February below zero at around -1 or -2ºC. Rainfall from late November through to February is between 3 and 3.5 inches with March seeing over 4 inches marking the onset of the spring season. From a visitor’s perspective, winter is not the most ideal time to holiday in Baltimore, unless you are from an especially cold country and are accustomed to cold temperatures.