Federal Hill is Baltimore's most picturesque neighbourhood and the one with the best view. The eponymous hill is a small park that rises above the Inner Harbor, and from its top you get the panoramic view that appears on every Baltimore postcard — the basin below, the city skyline behind, the ships in the water. It was named when citizens climbed the hill to celebrate Maryland's ratification of the Constitution in 1788.
Below the park, the neighbourhood is a pleasant grid of brick rowhouses, local restaurants, and bars that cater more to residents than tourists. Cross Street Market is the social centre — a covered market with food stalls and a bar. Federal Hill is walkable from the Inner Harbor but feels like a proper neighbourhood rather than an extension of the tourist zone.