Getting In and Around Chicago

Chicago is a major transportation hub in the United States. Chicago is easy to travel to and from everywhere as this city is located squarely in the center of the nation. The city is served by two international airports, highways and expressways and six class-one railroads. Chicago is one of the most favored domestic and international travel destinations. The city has an efficient multi-modal network of transportation that gives easy connectivity of people and goods to number of markets and destinations across the city and beyond. The Chicago Department of Transportation looks after all the transportation network of the city.

Image by Ad Meskens via Wikimedia Commons

Travel to Chicago by Air

Air transport in Chicago is an important gateway that serves the locals and tourists from round the globe. There are two major international airports in Chicago which are O'Hare International Airport and Chicago Midway International Airport.

O'Hare International Airport

Chicago’s O'Hare International Airport is one of the largest airports in the world. The Airport is located 17 miles from downtown. The Airport is also a major international gateway airport of North America. The airport serves about 67 million passengers to and from over 200 destinations from all round the world. Many airlines serve O'Hare airport. Some of the major airlines are Aer Lingus, AeroMexico, Air Berlin, Air Canada, Air Canada Jazz, Air Choice One and Air France.

Website: http://www.flychicago.com/OHare/EN/Home/Pages/default.aspx

Midway International Airport

Midway International Airport is another convenient air travel option for visitors. It the premier point-to-point airport of United States. The airport mainly serves domestic destination. Midway International Airport offers flight services to over 60 destinations. The airlines that serve the Midway airport include Branson AirExpress, Delta, North Country Sky, Porter Airlines, Southwest Airlines, Sun Country Airlines and Volaris Airlines.

Contact Details

Physical address
5700 S Cicero Ave, Chicago,
IL 60638, United States
Phone no: 1 800-832-6352

Mailing Address
Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA)
Customer Service
P.O. Box 66142
Chicago, IL 60666
Website: http://www.flychicago.com/midway/en/Home/Pages/default

Travel to Chicago by Train

Chicago Transit Authority is responsible to look after all the rail services in the city. Amtrak and South Shore Line are the two main railway services in the city.

Amtrak

Chicago is served by Amtrak with over 50 trains arriving and departing every day. With 21,000 route miles, Amtrak serves more than 46 states including three Canadian provinces and the District of Columbia. This national rail operator provides more than 300 trains daily to more than 500 destinations.
For Amtrak Chicago routes, fares and timetable, Click Here

Telephone: 1-800-USA-RAIL1-800-USA-RAIL FREE (24*7)
Website: http://www.amtrakcalifornia.com

The South Shore Line

Chicago is served by The South Shore Line through Northern Indiana to the South Bend Airport.
For South Shore Line, fares and timetable, Click Here

Metra Commuter Rail

The most convenient way to travel to the city is by the high speed Metra Commter rail train. It connects outlying suburbs to downtown.

Click here for fares, route maps and schedules

Travel to Chicago by Road

Chicago’s road transportation is an intermodal network that consists of interstate highways, state routes, bridges and tunnels. The Chicago Transportation Department (CDOT) is responsible to ensure convenient, safe, and excellent transportation system and also to look after the traffic and offers easy connectivity to various cities and states. There are seven proper interstate highways in Chicago. However the various roadways in Chicago are known not by their Interstate route numbers but rather by various given names.

Kennedy Expressway: This interstate highway runs from from O'Hare International Airport east and south to downtown Chicago.
Kennedy Expressway Spur: Locally known as the "O'Hare Spur, this A three-mile spur runs from the complex and interchange with the Jane Addams and Kennedy Expressway and Tri-State Tollways into O'Hare International Airport.
Edens Expressway: This Expressway runs from the Cook County line near Northbrook and it interchange with the Kennedy Expressway near Montrose.
The Dan Ryan Expressway: It is a freeway located in the city of Chicago and it runs from Circle Interchange with I-290 near downtown Chicago through the South Side of the city.
Eisenhower Expressway: is an auxiliary Interstate Highway in Chicago that runs westwards from the Chicago Loop.
Veterans Memorial Tollway: Located in the western and southwest suburbs of Chicago, it is an interstate Highway and tollway in Chicago.
Stevenson Expressway: The expressway runs from northern terminus with Lake Shore Drive till where it interchanges with the Dan Ryan prior to heading to the south and southwestern neighborhoods of Chicago. Stevenson Expressway also runs past Chicago Midway International Airport and out of Chicago.

Explore the best things to do when you're in Chicago!

Local Travel in Chicago

The public transportation system in Chicago is a very important for people who use it for daily commuting to work place and for daily errands. The Chicago Transit authority administers the operation of local public transportation services in the city. This is the second largest public transportation system in the nation and covers the City of Chicago and 35 surrounding suburbs. The local transportation of the city is well planned and equipped to help in easy and convenient commuting of the locals and visitors.

Bus service in Chicago

Chicago’s bus service mainly comprises of 140 routes and daily the bus make about 25,000 trips and nearly serves 12,000 bus stops throughout the region.

Click here for Bus routes

Greyhound Lines, Inc: With 13,000 daily departures across North America, it is the largest provider of intercity bus transportation. It serves more than 3,800 destinations. Greyhound consists of five metro-Chicago locations, that includes two 24-hour stations and 20 express routes to major US cities.
For more information, Click here

Megabus.com: This bus service was launched in April 2006. It the nation’s first, low-cost, express bus service to provide city-to-city travel. Since its launch it has served more than 22 million customers throughout more than 120 cities across North America.
For more information Click here

Train Service in Chicago

Chicago rail system comprises of train lines running through the city and neighboring communities and it is known as the The L. It is the short form for elevated. Toda the ‘'L' system consists of eight rapid transit routes and has 146 stations over 224.1 miles of track.

Chicago Train Routes

Taxi Service in Chicago

Taxis are also another very good option to travel in and around Chicago. All the taxis accept credit cards. The base rate for riding a taxi is $3.25 plus additional $1.80 for each mile and $0.20 for every 36 seconds of time elapsed.

Water Taxis: Shoreline Water Taxis and Chicago Water Taxi offer water taxi service between top tourist destinations of Chicago. During the summer season sightseeing in these water taxis are fun. Ride along the Chicago River with stops at Museum Campus, Chinatown, Willis Tower, Union Station Michigan Avenue and many more. More information can be availed by visiting Chicago water Taxi and Shoreline Water Taxi