International Travel:Departure TaxNone.
Main AirportsChicago O’Hare International (ORD) (website:
www.ohare.com/ohare/home/asp), 27km (17 miles) northwest of downtown Chicago. Lower-level pedestrian passageways inside the airport terminals lead directly to the
Chicago Transit Authority (
CTA) station; the free
Airport Transit System (
ATS) also links the terminals and station.
To/from the airport: The
CTA Blue Line train provides
a 24-hour service between central Chicago and O’Hare (journey time - approximately 40 minutes). Taxis and limousines are also widely available, as are shuttle buses and buses serving regional destinations. Connections from
O’Hare to
Midway International (see below) are provided by the
Omega Airport Shuttle bus, which operates an airport transfer service (journey time - 30 minutes to 1 hour), and
Coach USA Wisconsin.
Facilities: Car hire, restaurants, and full-service business support.
Domestic airports:Midway International (MDW) (website:
www.ohare.com/midway/home.asp), 16km (10 miles) southwest from downtown Chicago.
To/from the airport: Transport to the city is available on the
CTA’s Orange Line (journey time - 20-30 minutes), which connects with other CTA rail and bus routes serving the city and suburban communities.
Continental Airport Express shuttles run between
Midway International and downtown Chicago and the northern suburbs. Taxis are also readily available; a number of other buses serve regional destinations.
Facilities: Car hire, restaurants and shops.
Getting There by RailDowntown Chicago’s
Union Station is the focal point of the
Amtrak rail passenger network (tel: 1800 872 7245; website:
www.amtrak.com); three of the four transcontinental lines converge here and it is also the northern terminus of north-south lines to San Antonio and New Orleans. A sixth line runs northeast to Toronto (Canada), with connections to
Montreal. Services to neighboring cities are limited.
Approximate rail journey times:
From Chicago on the ’Pennsylvanian’ to
New York is 21 hours; on the ’Capitol’ to Washington, DC is 17 hours 45 minutes. Approximate times for Chicago-Los Angeles and Chicago-Oakland (San Francisco) services may be found in the
California section.
Getting There by RoadLong-distance bus companies operating in the State include
Greyhound (tel: 1800 231 2222; website:
www.greyhound.com), with services across the USA, and
Trailways (tel: 1800 992 4618; website:
www.trailways.com, with services to neighboring states. There is a 24-hour bus terminal at 603 West Harrison Street in Chicago.
Approximate driving times:
From Chicago to New York is 16 hours, and to Los Angeles is 44 hours. All times are based on non-stop driving at or below the applicable speed limits.
Approximate bus journey times:From Chicago to
St Louis is 5-7 hours and to New York City is 17 hours.
Getting Around Towns and CitiesA wide network of
bus routes run by the
Chicago Transit Authority (
CTA) (tel: (312) 836 7000; website: (website:
www.transitchicago.com) covers the city on the major north-south and east-west streets. The
CTA runs both
subway trains and elevated trains from ’The Loop’ in downtown Chicago to the suburbs. The
CTA system uses a transit card system for fare payment, there are available at all elevated train stations. Commuter rail services are run by
METRA.
Car hire: Cars and motor campers are available.
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