Getting there

You can fly direct into O’Hare Airport on the outskirts of Chicago from London and Manchester.  British Airways will fly you direct on a route that operates several times per day from Heathrow with flights operated by either BA or their partner American Airlines. British Airways have connecting flights throughout the UK if you don’t live within a commutable distance to Heathrow. Virgin Atlantic also operate direct flights from the UK to Chicago, flying from Heathrow. However Virgin do have connecting flights to Manchester and Scotland.

If neither of these options appeal we like Skyscanner for a good listing of all the operators running flights.

Getting from the Airport to Downtown Chicago

From O’Hare the best way to get downtown is on the train. The blue line runs direct from the Airport to the downtown area, takes around 45 minutes and the journey costs around $5.

View from the Willis Tower, Chicago

If you do not want to take the train you can get a yellow taxi from several ranks around the airport. Make sure you head for one of the organized taxi ranks and do not take up any offers of a ride from anyone touting in the baggage hall as these will not be licensed taxis. A taxi fare costs from $40 plus tip and takes from 30 minutes to as long as you like depending on the traffic.

We advise against getting a hire car at O’Hare to drive into the city as parking in Chicago is expensive (as in any city centre) and you do not need a car to enjoy  the downtown area.  However, all the major hire car companies have offices at the airport.

Getting Around Chigaco

The city centre is very compact so if you don’t mind a bit of walking it is possible to see much of the downtown area on foot.

If you are going further afield, public transport in Chicago is run by the CTA (Chicago Transit Authority). Their website is very useful

http://www.transitchicago.com/maps/

The bus and rail service in our experience is reliable and efficient. The trains are known locally as the ‘L’ due to the elevated parts of the network. This can be confusing as it has underground and surface sections as well. If you ask someone about a train and they response concerns the ‘L’ you are both (probably) talking about the same thing.

You can pay for buses using cash but need the exact fare. You have to buy a ticket before boarding a train but can use cash in the station ticket machines. If you are staying several days, you are better off buying a one or a multi day pass or a Transit Card (carnet type ticket).

Downtown Chicago

If you know you are going to use the CTA a lot, a Pass is probably the cheapest option. You can buy one, three and seven day passes at the Airport, the Chicago Cultural Center, Lake, Wabash/Adams and Roosevelt train stations. For a full listing of other retailers see the CTA website. The Pass is live from the first time you use it and covers unlimited travel on CTA buses and trains.

Otherwise a Transit Card is a good idea. You can buy and load the Card at all train stations from the ticket machine. The machines don’t give change and have a minimum of $2 per card so only load as much as you think you’ll need from, you can top it up at any station so $10 – 15 or so is probably good for a first go. Some train stations have Express Vending Machines that also accept plastic. If the idea of wresting with foreign ticket machines is the stuff of nightmares, many drug stores (e.g. Walgreens, CVS) and currency exchanges sell pre-loaded Transit cards for $10 or $20 so you can avoid this bit.