Chicago: how to get there and around
Airports, stations, ports, where the hotels are and what the numbers say, from public data rather than a brochure.
Chicago is a city of 2.7 million people in United States (Illinois), 180 m (591 ft) above sea level. The nearest large airport is Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), 11 km (7 mi) from the centre. It has a dozen or more railway stations on record, including LaSalle Street Station. Our booking partner lists 1,320+ places to stay.
Key facts
Daylight in Chicago runs from about 9 h 11 min a day in late December to 15 h 17 min in late June (computed for 41.85° latitude), which matters more than the forecast when a day is built around one flight or one crossing.
Getting there
Chicago is served by 4 airports with scheduled flights within 100 km. The closest large one is Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), 11 km (7 mi) from the centre, with a longest runway of 6,522 ft, which limits it to short and medium-haul aircraft. The alternatives are Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD, 25 km), Gary/Chicago International Airport (GYY, 33 km), Michigan City Municipal Airport (MGC, 71 km).
Flights to Chicago: every airport, routes and times
By rail: stations on record include LaSalle Street Station, Ogilvie Transportation Center, Millennium Station, Dearborn Station, Grand Central Station, 75th Street (Grand Crossing) station. Trains to Chicago
Buses to Chicago · Driving and car hire
Where to stay
Our booking partner lists 1,320+ places to stay in Chicago (statistics below are from the first 1,000). Of the 651 with a star rating, the largest group is 3-star (290), and 15 are five-star. Across 244 properties with at least 50 reviews, the average guest score is 8.5 out of 10. Guests have left 312,247 reviews in total.
Hotels in Chicago: the full picture, and book
What people come for
| Sight | Visitors a year | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Shedd Aquarium | 1,948,395 | 2015 |
| Art Institute of Chicago | 1,549,057 | 2015 |
| Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry | 1,495,476 | 2015 |
| Field Museum of Natural History | 1,280,000 | http |
| Adler Planetarium | 550,379 | 2015 |
| Division station (CTA Logan Square branch) | 353,570 | 1948 |
| Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum | 307,938 | 2015 |
| Chicago History Museum | 240,000 | http |
| Museum of Contemporary Art, Chicago | 238,131 | 2015 |
| National Museum of Mexican Art | 158,895 | 2015 |
The busiest is Shedd Aquarium at 1,948,395 visitors in 2015. Figures are the latest each site has published, so they are not all for the same year.
Tours, tickets and day trips from Chicago
Nearby cities, and how to get between them
- Indianapolis, 263 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Detroit, 384 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Milwaukee, 134 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Madison, 198 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Toledo, 340 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Fort Wayne, 225 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Windsor, 386 km (Canada) — flights · trains · buses · car rental
- Aurora, 56 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Grand Rapids, 204 km — flights · trains · buses · car rental · tours
- Rockford, 128 km — trains · buses · car rental · tours
Twin towns and sister cities: Lucerne, Accra, Casablanca, Durban, Bogotá, Mexico City, Toronto, Amman, Busan, Delhi, Lahore, Osaka, Petah Tikva, Shenyang.
Common questions
Which airport serves Chicago?
Chicago Midway International Airport (MDW), 11 km (7 mi) from the centre, plus 3 other airports with scheduled flights within 100 km.
How big is Chicago?
About 2.7 million people live in Chicago, across 606 km² (GeoNames and Wikidata).
What time zone is Chicago in?
America/Chicago, currently UTC-5.
What currency is used in Chicago?
The Dollar (USD). Traffic drives on the right.
How many hotels are there in Chicago?
Our booking partner lists 1,320 or more places to stay in Chicago, bookable on this site.
Which cities are near Chicago?
Indianapolis (263 km), Detroit (384 km), Milwaukee (134 km), Madison (198 km), Toledo (340 km).
Where these facts come from
- GeoNames (CC BY 4.0): population, elevation, time zone, postal codes
- Wikidata (CC0): area, sister cities, visitor numbers, heritage listings, stations and ports
- OurAirports (public domain): airports, runways
- Natural Earth (public domain): map outlines
Data compiled 13 September 2026. Hotel figures are from our booking partner’s catalogue on that date. Journey times on this page are estimates from distance, not timetables; check the operator before you rely on one.