How to Get Around Illinois

Chicago is the one Midwestern city where a visitor does not need a car. The L -- the elevated railway that has run since 1892, the second-oldest rapid transit in the Americas -- carries eight lines over 224 miles of track to 146 stations, runs all night on the Red and Blue lines, and costs $2.50 a ride from a Ventra card or a contactless bank card, with two transfers free within two hours; buses are $2.25, a day pass $5, three days $15, a week $20 and thirty days $75, and boarding the Blue Line at O'Hare costs $5 unless a pass is loaded. The Orange Line reaches Midway. Metra's eleven commuter lines and 243 stations run from four downtown terminals to the suburbs, with one-way tickets and day passes by zone, a $7 Saturday, Sunday or holiday pass, a $10 weekend pass in the app and a regional day pass for $2.50 more that adds CTA and Pace buses; paper tickets expire three hours after purchase and a conductor will sell one on the train. Union Station, the Beaux-Arts terminal of 1925, is the fourth-busiest rail station in the country and the hub of Amtrak's Midwest: the Lincoln Service, funded by the state, runs to Springfield and St. Louis on a route sped up by 34 minutes since 2021 and carried 523,304 passengers in 2023, and the long-distance trains leave for both coasts.

Outside the city the state is driven. Interstate 55 to Springfield and St. Louis follows the 1940 line of Route 66, which began on the downtown lakefront in 1926, was struck from the highway system in 1985 and survives as a signed scenic byway through Joliet, Pontiac and Springfield; the Illinois Tollway operates 294 miles of toll road in the twelve northern counties with open-road I-PASS tolling and no cash, and the Chicago Skyway is among the most expensive roads in the country per mile, so hire cars need a transponder arrangement; downstate the interstates and the two-lane roads are free, and at Cave-in-Rock on the Ohio River a free ferry crosses to Kentucky. Both advisories say a foreign licence is accepted -- a UK photocard or a Canadian licence -- with the 1949 international driving permit recommended, and hire firms may ask for a year's experience, a higher minimum age and an IDP; never leave bags or passports in a parked car. Winter storms close roads and cancel flights, and the airlines should be checked before travelling.

O'Hare, with eight runways, the most of any airport in the world, 857,000 aircraft movements in 2025 and non-stop flights to 249 destinations, is the most connected airport in the country and the Blue Line's terminus; Midway, twelve miles from the Loop, carried 22 million passengers in 2023, nine in ten of them on Southwest Airlines. The great sites are free or nearly so: Millennium Park is open daily 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. at no charge, Navy Pier is free year-round, the Lincoln Home is toured on free ranger-led tickets from the visitor centre with $2-an-hour parking, Pullman charges no entrance fee, and Cahokia Mounds charges no admission or parking and suggests a $7 donation; the Skydeck starts at $32 for adults and $24 for children, and the Field Museum is open daily 9 to 5 with last entry at 4. Starved Rock's trails open at 7 a.m. and close at sunset.

Entry

Federal rules: an approved ESTA or a visa before travel for every entrant including by land; a passport valid for the length of the stay; the ESTA now requires a selfie photograph, so check the account before departure; Canadians can usually stay six months without a visa but must state their intended stay; previous cannabis use or travel for the cannabis industry can bar entry; carry proof of legal status, which authorities may request at any time.

CTA (Chicago Transit Authority)

L train $2.50, bus $2.25, two transfers free within two hours; 1-day pass $5, 3-day $15, 7-day $20, 30-day $75, valid on CTA and Pace; L from O'Hare $5 (free entry with a pass); cash on the bus $2.50 with no transfers; a new Ventra card $5; contactless bank cards and phones accepted. Eight lines, 146 stations, 24-hour service on the Red and Blue lines; Blue Line to O'Hare, Orange Line to Midway.

Metra

Eleven lines, 243 stations, four downtown terminals; one-way tickets and day passes priced by zone (fare table online); $7 Saturday/Sunday/holiday pass; $10 weekend pass (app only); Regional Day Pass +$2.50 adds CTA and Pace; $30 Regional Connect Pass for monthly-pass holders; paper tickets expire three hours after purchase from a machine; app tickets must be used within 14 days; tickets can be bought from the conductor on board.

Rail

Chicago Union Station (1925), fourth-busiest in the country, about 140,000 passengers a weekday: Amtrak's Lincoln Service to Springfield and St. Louis (state-funded, 523,304 passengers in FY2023, 34 minutes faster than before 2021), the Texas Eagle on the same line, and eight long-distance and eight corridor routes.

Roads

Drive on the right; foreign photocard licences accepted, IDP recommended and required by some hire firms; Illinois Tollway 294 miles in 12 northern counties, open-road tolling by I-PASS transponder (arrange through the hire company); Chicago Skyway 51.2 cents a mile; downstate interstates free; I-55 follows Historic Route 66 (Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway) from the downtown lakefront through Joliet and Springfield; free ferry across the Ohio River at Cave-in-Rock on Illinois Route 1; do not leave valuables in a rental, even in the boot; snowstorms close roads and airports in winter.

Air

O'Hare: eight runways, 857,000 movements in 2025, 249 non-stop destinations, most connected airport in the US, Blue Line and buses to the city. Midway: 12 miles from the Loop, 22 million passengers in 2023, Southwest Airlines' base, Orange Line to the Loop.

Sites and hours

Millennium Park, 201 E. Randolph St.: daily 6 a.m.–11 p.m., free. Navy Pier: free, open year-round. Field Museum: daily 9–5, last entry 4. Willis Tower Skydeck: adults (12+) from $32, children 3–11 from $24, Expedited Entry from $55, timed tickets in 30-minute windows, open 365 days, summer hours 9 a.m.–10 p.m. (Saturdays from 8:30), last entry 30 minutes before close. Lincoln Home, Springfield: free ranger-led tour tickets from the visitor centre (9–5) on the day, exhibit houses 9–4:30, neighbourhood streets dawn to dusk, tickets can run out before the last tour at about 4 p.m. from March to November, groups of 15+ by advance reservation, parking $2 an hour. Pullman National Historical Park: no entrance fee. Cahokia Mounds: no admission or parking fee, interpretive centre lobby and shop Wednesday–Sunday 9–3 during renovation, suggested donation $7 adults, $5 seniors, $2 students, $15 families, eight miles from downtown St. Louis off I-55/70 and I-255. Starved Rock State Park: trails 7 a.m.–sunset, visitor centre 9–4 daily (closed federal holidays November–March), campground gates 8:30 a.m.–10 p.m., camping by online reservation. Garden of the Gods, Shawnee National Forest: open, hiking, camping and picnicking, Observation Trail.

Emergency numbers

911 for police, fire and ambulance statewide.