Chicago Flights and Travel Guide

As Frank Sinatra crooned, “Chicago is my kind of town,” and many tourists agree. Book a flight to Chicago and shop the Miracle Mile, step back in time at the National History Museum, tour the artist’s lofts in the heart of the city, and enjoy some cool jazz at one of Chicago’s many nightclubs.

Chicago rests on the shores of Lake Michigan in the heart of the American Midwest. Flights to Chicago land tourists at either Midway Airport or O’Hare International Airport, both about 30 minutes from downtown Chicago, but a car isn’t needed to get around. Take a taxi or hop the commuter rail from your Chicago flight to downtown and then tour the city by foot. Stop by the Sears Tower, the tallest building in the United States, and take an elevator ride to the Sears Tower Skydeck for unprecedented views of the city.

If you’re lucky enough to get a flight to Chicago near St. Patrick’s Day make sure to take a walk down by the Chicago River, which is dyed green in honor of Chicago’s rich Irish culture.

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Chicago Climate

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When to Fly to Chicago

Chicago’s seasons are intense – it’s hot in the summer and cold in the winter – but savvy travelers can always find cheap flights to Chicago. Talk about the best times to

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Getting Downtown Chicago

Both Chicago airports are located approximately 30-40 minutes from downtown Chicago, depending on traffic. After your flight to Chicago arrives, hop a taxi downtown or board the local commuter rail that takes travelers straight to the city.

Chicago O’Hare International (ORD)
Distance: 17 miles northwest of downtown Chicago
Drive Time: 40 mins

Chicago Midway (MDW)
Distance:10 miles from downtown
Drive time: 20 mins

Taxicabs are available on a first-come, first-served basis from the lower level curb front of all terminals. Shared ride service is available. There are no flat rates because all taxicabs run on meters. Expect to spend approximately $35 to $40 for a taxicab ride to downtown Chicago.

The airports are accessible via local mass transit lines, regional trains and buses, downtown and suburban shuttles and interstate highways. Most ground transportation access areas are located at the main entrance for each terminal.

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Chicago Insider Information

• Any shopping in Chicago has to begin on State Street, in the center of the Loop. Check out the famed “Magnificent Mile” along Michigan Avenue from the Chicago River to Oak Street for specialty shops and boutiques with designers from Paris, Milan and Manhattan blending with Chicago’s Gold Coast style.
• The Chicago Cultural Center houses one of the city’s official Visitor Information Centers and offers more than 600 free art programs annually.
• Along the shores of Lake Michigan, you’ll find Chicago's cultural delights including the Art Institute of Chicago, the Goodman Theatre, the Lyric Opera at the Civic Opera House building, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.
• Chicago's lakefront is almost exclusively recreational park area from north to south, and features Grant Park, the home of Buckingham Fountain, the Petrillo Bandshell, the Grant Park Symphony (where free concerts are presented throughout the summer), and Chicago's annual two-week food orgy, the Taste of Chicago, where more than three million people "chow down".
• The beauty of Chicago springs from the tragedy of the Great Chicago Fire in 1871 that claimed 300 lives, left 90,000 Chicagoans homeless and destroyed $200 million worth of property. From this disaster came the opportunity to plan and rebuild the entire city.
• Chicago is also home to the nine time world-championship football team, the Chicago Bears and to Wrigley Field, the second-oldest ballpark in the Major League baseball, build in 1914, just behind Boston's Fenway Park, built in 1912.

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Chicago Airports

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