World Travel Guide Online

Getting There
Chicago, Illinois, USA

By Plane
There are two major airports that service Chicago directly:

O’Hare International (800-832-6352)
10000 Bessie Coleman Drive

O’Hare is huge. This is a very busy airport with a long standing reputation for being good at what it does. In 2003, a poll in the U.S. edition of Business Traveler Magazine named O’Hare ‘the World’s Best Airport’, an achievement of which the airline’s pride is displayed conspicuously on its website. The city puts forth continuous efforts to inject culture into the airport environment, and there are a lot of airlines that fly to and from this airport.

Airlines that Fly Into O’Hare (information from O’Hare website)
Aer Lingus International (Terminal Five) 888-474-7424
AeroMexico International (Terminal Five) 800-237-6639
Air Canada (Terminal Two) 888-247-2262
Air France International (Terminal Five) 800-237-2747
Air India International (Terminal Five) 800-621-8231

Air Jamaica (Terminal Two) (Departures only)
Air Jamaica International (Terminal Five) 800-523-5585
Alaska Airlines (Terminal Three) 800-426-0333
Alitalia International (Terminal Five) 800-223-5730
America West (Terminal Two) 800-235-9292
American Airlines (Terminal Three) (Domestic and international departures)
American Airlines International (Terminal Five) (International arrivals only) 800-443-7300
American Eagle (Terminal Three) 800-433-7300
Aviacsa International (Terminal Five) 888-528-4227
British Airways International (Terminal Five) 800-247-9297
BMI British Midland International (Terminal Five) 800-788-0555
Cayman Airways International (Terminal Five) 800-422-9626
Continental Airlines (Terminal Two) 800-525-0280
Delta Air Lines (Terminal Three) 800-221-1212
El Al International (Terminal Five) 800-223-6700
Iberia Airlines (Terminal Three) (Departures only)
Iberia International (Terminal Five) (Arrivals only) 800-772-4642
Independence Air Independence Air 1-800-FLY-FLYi
Japan Airlines (JAL) International (Terminal Five) 800-525-3663

KLM Royal Dutch International (Terminal Five) 800-374-7747
Korean Air International (Terminal Five) 800-438-5000
Kuwait Airways International (Terminal Five) 800-458-9248
LOT Polish Airlines International (Terminal Five) 800-223-0593
Lufthansa Terminal One (Departures only)
-International (Terminal Five) (Arrivals only) 800-645-3880
Mexicana International (Terminal Five) 800-531-7921
Northwest Airlines Terminal Two
-(domestic) 800-447-4747
-(international) 800-328-2298
Pakistan International International (Terminal Five) 800-221-6024
Royal Jordanian International (Terminal Five) 800-223-0470
Ryan Air (Terminal Three) (Domestic and international departures only)
-International (Terminal Five) (International arrivals only)800-942-6735
Scandinavian Arlines (SAS) International (Terminal Five) 800-221-2350
Spirit Airlines (Terminal Three) 800-772-7117
SWISS International (Terminal Five) 1-877-359-7947
TACA Airlines International (Terminal 5) 888-337-8466
Ted Terminal One 1-800-225-5833 1-800-225-5833
Turkish Airlines International (Terminal Five) 800-874-8875
United Airlines Terminal One (Domestic and international departures only)
-(Terminal Two)
-International (Terminal Five) (International arrivals only) 800-241-6522
United Express (Terminal One) (Terminal Two) 800-241-6522
US Airways (Terminal Two) 800-428-4322
USA 3000 International (Terminal Five) 877-872-3000

Midway International (773-838-0600)
5700 South Cicero (about 10 miles south of downtown)

The less popular, nerdy cousin of O’Hare, Midway is also much smaller, and employs the following commercial airline carriers.

Air Tran 800-825-8538
American Airlines 800-433-7300
ATA 800-225-2995
ATA Connections/Chicago Express 800-225-2995
CanJet 800-809-7777
ComAir 800-927-0927
Continental Airlines 800-525-0280
Delta Airlines 800-221-1212
Frontier Airlines 800-432-1359
Northwest Airlines 800-225-2525
Southwest Airlines 800-435-9792
US Airways 800-428-4322
Information from the Midway website

Once you’ve landed, either airport offers your choice of taxis (price dependent on length of your journey – $1.50 base rate + $1.20/mile), rental cars (standard rates), or airport shuttles (about $20 to get downtown) to get you to your next stop. Neither airport is all that far outside the city – between 20 and 30 minutes driving time in light traffic – but it’s probably not a good idea to try to walk. There are also a load of airports in the suburbs that the slower-paced traveler might consider to avoid the jostle of the major two.

By Train
Amtrak (800-872-7245)
Union Station
225 S. Canal St.

Once you disembark at Union Station, if you’re allergic to public transportation or just want to see everything, take off on foot. You can walk many interesting places from here, depending on how long you are interested in walking. A walk to the museum campus (where the planetarium, Field Museum and aquarium are located) can take more than an hour if you’re wandering, less than that if you know where you want to go.

From the Suburbs
METRA

You might add another hour or so onto your trip if you land in the suburbs and take the train into the city, but if you’re interested in the surrounding scenery, it’s not a bad idea. The METRA train system is a commuter train, and a one-way ticket to ride the entire length of the track averages about $7. Most fares will amount to less, depending on how far you’re going.

By Bus
Greyhound Bus (1-800-229-9424)
630 W Harrison St
Main phone:(312) 408-5800
Baggage: (312) 408-5971
Greyhound Package Express: (312) 408-5816
Customer Service: (312) 408-5800
Charter: (800) 454-2487