Chicago O'Hare Airport: The Best Way to get to the Airport
It will surely be where you will land if you fly to Chicago, as it is the city's main airport. O'Hare International Airport is not only one of the largest airports in the world, but also one of the busiest. It is located 26 km from downtown Chicago and its runways accommodate most international flights. It has four terminals: three for nationals (terminals 1, 2 and 3) and one for international (terminal 5). Public trains are the best way to get to Chicago from the airport.
For all passengers wishing to travel to Chicago or the surrounding areas, O'Hare Airport provides the following modes of transportation. Taxis and transfers are the quickest ways to get to O'Hare downtown. However, there are other options to consider, such as taking the train or some bus routes.
O'Hare's Airport Transit System (ATS), a 2.5 mi (4 km) long automated people mover system that operates 24 hours a day, connects all four terminals and the remote parking lots, provides access within the airport complex. It is a free system that takes only nine minutes to complete its journey. Every 5 to 15 minutes, buses arrive.
Price: about 5$. Journey time to downtown: 40-45 minutes. Waiting time: little, since the schedules are regular and the train runs 24 hours a day, every day of the week. So the "L" Train is the cheapest and easiest way to get to Chicago from the airport. It is a public transport managed by the Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) and, in this case, you will have to get on the blue line, which reaches Forest Park through the center of the city.
From this line, you will also be able to connect to most other lines. The station, where you can buy tickets, is located below the airport and a free shuttle bus connects it with the international terminal 5. If you have booked the hotel in the suburbs, you can take the high-speed commuter train, the Metra.
| Ticket Type | Fare |
| Full Ticket | $ 5.00 |
| Reduced | $ 1.25 |
| Student | $ 0.75 |
There are different shuttle buses to get to downtown or to the suburbs of Chicago. They pick you up at the Bus/Shuttle Center, they take between 25 and 90 minutes to get to the center and they cost over $25. You can also opt for public bus routes 250 and 330 PACE Bus. Another possibility is the shared transport service Go Airport Express. Through shuttle vehicles, it takes you directly to your destination. Their fleet departs every 10-15 minutes from the terminal from 4am to 11:30pm.
This bus line connects O'Hare Airport Kiss "N" Fly and the ATS Station in Parking Lot F, as well as the Des Plaines Metra station and downtown Evanston via Dempster Avenue.
Route 250 stops at the following locations: Davis Street CTA Station (which connects to the CTA Purple Line), Skokie Swift CTA Station (which connects to the CTA Yellow Line), Notre Dame and Main East High Schools, and Lutheran General Hospital.
If you pay in cash, the ticket costs $2.25. It costs $2,000 if you have Ventra Transit Value.
There are some regional buses that travel from O'Hare to Illinois, Indiana, and Iowa, among other places.
Through these mobile applications, you can book vehicles with a driver to come and pick you up. You just have to download them, enter the location and destination, and choose the option that best suits you. The price of the journey to the downwown is around 35-50$ (it can increase). At the app level, there are also ARRO and CURB, which are used to call and pay for ChiCabs taxis.
In each terminal, you will find taxi stands. They are located on the same level where you collect your luggage. The transfer to the center will take between 25-90 minutes and the price will be between $40 and $50. So it seems that the "L" Train beats him in time and good price. If you want, you also have the option of sharing the trip to the center with other tourists. In this case, you will pay a flat rate of $24 per person. Credit cards are accepted in all taxis.
For security reasons, it is advisable not to accept trips from drivers who are outside the taxi rank or on the exit level (the second) of the terminal roads. Call him at the stops to make sure the driver has a license.
At O'Hare Airport you will also find various car rental companies. Once you're behind the wheel, you'll need to get on Interstate 90 (I-90). You will reach the city in about 25-90 minutes, depending on the traffic. Renting a car at the airport is also a good way to save.