Travel Logistics
How to Get Around
We don’t have patience for lack of etiquette on Chicago public transportation. We use these buses and trains day in and day out. Use common sense when riding and don’t do things like block doors or exits or crowd the doors as the train approaches. Let passengers off before you push your way on. I promise your time here will be a lot more pleasant if you use common courtesy on public transit.
The L: Our “elevated train” or “the L” is one of the best ways to get around the city. Operated by the Chicago Transit Authority, you’ll frequently hear people just refer to it as the CTA. There are eight train lines which are all named by color. While not perfect, the L is usually more reliable than the buses.
Buses: I’ll be honest, I usually avoid the buses. They’re notoriously unreliable in the neighborhoods outside of downtown. As a visitor, you’ll probably be downtown a lot of the time, so this may not affect you as much. Still, you can often get places more quickly on foot than waiting for a ghost bus.
The Metra: Not to be confused with the L, the Metra trains are more direct to further away points. They’re excellent for getting from downtown to some of the suburbs, for example. Please note that this will not take you to the airport.
Chicago Water Taxi: These fun little boats will take you to a few different locations down the Chicago River. It’s a fun, unique way to get from point A to point B.
Taxis: We still have a ton of taxis in addition to rideshares in Chicago. Personally, I prefer taxis for drives like from the airport back home. Mostly because they are priced competitively with rideshare companies and will often show up more quickly.
Rideshare: Rideshares since 2020 have been hit or miss, especially downtown. You may end up getting hit with surge pricing more often than not. It’s best to have a taxi app like Curb to compare prices with.
Pedicabs: Just don’t do it.
How to Get There
Getting from the O’Hare International Airport to downtown is pretty easy. There are several ways to go about it.
The L – Blue Line: The most convenient, cheapest, and often fastest way to get downtown is by riding the Blue Line. It picks up right at O’Hare! This train runs 24/7, so there is no need to worry about arriving too early or too late to grab a train. Depending on when the train arrives, it takes about 45 minutes to get downtown from the airport.
Taxi: Personally, I usually take a taxi home from the airport. It’s usually cheaper than rideshare, there is always a line of them at the stand, and it’s just more convenient for me. If you’re staying in an area of the city off of the Red Line rather than the Blue Line like I do, it’s a better option.
Rideshare: Rideshare has never been very convenient at O’Hare. When the airport decided to relegate all of the rideshare pickups to outside Terminal 2, it made them even less convenient. You can still call a rideshare, but you will need to go to the Terminal 2 pickup area to do so.
Shuttle Pickups: Some hotels offer free or paid shuttle pickups from the airport. These will be cheaper options than rideshare or taxi, though you may be waiting a little while for other passengers before you depart.
