Getting from Los Angeles to Chicago

Los Angeles and Chicago are about 2,000 miles apart by road, so for most people this is a flight, and a short one for the distance. The train is the other real choice, and it's a trip in its own right. The bus and the drive are for people with time to spare, or a reason to see the country in between.

Flying

Los Angeles to Chicago is one of the busiest routes in the country. It's the second-busiest route out of O'Hare, behind only New York LaGuardia (Wikipedia). Nonstops to O'Hare from LAX run on United, American, Delta and Frontier, and United also flies to O'Hare from Ontario. Flight time eastbound is around four hours.

Don't only search LAX. Southwest flies to Midway from LAX and from Burbank, Long Beach and Ontario too, which can save you the drive to LAX if you live in the Valley, the South Bay or the Inland Empire (Midway routes). Midway is also closer to downtown, and the Orange Line gets you to the Loop in 20 to 25 minutes. From O'Hare, the Blue Line takes about 40. Search "Chicago (CHI)" to see both airports at once, and see our flights page for when fares are lowest and our airports page for getting into town.

By train

Amtrak's Southwest Chief runs once a day between Los Angeles Union Station and Chicago Union Station, 2,265 miles through eight states (Wikipedia). The eastbound train leaves LA in the late afternoon and gets to Chicago in the middle of the afternoon two days later, about 44 hours on the timetable. Long-distance trains can run hours late, so don't plan anything tight for the evening you arrive.

The route is the reason to go. Heading east, you cross the Mojave in the evening and pass Flagstaff before dawn. The first full day is the best one, across New Mexico by way of Albuquerque and over Raton Pass into Colorado. Kansas goes by overnight, and the last day runs through Missouri, Iowa and Illinois. There's a Sightseer Lounge car with big windows, and a dining car. Coach seats recline a long way, but two nights sitting up is a lot. A roomette, the smallest sleeper, includes your meals and costs a lot more. Book early if you want one, since sleepers are the first thing to sell out. Amtrak doesn't publish a fare floor for this train, so check prices on Amtrak.com.

There's a second, slower way. A few days a week, Amtrak runs through cars from Los Angeles to Chicago by way of San Antonio, Dallas and St. Louis, riding with the Sunset Limited as far as San Antonio and then as the Texas Eagle. That takes more than 60 hours, and it only makes sense if you want the ride.

By bus

You can do it. FlixBus and Greyhound, which Flix owns, sell tickets from Los Angeles Union Station and a few other LA stops to Chicago, and the fastest trips take about 44 hours with at least one change of bus. Most take longer and involve more changes. Fares can be lower than the train, but they aren't always lower than a cheap flight, and you'll arrive at the Harrison Street bus station after two nights sitting up. Unless you want to stop off somewhere along the way, fly.

Driving

The fastest route is a little over 2,000 miles. Take I-15 up through Las Vegas, I-70 across Utah and Colorado, then I-76 and I-80 through Nebraska and Iowa, and I-88 into the Chicago area. Plan on at least 30 hours of driving, which means three long days or, better, four or five days with stops. The I-70 stretch through southern Utah and over the Rockies is the scenic part, and it's also where you'll hit snow from fall to spring. Check the Colorado road conditions before you commit in winter.

The southern route, I-40 across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma, then I-44 to St. Louis and I-55 to Chicago, is about 100 miles longer and stays south of the Rockies, though Flagstaff and the high country in New Mexico get snow too. It also follows much of old Route 66, which ends in Chicago (or starts there, depending on which way you look at it). Our Route 66 page has the Chicago end. Once you're here, see getting to Chicago for tolls and parking. If you're renting a car one way, the drop-off fee between California and Illinois can be steep, so price that before you plan the trip around it.

Photo by Storm Crypt