Chicago essentials

The practical answers a Chicago trip actually needs — getting in through O'Hare, Midway, or Union Station, getting around on the CTA 'L', buses, Metra, and Divvy, when to visit around the seasons and festival calendar, real costs and taxes, and staying safe in the city and along the lake.

Arrival

Arrival Getting to Chicago Most visitors arrive through one of two airports — O'Hare International (ORD) on the far northwest side, or Midway International (MDW) on the southwest side — while Amtrak trains from across the country pull into Union Station and drivers come in on the interstates. Both airports have a direct CTA train downtown, which is often the fastest and cheapest way in.

Getting around

Getting around Getting around Chicago Chicago is a grid city built around the elevated train, and the CTA 'L' plus its buses will reach almost everything a visitor wants, from the Loop to Wrigleyville to the Museum Campus. A single Ventra card or a phone tap covers trains and buses; Metra reaches the suburbs, Divvy bikes cover short hops, and rideshare fills the gaps.

Planning

Planning When to visit Chicago Chicago is a city of strong seasons. Summer is festival season and the busiest, warmest time, with the lakefront and patios in full swing; late spring and early fall are milder and often the sweet spot; and winter is genuinely cold but quieter, cheaper, and atmospheric. The weather off Lake Michigan can swing quickly in any season. Planning Money and costs in Chicago Chicago is a major US city with big-city prices, but it is generally more affordable than New York or San Francisco, and a lot of the best things — the lakefront, the parks, and several free museums and attractions — cost nothing. Budget for high sales and hotel taxes, standard US tipping, and the fact that transit is cheap while downtown parking and rideshare are not.

On the ground

On the ground Staying safe in Chicago The neighborhoods, parks, and transit that visitors use most — the Loop, the Magnificent Mile, River North, Lincoln Park, Wrigleyville, and the lakefront — are busy and generally straightforward with normal big-city awareness. The two things worth planning for most are ordinary urban common sense and the weather, which off Lake Michigan can turn cold, hot, or stormy quickly.