North America > United States > Chicago (ORD)
The Car or no Car advice for Chicago can be broken down into three similar questions - do you need a car in Chicago ; is it worth it (based on costs), and ultimately - should you rent one? (a balance of the two).🚆 🚌⛴️ Do we need to rent a car in Chicago ?
These scores are based on the quality of public transport and other travel options. If these are good enough to see the main points of interest, then you don’t need to rent a car.
💰💶💳 Is it worth hiring a car in Chicago?
These scores reflect the practical factors that affect whether renting a car is convenient, good value, and stress-free.✈️ Two airports, endless connections
Chicago is unusual in having two major airports—O’Hare and Midway—each sitting on its own CTA line. O’Hare anchors the Blue Line and Midway anchors the Orange Line, so reaching downtown is effortless. Furthermore, both airports connect neatly with Amtrak’s long-distance network at Union Station. Because of this, you can fly in, hop onto a train, and reach the Loop within minutes.
This setup also makes Chicago a perfect starting point for wider road trips. You can enjoy a car-free city break first, then pick up a rental car later—either downtown or at either airport. Switching between modes is smooth and stress-free.
🚇 The L and the Loop: an icon of urban travel
Chicago’s elevated railway, especially around the Loop, is world-famous. It’s not just transport; it’s an introduction to the skyline. Trains glide above streets lined with steel, glass, and classic Chicago architecture. Because the system is extensive, you can reach Oak Park, Wrigleyville, Chinatown, Hyde Park, and countless neighbourhoods without touching a steering wheel.
Oak Park, in particular, is essential for fans of Frank Lloyd Wright. His homes, studio, and Unity Temple show why he transformed American architecture. And yes, you can reach them entirely by CTA and a short walk.
🧭 Boat trips, skyscrapers, and why the river is essential
Chicago is best understood from the water. The city’s architecture river cruises are legendary, and they reveal how the Chicago School reshaped world skylines. You glide past the Marina City “corncob” towers, the Wrigley Building, Tribune Tower, and many of the sleek modern skyscrapers that define the city.
Because river trips are so central to the experience, they naturally reinforce the no-car approach. You do not need to drive to access the riverfront; everything is walkable or reachable by L or bus.
🚆 Day trips and longer adventures
Chicago’s long-distance reach is excellent. For instance:
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Milwaukee is about 90 minutes away by Amtrak, so it works beautifully as a day trip.
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St. Louis is roughly five hours by train or car. It’s ideal for an overnight visit, especially if you want to see the Gateway Arch.
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The wider Midwest remains reachable by rail, bus, or organised tours, although a rental car gives more flexibility once you leave the urban corridor.
Even so, most visitors find that the region’s biggest highlights are fully accessible without a car.
🎥 A Chicagoland Film Pilgrimage: John Hughes Country
Chicago isn’t just a transport hub — it’s practically a character in film. John Hughes set many of his classics across the north and northwest suburbs, and fans still come to trace their favourite scenes. Planes, Trains and Automobiles, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Home Alone, The Breakfast Club, and Sixteen Candles all use Chicagoland as their real-life backdrop. Because these locations spread far beyond the Loop, a one-day rental car can be incredibly useful. You can hop between neighbourhoods like Winnetka, Highland Park, Evanston, and Northbrook at your own pace. Each one offers that unmistakable Hughes blend of leafy streets, handsome houses, and nostalgic Americana.
🚲 Exploring on an e-bike or guided tour
If you prefer not to drive, you still have options. Several companies offer film-themed tours, and some visitors set out on e-bikes to reach closer suburbs and lakeside paths. The routes are scenic, the gradients gentle, and the atmosphere classic Midwest.
Should you rent a car in Chicago to tour film locations? Many of the most iconic filming spots — including the Home Alone house and the school locations used in Hughes films — sit just far enough apart that a car remains the most efficient choice. That’s why a short car rental, taken only for the day of your suburban film adventure, slots perfectly into a mostly car-free Chicago trip.
🚗 When might a car be useful?
A rental car helps if you’re planning a deep-Midwest road trip—perhaps up to Wisconsin’s lake country, across to Michigan, or down to central Illinois. Because Chicago is such a major gateway, many people start multi-state road trips here. Even then, it’s often smarter to spend a few days downtown first and rent the car later.
🚗 Chicago as a Launchpad for Major US Road Trips
Because Chicago sits at the crossroads of Interstate 90, 94, 55, 57, and 80, it becomes one of the best places in America to begin a long-distance road trip. The location is central, the rental fleet is huge, and prices are usually lower than on the coasts. This means many European visitors pick up their car after enjoying a couple of days in the city, then head out into the Midwest and beyond. One of the main advantages of starting in Chicago rather than Denver, Phoenix, or Los Angeles is that you can ease into the driving — traffic thins quickly once you’re beyond the metro area, and the wide plains give you comfortable, confidence-building space before you hit dramatic mountain terrain.
🏞️ Should you drive to Mount Rushmore, Badlands, or Yellowstone?
A Chicago → Mount Rushmore → Badlands loop is a classic. It takes you into South Dakota via wide-open interstates and can be done comfortably in about a week. Continuing on to Yellowstone is possible too, but it becomes a much bigger commitment. Chicago to Yellowstone is around 1,300 miles each way, so it really works best as a one-way rental that finishes in Denver or Salt Lake City rather than circling back to Illinois. Otherwise, you spend too much of your holiday simply retracing your route. For many travellers, starting in Denver makes Yellowstone easier, but starting in Chicago gives you the cultural hit of the Midwest plus the scenery of the Rockies — the best of both worlds.
🌵 One-way trips to the Southwest: Grand Canyon, Phoenix, LA
If you’ve got two weeks or more, you can design a spectacular cross-country drive from Chicago to the desert Southwest. Routes through St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Santa Fe, Flagstaff, and the Grand Canyon connect you to some of the most varied landscapes in the US. A one-way rental ending in Phoenix, Las Vegas, or Los Angeles is entirely possible, although you should expect a one-way drop fee, which can range from modest to substantial depending on demand. Nevertheless, for travellers chasing a coast-to-coast flavour, it’s hard to beat a journey that starts among skyscrapers on the shore of Lake Michigan and finishes at the Pacific Ocean.
🔁 Or stay closer: Great Lakes loops and Midwest highlights
Not every road trip needs to cross half the continent, of course. Chicago also anchors several gorgeous regional loops. You can drive the western shore of Lake Michigan through Milwaukee and Door County, circle back via Green Bay, and return to Chicago in under a week. Alternatively, you can head into Michigan, explore the dunes around Holland and Saugatuck, or continue north toward Mackinac Island (car-free, naturally). These trips avoid one-way fees, keep driving distances manageable, and still deliver that classic American sense of scale.
🧭 Conclusion – Should you rent a car in Chicago?
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🚆 No for a classic city break. The L, buses, Amtrak, river cruises, and walkable neighbourhoods make car-free travel the clear winner.
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❔ Maybe if you’re heading out on a wider Midwestern adventure after enjoying the city.
