Can I visit Chicago during a 5.5 hour layover in O'Hare?
I will be flying from Boston to Tokyo with a 5.5 hour morning layover in Chicago. I'm thinking of going out to the city for some late breakfast and/or sightseeing. I've never left an airport during a layover before, so I have some questions.
I'll land in Chicago at 8am, and take off at 1:30pm.
- I imagine I'll leave the airport by 9, and should be back by 11:30. Is this reasonable?
- What's the best way to deal with luggage? I assume that I'll have to claim the luggage from the domestic flight, then re-check it for the international flight. Can I leave the airport after re-checking it? If not, are there any luggage storage options, other than Manuel (lol)?
- How much is a taxi to downtown Chicago?
- As an alternative to downtown, is there anything (food/sights) you can you recommend that's closer to the airport?
Best Answer
TL;DR: While it probably would be possible for you to get downtown, see one or two things and get back, I would recommend settling in with a good book/iPad/kindle and get some movie watching/reading done. O'Hare is a terrible place to get in and out of.
I imagine I'll leave the airport by 9, and should be back by 11:30. Is this reasonable?
Assuming that you even can leave the airport during this time...To go downtown, not likely. You'll be past most of rush hour, so via taxi with absolutely no traffic you can get downtown in 25-30 minutes. If there is any traffic at all it will be 45 minutes to 1+ hour(s).
How much is a Taxi to downtown Chicago?
You can expect to spend between $40-45 with tip.
As an alternative to downtown, is there anything (food/sights) you can you recommend that's closer to the airport?
If you do leave, you can take the Blue line (train, $2.25) one stop to Rosemont and there will be restaurants around there, however it is mainly large chains, hotels and office buildings so you won't really get a good feel for the city.
As for your luggage, I'm not sure, but unless your connecting flight is taking care of your baggage for you, you may just need to hang on to it. I believe most airports stripped out their luggage lockers after 9/11.
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Can you leave the airport during a layover at Ohare?
Re: 7.5 hours layover in Chicago - can we leave the airport? Yes - you can leave the airport. Take the blue train downtown from the airport - https://www.transitchicago.com/airports/ - allow an hour each way on the train.What can I do with a 5 hour layover in Chicago?
10 Things to do on a layover at Chicago O'Hare Airport- Eat like a local. Chicago is known for its international dining scene, and that extends to its airport. ...
- Relax in an airport lounge. ...
- Go shopping. ...
- Browse the art. ...
- Hit the gym and freshen up. ...
- Enjoy a spa treatment. ...
- Yoga. ...
- Go sightseeing.
How long of a layover do I need in Chicago?
Try to schedule domestic connecting flights with at least 1.5 hours cushion time. For international flights, leave at least 2.5 hours.How long is a layover at Ohare?
Here's how long it takes to get from Terminal 5 to any of the other terminals at O'Hare airport: To anywhere within Terminal 5: 5 minutes. To Terminal 1: 20 minutes plus the time it takes to reclear security. To Terminal 2: 20 minutes plus the time it takes to re clear security.WHAT TO DO IN CHICAGO DURING A THREE HOUR LAYOVER
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Answer 2
I fly through O'Hare a lot, from a US domestic airport, to the UK. Typically you won't even see your checked luggage at Chicago, as long as you are travelling on the same airline/alliance (note: this is not true when flying in the other direction, i.e. when coming from a destination outside the US, as you need to go through customs, then "re-drop" your luggage - which is normally already tagged for your final destination - at the re-drop desk).
Assuming you get both boarding passes before you leave Boston, which again should be easy if you are on the same airline/alliance, you can leave the airport as soon as you get to Chicago. The only trick is to make sure you get back to your departure terminal in time to go through security. Chicago sometimes gets very busy - I would leave up to 1 1/2 hours for that, even 2 if you are nervous.
As others have suggested, the Blue Line to a suburban neighborhood might leave you more time to enjoy things than going into downtown.
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