How to travel from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC

Sat, Nov 29
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Travel Information between Chicago, IL and Washington, DC

Distance593 miles (956 km)
Available travel modesTrain, bus or flight
Ticket price range$56 - $102
Cheapest modeBus • $56 (€51) • 19 h 25 min
Fastest modeFlight • $61 (€55) • 1 h 46 min
Popular travel companiesGreyhound, American Airlines or Amtrak

Take a train, bus or flight to travel 593 miles (956 km) to Washington, DC from Chicago, IL. The most popular travel companies which serve this journey are Greyhound, American Airlines or Amtrak among others. Travelers can even take a direct bus, flight or train from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC.

Travel options
from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC

How to get from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC by train, bus or flight.

Our recommendation

bus

The best way to travel from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC is by taking a bus because it’s the best combination of price and speed.

Greyhound
06:00PM16h30
Chicago, Greyhound Bus Station
11:30AMWashington, Columbus Circle, Union Station
$1301One-way
0 transfers

Cheapest

Greyhound
06:00PM16h30
Chicago, Greyhound Bus Station
11:30AMWashington, Columbus Circle, Union Station
$1301One-way
0 transfers

Fastest

American AirlinesAA603
11:37AM1h47
O'Hare International Airport
02:24PMRonald Reagan National Airport
$8631One-way
0 transfers

Other options

Amtrak41 Floridian
06:40PM17h30
Chicago Union Station, Chicago, IL
01:10PMWashington Union Station, Washington, DC
$2401One-way
0 transfers
Amtrak48 Lake Shore Limited · 177 Northeast Regional · 6077 AMTRAK
09:30PM28h30
Chicago Union Station, Chicago, IL
03:00AMWashington Union Station, Washington, DC
$2741One-way
2 transfers
Amtrak41 Floridian · 42 Pennsylvanian · 173 Northeast Regional
06:40PM23h48
Chicago Union Station, Chicago, IL
07:28PMWashington Union Station, Washington, DC
$3151One-way
2 transfers
Greyhound
06:55AM19h00
Chicago, Greyhound Bus Station
02:55AMWashington, Columbus Circle, Union Station
$1851One-way
0 transfers
FlixBusFlixBus+Greyhound
07:15PM19h30
Chicago, Greyhound Bus Station
03:45PMWashington, Columbus Circle, Union Station
$2001One-way
1 transfer
FlixBusFlixBus+Greyhoundundefined · undefined
11:30AM18h15
Chicago, Greyhound Bus Station
06:45AMWashington, Columbus Circle, Union Station
$2031One-way
2 transfers
Sun Country AirlinesSY260 · SY227
09:24AM6h53
O'Hare International Airport
05:17PMDulles International Airport
$3971One-way
1 transfer
JetBlue AirwaysB61306 · B62087
08:45AM5h14
O'Hare International Airport
02:59PMRonald Reagan National Airport
$4681One-way
1 transfer
UnitedUA708
09:00AM1h58
O'Hare International Airport
11:58AMRonald Reagan National Airport
$5081One-way
0 transfers

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FAQs: Travel from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC

Travel to Washington, DC easily. Whether you want fast, cheap or something entirely different, our travel experts have collected everything you need to know so you can find the best option from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC.

FAQs

There are 3 ways to get from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC: train, bus or flight.

The cheapest way to travel to Washington, DC from Chicago, IL is a bus with an average price of $56 (€51).

This is compared to other travel options from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC:

Taking a bus costs $4 (€4) less than taking a flight, which costs on average $61 (€55) for the same trip.

A bus is $45 (€41) less than a train for this route with tickets for a train from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC costing on average $102 (€92).

The quickest way to travel from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC is by flight, which takes on average 1 h 46 min   compared to other travel options that take longer:

Bus takes on average 19 h 25 min.

Getting to Washington, DC by train takes 17 h 25 min on average.

The Chicago, IL to Washington, DC distance is around 593 miles (956 km).

The average frequency per day from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC is:

  • 7 buses a day.
  • 27 flights per day.
  • 3 trains per day.

However, we recommend checking specific travel dates for your journey between Chicago, IL and Washington, DC as scheduled services by train, bus or flight can vary by season or day of the week.

These are the most popular departure and arrival points when traveling from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC:

    Omio works with many trusted partners that can help you travel the best way from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC:

    • You can take a bus from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC with Greyhound or FlixBus. Cheap tickets can be found for $56 (€51) with Greyhound from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC.
    • You can travel to Washington, DC from Chicago, IL by flight with American Airlines, United or Republic Airlines. You can find cheap tickets on Omio for $61 (€55) with American Airlines from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC.
    • You can travel from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC by train with Amtrak. You can find cheap tickets on Omio for $102 (€92) with Amtrak from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC.

    Yes, there are direct routes from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC with the following travel companies:

    • You can find 2 direct buses per day to take to Washington, DC with Greyhound.
    • You can find 18 direct flights per day to take to Washington, DC with United.
    • You'll find 1 direct train a day to Washington, DC with Amtrak.

    Direct services to Washington, DC tend to save you time and add more convenience as you won't need to transfer at another stop in between, so it's worth paying attention to before booking tickets for your route.

    Omio customers who travel from Chicago, IL to Washington, DC often also extend their vacation to go to New York, NY, Philadelphia, PA, Newark, NJ, Baltimore, MD or Boston, MA. Omio can help you plan your trip by finding the best connections between Washington, DC and these popular destinations at a great price.
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