Illinois travel guide: Chicago, Route 66 and Lincoln's Springfield

E By Emma · Updated 21 October 2026 · 2 min read

Airports

Chicago O'Hare (ORD), direct from Heathrow in about 9 hours; about 45 minutes to downtown Chicago by train

Best time to go

May-June and September-October; summer for Chicago's lakefront and festivals

Type

State

Illinois is dominated by Chicago, a city of world-class architecture, museums, food and music on the shore of Lake Michigan. Beyond it the state flattens into prairie and farmland, crossed by the original Route 66, with Abraham Lincoln's home town of Springfield in the middle and surprising river bluffs and canyons dotted around.

Most British visitors come for a Chicago city break, but it is easy to add a day or two exploring the rest of the state or to begin a Route 66 road trip. For the wider picture, see our USA guide.

Things to do

1. Chicago – the architecture river cruise, the Art Institute, Millennium Park and the view from Willis Tower or 360 Chicago. See our Chicago guide.
2. Food and music – deep-dish pizza, Chicago-style hot dogs and live blues and jazz in clubs across the city.
3. The lakefront – walk or cycle the Lakefront Trail, swim off city beaches in summer and visit Navy Pier.
4. Route 66 – the Mother Road begins on Adams Street in Chicago; follow it south-west through small towns with vintage diners and roadside giants.
5. Springfield – the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, his home, and his tomb.
6. Starved Rock State Park – sandstone canyons and seasonal waterfalls about 90 minutes from Chicago.
7. Galena – a beautifully preserved 19th-century town in the north-west, near the Mississippi.
8. Frank Lloyd Wright's Oak Park – the architect's home and studio and many of his early houses, a short train ride from downtown Chicago.

Where to stay

• The Loop – central, close to the main sights and transport.
• River North and the Magnificent Mile – shopping, restaurants and plenty of hotels.
• West Loop – trendy, with some of the city's best restaurants.
• Lincoln Park – leafy and residential, near the zoo and lakefront.
• Downtown Springfield – walkable to the Lincoln sites.

Getting there

There are direct flights from Heathrow to Chicago O'Hare (ORD) with several airlines, taking around nine hours. The CTA Blue Line train runs from O'Hare to downtown in about 45 minutes. Amtrak trains run from Chicago to Springfield in around three and a half hours, but a car is better for Route 66 and the state parks. UK visitors need an ESTA.

Best time to visit

Late spring and early autumn are ideal, with pleasant temperatures and fewer crowds. Summer is warm, sometimes hot and humid, and packed with festivals, including Lollapalooza and the Chicago Blues Festival. Winters are long and bitterly cold, with icy winds off the lake, though hotels are cheaper and the city does Christmas well.

Top attractions in Illinois

Nature

Central Park

Manhattan's 843-acre green heart, with lakes, meadows, bridges and woodland stretching for 51 blocks between Midtown…

Landmark

Statue of Liberty

The copper colossus in New York Harbor, a gift from France in 1886, visited by ferry with Ellis Island on the same trip.

Illinois on the map

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