Three daily departures
Chicago to Detroit by train
Chicago → Detroit
Two American classics, and a reborn 1913 Beaux-Arts train station to walk into.
- Cities
- 2
- Line
- 1
Fly in ORD · Fly out DTW
The route
Tap a stop to jump
- ChicagoDays 1–3
- Wolverine · 5h 30m
- DetroitDays 4–5
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Book the trip
Everything you need, up top
Freehand Chicago · $ · Chicago Architecture Center river cruise
Shinola Hotel · $$$ · Detroit Institute of Arts
Trains
Wolverine
The train
Chicago to Detroit by train
- Train
- Amtrak Wolverine
- Trains a day
- 3 in each direction
- Runs
- Every day
- Journey time
- About 5½ hours
- From Chicago
- Early morning, mid-afternoon and early evening
- Stations
- Chicago Union Station → Detroit (New Center), just off Woodward Avenue
- Stops on the way
- Including Kalamazoo, Battle Creek, Jackson, Ann Arbor and Dearborn
- Time zone
- Michigan is one hour ahead of Chicago
Detroit to Chicago by train
Three Wolverines a day run the other way too — early morning, mid-morning and early evening from Detroit's New Center station, each about five and a half hours to Chicago Union Station. The QLINE streetcar's northern end is minutes from the platform, so you can ride it up Woodward from downtown to the train.
From Amtrak’s published timetable, checked 7 October 2026. These trains run every day; times can differ on some days and change with each new timetable, so confirm the times for your date on amtrak.com before you book.
Days 1–3
Chicago
Three nights to land, cruise, eat deep-dish in the right neighborhood, and board the Wolverine without feeling rushed.
Stay
Freehand Chicago
River North · $
Affordable, walkable to River North and the Brown Line, and the Broken Shaker bar downstairs is a legitimate cocktail spot — not a hotel bar that happens to pour drinks.
Check rates on Booking.com →Know your dates?
Or consider
Do
Chicago Architecture Center river cruise
The canonical Chicago experience. Book it for the afternoon of day one so you're oriented for the rest of the stay Season runs mid-March to late November.
Details at architecture.org →Also worth it
- The Art Institute — Impressionist wing, two hours, don't try to do both buildings.
- Pequod's or Lou Malnati's for deep-dish.
- Lakefront Trail on a Divvy bike — 18 miles traffic-free.
- The West Loop for dinner — Au Cheval or Girl & the Goat.
Amtrak · Wolverine
One-way · single seat
Depart
Chicago
IL
Rail
Arrive
Detroit
MI
Chicago Union Station to Detroit's New Center Amtrak station. The approach across Michigan fruit country is a proper daytime rail ride. From New Center it's a ten-minute rideshare (or a DDOT bus) down to Corktown — drop your bags at Shinola and the restored 1913 Michigan Central tower is the first place you walk into.
Journey time
5h 30m
Days 4–5
Detroit
The Riverwalk and the downtown waterfront, which the city has spent years opening back up.
Stay
Shinola Hotel
Downtown / Woodward · $$$
Detroit's flagship design hotel from the city's most iconic modern brand. Walking distance to everything downtown; San Morello on the ground floor is dinner sorted.
Check rates on Booking.com →Know your dates?
Or consider
- The Siren Hotel$$ · Rates →
Downtown
- Detroit Foundation Hotel$$$ · Rates →
Downtown
Do
Detroit Institute of Arts
The DIA has Diego Rivera's Detroit Industry frescoes — one of the great works of the 20th century, commissioned by the museum and paid for by Edsel Ford. Closed Mondays; the free QLINE streetcar runs down Woodward from near the Amtrak station. (Motown Museum tours are paused for construction until spring 2027.)
Details at dia.org →Also worth it
- Michigan Central Station in Corktown — the 1913 Beaux-Arts tower Ford restored in 2024, public lobby well worth a second look after the first-day walk-through.
- Eastern Market on Saturday morning.
- QLine streetcar up Woodward to Midtown.
- Buddy's Pizza for Detroit-style square slices.
Getting there
How to arrive at the start of the trip
Whichever way you’re coming. Pick the panel that fits.
Arriving from Europe
Direct daily flights to ORD from London, Dublin, Frankfurt, Paris, and Amsterdam, plus secondary European hubs. Most arrivals are afternoon-to-evening US time.
Don't try to do the Wolverine same-day. Customs at O'Hare Terminal 5 plus the CTA ride into the Loop eats half an afternoon, and the Wolverine departures are spread across the day. Overnight in Chicago first; you have three nights there anyway.
Flying home from DTW: Delta flies nonstop to London, Paris, Amsterdam and Frankfurt, and one-stop options reach virtually every other European city. ESTA before you leave home — apply at least 72 hours before your outbound flight.
Connecting flight from elsewhere in the US
ORD is a hub for both United and American — non-stop service from virtually every major US airport.
Open-jaw ORD-in / DTW-out tickets are worth pricing against a round trip. DTW is a Delta hub with strong non-stop coverage of the eastern and central US, so the back end of the trip is easy to fly home from.
Driving in, or already nearby
Driving from elsewhere in the Midwest: Chicago Union Station's parking garage sits one block south of the station entrance. Reserve via SpotHero or ParkWhiz for a meaningful discount on the gate price.
Already on Amtrak elsewhere: the Hiawatha runs up to seven times a day from Milwaukee, the Borealis / Empire Builder feed in from St. Paul, and the Lake Shore Limited connects from the East Coast. All deliver to the same Chicago Union Station the Wolverine departs from.
Practicalities
Booking and onboard
- The Wolverine runs three daily departures Chicago → Detroit: early morning, mid-afternoon and early evening (check amtrak.com for times). Only the morning train gets you to New Center in time for dinner at San Morello.
- Book two to three weeks ahead. The Wolverine is one of the busier midwestern corridors and trains do fill on Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings.
- Café car only on the Wolverine — sandwiches, coffee, decent enough but pricey. Pack from a deli in the Loop on your way to Union Station for a five-and-a-half-hour ride.
- Wi-fi is spotty across rural Indiana and Michigan; cell signal varies. Treat the ride as scenery time and plan to read.
- Don't count on a free rebooking if you miss your train: under Amtrak's rules a no-show can forfeit the value of that ticket. If your plans change, change or cancel before departure — Flexible fares refund in full, Value fares only in part.
- Amtrak's carry-on allowance is generous: one personal item plus two carry-on bags free. Checked baggage is only offered on some trains and at some stations — check yours before you travel.
- Detroit's Amtrak stop is the small New Center station, not the restored Michigan Central. MCS is a ten-minute rideshare south — treat it as your first stop in Detroit, not your arrival hall.
First time in the US?
- Tipping: 18–20% on restaurant bills (some places now add it automatically — check the bill), $1–2 per drink at bars, a few dollars per bag for porters and housekeeping.
- US SIM card: buy a prepaid SIM or eSIM before you fly (or check your carrier's roaming plan). US wi-fi is strong; hotel and coffee-shop networks cover most of the gaps.
- Cash is rarely necessary — tap-to-pay works at most US restaurants, transit, and shops. Carry $40 in small bills for tips and the occasional cash-only spot.
- Jet lag across a 6–7-hour time difference is real. Don't try to power through your first day — book a hotel near Union Station and sleep when your body says.
- ESTA, not a visa, for most EU and UK passports. Apply online at esta.cbp.dhs.gov ($40.27) at least 72 hours before you fly.
Good to know
- SMART buses run between downtown Detroit and DTW in about an hour — check smartbus.org for the current route.
- Detroit summer weekends host festivals on the riverfront most weeks — worth checking the calendar if you're flexible on dates.
- When to go: May through October. Summer weekends Detroit runs festivals nearly every weekend on the riverfront.
Not this trip?
There’s a corridor for every weekend.
MSP → ORD
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ORD round trip
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The train curves east out of Chicago and Lake Michigan appears through the window.