Daily · one departure each direction
Chicago to Kansas City by train
Chicago → Kansas City → Chicago
A proper long-distance train, a 1914 station, and a city that takes its barbecue and jazz seriously.
- Cities
- 2
- Line
- 1
Fly in and out of ORD
The route
Tap a stop to jump
- ChicagoDays 1–3
- Southwest Chief · 7h 25m
- Kansas CityDays 4–5
- Southwest Chief · 7h 40m
- ChicagoBack for your flight home
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Everything you need, up top
The Palmer House Hilton · $$ · Art Institute of Chicago
Hotel Phillips Kansas City, Curio Collection · $$ · National WWI Museum and Memorial
Trains
Southwest Chief
The train
Chicago to Kansas City by train
- Train
- Amtrak Southwest Chief (Chicago–Los Angeles)
- Trains a day
- 1 in each direction
- Runs
- Every day
- Journey time
- About 7½ hours
- Leaves Chicago
- 1:30 PM — into Kansas City about 8:55 PM (both Central time)
- Stations
- Chicago Union Station → Kansas City Union Station
- Stops on the way
- Naperville (westbound pickup only), Mendota, Princeton, Galesburg, Fort Madison IA, La Plata MO
- Seats
- Reserved coach seats; sleeping-car rooms also sold
Kansas City to Chicago by train
The Southwest Chief leaves Kansas City Union Station at 7:03 AM and is due into Chicago Union Station at 2:44 PM. It has come from Los Angeles by then and can run late, so don't plan a tight connection. The other way to Chicago is via St. Louis: the Missouri River Runner (twice a day, about 5h 40m), then the Lincoln Service (about 5 hours).
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, see the Loop and the lakefront, and board the Chief after an unhurried morning.
Stay
The Palmer House Hilton
The Loop · $$
One of the oldest continuously operating hotels in America, in the Loop — about a 20-minute walk or a short ride to Union Station for the 1:30 PM train.
Check rates on Booking.com →Know your dates?
Or consider
- Chicago Athletic Association$$$ · Rates →
The Loop
- Freehand Chicago$ · Rates →
River North
Do
Art Institute of Chicago
Enter between the bronze lions on Michigan Avenue — one of the great art museums anywhere, a short walk from the Palmer House. Closed Tuesdays.
Details at artic.edu →Also worth it
- Chicago Architecture Center river cruise — the classic first afternoon (season runs spring to late November).
- Skydeck at Willis Tower — the closest big sight to Union Station, about a 6-minute walk.
- Lakefront Trail on a Divvy bike — 18 traffic-free miles.
- Pequod's or Lou Malnati's for deep-dish.
Amtrak · Southwest Chief
One-way · single seat
Depart
Chicago
IL
Rail
Arrive
Kansas City
MO
The Southwest Chief leaves Chicago Union Station at 1:30 PM on its way to Los Angeles. West across Illinois through Galesburg, over the Mississippi at Fort Madison, Iowa, and into Kansas City Union Station at about 8:55 PM — the same time zone, so no clock change. It's a long-distance train: every coach seat is reserved, there's a lounge car with a café, and sleeping-car rooms are sold too.
Journey time
7h 25m
Days 4–5
Kansas City
Union Station, the National WWI Museum across the lawn, 18th & Vine jazz, and barbecue the city argues about.
Stay
Hotel Phillips Kansas City, Curio Collection
Downtown · $$
A fully restored 1931 art-deco tower downtown, with the P.S. Speakeasy hidden in the basement. The free streetcar runs nearby and goes straight to Union Station.
Check rates on Booking.com →Know your dates?
Or consider
- Hotel Savoy Kansas City, Tapestry Collection by Hilton$$$ · Rates →
Downtown
- Crossroads Hotel$$ · Rates →
Crossroads Arts District
Do
National WWI Museum and Memorial
Directly across from Union Station — the Liberty Memorial tower looks straight back down at the platforms. The country's national museum of the First World War. Closed Tuesdays outside summer.
Details at theworldwar.org →Also worth it
- Union Station's Grand Hall — the 1914 station is worth an hour even if you're not catching a train.
- Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art — free general admission (reserve a free pass online); closed Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
- Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in the 18th & Vine Jazz District — closed Mondays.
- Burnt ends — Kansas City's barbecue signature.
- The River Market, at the north end of the streetcar line.
Amtrak · Southwest Chief
One-way · single seat
Depart
Kansas City
MO
Rail
Arrive
Chicago
IL
Back east on the Southwest Chief: it leaves Kansas City Union Station at 7:03 AM and is due into Chicago at 2:44 PM. By then the train has come all the way from Los Angeles, so it can run late — keep the rest of the day free and fly home the next day, or fly out of Kansas City International (MCI) instead.
Journey time
7h 40m
Getting there
How to arrive at the start of the trip
Whichever way you’re coming. Pick the panel that fits.
Arriving from Europe
Fly into Chicago O'Hare (ORD) — daily direct service from London, Dublin, Frankfurt, Paris, and Amsterdam. The trip starts and ends in Chicago, so a simple round-trip ticket works.
Don't try to catch the train the day you land. US customs at Terminal 5 can take an hour or more at peak times, and the Southwest Chief runs once a day. Spend your Chicago nights first.
Flying home: the eastbound Chief is due in Chicago mid-afternoon but can run late, so book your flight home for the next day. Alternatively, skip the train back and fly out of Kansas City International (MCI) with a connection. ESTA before you leave home — apply at least 72 hours before your outbound flight.
Connecting flight from elsewhere in the US
ORD is a United and American hub — non-stop service from virtually every major US airport. Land in Chicago, do your three nights, then board the Southwest Chief.
Prefer to fly home from Kansas City? Kansas City International (MCI) has nonstops across the US — ride the Chief one way and fly back.
Driving in, or already nearby
Drive to Chicago Union Station from the suburbs or anywhere on I-90/I-94. The Union Station parking garage sits one block south; SpotHero often has cheaper nearby ramps.
In the western suburbs? The westbound Chief also picks up at Naperville, about half an hour after leaving Chicago.
Practicalities
Booking and onboard
- The Southwest Chief runs once a day in each direction. Westbound it starts in Chicago, so it usually leaves on time; eastbound it has come from Los Angeles and can be late.
- Every coach seat on the Chief is reserved, so book ahead — especially on summer and holiday weekends.
- Chicago and Kansas City are both on Central time — no clock change.
- Kansas City Union Station is the working Amtrak station and a destination in its own right; the free streetcar starts outside.
- Kansas City, Missouri is the main city; Kansas City, Kansas is across the state line.
First time in the US?
- Tipping: 18–20% on restaurant bills (some add it automatically — check before you pay), $1–2 per drink at bars, a few dollars per bag for porters.
- US SIM card: buy a prepaid SIM or eSIM before you fly. Strong wi-fi covers most gaps.
- Cash is rarely necessary — tap-to-pay works at most US restaurants, transit, and shops.
- ESTA, not a visa, for most EU and UK passport holders. Apply online at esta.cbp.dhs.gov ($40.27) at least 72 hours before you fly.
Good to know
- Going on to St. Louis instead of back to Chicago? The Missouri River Runner runs Kansas City to St. Louis twice a day (about 5h 40m), and the Lincoln Service continues to Chicago.
- When to go: April–June and September–October. Kansas City summers are hot and humid.
Not this trip?
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Down the Lincoln Service: Chicago, Illinois farmland, and the Arch at the end of it.
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Chicago to Detroit
Two American classics, and a reborn 1913 Beaux-Arts train station to walk into.