Four daily departures
Chicago to St. Louis
Chicago → St. Louis
Five to six nights down the Lincoln Service. Chicago, Illinois farmland, and the Arch.
- Recommended
Nights - 5–6
- Cities
- 2
- Line
- 1
Fly in ORD · Fly out STL
The route
Tap a stop to jump
- Chicago3 nights · Days 1–3
- Lincoln Service · 5h 20m
- St. Louis2 nights · Days 4–5
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Days 1–3 · 3 nights
Chicago
Three nights is the sweet spot. Cruise the river, eat deep-dish once, walk the lakefront twice.
Stay · Chicago
The Palmer House Hilton
The Loop · $$
One of the oldest continuously operating hotels in America, a short walk across the Loop from the Lincoln Service platform at Union Station. The lobby ceiling fresco is worth the rate on its own.
Do · Chicago
Chicago Architecture Center river cruise
The canonical Chicago experience. Ninety minutes on the river with a docent who actually knows what they're looking at.
A couple more in Chicagowe’d consider
For when the top pick’s full or the wrong fit.
Chicago Athletic Association Hotel
$$$The Loop
Converted 1890s gentlemen's club facing Millennium Park. Library bar, game room, Cindy's rooftop — worth the stay on its own.
Check rates on Booking.com →
Virgin Hotels Chicago
$$$River North
Playful boutique with a rooftop pool and a location that puts the River North galleries and dinner scene at your door.
Check rates on Booking.com →
Also worth it
- The Art Institute — the Impressionist collection alone justifies a morning.
- Pequod's deep-dish in Lincoln Park, with the caramelised crust.
- Lakefront Trail on a Divvy bike — 18 miles traffic-free.
- A Cubs or White Sox game if the season's on.
Getting around: CTA Blue Line from O'Hare direct to the Loop in 45 minutes for $5. Red, Brown, and Green lines handle most of the rest.
Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) →Amtrak · Lincoln Service
One-way · single seat
Depart
Chicago
IL
Rail
Arrive
St. Louis
MO
Chicago Union Station to Gateway Transportation Center. Café car, Illinois farmland, and the Mississippi on the right-hand side as you pull into St. Louis. Ask for the right-hand side at the counter.
Journey time
5h 20m
Days 4–5 · 2 nights
St. Louis
Two nights is the tight version. The Arch is bigger than it looks, the barbecue is better than it needs to be, and the museum is free.
Stay · St. Louis
St. Louis Union Station Hotel
Downtown West · $$
Sleeping inside the 1894 Grand Hall — the Beaux-Arts cathedral of a train station that used to be America's busiest, now a landmark hotel. Amtrak moved ten minutes north to Gateway Transportation Center in 1978, but the Hall's original grandeur (and the MetroLink station right outside) is intact.
Do · St. Louis
Gateway Arch tram to the top + Museum at the Arch
The tram ride is the experience that defines the city — a quirky little capsule on a curved track up the inside of the Arch. Pair it with the museum underneath, which is better than any national monument museum has any right to be.
A couple more in St. Louiswe’d consider
For when the top pick’s full or the wrong fit.
The Last Hotel
$$Downtown / Garment District
Restored 1909 shoe factory a 10-minute walk from the Arch, with a rooftop pool and an industrial-chic bar scene downstairs.
Check rates on Booking.com →
Moonrise Hotel
$$The Delmar Loop
Quirky, space-themed boutique on Delmar Boulevard. Puts you on the Loop — six walkable blocks of music venues, restaurants, and Walk of Fame stars.
Check rates on Booking.com →
Also worth it
- City Museum — a climbable art-sculpture building. Go after 5pm when the school groups leave.
- Forest Park — the art museum, zoo, and science center are all free.
- Pappy's Smokehouse for ribs. Arrive before the meat runs out (it runs out).
- A Cardinals game at Busch Stadium — a ten-minute walk from the hotel.
Getting around: MetroLink Red Line runs from Lambert Airport (STL) direct to downtown and Union Station for $2.50. Inside the city, most of what you want is walkable or a short MetroLink hop.
Metro Transit St. Louis →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 a handful of secondary European hubs. Most arrive late afternoon US time.
Don't try to do the Lincoln Service same-day. Customs at O'Hare Terminal 5 can take an hour or more during peak arrival waves, before bag claim and the CTA Blue Line into the Loop. Overnight in Chicago first; the Lincoln Service runs four times daily, so you have flexibility on day two.
Flying home: STL has seasonal BA direct to LHR (typically April–October) and year-round one-stop service via ORD, DFW, ATL, or CLT. 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. If you can land before mid-afternoon, you can pick up the Lincoln Service the same day; otherwise overnight near Union Station or in the Loop.
St. Louis Lambert (STL) flies non-stop to about 70 US cities on Southwest, AA, Delta, and others. Open-jaw ORD-in / STL-out is usually priced the same as a round-trip out of either airport — worth checking. Same logic in reverse if you'd rather start in St. Louis and end in Chicago.
Driving in, or already nearby
If you're driving: Union Station's parking garage sits one block south of the station entrance, around $30/night with multi-day rates. Reserve via SpotHero or ParkWhiz for a meaningful discount on the gate price.
Already on Amtrak elsewhere in the network: the Hiawatha runs hourly from Milwaukee, the Wolverine and Lake Shore Limited connect from Detroit and the East Coast, and the Borealis / Empire Builder feed in from St. Paul. All deliver you to the same Chicago Union Station you'd board the Lincoln Service from — no transfer between stations.
Practicalities
Booking and onboard
- Book two to three weeks ahead. Lincoln Service fares step up as the train fills, and the trains do fill on Friday afternoons and Sunday evenings. Mid-week is reliably cheaper.
- Ask for the right-hand side at the ticket counter. The approach into St. Louis runs along the Mississippi for the last twenty minutes — better view from the right.
- The café car is open the entire ride, but plan to bring food. The onboard menu is overpriced and uninspiring. Pack from a deli in the Loop on your way to the station — you'll eat better and pay less.
- Wi-fi is spotty along most of central Illinois; cell signal varies by carrier. Treat the Lincoln Service like a five-hour reading window, not a working session.
- If you miss the train, Amtrak will rebook you on the next Lincoln Service the same day at no charge — just go to the ticket counter. Different rules from European or Japanese rail; less stressful.
- Amtrak's luggage allowance is generous: two carry-ons plus two personal items free, and checked bags are free on long-distance trains. Far more lenient than European rail or budget airlines.
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: pick one up at O'Hare on arrival (Mint, T-Mobile prepaid, or your carrier's roaming plan if cheaper). US wi-fi is strong; you'll be fine on hotel networks and coffee shops most of the time.
- 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 with a 6–8-hour eastward shift is real. Don't try to push through your first day — book a hotel near Union Station and sleep when your body says.
Add-ons
Want to extend the trip?
Three places worth adding on the same Amtrak network. Pick one, or stitch all three together for a longer trip.
Springfield, IL
+1 night, mid-route on the Lincoln Service
Lincoln's home, Lincoln's tomb, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum — one of the best presidential museums in the country. The Old State Capitol is where Lincoln gave the 'House Divided' speech in 1858. Get off mid-route, stay one night, reboard the next day.
Hermann, MO
+1 night, after St. Louis on the Missouri River Runner
An 1837 German immigrant town with Stone Hill Winery (founded 1847), brick storefronts on the National Register, and the Missouri River at the bottom of the hill. Ninety minutes west of St. Louis on the Missouri River Runner — get off, sleep one night, get back on.
Kansas City, MO
+2 nights at the western end of the Missouri River Runner
Barbecue at Arthur Bryant's, jazz nightly at Green Lady Lounge, and the National WWI Museum at the 1926 Liberty Memorial — one of the best war museums in the world. Five hours and forty minutes west of St. Louis on the Missouri River Runner. Fly home from MCI; open-jaw ORD → MCI is usually the same fare as a round-trip out of STL.
Good to know
- The base trip is 5 nights (Chicago 3 + St. Louis 2). Stretch to 6 by adding a night in St. Louis — Forest Park alone is worth a slower afternoon.
- The Lincoln Service runs four daily departures Chicago → St. Louis, year-round.
- Want to extend? See the add-ons above — Springfield, Hermann, and Kansas City all sit on Amtrak lines that fit naturally onto this trip.
- When to go: April through October. September is the best balance of weather and quiet.
Not this trip?
There’s a corridor for every weekend.
6–8 nights · MSP → ORD
Chicago to Minneapolis–St. Paul
Six to eight nights from Minneapolis–St. Paul to a Chicago finish.
5 nights · ORD → DTW
Chicago to Detroit
Five nights, two American classics, and a reborn 1913 Beaux-Arts train station to walk into.
5–6 nights · ORD → GRR
Chicago to Grand Rapids
Three nights in Chicago, then the train curves east and Lake Michigan appears through the window.