Four daily departures
Chicago to St. Louis by train
Chicago → St. Louis
Down the Lincoln Service: Chicago, Illinois farmland, and the Arch at the end of it.
- Cities
- 2
- Line
- 1
Fly in ORD · Fly out STL
The route
Tap a stop to jump
- ChicagoDays 1–3
- Lincoln Service · 5h
- St. LouisDays 4–5
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Everything you need, up top
The Palmer House Hilton · $$ · Chicago Architecture Center river cruise
St. Louis Union Station Hotel · $$ · Gateway Arch tram to the top + Museum at the Arch
Trains
Lincoln Service
The train
Chicago to St. Louis by train
- Trains
- Amtrak Lincoln Service, plus the daily Texas Eagle
- Lincoln Service trains a day
- 4 in each direction
- Runs
- Every day
- Journey time
- About 5 hours
- From Chicago
- Two in the morning, two in the evening
- Stations
- Chicago Union Station → St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center (downtown)
- Stops on the way
- Including Joliet, Bloomington–Normal and Springfield (about 3 hours from Chicago)
- Onward
- Missouri River Runner to Kansas City, 2 a day, about 5h 40m
St. Louis to Chicago by train
The four Lincoln Service trains run the other way from Gateway Transportation Center — two early in the morning and two later in the day — each about five hours to Chicago Union Station. MetroLink stops right beside the station, and its Red Line runs to St. Louis Lambert airport.
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 is the sweet spot. Cruise the river, eat deep-dish once, walk the lakefront twice.
Stay
The Palmer House Hilton
The Loop · $$
One of the oldest continuously operating hotels in America, a short walk across the Loop from the Lincoln Service platform at Union Station. The lobby ceiling fresco is worth the rate on its own.
Check rates on Booking.com →Know your dates?
Or consider
- Chicago Athletic Association$$$ · Rates →
The Loop
- Freehand Chicago$ · Rates →
River North
Do
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. Season runs mid-March to late November.
Details at architecture.org →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.
Amtrak · Lincoln Service
One-way · single seat
Depart
Chicago
IL
Rail
Arrive
St. Louis
MO
Chicago Union Station to St. Louis Gateway Transportation Center in about five hours, with four departures a day. Café car, Illinois farmland, and a crossing of the Mississippi on the way into St. Louis.
Journey time
5h
Days 4–5
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 Union Station Hotel
Downtown West · $$
Sleeping inside the 1894 Grand Hall — the Beaux-Arts cathedral of a train station that used to be America's busiest, now a landmark hotel. Amtrak trains left in 1978 and have used the nearby Gateway Transportation Center since 2008 — but the Hall's original grandeur (and the MetroLink station right outside) is intact.
Check rates on Booking.com →Know your dates?
Or consider
- The Moonrise Hotel$$ · Rates →
The Delmar Loop
- Hotel Saint Louis, Autograph Collection$$$ · Rates →
Downtown
Do
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.
Details at gatewayarch.com →Also worth it
- City Museum — a climbable art-sculpture building. Check the hours calendar; weekday afternoons are quieter.
- 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 — about a 20-minute walk or a short MetroLink ride from the hotel.
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 a Lufthansa nonstop to Frankfurt, a seasonal British Airways nonstop to London (spring to autumn), and 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 dozens of US cities on Southwest, AA, Delta, and others. Open-jaw ORD-in / STL-out tickets are worth pricing against a round trip. 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 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 up to seven times a day 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 last stretch into St. Louis from Alton runs along the Mississippi — 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.
- 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.
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; 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 across a 6–7-hour time difference 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
Mid-route on the Lincoln Service
Lincoln's home, Lincoln's tomb, and the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum . 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
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. About an hour and a half west of St. Louis on the Missouri River Runner — get off, sleep one night, get back on.
Kansas City, MO
At the western end of the Missouri River Runner
Kansas City barbecue, live jazz in the Crossroads and at 18th & Vine, and the National WWI Museum at the 1926 Liberty Memorial. Five hours and forty minutes west of St. Louis on the Missouri River Runner. Fly home from MCI — an open-jaw ORD → MCI ticket is worth pricing.
Good to know
- Forest Park alone is worth a slow afternoon in St. Louis — the Art Museum, History Museum and Zoo there are all free.
- 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.
MSP → ORD
Minneapolis–St. Paul to Chicago
The Borealis and the Empire Builder, Milwaukee's lakefront, and a Chicago finish.
ORD → DTW
Chicago to Detroit
Two American classics, and a reborn 1913 Beaux-Arts train station to walk into.
ORD round trip
Chicago to Grand Rapids
The train curves east out of Chicago and Lake Michigan appears through the window.