---
title: "How to get from O'Hare to downtown Chicago · ORD Airport Guide"
description: "The Blue Line, a taxi, a shared taxi, rideshare and a pre-arranged car side by side, with the fares and times the CTA, the city and the airport publish."
url: "https://ordairportguide.com/guides/how-get-from-ohare-downtown-chicago/"
updated: "2026-10-31"
airport: "ORD"
type: "guide"
---

> Independent guide, not the official ORD website. All pages: https://ordairportguide.com/llms.txt

# How to get from O'Hare to downtown Chicago

The Blue Line, a taxi, a shared taxi, rideshare and a pre-arranged car side by side, with the fares and times the CTA, the city and the airport publish.

Updated October 31, 2026

![The board-marked concrete frames and glowing glass-block drums of the Blue Line platform at O'Hare station, seen across the track in dim light.](https://ordairportguide.com/images/ord/blue-line-ohare-platform-v23.webp)

Blue Line platform, O'Hare

Most arrivals should take the Blue Line, the L train that starts inside O’Hare and runs straight through downtown. It costs a fraction of the road options, and the CTA puts it at 40 to 45 minutes against 25 to 90 for the road options.

## How the five ways compare

| Way | Cost | Time to downtown | Where you start |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Blue Line | $5 when you board at O’Hare | 40 to 45 minutes | Lower level of the parking garage, signed Trains to City |
| Taxi | About $50 on average per the airport, around $40 per the CTA | 25 to 90 minutes | Taxi stand at the lower-level curb outside baggage claim, every terminal |
| Shared taxi | $30 flat to downtown or McCormick Place, per the City of Chicago | None published | Not described on the airport’s taxi page |
| Rideshare | None published by the airport. The CTA says around $35 to $50, surging to $140 or more | 25 to 90 minutes | Upper-level poles at Terminal 2 and Terminal 3 |
| Pre-arranged car | None published | None published | Lower level, center lane (lane 2) |

The CTA’s taxi and rideshare costs come from online quotes and observed prices, and they leave out tips. Its travel times are estimates for common conditions with trains running normally. Its chart also prices shuttle van services at over $25 and 25 to 90 minutes. It doesn’t say whether that includes the shared taxi, so no time is published for the shared taxi itself.

## What the Blue Line asks of you

The $5 fare applies only when you board at O’Hare. Boarding anywhere else costs $2.50. You’ll tap a contactless bank card or a phone wallet at the gate, or use a Ventra card or ticket. The airport says vending machines outside the station take cash or credit.

Riding again today? A 1-day pass costs $5, the same as the one-way fare out of O’Hare, and the CTA says it covers boarding at O’Hare with nothing extra to pay. A single-trip Ventra ticket bought at O’Hare is also $5 and is good for up to 3 rides within 2 hours. Transfers to another CTA train or bus are free, up to two within two hours, on the same card, ticket, bank card or wallet.

From Terminals 1, 2 and 3, follow Trains to City through the pedestrian tunnels on the basement level. The CTA says the walk from baggage claim takes under ten minutes. From Terminal 5, ride the Airport Transit System to Terminal 2, exit at the station and follow the same signs. The airport’s page also allows Terminal 3.

The airport says the Blue Line runs 24 hours a day, with more frequent service during weekday morning and evening rush hours.

## Metra runs on weekdays only

Metra’s North Central Service also reaches Chicago Union Station, from the O’Hare Transfer station behind the Multi-Modal Facility. It costs $3.75 one way, $1.75 reduced, and a day pass between the same zones is $7.50. Ride the Airport Transit System from your terminal to the Multi-Modal Facility first. The airport publishes no running time, so Metra isn’t in the table. The [Union Station guide](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/ohare-union-station-amtrak/) compares it with the Blue Line.

## The airport and the CTA disagree on the taxi fare

The airport’s average is about $50 and the CTA’s is around $40, and the airport doesn’t say how it got its figure. The meter rates are the firmer guide. [Hotels](https://ordairportguide.com/hotels/) in the Loop sit 17 to 18 miles by road from Terminal 5, and at the meter rates on the [taxi page](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/taxi/) that trip comes to about $55 to $58. That counts the $4 airport departure tax and leaves out tip, waiting time and surcharges, so plan on the airport’s figure at the least.

Three extras can move the meter:

- $2.50 between 3:30 p.m. and 7 p.m.
- $1.00 between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- $0.50 for paying by card

The shared ride is the one the airport’s taxi page doesn’t mention, so confirm at the taxi stand that it’s running. Stick to the marked stand, because the airport warns against rides offered outside it or on the departures level.

## Rideshare pickup is at two terminals only

Terminal 2 has orange poles 2A to 2G on the upper level, and Terminal 3 has green poles 3G, 3H, 3J and 3K on the upper level. The airport doesn’t name any for Terminals 1 or 5. The [Uber and Lyft guide](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/uber-lyft-at-ohare-which-pole-at-which-terminal/) covers which pole to wait at and what to do from Terminal 1 or 5.

## A pre-arranged car finds you after you call

Book ahead, then call the company once you have your bags. It gives you a plate number, a description of the car and a door to meet at. The airport says the car takes 5 to 20 minutes to reach the pick-up point, depending on traffic.

Some companies send the driver into baggage claim to meet you. The livery parking across from each terminal is typically a 5 to 7 minute walk. The airport posts a list of pre-arranged limousine services by the information booths across from Door C on the lower level of each terminal. It doesn’t publish fares for them, so get the price from the company before you book.

## Sources

- O’Hare Airport Guide: [CTA Blue Line](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/cta-blue-line/), [taxi](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/taxi/), [rideshare](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/rideshare/), [limousines and pre-arranged rides](https://ordairportguide.com/transport/limousine-and-prearranged/), [Uber and Lyft at O’Hare](https://ordairportguide.com/guides/uber-lyft-at-ohare-which-pole-at-which-terminal/) and [hotels](https://ordairportguide.com/hotels/)
- Chicago Department of Aviation: Public Transit and Taxis, Limousines and Rideshare pages
- Chicago Transit Authority: Airport transit, Blue Line and fares pages
- Metra: O’Hare Transfer station and fares pages
- Chicago Department of Business Affairs and Consumer Protection: the city’s taxi rates