Cheapest€11.18
- PARTA PA793215:452h 58m18:43Chicago Union StationMadison - Dutch Mill
Door to door 3h 42mCO2 5.3 kgChanges 0Changeable for a fee
Traveling from Chicago to Madison costs €11.18 at the cheapest and takes 2h 9m door to door at the fastest, across 3 modes and 8 operators. The route covers 202 km. Cheapest is by Coach, fastest is by Train.
At a glance
- Distance
- 202 km
- Fastest
- 2h 9m
- Average
- 3h 33m
- Services per day
- 72
- Cheapest
- €11.18
- CO2 per passenger
- 35.4 kg
Every way to make this journey
Journey times below are door to door, so they include getting to the terminal and away from it at the other end. Fares are the cheapest we currently sell on September 29, 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Train | 2h 10m | 1h 26m | 44m | €26.74 | 6.5 kg | 12 |
| Coach | 3h 24m | 2h 40m | 44m | €12.83 | 5.3 kg | 12 |
| Flight | 3h 50m | 40m | 3h 10m | €31.41 | 50.2 kg | 48 |
- 2h 10mFastest, by Train
- €12.83Cheapest, by Coach
- 5.3 kgLowest CO2, by Coach
- 202 kmDistance traveled
The cheapest and the fastest on September 29, 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€30.04
- Amtrak A517714:281h 26m15:54Chicago Union StationMadison station (C&NW)
Door to door 2h 10mCO2 6.5 kgChanges 0Refundable
Today's real departures
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.
No live timetable for this trip yet.
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.
Prices over the next three weeks
Live from our own engine, refreshed on every request. The cheapest days for each way of traveling are marked.
| Cheapest fare by mode and day for Chicago to Madison | FriSep 11 | SatSep 12 | SunSep 13 | MonSep 14 | TueSep 15 | WedSep 16 | ThuSep 17 | FriSep 18 | SatSep 19 | SunSep 20 | MonSep 21 | TueSep 22 | WedSep 23 | ThuSep 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coach | €21.08 | €21.63 | €17.78 | €15.58 | €17.23 | €16.13 | €16.13 | €15.58 | €15.58 | €14.48 | €12.83 | €12.83 | €13.38 | €14.48 |
| Train | €49.29 | €51.49 | €41.04 | €33.34 | €33.34 | €34.99 | €34.99 | €33.34 | €34.44 | €31.69 | €27.29 | €26.74 | €28.94 | €28.94 |
| Flight | €44.39 | €45.57 | €36.13 | €32.59 | €32.00 | €33.18 | €33.77 | €32.00 | €32.59 | €31.41 | €31.41 | €31.41 | €31.41 | €31.41 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-29 · €11.18
The trip ends at Madison station (C&NW). Everything past the gates belongs to somebody else, the rooms included.
A room in Madison for the night the flight gets in
Sort by distance from Madison station (C&NW) and you can see which places are ten minutes on foot and which are not.
Search Madison on Booking.comOr compare on Expedia
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When to book Chicago to Madison
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €11.1890 days
- €10.0760 days
- €10.6345 days
- €11.7330 days
- €13.3821 days
- €14.4814 days
- €16.137 days
- €17.783 days
- €21.081 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 60 days ahead, at €10.07.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 109 percent. The most expensive point is €21.08, 1 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 60 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 60 days ahead. You are inside that window.
Which departure day costs least
Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.
- €14.48Sun
- €12.83Mon
- €12.83Tue
- €13.38Wed
- €14.48Thu
- €15.58Fri
- €15.58Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €17.23Sep
- €12.28Oct
- €11.18Nov
- €10.63Dec
- €10.63Jan
- €10.07Feb
The route
What the journey actually looks like
Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.
- How far it really runs
- The route covers 202 km against 198 km in a straight line, a detour of 2 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
- First and last departure
- The first service of the day leaves Chicago at 06:02 and the last at 21:20, across 12 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Where you leave from and where you arrive
The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.
Chicago
Rail
- Chicago Union Station
- Chicago Ridge
- Chicago station
Bus
- Chicago Union Station
- Chicago & Austin Terminal
Air
- ORD
- MDW
Ferry
- Chicago Avenue
- Chicago Riverwalk
Madison
Rail
- Madison station (C&NW)
- Madison Milwaukee Road depot
- Middleton station
Bus
- Madison - Dutch Mill
- UW-Madison Intercity Bus
Air
- MSN
Who runs this route
Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.
| Operator | From | Fastest | Typical speed | Flexibility | On board |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Air Wisconsin | €31.41 | 3h 50m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
 American Airlines | €31.41 | 3h 50m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
 Amtrak | €22.34 | 2h 9m | 140 km/h | Refundable | Power outlets, Wi-Fi |
 GoJet Airlines | €31.41 | 3h 50m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
 PARTA | €11.18 | 3h 23m | 72 km/h | Changeable | Power outlets, Restrooms, Wi-Fi |
 Republic Airways | €31.41 | 3h 50m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
 SkyWest | €31.41 | 3h 50m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
| United Airlines | €31.41 | 3h 50m | 740 km/h | Fixed fare | Not published |
What the fare is made of
Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.
| Part | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Operator fare | €7.00 | 63% |
| Taxes | €0.70 | 6% |
| Supplier fees | €1.49 | 13% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 18% |
| Total you pay | €11.18 | 100% |
Check-in is at three and you will be in Madison well before then. Lockers are not something we run.
Somewhere to drop the bags in Madison?
Most of the points near Madison station (C&NW) open before the first train and close after the last one.
Check Madison on StasherOr try Bounce
Partner links. We do not run these networks. We earn a commission on a booking, and the price is the same as going direct.
Questions about Chicago to Madison
The questions people actually ask about this trip, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.
How long does it take to get from Chicago to Madison?
The fastest journey from Chicago to Madison takes 2h 9m door to door, of which 1h 26m is spent moving, on the Train. Most services take around 3h 33m, because that average includes slower stopping services and journeys with a connection. Times include reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.
How much does it cost to travel from Chicago to Madison?
The cheapest fare from Chicago to Madison is €11.18, checked on September 29, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €33.77. Both figures are the total for one passenger, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so nothing is added at checkout.
What is the cheapest way to get from Chicago to Madison?
The cheapest way from Chicago to Madison is by Coach, at €12.83 for one passenger on September 29, 2026. That journey takes 3h 24m door to door. Cheaper is rarely faster on this corridor, and the comparison table on this page shows what each mode costs against what it saves.
What is the fastest way to get from Chicago to Madison?
The fastest way from Chicago to Madison is by Train, at 2h 10m door to door. Only 1h 26m of that is spent moving; the remaining 44m is reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end. The cheapest fare on that mode is €26.74.
When should I book Chicago to Madison?
Fares from Chicago to Madison bottom out around 60 days before departure, at €10.07. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 109 percent, measured on September 29, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Chicago to Madison?
Monday is the cheapest day to depart from Chicago to Madison, at €12.83. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 29, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Chicago to Madison?
February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Chicago to Madison, at €10.07 for one passenger. Each month is priced on its fifteenth, so the comparison is like for like rather than a mix of weekends and midweek departures.
Who runs service from Chicago to Madison?
8 operators sell services from Chicago to Madison across 3 modes: Air Wisconsin, American Airlines, Amtrak, GoJet Airlines, PARTA, Republic Airways. Journey times, fares and fare conditions differ between them, and the operator table on this page compares all of them on speed, flexibility and what is provided on board.
Is there a direct service from Chicago to Madison?
Every service we sell from Chicago to Madison is direct, with around 72 departures a day and a fastest journey of 2h 9m door to door. No connection is needed, so there is no missed connection risk to plan around on this corridor.
How much CO2 does the journey from Chicago to Madison produce?
Traveling from Chicago to Madison by Coach produces about 5.3 kg of CO2 per passenger, the lowest of any mode on this corridor. The same journey by Flight produces about 50.2 kg, roughly 9 times as much for one passenger.
Which station or terminal do services from Chicago to Madison use?
Services from Chicago to Madison by Train leave from Chicago Union Station and arrive at Madison station (C&NW). Allow about 44m in total for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one, which is already included in every door to door time on this page.
Can I change or refund a ticket from Chicago to Madison?
2 of the 8 operators we sell from Chicago to Madison allow a change or a refund. A change on a changeable fare costs €5.00. The operator table on this page names which is which, and the condition is shown again before you pay.
Where these numbers come from
Observed service A carrier record shows this named operator serving this named pair, and we carry that through unchanged.
Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modeled number pass for a filed one.
Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon, Distances
- On this page
- Every figure above was computed for Chicago to Madison on September 10, 2026: 202 km of route against 198 km in a straight line, 72 services a day, 8 operators, a cheapest fare of €11.18, and 2h 9m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
The trip is the easy half to plan. The days in Madison are the half people leave until last.
Day trips out of Madison and across United States
Timed entry, guided walks and half-day trips out of Madison, with free cancellation on most of it.
See Madison on GetYourGuideOr browse Viator
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Other ways to make this journey
Arriving in Madison
Leaving Madison
- 41Places you can leave for
- 1Countries
- 16Operators
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.