Car hire Chicago: tour the city in style and at ease with a rental

Car hires in Chicago: practical information

Where to rent a car in Chicago

They don't call Chicago the windy city for nothing. When winter rolls in, the wind knows how to blow between this city's iconic skyscrapers. In the summer, the only thing sweeping people off their feet is this city's charm. Already booking tickets from London to Chicago? Well done! You're almost done your travel planning. Have you thought about a car hire Chicago airport yet? A rent car in Chicago is almost essential if you plan to see anything outside of the city centre… which we recommend you do! Chicago's O'Hare International Airport has a number of car rental companies to choose from including Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz and National.

If you're looking for a car hire Chicago city, don't worry they are quite easy to find. They're located for the most part downtown. Avis is on North Clark Street, Hertz on North State Street, National is on North Lasalle and there's another Hertz location on East Wacker Drive. You're never far from a car rental company but it's worth doing a price comparison to make sure you get the best deal, easily done on liligo.com.

Driving in Chicago: parking and other tips

Downtown driving in Chicago is enough to drive anyone mad so do yourself a favour and take public transportation around the city centre. Traffic can get bad and the parking situation isn't that great either. Street parking is almost non-existent and car parks can be very expensive. If you do find an on-street parking spot, look for the Pay & Display meter, this could be located quite a distance from the space.

There are a lot of car parks in the city to make up for the lack of street parking. They can cost as much as $38/day. Some car parks charge considerably less the further away from downtown you go. The car park at 601 S Lasalle Street for example charges only $14.25/day… although it's still quite a lot when you think about it. Your best bet is to book hotels in Chicago with parking available.

Road trips from Chicago: what to do, what to see

Evanston

Chicago is a huge city and some of its suburbs are really worth checking out. From downtown it takes about 45 minutes to reach Evanston, home of Northwestern University. The lakefront here is especially beautiful and a popular spot in the summertime for Chicago locals looking for a little something different. Things to do: visit the Shakespeare Garden designed by Jens Jensen in the early 1900s, tour the Grosse Point Lighthouse.

Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore

If you want to get away to the beach, check out Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Just follow interstates 80, 90 or 94 from the city. Bring your swim suits, the crystal clear waters of Lake Michigan will certainly cool you off in the summer. It's the perfect addition to any Chicago holiday itinerary.

Madison

Madison (Wisconsin) is a really up and coming city. It's young and vibrant with a great arts and independent music scene. Wisconsin is known for its beers, so do as the locals do and ask for a pint of the house brew when you visit a local bar. Being located in the heart of the American mid-West you'll notice right away that Madison is proud of its country roots without giving up on the city life.