Detroit lies 235 miles east of Chicago ‘as the crow flies’ although, because of Lake Michigan, the journey by land is approx. 285 miles. There are a number of ways to make the trip.

Train (Amtrak) – CPFC USA Recommended Option!

Amtrak, the USA’s long distance passenger train operator, has three direct trains a day from Chicago Union Station to Detroit Amtrak Station. The trains are comfortable and have facilities comparable to long distance trains in the U.K. such as a bar / restaurant cars, power points and WiFi. A one-way ticket in ‘Coach’ (standard class) was $40 at time of last update (July 6th, 2023) but this price will rise closer to the day of travel. It’s also worth noting that Seniors (65+) get a 10% discount on Amtrak.

Note: Due to track in the Detroit area, the last part of the journey between Dearborn and Detroit will be a coach. This only adds 5 minutes to the overall journey time.

Book at www.amtrak.com.

CPFC USA recommends Palace fans book the 2:15pm train to Detroit on Friday July, 28th.

Flights

Flights to Detroit Metro Airport (DTW) are operated by American, Delta, Southwest and United and take just over an hour. United and American fly from Chicago O’Hare (ORD) and Southwest flies from Chicago Midway (MDW). Delta offers flights from both Chicago airports. One-way tickets in ‘Coach’ (economy class) started at $119 at time of last update (July 6th, 2023) but these prices will rise closer to the day of travel. Most U.S. airlines charge extra for checked bags on domestic flights, with the exception of Southwest who allow two checked bags for free.

Book at www.aa.com, www.delta.com, www.southwest.com and www.united.com.

Coach (Greyhound and Flixbus)

America’s iconic Greyhound bus line was acquired by European coach operator Flixbus in 2021 and the two companies now share a combined booking system which means you can book Greyhound services on Flixbus’s website and vice-versa. The combined Flixbus / Greyhound operation now offers five direct coaches a day from Chicago to Detroit. The coaches are comfortable and have facilities comparable to National Express in the U.K. such as power points and WiFi. One-way tickets started at $29.99 (plus a $3.99 transaction fee) at time of last update (July 6th, 2023) but these prices will rise closer to the day of travel.

Book at www.flixbus.com or www.greyhound.com.

Coach (Megabus)

A familiar name to anyone who travels by coach in the U.K, Megabus now has extensive operations in the U.S. and offers two direct coaches a day from Chicago to Detroit. One-way tickets started at $42 (plus a $3.99 transaction fee) at time of last update (July 6th, 2023) but these prices will rise closer to the day of travel.

Book at www.megabus.com.