Travel to Madison by air or car
Getting to Madison by air
The Dane County Airport, newly renovated in the Frank Lloyd Wright prairie architectural style, is located on Madison's northeast side. Taxi cabs and rental cars are available at the airport. The Campus Inn offers free cab service from the Airport utilizing Madison Taxi.
Travelers may also want to consider flying into O’Hare International Airport or Midway Airport in Chicago or General Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee, then taking a bus to Madison.
Chicago, Illinois, is located about 150 miles southeast of Madison. The Van Galder bus line runs several times daily from both O’Hare and Midway Airports to the Memorial Union on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. The one-way fare is $24-26, and travel time is approximately 3 hours. For fare and schedule information, call 1-800-747-0994 or visit their Web site at www.vangalderbus.com.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is located about 90 miles east of Madison. The Badger Coach bus line runs six trips daily from General Mitchell International Airport to the Memorial Union on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus. Cost is $19 one way or $32 roundtrip. Travel time is approximately two hours. For fare and schedule information call 1-608-255-6771 or visit their Web site at www.badgerbus.com.
General Overview of Travel to Madison, WI by the Greater Madison Convention and Visitor's Bureau
http://www.bact.wisc.edu/ICBPPI_2007/trans2.pdf
Dane County Regional Airport
http://www.msnairport.com
Airline Contact Information The Dane County Airport offers more than 75 daily flights.
Northwest Airlines
Reservations:
(800) 225-2525 Domestic
(800) 447-4747 International
Arrivals and Departures:
(800) 441-1818
http://www.nwa.com/
Continental Airlines
Reservations:
(800) 525-0280 Automated Arrival and Departure info:
(800) 784-4444
http://www.continental.com/web/en-US/default.aspx
United Airlines
Reservations:
(800) 241-6522 Domestic
(800) 538-2929 International
Arrivals and Departures:
(800) 824-6200
http://www.united.com/
Comair
Reservations and information
(800) 354-9822
http://www.comair.com/comair/cdc.portal?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=cdc_pg_0006
American Airlines
Reservations: (800) 433-7300
Arrivals and Departures:
(800) 223-543
http://www.aa.com/index_us.jhtml
Delta Airlines
http://www.delta.com/home/index.jsp
Midwest Airlines
Reservations and information:
(800) 452-2022
http://www.midwestairlines.com/MAWeb/
Atlantic Southeast Airlines
http://www.flyasa.com/
Taxi service can be arranged through Badger Cab (1-608-256-5566), Madison Taxi (1-608-258-7458) or Union Cab (1-608-242-2000). The airport is located approximately five miles from downtown Madison and a taxi to get there costs about $15.
For those wishing to rent a car, the following companies offer airport service:
Enterprise: 1-608-661-4900 or 1-800-325-8007
AVIS: 1-608-242-2442 or 1-800-831-2847
Hertz: 1-608-241-3803 or 1-800-654-3131
National/Alamo: 1-608-249-1614 or 1-800-227-7368
Budget: 1-608-249-5544 or 1-800-527-0700
Thrifty: 1-608-661-4940 or 1-800-800-4000
Dollar: 1-608-661-4941 or 1-800-847-4389
Taxis depart from the north end of the baggage claim, door #7. Public ground transportation, other than taxis, including courtesy vans, rental cars, and metro bus service, can be found at door #6.
Getting to Madison by Car
Transportation to, from and in-an-around Madison and Dane County is exceptionally easy. Located in south central Wisconsin, Madison is just off Interstates I-90, I-94 and I-39 provinding easy access to Milwaukee (90 minutes). Chicago (2.5 hours) and Minneapolis (4.5 hours).
Directions to Downtown Madison
From the North via Interstate 90/94
(Minneapolis, LaCrosse, Wausau, Stevens Point, Portage): Take I-90/94 to the Highway 151 exit (southwest) going toward the State Capitol. You will then be on East Washington Avenue, which leads directly to the Capitol Square.
From the Northeast via Highway 151
(Green Bay, Fox River Valley): Follow Highway 151 toward the State Capitol. You will then be on East Washington Avenue, which leads directly to the Capitol Square.
From the East via Interstate 94
(Milwaukee): As you approach the city, follow Highway 30 into Madison. Take the "State Capitol" exit off of Highway 30, and you will then be on East Washington Avenue, which leads directly to the Capitol Square.
From the Southeast via Interstate 90
(Chicago, Beloit, Janesville): Take the Hwy 12&18 (Beltline) exit to Madison. If you are going to the Alliant Energy Center or Monona Terrace, exit at John Nolen Drive. If you are going to UW-Madison, exit at Park Street and head north.
From the Southwest via Highways 18 & 151
(Dubuque, Platteville, Dodgeville): Take the appropriate exit to Highway 151 going north toward the State Capitol. In Madison, Highway 151 will become South Park Street. Follow Park Street to its conclusion to reach the UW-Madison. Or, from Park, take a right onto Johnson Street to reach the State Street/Capitol Square area.
Wisconsin Radius Overview
http://www.visitmadison.com/uploads/media/Madison_Radius_Map.pdf
Madison Area Overview Map
http://www.visitmadison.com/uploads/media/DAYTRIPS_MAP_2001.pdf
Wisconsin Major Highways
http://www.visitmadison.com/uploads/media/Wisconsin_Map_2004.pdf
Drive time and mileage from nearby cities to Madison
Hours Miles
Chicago 2.5 148
Cincinnati 7.0 452
Cleveland 7.5 500
Des Moines 5.0 288
Detroit 7.5 405
Dubuque 2.0 94
Grand Rapids 6.0 329
Green Bay 2.5 135
Indianapolis 6.5 366
Kansas City 7.0 460
Milwaukee 1.5 77
Minneapolis 5.0 268
Rockford 1.5 78
St. Louis 6.5 357
Toledo 7.5 399