Direct Flights from Chicago to Madison
Madison · Wisconsin
Nonstop service from ORD to MSN on American, United. Here's the schedule at a glance — plus what to do once you land.
How rare is this nonstop?
18 cities have a nonstop to Madison, Chicago among them.
How long to go to Madison for, from Chicago
45m in the air, 108 miles: short enough that a single night in Madison is worth it, and a day trip is not absurd.
With roughly 12 departures a day, you are not tied to one flight: if a meeting overruns or the weather turns, there is another one behind it.
About Madison
Madison, the capital of Wisconsin, is situated on an isthmus between Lake Mendota and Lake Monona. As the anchor of the Greater Madison Area, it is home to the University of Wisconsin — Madison, one of the premier universities in the United States. It is a vibrant city known for its natural beauty, vibrant cultural scene, and academic excellence. Visitors can enjoy a variety of activities such as hiking, biking, and exploring the city's many museums and art galleries. The city is also known for its diverse and delicious food options.
Summary from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA).
Top things to do in Madison
- The International Crane Foundation (ICF) is a non-profit conservation organization that works to conserve cranes and the ecosystems, watersheds, and flyways on which they depend.
- Aztalan State Park is a state park in Jefferson County, Wisconsin, United States. Established in 1952, it was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1964 and added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.…
- The Madison Museum of Contemporary Art (MMoCA), formerly known as the Madison Art Center, is an independent, non-profit art museum located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin.
- Saint Raphael's Cathedral was the cathedral and a parish for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Madison and was located in downtown Madison, Wisconsin at 222 West Main Street.
- Little Norway was a living museum of a Norwegian village located in Blue Mounds, Wisconsin. Little Norway consisted of a fully restored farm dating to the mid-19th century.
- Olbrich Botanical Gardens is a 16-acre outdoor botanical garden and 10,000-square-foot conservatory in Madison, Wisconsin.
- Rotary Botanical Gardens is a non-profit 20-acre (81,000 m2) botanical garden located at 1455 Palmer Drive in Janesville, Wisconsin, that is open to the public.
- Overture Center for the Arts is a performing arts center and art gallery in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. The center opened on September 19, 2004, replacing the former Civic Center.
- The Chazen Museum of Art is an art museum located on the campus of the University of Wisconsin–Madison in Madison, Wisconsin.
- The University of Wisconsin–Madison Arboretum is a teaching and research facility of the University of Wisconsin–Madison and the site of historic research in ecological restoration.
- Devil's Lake State Park is a state park located in the Baraboo Range in eastern Sauk County, Wisconsin, United States.
- Lake Kegonsa State Park is a state park in Wisconsin, United States, on the northeast shore of Lake Kegonsa. It is located in Dane County southeast of Madison, Wisconsin.
Attraction descriptions from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); place data from Wikidata (CC0).
Madison weather, compared with Chicago
Within 2° of Chicago on the annual average, so pack much as you would at home — but the two cities do not track each other month to month:
- January
- Madison 27°F · Chicago 31°F · 4° colder
- April
- Madison 57°F · Chicago 59°F · much the same
- July
- Madison 82°F · Chicago 84°F · 2° colder
- October
- Madison 60°F · Chicago 62°F · 2° colder
January bottoms out near 27°F — a real coat, not a layer.
Average daily highs, 1991–2020 station normals from Meteostat (CC BY 4.0), measured at the nearest weather station to each city.
Planning a trip to Madison
- Best time to visit
- The best time to visit Madison is May–June and August–September, when daytime highs are a comfortable 69–80°F.
- How long to stay
- Madison rewards a longer visit — a full week lets you explore its many sights, from International Crane Foundation, Aztalan State Park, and Madison Museum of Contemporary Art and beyond.
Frequently asked questions
- Is there a direct flight from Chicago to Madison?
- Yes — you can fly nonstop from Chicago (ORD) to Madison (MSN) on American, United.
- Which airlines fly nonstop from Chicago to Madison?
- American, United fly nonstop between Chicago (ORD) and Madison (MSN).
- How many nonstop flights are there from Chicago to Madison?
- There are about 12 nonstop departures per day (roughly 84 per week) from Chicago to Madison.
- How far is Madison from Chicago?
- Madison is about 108 miles from Chicago by air.
- What is there to do in Madison?
- Popular things to do include International Crane Foundation, Aztalan State Park, Madison Museum of Contemporary Art, Saint Raphael's Cathedral (Madison, Wisconsin), and more.
More nonstop destinations from Chicago near Madison
Airports near Chicago
The closest other departure airports to Chicago — each opens up more nonstop destinations.