Getting to Soldier Field
Chicago Bears · Chicago, IL
Soldier Field sits on Chicago's lakefront Museum Campus with no rail station of its own, so every train approach ends at Roosevelt Station and finishes by bus or on foot. That one transfer is the whole trick: three CTA lines converge there, a game-day-only express bus runs from it, and the walk east through Museum Campus is a real option rather than a fallback. Driving means Lake Shore Drive and the 18th Street exit, which backs up badly on game days.
Tips & Fan Reports
When there's a Soldier Field event, the city limits street parking two hours before and one hour after. Some local spots will bus you to and from the game free with parking - only way I do Bears games.
Pace express buses return 30 minutes after the final whistle from the same place they dropped you, and parking at the departure points is free.
The #128 Soldier Field Express runs on Bears game days only; the #146 runs year round.
After the game, buses board on the west side of the Transportation Center — the East Museum Lot — at McFetridge and Special Olympics Drive, just northeast of the stadium.
Every rail route ends at Roosevelt Station — Red, Orange and Green Lines all stop there. Plan the last mile as a bus transfer or a walk, not a train.
Ways In
- Driving
- From the north: Lake Shore Drive south to the 18th Street exit, then follow signs to Soldier Field. From the south: I-55 to Lake Shore Drive north, exit at 18th Street. From the west: I-290 east to I-90/94, then exit at 18th Street. Lake Shore Drive backs up two to three hours before kickoff, and 45 to 60 minutes from the suburbs is realistic on a game day.
- Public Transit
- The CTA Red, Orange and Green Lines all stop at Roosevelt Station, between State Street and Wabash Avenue — that is the interchange every rail approach uses. From there, transfer to the #146 Inner Lake Shore/Michigan Express bus, or walk east on Roosevelt Road through Museum Campus. On Bears game days only, the #128 Soldier Field Express also runs. Pace runs express buses for Bears home games with free parking at the departure points, returning 30 minutes after the final whistle from the same spot they drop you.
- Rideshare
- Uber and Lyft serve the Museum Campus area. Designated pickup/dropoff zones near the stadium. From Loop/River North hotels, expect $10-15. Post-game surge is moderate - walk toward Museum Campus bus turnaround for faster pickup.
- Walking
- About a mile east from Roosevelt Station along Roosevelt Road and through Museum Campus, roughly 20 minutes on foot.
Chicago Bears Travel Gear
Clear bags, ponchos, and packable layers for getting to the gate.
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How We Checked This Page
Every section below names the source it was read from and the day it was read. Where we could not reach a published figure, the page says so rather than presenting an estimate as a checked fact.
- Getting there
Soldier Field A-Z guide, plan-your-visit and premium spaces pages on soldierfield.com
- Transit
CTA Fare Information table ('L' train $2.50, bus $2.25 on Ventra/contactless), Metra fare table (one-way, zones 1-2, $3.75 — Museum Campus/11th St and the downtown terminal are both Zone 1), and Shoreline Sightseeing, whose Museum Campus water taxi is sold as a day pass at 'Starting at $36' rather than a fixed single fare
- Lodging
Google Places API (New) Nearby Search