What is the distance between Chicago and Carbondale?

The distance between Chicago and Carbondale is around 479 km (297 miles).

Bus Chicago to Carbondale from $42 | Refundable Tickets

Next bus departures

Next departures for Chicago to Carbondale on November 27
Operated by	Vehicle type	Departure time	Departure location	Trip duration	Arrival time	Arrival location	Recommended	Price and booking link
	Bus	4:30pm	Downtown Greyhound Station	9h 5m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	Cheapest
	Bus	5:10pm	Chicago 95Th & Dan Ryan	8h 25m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	Fastest

Next departures for Chicago to Carbondale on November 28
Operated by	Vehicle type	Departure time	Departure location	Trip duration	Arrival time	Arrival location	Recommended	Price and booking link
	Bus	5:10pm	Chicago 95Th & Dan Ryan	8h 25m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	CheapestFastest
	Bus	4:30pm	Downtown Greyhound Station	9h 5m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	No tags

Next departures for Chicago to Carbondale on November 29
Operated by	Vehicle type	Departure time	Departure location	Trip duration	Arrival time	Arrival location	Recommended	Price and booking link
	Bus	5:10pm	Chicago 95Th & Dan Ryan	8h 25m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	CheapestFastest
	Bus	4:30pm	Downtown Greyhound Station	9h 5m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	No tags

Next departures for Chicago to Carbondale on November 30
Operated by	Vehicle type	Departure time	Departure location	Trip duration	Arrival time	Arrival location	Recommended	Price and booking link
	Bus	5:10pm	Chicago 95Th & Dan Ryan	8h 25m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	CheapestFastest
	Bus	4:30pm	Downtown Greyhound Station	9h 5m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	No tags

Next departures for Chicago to Carbondale on December 1
Operated by	Vehicle type	Departure time	Departure location	Trip duration	Arrival time	Arrival location	Recommended	Price and booking link
	Bus	4:30pm	Downtown Greyhound Station	9h 5m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	Cheapest
	Bus	5:10pm	Chicago 95Th & Dan Ryan	8h 25m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	Fastest

Next departures for Chicago to Carbondale on December 3
Operated by	Vehicle type	Departure time	Departure location	Trip duration	Arrival time	Arrival location	Recommended
	Bus	8:15am	Chicago (Union Station), IL	5h 30m	1:45pm	Carbondale (Amtrak), IL	CheapestFastest
Greyhound Lines, Inc. + FlixBus	Bus	2:45pm	Downtown Greyhound Station	16h 10m	6:55am	Amtrak Station	No tags
Greyhound Lines, Inc. + FlixBus	Bus	10:00am	537-517 W. Jackson Blvd	20h 55m	6:55am	Amtrak Station	No tags
Greyhound Lines, Inc. + FlixBus	Bus	2:10pm	Chicago 95Th & Dan Ryan	16h 45m	6:55am	Amtrak Station	No tags

Last refresh of the prices: Today at 7:52 AM CST.

Compare 2 ways to go from Chicago to Carbondale

We recommend taking the train

Among the sustainable travel choices, the train stands out as a good way to reach Carbondale. The journey takes about 5 hours 30 minutes, and with fares starting at just $42, it presents an excellent value for a comfortable ride.

4train per day

5h 30mAverage Duration

482 kmDistance

44kgCO₂ emissions

	Average Price	Average Duration	CO₂ emissions	Actions
Bus	Average Price$45 - $244	Average Duration9h 5m	CO₂ emissions 12kg CO₂e
Train	Average Price$42 - $275	Average Duration5h 30m	CO₂ emissions 44kg CO₂e

Compare bus companies

FlixBus

3.5/511,452 reviews

Staff4.2

Timeliness3.9

Cleanliness4.1

Wifi2.7

Amtrak

4/55,607 reviews

Staff4.7

Timeliness3.8

Cleanliness4.6

Wifi3.6

Based on 5607 reviews, the company was rated 4.1 stars on Busbud. Travellers were especially satisfied with the seats and the ticket access but often complained with the WiFi. Amtrak ticket prices on this trip start at $45

Amtrak Chicago Carbondale recent customer reviews

Some kind of weird announcements were going off fairly regularly and loud. I think it was something that the train employee was getting and sounded like warnings of someone or something on the tracks ahead. very annoying. this was my first ride on Amtrak and it was kinda bumpy. Too bumpy to try and write something. After a while it got a touch cool. At first it was a bit noisy with people talking kinda loud. Could have used arm rests.

Charles F.

May 17, 2023

Enjoyed the trip

Fredric L.

October 1, 2024

Greyhound

3.5/587,397 reviews

Staff3.6

Timeliness2.9

Cleanliness3.3

Wifi2.4

US Bus Companies: FlixBus, BlaBlaCar Bus, ALSA, Greyhound, Intercape, Trenitalia, Sindbad

Frequently asked questions about travelling from Chicago to Carbondale by bus

What is the distance between Chicago and Carbondale?
The distance between Chicago and Carbondale is around 479 km (297 miles).

Find cheapest prices for buses

Price is for a one-way ticket for one passenger and based on past searches.

Best price found

11-24

$134

11-25

$162

Today

$177

11-27

$172

11-28

$127

11-29

$241

11-30

$241

12-01

$116

The cheapest trip from Chicago to Carbondale was searched and found on Dec 1, 2025 with a price of $116

To save money and be sure you have the best seat, it's a good idea to buy your bus tickets from Chicago to Carbondale, as early as possible.

You can expect to pay from $116 to $248 for a bus ticket from Chicago to Carbondale based on the last 2 days. You can expect to find the cheapest price for the trip at $116 which is on 2025-12-01.