What is the distance between Chicago and Carbondale?

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

Bus Chicago to Carbondale from $33 | Refundable Tickets

Next departures

Next departures for Chicago to Carbondale on November 3
Operated by	Vehicle type	Departure time	Departure location	Trip duration	Arrival time	Arrival location	Recommended	Price and booking link
		5:10pm	Chicago 95Th & Dan Ryan	8h 25m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	CheapestFastest
		4:30pm	Downtown Greyhound Station	9h 5m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	No tags

Next departures for Chicago to Carbondale on November 5
Operated by	Departure time	Departure location	Trip duration	Arrival time	Arrival location	Recommended
Greyhound Lines, Inc. + FlixBus	2:10pm	Chicago 95Th & Dan Ryan	16h 45m	6:55am	Amtrak Station	Cheapest
Greyhound Lines, Inc. + FlixBus	2:45pm	Downtown Greyhound Station	16h 10m	6:55am	Amtrak Station	Fastest
Greyhound Lines, Inc. + FlixBus	10:00am	537-517 W. Jackson Blvd	20h 55m	6:55am	Amtrak Station	No tags

Next departures for Chicago to Carbondale on November 6
Operated by	Vehicle type	Departure time	Departure location	Trip duration	Arrival time	Arrival location	Recommended	Price and booking link
		5:10pm	Chicago 95Th & Dan Ryan	8h 25m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	CheapestFastest
		4:30pm	Downtown Greyhound Station	9h 5m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	No tags

Next departures for Chicago to Carbondale on November 7
Operated by	Vehicle type	Departure time	Departure location	Trip duration	Arrival time	Arrival location	Recommended	Price and booking link
		5:10pm	Chicago 95Th & Dan Ryan	8h 25m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	CheapestFastest
		4:30pm	Downtown Greyhound Station	9h 5m	1:35am	Amtrak Station	No tags

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

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

Last refresh of the prices: Today at 9:17 PM CDT.

Compare 2 ways to go from Chicago to Carbondale

We recommend taking the train

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

4train per day

5h 30mAverage Duration

299 milesDistance

44kgCO₂ emissions

	Average Price	Average Duration	CO₂ emissions
Bus	Average Price$40 - $111	Average Duration9h 5m	CO₂ emissions 12kg CO₂e
Train	Average Price$30 - $111	Average Duration5h 30m	CO₂ emissions 44kg CO₂e

Bus Chicago to Carbondale: Trip Overview

Average ticket price$57

Average bus trip duration9h 5m

Number of daily buses2

Earliest bus departure8:15am

Distance299 miles (481 km)

Latest bus departure11:50pm

Compare bus companies

FlixBus

3.5/511,153 reviews

Staff4.1

Timeliness3.9

Cleanliness4.1

Wifi2.7

Flixbus is a European bus operator that offers intercity and bus travel in over 38 countries. Known for their easy-to-spot lime green buses and for offering affordable transportation between cities in Europe and the Americas, Flixbus is a good option for those looking for an affordable, reliable bus company. In their buses, you'll find free WiFi, bathrooms, and power outlets. You can also pay extra to choose your seat and get extra legroom, or even buy a snack or drink onboard directly from the driver. You can reschedule your ticket for a small fee, which varies from $1 to $5, depending on how close you are to the departure date.

Amtrak

4/55,561 reviews

Staff4.7

Timeliness3.8

Cleanliness4.6

Wifi3.6

Based on 5561 reviews, the company was rated 4.1 stars on Busbud. Travelers were especially satisfied with the seats and the ticket access but often complained with the wifi. Amtrak ticket prices on this trip start at $111

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

3.5/587,346 reviews

Staff3.6

Timeliness2.9

Cleanliness3.3

Wifi2.4

Greyhound Lines offers the most comprehensive intercity bus services in the United States. They operate a modern, environmentally friendly fleet that serves more than 2400 destinations and carries nearly 16 million passengers annually. When traveling with them, you can expect free WiFi, onboard entertainment, bathrooms, power outlets and decent legroom. One of the great perks of Greyhound is that they connect big cities and smaller towns in the US, where you usually can't get to by train or plane. If you're looking for safe and affordable transportation, Greyhound is a great choice.

US bus companies: FlixBus, BlaBlaCar Bus, Greyhound, Sindbad, Infobus, Gontijo, Rider Express

Chicago to Carbondale Bus

Busbud helps you find a bus from Chicago to Carbondale. Get the best fare and schedule, book a round trip ticket or find buses with WiFi and electrical outlets.

We make sure you can find a bus service from Chicago to Carbondale from the most reliable bus companies operating this trip.

Discover how much the bus trip from Chicago to Carbondale will cost you. Use our filters and sorting features to find the cheapest bus tickets or luxury buses.

Frequently asked questions for your trip Chicago - Carbondale

What is the distance between Chicago and Carbondale?

Find cheapest prices for buses

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

Best price found

10/30

$61

10/31

$71

Today

$88

11/02

$100

11/03

$56

11/04

$48

11/05

$33

11/06

$51

The cheapest trip from Chicago to Carbondale was searched and found on Nov 5, 2025 with a price of $33

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 $33 to $105 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 $33 which is on 2025-11-05.

About Bus Travel

Bus Travel Tips

Make friends with the driver. They usually know a lot about your destination and may even recommend which side of the bus to sit on to get the best views on the road between Chicago and Carbondale!

Start sightseeing the minute your bus leaves the station. If you're on the night bus from Chicago to Carbondale, get comfy and count the stars.

Buses have one of the smallest carbon footprints of motorized transport modes. A bus going from Chicago to Carbondale will emit less CO2 than a car or an airplane.

Create your own real life musical score by curating a personalized bus travel playlist - the perfect accompaniment to your bus ride from Chicago to Carbondale.

Did you know?

Did you know there are on average 4,400 intercity bus departures every day in the US only? This number has been growing for 9 years in a row, yay!

The bus driver with the longest career in the world drove more than 2,000,000 miles and is a happy World Record holder.

Did you know that 80% of the buses in North America are equipped with WiFi and power outlets ? And 60% of bus travelers have used their electronic device on board during 2014.

Will you be returning to Chicago by bus?

Bus from Carbondale to Chicago

You can also go to Carbondale by train

Train from Chicago to Carbondale

Top traveled bus routes

Why choose Busbud?

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Busbud.com makes it easy for you to find, compare and book city-to-city bus tickets, all over the world. We save you the extra trip to the bus station. With several language and currency options available, Busbud seeks to cater to international bus travelers no matter where they are in the world. With Busbud, you can buy tickets with confidence. We ensure that you make the most out of your bus trip by partnering up with reliable bus companies from all around the world such as Greyhound, Eurolines, ALSA, OUIBUS (BlaBlaBus), National Express and many others.