Getting to Madison

If you are getting to Madison by car, consult a driving direction website of your choice (Yahoo! Maps, Google Maps, Mapquest) and a physical map as reference. Once you get to Madison, here are directions to campus and the full campus map.

If you choose to fly, you can fly into Madison's Dane County Regional Airport (MSN) (15 minutes drive to campus), Milwaukee's General Mitchell International airport (MKE) (~1.5 hour drive by car; ~2 hour bus ride to campus on Badger Bus), or Chicago's Chicago O'Hare International Airport (ORD) (~2 hour drive by car; ~2.5 hour bus ride from Chicago to campus on Van Galder Buses).

To get to campus from the Dane county regional airport, you could take a taxi ($10-$20 depending on your destination. There should be several cabs waiting outside the terminal. If not, Badger Cab: 256-5566, Union Cab: 242-2000 or Madison Taxi: 255-8294) or Madison Metro bus from the airport to where you are staying. As prices and routes change constantly, please visit here for current information. Some hotels also have an airport shuttle service. If you are staying with a graduate student host, some might offer to pick you up at the airport depending on availability.

From Chicago, at the O'Hare airport, buses depart from the international terminal (Terminal doorway 5E, lower level) and the Bus/Shuttle Center (follow signs from domestic arrivals). You can take the Van Galder which has regular trips between Chicago's OHare airport and the UW-Madison's Memorial Union. Note that some buses also originate from the train station downtown if you come in via Midway Airport or Amtrak. These are affordable (costs $20 cash) luxury buses that are comfortable and convenient. Check the webiste above for departure times and current prices. There are discounts for UW students, but only if purchase at the Travel Center at Memorial Union. New bus service has been added from Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Note to international students: when planning on what bus to take, allow about an hour and a half after your flight lands for immigration and customs. It is recommended that you carry some cash with you. Arrangements can be made to pick you up once you get to Madison. Please let us know the details of your arrival at Memorial Union (if you come by the Van Galder). As soon as your travel plans are finalized please inform us at sacm-transition@cs.wisc.edu if you need to be picked up. In case travel plans change while you are travelling, please call us and keep us informed. Cheap phone cards (for $5, $10) are available at the vending machines at airports. You could use these for phone calls.

Here is additional information on getting to and around Madison.