Champaign travel guide

Champaign Tourism | Champaign Guide

You're Going to Love Champaign

With a population of 81.055, Champaign is a must-see destination in Illinois, United States. It is among the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Champaign deserves at least 2 full days for you to see its main sights.

Where to Eat in Champaign

If you’re looking for affordable options, Biaggi's - Champaign (2235 S Neil Street) and Miga (301 N. Neil St. Ste# 104) are great picks.

Most popular restaurants in Champaign

Steakhouse
Wonderful (185 reviews)
Steakhouse
Wonderful (57 reviews)
Steakhouse
Wonderful (185 reviews)
Steakhouse
Wonderful (57 reviews)

When to visit Champaign

Champaign in January
Estimated hotel price
$99
1 night at 3-star hotel
Champaign in January
Estimated hotel price
$99
1 night at 3-star hotel

Looking for warm weather? Then head to Champaign in July, when the average temperature is 75.2 °F, and the highest can go up to 86 °F. The coldest month, on the other hand, is January, when it can get as cold as 17.6 °F, with an average temperature of 26.6 °F. You’re likely to see more rain in May, when precipitation is around 4.2″. In contrast, February is usually the driest month of the year in Champaign, with an average rainfall of 2″.

Data provided by weatherbase
Temperatures
Temperatures
Data provided by weatherbase

How to Get to Champaign

Plane

When flying to Champaign, you’ll arrive at Champaign University-Willard (CMI), which is located 9 km from the city center. Airlines that fly from the United States to Champaign include American Airlines, British Airways and Qatar Airways. The shortest domestic flight to Champaign departs from Washington, D.C. and takes around 3h 42m.

Train

Amtrak is the only carrier operating train routes to Champaign. The train station in Champaign is called Champaign, and is located 0.2 km from the city center.

Car

Another option to get to Champaign is to pick up a car rental from Chicago, which is about 202 km from Champaign. You’ll find branches of Routes Car & Truck Rentals and Kyte, among others, in Chicago.

Bus

The most popular bus station is Champaign Ikenberry Dining Hall - 301 E Gregory Dr, located 1.5 km from downtown Champaign. Champaign Pilot Travel Center is also a commonly used station, and is 7 km from the city center.

Plane

When flying to Champaign, you’ll arrive at Champaign University-Willard (CMI), which is located 9 km from the city center. Airlines that fly from the United States to Champaign include American Airlines, British Airways and Qatar Airways. The shortest domestic flight to Champaign departs from Washington, D.C. and takes around 3h 42m.

Train

Amtrak is the only carrier operating train routes to Champaign. The train station in Champaign is called Champaign, and is located 0.2 km from the city center.

Car

Another option to get to Champaign is to pick up a car rental from Chicago, which is about 202 km from Champaign. You’ll find branches of Routes Car & Truck Rentals and Kyte, among others, in Chicago.

Bus

The most popular bus station is Champaign Ikenberry Dining Hall - 301 E Gregory Dr, located 1.5 km from downtown Champaign. Champaign Pilot Travel Center is also a commonly used station, and is 7 km from the city center.

Airlines serving Champaign

Lufthansa
Good (4,615 reviews)
KLM
Good (848 reviews)
British Airways
Good (4,450 reviews)
Delta
Good (4,599 reviews)
Air France
Good (974 reviews)
United Airlines
Good (4,931 reviews)
Emirates
Good (2,124 reviews)
Qatar Airways
Good (2,480 reviews)
Frontier
Okay (1,344 reviews)
Korean Air
Excellent (775 reviews)
Japan Airlines
Excellent (956 reviews)
Aeromexico
Good (815 reviews)
Copa Airlines
Good (769 reviews)
Qantas Airways
Good (538 reviews)
American Airlines
Good (5,776 reviews)
Virgin Atlantic
Good (515 reviews)
Air New Zealand
Excellent (307 reviews)
WestJet
Good (1,916 reviews)
Allegiant Air
Good (441 reviews)
Show more

Where to stay in popular areas of Champaign

Most booked hotels in Champaign

I Hotel And Conference Center
4 stars
Excellent (9.2, 404 reviews)
$126+
Drury Inn & Suites Champaign
3 stars
Excellent (8.6, 466 reviews)
$132+
Comfort Suites Urbana Champaign, University Area
2 stars
Excellent (8.5, 364 reviews)
$120+
Country Inn & Suites by Radisson Champaign North
2 stars
Excellent (8.4, 1327 reviews)
$116+
Best Western Plus Champaign/Urbana Inn
2 stars
Excellent (8.4, 701 reviews)
$120+
Hyatt Place Champaign/Urbana
3 stars
Excellent (8.3, 261 reviews)
$142+

Renting a car in Champaign

Renting a car in Champaign costs $64 per day, on average, or $128 if you want to rent if for 2 days.

It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 32% cheaper than airport locations in Champaign.

Expect to pay $3.90 per gallon in Champaign (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $46.79 and $62.38. The most frequently booked car type in Champaign is Compact (Nissan Rogue or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Intermediate rental cars (Nissan Sentra or similar) are, on average, 51% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.

Renting a car in Champaign costs $64 per day, on average, or $128 if you want to rent if for 2 days.

It’s generally cheaper to rent your vehicle outside the airport: locations in the city are around 32% cheaper than airport locations in Champaign.

Expect to pay $3.90 per gallon in Champaign (average price from the past 30 days). Depending on the size of your rental car, filling up the tank will cost between $46.79 and $62.38. The most frequently booked car type in Champaign is Compact (Nissan Rogue or similar). If you’re looking to save money, though, keep in mind that Intermediate rental cars (Nissan Sentra or similar) are, on average, 51% cheaper than other rental car types in the city.