Route 66
Route 66
4.5
About
Famously connecting Chicago to L.A., this 2,400-mile highway spawns America's signature roadside architecture and attractions. Though the 100-year-old Route 66 was ultimately bypassed by the modern interstate highways, you can still drive through it and visit the major cities and quaint towns along the way—including a few ghost towns. On the roads' westernmost section, you’ll also be quite close to must-sees like the Grand Canyon. Set aside at least two weeks for your road trip through the vast American heartland. Guidebooks and apps will also make your journey a lot more informative and fun. – Tripadvisor
Duration: More than 3 hours
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MNice
Bloomington, MN
Apr 2023 • Couples
You have read in other reviews the significance of Route 66. Like other reviewers, I agree that the iconic history of this road cannot be understated. Chicago does a very poor job of describing it or memorializing it, much less promoting it. I mean, at least a plaque like many of the buildings have on them. You will find the beginning and ending signs at the ends of Jackson and Adams Streets across from the Art Institute plastered with stickers all over them. We have been exploring Route 66 for the last couple years and it is quite an undertaking to attempt to see what’s left of the Mother Road. This trip we saw the signs again as well as ate breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant on Jackson across from the Union Station. 2023 is Lou Mitchell’s 100th anniversary and has lasted longer than the Mother Road itself. Illinois has quite a collection of artifacts as you drive from here to the Chain of Rocks bridge across the Mississippi in St Louis. We have broken our wanderlust for the road into lots of bits and pieces and hope to complete it in a year or two. Lou Mitchell’s and the Joliet Prison are definitely the highlights around Chicago although we have not gone Del Rhea’s Chicken yet.
Written April 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Preload
Solihull, UK
May 2019
Route 66 is an amazing experience. Most of the road itself is still there and depending on when you go some of the road could be closed due to weather. We went mid May and I must say it was damp and chilly in the Chicago area but as you ride west the weather and temperature was getting better and better apart from Oklahoma where we were running a head of 22 Tornados as we were on a motorcycle in an attempt to get inside the Hotel The Courtyard Marriott. There is loads of things to see on route Grand Canyon, Santa Fe, St louis plus all the quirky oddities which I found interesting. I would like to do this again and take longer over the trip.
Written January 22, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
flosventure
Arizona
Jul 2021
Driving the entire 66 off the freeway is definitely a great experience. It takes some planning to get to see all the countless little things along the Route but that planning is worth it. While it might be hard to guess how much time you need from day to day, I'd say 14 days if you're on the faster end with lots of driving as well. My favorite parts where the beginning to Missouri and the Kansas to Tucumacari part. There are so many small and neat things along the route which makes it a truly unique experience. It's not gonna be a cheap experience and may consider doing another big trip instead of "just driving a road" but it time and means are here, definitely worth doing it. Great trip with so many things to see!
Written January 13, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
wallyum
Fort Thomas, KY
May 2020
I've yet to do the entire Route, but at different times I have completed it from St. Louis to Santa Monica. I plan to try doing Chicago to St. Louis this fall depending on the Covid situation. Buy the guidebooks, get in touch with the individual states, download an app. the Route isn't always easy to find, and at times it has ceased to exist at all. There is a ton to see if you have an interest in the American roadside. At times if comes at you too quickly to process, but that generally only happens in the bigger cities. Most of the time you're doing a bit of driving between stops. I have a dedicated GPS unit that I've filled with sites and stops, which helps a lot. It does get depressing when you realize you took for granted that LA traffic couldn't last for three hours, then watch a lot of the sites you wanted to visit pass by as ghosts on the GPS as you drive the last two hours in the dark. Always keep an eye on the gas. Don't always assume that everyone you meet will have your best interests at heart. Do your homework and know what to avoid and what classic motels are worth staying in. Not all of them are, but the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, MO, the Blue Swallow and Safari in Tucumcari, NM and the Supai in Selignam, AZ are a few I've found to be adequate, if not great.
Written April 16, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Valenina
torino
Aug 2023 • Friends
The dream of when I was a child, finally realized.
Small introductions and travel notes; we organized the rental of the car through an agency and booked the hotels.
Don't do it, in the sense that at the airport in Chicago you have the possibility of finding any type of agency that rents cars, with the possibility of seeing them first. There were 7 of us and our Italian agency booked us a very uncomfortable car for short stops because it was necessary to remove the seats in the middle to let out the passengers who were in the row before the trunk and who during the journey, having no windows behind them, couldn't see anything.
The hotels are the same, it is full of motels along the road, the ones that were booked for us from Italy were indecent and we had to change them along the way (paying for everything) and even though it was August and there were 7 of us we had no problems finding rooms and lower prices. Furthermore, not having booked hotels you can organize your days more freely; sometimes we arrived at 2 in the morning at the next stop and sometimes at 4 in the afternoon wasting time.
Having said that, the tour was beautiful, but the kilometers shouldn't weigh on you because you will do a lot of them.
But apart from the big cities visited, you have the opportunity to see pieces of real America and interact with genuine and sometimes particular people.
Our tour began after 2 days spent in Chicago, with a detour to the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon (which I highly recommend), Las Vegas until arriving at the Santa Monica pier.
It was a unique experience and although it wasn't an easy journey, I'm happy I did it.
Small introductions and travel notes; we organized the rental of the car through an agency and booked the hotels.
Don't do it, in the sense that at the airport in Chicago you have the possibility of finding any type of agency that rents cars, with the possibility of seeing them first. There were 7 of us and our Italian agency booked us a very uncomfortable car for short stops because it was necessary to remove the seats in the middle to let out the passengers who were in the row before the trunk and who during the journey, having no windows behind them, couldn't see anything.
The hotels are the same, it is full of motels along the road, the ones that were booked for us from Italy were indecent and we had to change them along the way (paying for everything) and even though it was August and there were 7 of us we had no problems finding rooms and lower prices. Furthermore, not having booked hotels you can organize your days more freely; sometimes we arrived at 2 in the morning at the next stop and sometimes at 4 in the afternoon wasting time.
Having said that, the tour was beautiful, but the kilometers shouldn't weigh on you because you will do a lot of them.
But apart from the big cities visited, you have the opportunity to see pieces of real America and interact with genuine and sometimes particular people.
Our tour began after 2 days spent in Chicago, with a detour to the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon (which I highly recommend), Las Vegas until arriving at the Santa Monica pier.
It was a unique experience and although it wasn't an easy journey, I'm happy I did it.
Written May 29, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TYPSUKR
Arlington, VA
Aug 2022
Route 66 doesn't exist anymore, except in history. The route began/ended in Chicago, and the city pays tribute by having signs indicating the "start" and "end" (depending on which one-way street you are one). While there isn't anything else in the immediate vicinity relating to Route 66, it's an easy way to pay homage to this world-famous All-American route.
Written September 11, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
eurydice2017
London, UK
Dec 2019 • Couples
Driving on Route 66 is like a dream come true, one of the things one has to do if in the States, right? I’ve done some amazing stretches from Gallup (Arizona) to Las Vegas (Nevada) Sadly, not much of the original road still exists and long stretches of it have been repaved and are now the I40, so the magic is gone there... But.
I have a separate post on the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, one of the obligatory points even if it’s just 5-6 miles of the historic Route 66. This stretch of Route 66 is incredible. Going from Flagstaff to Vegas make sure you don’t miss Williams (loop off the I40), Seligman and Kingman which are amazing and so is the long desert drive. Google these three places and remember: get your kicks on Route 66!
I have a separate post on the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, one of the obligatory points even if it’s just 5-6 miles of the historic Route 66. This stretch of Route 66 is incredible. Going from Flagstaff to Vegas make sure you don’t miss Williams (loop off the I40), Seligman and Kingman which are amazing and so is the long desert drive. Google these three places and remember: get your kicks on Route 66!
Written January 17, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
djohn76
Wisconsin
Jun 2022
Loved this hiway! My grandson and I took this from chicago to Albuquerque, NM. We had a wonderful time, ate good food, saw sights from the 50's and 60's and a GREAT bonding experience. I truly recommend this ride to all and especially to those who have grandchildren, to show them the true way of life as it was in our younger days!!
we plan on finishing the route in the future.
we plan on finishing the route in the future.
Written February 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Emma Burwell
Manchester, UK
Jun 2021 • Friends
Literally did a Thelma & Louise with my best friend! We flew to NYC then flew to San Fran picked up our car and drove all the way down the Californian Coast, Malibu was lush, down to San Diego, Arizona, Vegas, New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, Tennessee, North Carolina, Virginia Beach, Washington DC then over the Brooklyn Bridge and back to NYC! It was THE BEST thing I’ve ever done in my whole life! We saw the Grand Canyon from all sides, drove to the top of Yosemite National, did a hot air balloon ride at Sunrise over the Sanoran Dessert! So many amazing memories! Word of advice always ALWAYS check the reviews on the places you stay, even if your only staying over for a few hours to sleep. Because two brit female backpackers can look quite vulnerable, we only nearly died twice which I thought was quite good going to say we had never even done or planned a road trip before! Tip: great app called Roadtrippers - takes you to places off the beaten track......wow what memories....then Covid hit the year after! So lucky, but yeah if you ever get the chance to do anything like that Just Do It, forget the what ifs and what not, just do it, you will never ever regret it 😊 ❤️
P.s I didn't go June 2021 that was as far back as it would let me go we were there June 2018 to September 2018
P.s I didn't go June 2021 that was as far back as it would let me go we were there June 2018 to September 2018
Written May 4, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jim T
Kenai, AK
Nov 2021 • Couples
The portion of Rt. 66 that goes from Kingman to Oatman Arizona covers a couple types of ground.
Starting in Kingman you can take the old Rt 66 that travels on the south side and parallel to I-40 until it crosses over to the north side of the freeway. Or that I-40 west from Kingman for just a few miles and exit at the Rt. 66 exit. It’s all flat ground for several miles with really only one highlight to see, a rest stop (see photos). Eventually it starts climbing uphill and becomes a totally different type of road to drive on. Pay attention to the warning signs, you’ll be glad you did.
Those last few winding miles into Oatman makes it hard to believe that at one time this was a major East/West Highway followed by the truckers calling goods into and out of California. And it reminds me of this a little poem written about another winding Highway.
“ winding in and winding out it leaves my mind in serious doubt as to whether the man who designed this route was going to hell or coming out”
Get your kicks on Route 66
Starting in Kingman you can take the old Rt 66 that travels on the south side and parallel to I-40 until it crosses over to the north side of the freeway. Or that I-40 west from Kingman for just a few miles and exit at the Rt. 66 exit. It’s all flat ground for several miles with really only one highlight to see, a rest stop (see photos). Eventually it starts climbing uphill and becomes a totally different type of road to drive on. Pay attention to the warning signs, you’ll be glad you did.
Those last few winding miles into Oatman makes it hard to believe that at one time this was a major East/West Highway followed by the truckers calling goods into and out of California. And it reminds me of this a little poem written about another winding Highway.
“ winding in and winding out it leaves my mind in serious doubt as to whether the man who designed this route was going to hell or coming out”
Get your kicks on Route 66
Written November 15, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Paul
Wigan, United Kingdom
I'm thinking of doing some/part of Route 66 as a retirement plan. This is my first attempt at looking into the trip. I think I go from landing in Chicago and driving to LA or San Francisco. Any tips would be useful.
Time of year,
car hire
return trip, the works?
Any ideas will be appreciated.
Written October 17, 2024
MNice
Bloomington, Minnesota
I was going to do it on my 66th birthday. It takes MUCH longer than you think. We have gone from Chicago (Lou Mitchell’s Restaurant) to St Louis, Missouri (Chain of Rocks Bridge). This section, for example, cannot be done in less than two days. First of all, it’s seasonal; a lot of stuff is simply not open past Labor Day. Second, it is not a continuous route and is not always well marked. You will often get too late in the day and miss something. Some books are good and some are irrelevant. Begin by subscribing to Route Magazine and choose your “must sees”. We have completed about a third of the Route. Some of it and some of it’s getting better. There is a new “giants” museum in Atlanta, Illinois which we missed a couple years ago. We are like you: we wanted to take a couple weeks and drive it. We have decided that a small motorhome (like a Sprinter) is the best way. We have seen a few of the motels which we would be comfortable staying in; The Blue Swallow in Tucumcari, NM, The Rail Haven Motel in Springfield, MO., and the Wagon Wheel in Cuba, Oklahoma. The Mayo Hotel in Tulsa is an authentic period building, but was not a hotel when Route 66 was there. We just completed Tulsa, OK to Springfield, MO. We took three days on this very short section and missed many things. Albuquerque is as far west as we’ve gone, the Northern Arizona piece is next up. After previewing most of the Route, the entire route is one the calendar.
Written November 11, 2024
Derbyshiredoris1407
Chesterfield, United Kingdom
We have our Route 66 trip booked for July, starting in Chicago. How did everyone plan their route to ensure they visited must sees etc? We've got a fantastic guide book which shows the section maps but I'd like to do more research. Thank you
Written May 21, 2024
Connie H
Kansas City, Missouri
what are places to stop & see....from San Diego to independence mo on Rte 66
Written February 23, 2023
Zilli
Verona, Italy
Ciao a tutti, qualcuno avrebbe da consigliare una guida dettagliata in italiano? Lonely Planet ho visto che è disponibile solo in inglese..grazie!
Written January 29, 2023
Amme
Northern Ireland, United Kingdom
Hi- a small question- would this do as a honeymoon road trip? And if my husband was the only driver would it still work or would it be too much driving? Where is best to book for hotels out of all the states? And any other advice you can give us on when we should start booking things- our wedding isn’t to 2024
Written December 31, 2022
hello, we decided to travel route 66 beginning in Chicago and ending in Redondo beach California,,we loved it, saw sooo many things,,we only had one driver for the entire trip,
iI the afternoon we would search for motels ahead . and book a room on the run.We never looked for any accommodations before leaving, worked out very well.feel free to ask any other questions,,, I will try to answer,
Written December 31, 2022
Does anyone know if the National Trails Highway is still closes east of Chambles ?
Written November 13, 2020
Sophie W
Cardiff, United Kingdom
Hello
We are looking to book Route 66 trip for next year for our honeymoon (we found a fab deal) for 15 days with a rental car starting from LA and finishing in Chicago visiting Vegas, Grand Canyon etc on the way. I am wondering what sort of spending money will we need for the 2 weeks? I know it’s subjective and down to what sort of things and activities we will want to do etc and fuel for the way, but is there a minimum anyone would suggest as this is one of the things which makes us nervous about booking it whether we would have too little or too much spending money. Any help would massively be appreciated!!
Written September 1, 2020
Elliott W
Sutton in Ashfield, United Kingdom
Hello, just wondering if you ever did this road trip and if you could lend any advice on how you went about it. Thanks in advance!
Written September 27, 2022
75NicoleA
Riverbank, California
We are interested in taking a Route 66 trip from LA to New Mexico and back in October/November 2020. Assuming Covid-19 is still an issue, would this trip be worth it? Are there plenty of outdoor things to see, socially distant stops to make etc? Or would this be a wasted trip with being unable to visit indoor experiences (I'm immunocompromised so being extra safe). Thanks!
Written August 17, 2020
I'm looking to book a trip like this but does anyone have any suggestions on the best way? Would it be better to book through a travel agency or is it possible to plan it all yourself? Is one way car hire easy enough to find? Any help appreciated!
Written June 19, 2020
barnard1960
Hoover, Alabama
I purchased a couple travel books and did it myself. I would suggest doing it yourself. I treated the trip like a treasure hunt.
Written June 20, 2020
Kirsty
Hemel Hempstead, United Kingdom
Hi I am thinking of travelling the Route 66 for a holiday. Can anyone suggest an itinerary, best hotels and restaurants along the way.
Thanks
Written May 26, 2020
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