Madison is served by Dane County Regional Airport (MSN), about five miles east of downtown, with direct flights to major US hubs including Chicago, Minneapolis, Atlanta, New York, and Denver. The airport is small and efficient — security is quick and ride-shares to downtown take about 15 minutes.
By road, Madison sits on Interstate 90/94, which connects it to Milwaukee (77 miles east, about 75 minutes) and Chicago (148 miles southeast, about two and a half hours in light traffic). The drive from Minneapolis takes about four hours.
Van Galder Bus operates frequent coach services between Madison and Chicago O'Hare and Union Station, with several departures daily in each direction. The journey takes around three to four hours depending on traffic. Greyhound and Badger Bus connect to Milwaukee and other Wisconsin cities.
There is no passenger rail service to Madison — Amtrak's nearest station is Milwaukee, where you can connect to the Van Galder bus or rent a car for the final 77 miles.