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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Joliet
Give Joliet one full day, or one night if you want the casino or a Slammers game: Metra from Chicago is about 1 h 15 min.
Joliet is a blue-collar river city 40 mi (65 km) southwest of Chicago, the seat of Will County and the biggest city in the South Suburbs. It is a rail junction on the old Route 66 alignment, with a limestone prison that starred in The Blues Brothers, a 1926 theatre, two riverboat casinos and minor-league baseball. Most travellers see it as a day trip from Chicago or a cheap bed outside the city; the sights sit in a compact downtown you can walk in an afternoon.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- May–Jun, Sep–Oct
- Avoid
- Jan–Feb (cold, snow), Jul–Aug (heat and humidity)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $60–100 excl. bed · Mid $100–180 excl. bed · High $180+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911 · Joliet police non-emergency 815-726-2491
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $3–6 |
| Diner breakfast | $10–16 |
| Beef poorboy sandwich | $10–15 |
| Fried-chicken dinner with sides | $18–28 |
| Draught beer in a bar | $5–8 |
| 5 km (3.1 mi) taxi or rideshare3.1 mi (5 km) taxi or rideshare | $12–18 |
| Museum or theatre tour ticket | $10–25 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- ORD · Chicago O'Hare
- About 45–60 min by car via I-55 and I-294; no direct rail link to Joliet.
- MDW · Chicago Midway
- About 40–50 min by car; the closer of the two Chicago airports.
Typical fares
- Metra Joliet → Chicago (Union Station)
- about $7–8 one way, about 1 h 15 min (check)
- Amtrak Joliet → Chicago
- about $10–20, about 50–60 min (check)
- Rideshare downtown → Louis Joliet Mall
- $15–22
- Rental car, one day
- $50–80 plus fuel (check)
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
A car is the practical way to reach the speedway, the mall and the prison. Downtown is walkable in 15–20 min end to end. Pace buses serve the city and Metra plus Amtrak stop at Joliet station, 50 E Jefferson St, on the north edge of downtown.
See and do
Known for
- Old Joliet Prison (Illinois State Penitentiary)
- Rialto Square Theatre
- Riverboat casinos on the Des Plaines River
- Route 66 history
- Joliet Slammers baseball
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Chicago | Metra Rock Island District from Joliet station, or Amtrak Lincoln Service | About 1 h 15 min–1 h 30 min |
| Starved Rock State Park | I-80 west then IL-178, by car | About 1 h 15 min |
| Route 66 towns (Plainfield, Gardner) | I-55 south by car | 20–50 min |
Sleep
- Downtown Joliet
- Walk to the Rialto, the casinos and the station; the smallest choice of beds, mostly the casino hotel.
- Near Louis Joliet Mall (northwest)
- Chain hotels off I-55 and US 30; free parking, but you drive to everything.
- Larkin Avenue / I-80 (south)
- Cheapest motels, close to the interstates; a car is required.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the station? | Where is the station? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| A table for two, please | A table for two, please |
| How much is it? | How much is it? |
| Is there parking here? | Is there parking here? |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Downtown is quiet after about 21:00 on weeknights; plan dinner before then or drive.
- Winter brings snow and ice on I-80 and I-55: allow extra time and check road conditions.
- Casino and bar areas are fine, but do not walk far east or south of downtown at night; drive instead.
- Some sights are seasonal or by appointment only: check hours before you go.
Central Joliet is fine by day and busy around the casinos and ballpark at night. The real issues are winter driving, quiet streets away from downtown after dark, and relying on buses when a car is much faster.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Joliet yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Old Joliet Prison (Illinois State Penitentiary)
- Rialto Square Theatre
- Riverboat casinos on the Des Plaines River
- Route 66 history
- Joliet Slammers baseball
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- City of Joliet: www.joliet.gov/
- Heritage Corridor Visitors Bureau: www.visitheritagecorridor.com/
- Metra — Rock Island District: metra.com/rock-island
- Amtrak — Joliet, IL (JOL): www.amtrak.com/stations/jol
- Wikivoyage: Joliet, revision 5103312 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5103312
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Joliet
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
- Joliet police non-emergency815-726-2491
No embassies in Joliet; consulates-general are in Chicago, about 40 mi (65 km) northeast.
English is the only language you need.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/joliet). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.