Domestic USA
Route 66: Chicago to Santa Monica
The Mother Road, 2,400 miles of American myth.
The classic self-drive across eight states, from Chicago to the Santa Monica Pier.
Not every great journey is by sea. Route 66 is the original American road trip, 2,400 miles and eight states of neon motels, diners, ghost towns and big desert skies, from the shore of Lake Michigan to the Pacific. We plan it the way we plan a voyage: the right stops, the right nights, the detours worth taking (the Grand Canyon, Santa Fe), and the classic roadside stays booked ahead. You simply drive.
What you’ll do
- Travel style
- Self-drive road trip
- Typical length
- 10–14 days
- Best season
- April – October
The route
7 stops, one seamless plan
- 01
Chicago, Illinois
Mile zero on Adams Street, deep-dish and the lakefront.
- 02
St. Louis, Missouri
The Gateway Arch and the Mississippi crossing.
- 03
Tulsa & Oklahoma City
Art-deco Tulsa and the wide open Southern Plains.
- 04
Amarillo, Texas
Cadillac Ranch, steakhouses and the Texas Panhandle.
- 05
Santa Fe & Albuquerque
Adobe plazas, green chile and high-desert light.
- 06
Flagstaff & the Grand Canyon
Ponderosa pines and a detour to the great canyon rim.
- 07
Santa Monica, California
The end-of-the-trail sign on the Pacific pier.
Why it’s special
The Mother Road
Neon motels, chrome diners and preserved stretches of the original alignment.
Big Western landscape
The Painted Desert, the Texas Panhandle and a detour to the Grand Canyon.
Planned, not winged
Right stops, right nights, classic roadside stays booked ahead, you just drive.