How to Spend a 6 Hour Layover in Chicago: Midway to Chinatown Dumplings
Updated October 2, 2026
A 6 hour layover in Chicago from Midway fits a quick Chinatown run: the riverfront pagoda at Ping Tom Memorial Park, soup dumplings at Hing Kee and egg tarts from Chiu Quon.
Midway sits on the Southwest Side, and the fastest rewarding escape is Chinatown, a compact neighborhood one transfer away on the CTA. Begin by the river at Ping Tom Memorial Park, where a pagoda-style pavilion looks out at the downtown towers, then wander back into the neighborhood for handmade soup dumplings and finish at the city's oldest Chinese bakery with a box of buns for the plane. It is cheap, delicious and easy to cut short.
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Is it worth leaving the airport?
Yes, if you land on time. Chinatown is the closest great food neighborhood to Midway by train, nothing here needs a ticket or reservation, and the final stop is steps from the station, so you can head back as soon as you are full.
Getting from MDW into the city
Walk the enclosed passage from the terminal to the Orange Line and ride toward the Loop as far as Roosevelt. Inside that station a tunnel links to the Red Line; take a train toward 95th one stop south to Cermak-Chinatown, then walk north through the neighborhood to the park. Reverse the route to return.
Plan on about 1 hr 21 min for the round trip between Chicago Midway International Airport and the first and last stops.
This plan also keeps 45 min to get out of the airport and 1 hr 30 min to get back through security before your flight. You can customize these buffers with Navi through text.
Times are estimates, not guarantees. Confirm your boarding time with your airline and check entry requirements before leaving the airport. You are responsible for getting back in time for your flight.
Visa and entry
Midway handles some international arrivals through customs in Concourse A, and those passengers are admitted to the country there, so no extra paperwork is needed to step outside. A return trip through TSA is required, so carry your boarding pass and ID.
What to do with your bags
Midway lists no luggage storage among its services, and Chinatown has no public lockers. On this short hop, bring only a carry-on you are happy to wheel along the sidewalks and the riverside path; checked bags on a through ticket stay with your airline.
The 6 hour plan, stop by stop
About 2 hr 24 min in the city
Time to head out from Chicago Midway International Airport for Ping Tom Memorial Park. It's a 44 minute transit ride if you leave now. Here's the link
Named for Chinatown civic leader Ping Tom, this park was carved from a former railyard along the South Branch of the Chicago River and now covers more than seventeen acres. The pagoda-style pavilion at the water's edge is the signature view, with steel rail bridges and the skyline stretching north. In summer a boathouse rents kayaks, and the fieldhouse has a patio facing the towers. As of October 2026, entry is free and the park opens every day.
Tip: Kayak rentals are a summer affair, so in cooler months stick to the riverside path and the pavilion for photos.
- Time here
- 25 to 40 min
- Website
- chicagoparkdistrict.com
NaviTime to head out from Ping Tom Memorial Park for Hing Kee Restaurant. It's a 5 minute walk if you leave now. Here's the link
Hing Kee has anchored the Chinatown Square plaza since 2007, and on r/chicagofood it is the name that comes up most when someone asks where to get soup dumplings. Handmade soup dumplings and hand-pulled noodles are the draw, backed by a long Cantonese menu for anyone who wants more. Share a basket of dumplings and a bowl of noodles, and you have a fast, generous meal before the train.
Tip: Nibble a small hole and sip the broth first, because soup dumplings arrive scalding; Hing Kee is open every day of the week.
- Time here
- 40 min to 1 hr
- Website
- hingkeechinatown.com
NaviTime to head out from Hing Kee Restaurant for Chiu Quon Bakery & Dim Sum. It's an 8 minute walk if you leave now. Here's the link
Open since 1986, Chiu Quon is Chicago's oldest Chinese bakery, and it even had a cameo in season three of The Bear. The Wentworth Avenue shop sits close to the Cermak-Chinatown station, which makes it the perfect last stop: pick up baked pork buns, sesame balls filled with bean paste, butterfly cookies and warm egg tarts, all wrapped to carry onto the plane. A small dim sum menu covers anyone still hungry.
Tip: Grab a few egg tarts and pork buns to go; they travel well in a carry-on and beat anything sold at the gate.
- Time here
- 10 to 20 min
NaviTime to head out from Chiu Quon Bakery & Dim Sum for Chicago Midway International Airport. It's a 37 minute transit ride if you leave now. Here's the link
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