TRAVEL INFORMATION

Purdue University is located in West Lafayette, Indiana which is about 70 miles north of Indianapolis and 140 miles south of Chicago off of Interstate Highway I-65.

GETTING TO PURDUE

By Plane

• Indianapolis International Airport (code: IND) is the best choice and is serviced by most major airlines and their partner airlines. Directions for ground transportation can be found at the airport's Ground Transportation Center.

  The Lafayette Limo shuttle bus departs Indianapolis International Airport daily every 2 hours between 6:30 AM, and 10:30 PM. The trip will take between 1 hour and 10 minutes to 1 hour 50 minutes depending on traffic and your final destination in the Lafayette / West Lafayette area. Call (765) 497-3828 or check their website for more information. Reservations are encouraged especially around times when the campus is on break. The Lafayette Limo has pick-up/drop-off locations at the Purdue Memorial Union and the University Inn.

  Alternatively, a car can be rented. A list of rental car compaines can be found at the airport's Ground Transportation Center. (please see driving instructions from Indianapolis)

• Purdue University Airport (code: LAF) is less than 1 mile from campus and is available for private planes. It is currently not served by any commercial airlines.

• Chicago O'hare International Airport (code: ORD) is located approximately 140 miles north of Greater Lafayette and is approximately a 3 hour drive from the airport to Purdue. (please see driving instructions from Chicago)

Driving Directions from the South (Indianapolis)
West Lafayette is approximately 70 miles northwest of Indianapolis. Take I-65 North to Lafayette and exit on State Road 26 (exit 172). Turn left at the stop light on to State Road 26. Remain on State Rd 26 approx 5 miles. State Rd 26 follows South Street in Lafayette until you approach the downtown area. It then follows Columbia Street accross the Wabash River. Once you cross the Wabash River, State Road 26 becomes State Street in West Lafayette. Proceed up State Street hill to Grant Street. Turn right on Grant Street, the Purdue Memorial Union will be on your left and the Grant Street Parking Garage will be on your right (see map to the right, or MapQuest).

Driving Directions from the North (Chicago)
West Lafayette is approximately 140 miles southeast of Chicago. Take I-65 South to State Road 43 (exit 178). Turn right onto State Road 43. Drive South on State Road 43 (approximately 6 miles) to State St (State Road 26.) This will be the 4th stop light, and a McDonald's will be on your right. Turn right onto State Street. You will want to remain in the right lane. Proceed up State Street hill to Grant Street ( 2nd stop light on State.) Turn right on Grant Street, the Purdue Memorial Union will be on your left and the Grant Street Parking Garage will be on your right (see map above, or MapQuest).

By Train
Amtrak Train service to Lafayette is available from Indianapolis, Chicago, and several other cities. The most likely connection is via Chicago, and is described below. For directions from other departure points, consult Amtrak's site. To get to the Amtrak Station or Greyhound Bus Terminal in Chicago from O'Hare Airport, take the Continental Express Shuttle (773 454-7800) to Union Station, 225 Canal Street, Chicago. For assistance, Continental's uniformed ticket agents are located in the baggage claims areas of terminals 1, 2, and 3 as well as outside U.S. Customs in Terminal 5. From Union Station, take the Amtrak train bound for Lafayette, IN. It would be advantageous to book a seat in advance. The toll-free number is (800) 872-7245.

By Bus
Greyhound Bus services the Greater Lafayette area from Chicago, Gary, Hammond, and Indianapolis, and thence from other locales. Schedules and fares vary, so consult the Greyhound site or call 800-231-2222.

LODGING

Please see the IWCE registration information page for hotel information.

You can also find other hotels, motels, bed & breakfast accommodations, and campgrounds in the area. Many of these are listed in Lafayette Online's lodging section.

CAMPUS PARKING

Visitor parking on campus is available at various locations on campus. We recommend either the Grant Street Parking Garage or the Northwestern Avenue Parking Garage. Daily visitor parking permits are available from the Parking Facilities Office in the Visitor Information Center located in the Northwestern Avenue Parking Garage. Visitors with a daily parking permit may park in any of the parking garages normally reserved for "A" permits. For more information on visitor parking please contact the Parking Facilities Office (765-494-9494).

The Grant Street Parking Garage, across from the Purdue Memorial Union, has hourly rates available with a maximum of $10.00 per day. Parking in the Grant Street Garage is free for overnight guests of the Purdue Memorial Union.

Visitors needing special consideration for disability parking should contact the Parking Facilities Office (765-494-9494) in the Visitor Information Center.

MapQuest maps:

Grant Street Parking Garage

Northwestern Avenue Parking Garage

LOCAL TRANSPORTATION

Wabash Trolley Line
Ride the Wabash Trolley Line! There is no faster, easier way to get to hotels, restaurants, shops, cultural, arts and entertainment venues in downtown Lafayette-West Lafayette and at Purdue University. Everyone rides free and there is a trolley every 10 or 15 minutes. Visit the trolley site for routing and times of operation.

Greater Lafayette City Bus
Please visit the City Bus site for campus route and schedule information, including there NightRider service for Friday and Saturday evenings.

Rental Car

• Budget: Call (765) 743-3987 (Purdue Airport) or (800) 527-0700
• Enterprise: Call (765) 743-7858 (Purdue Airport) or (800) 736-8222
• National: Call (765) 743-8455 (Purdue Airport) or (800) 227-7368

Taxi

• Four Star Taxi: Call (765) 742-8400
• FastCab: Call (765) 447-4450

LOCAL WEATHER

Indiana is hot and humid in the Summer, cold in the Winter, as well as everything else in between. Before traveling, check one of the online weather sites for local forecasts to be sure that you will be comfortable during your stay.

www.weather.com (The Weather Channel)

LOCAL TIME ZONE

When making travel arrangements, please note that Purdue (and much of Indiana) is always on Eastern Standard Time. We do NOT observe Daylight Savings Time. This means that in the winter, we are the same time as New York (EST), and in the summer, the same time as Chicago (CDT).

Please note: At 2 a.m., Sunday, October 25th, time will change in the United States from Daylight Savings Time to Standard Time. Lafayette time will not change, however Chicago will be 1 hour earlier and Lafayette will then have the same time as New York.

RESTAURANTS and OTHER VISITOR INFORMATION

Area restaurants can be found listed in Lafayette Online's dining section. A list of restaurants conveniently available via the Wabash Trolley Line can be found by clicking here.

For other attractions, recreation, and events in the area please visit Lafayette Online.

Useful Maps

• Full Campus Map (courtesy of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences)
• Highways Leading to Purdue (courtesy of the Engineering Computing Network)

INTERNATIONAL VISITORS and VISA INFORMATION

As a result of the September 11, 2001 attacks, the United States Department of State and other government agencies have been engaged in an extensive review of visa issuing practices as they relate to the national security. A greater degree of scrutiny is carried out on all visa applications, leading to longer delays. Although it is difficult to estimate the time needed for adjudication of each application, it is expected to be at least two months, and in some cases three or more.

Please visit the International Attendees link for more information and resources related visas.