Origin
Buffalo Grove, IL
Night in Buffalo Grove on Friday
Local time
10:33 PM
CDT
Current temp
66°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Trip from Buffalo Grove, IL to Cicero, IL
Compiled and reviewed by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy · Last reviewed Apr 18, 2026 · Editorial standards
Drive Time
50m
Distance
26.5 mi
43 km
Drive Score
6/10
Good drive
Same Day?
Yes, doable
Fuel Cost
$4
one way
EV Charging
Unknown
Best Time to Leave
4 AM
0h 46m
★
6 AM
0h 50m
8 AM
0h 58m
10 AM
0h 53m
12 PM
0h 52m
3 PM
0h 53m
5 PM
0h 58m
8 PM
0h 48m
Estimated drive times based on typical traffic patterns. Actual times may vary with weather, construction, and real-time conditions.
Buffalo Grove, IL
Wikimedia Commons
Trip Overview
The drive from Buffalo Grove, IL to Cicero, IL covers 26.5 miles and takes about 50m behind the wheel. This route is realistic as a one-day drive if you keep your stops efficient.
The route leans on North Milwaukee Avenue, South Milwaukee Avenue, North Laramie Avenue for much of the mileage, and the overall profile is turn-heavy local drive. The longest uninterrupted segment is about 7.6 miles on North Milwaukee Avenue. At current regular gas prices, budget about $4.14 one way before food or hotel costs.
About the Cities
Starting in Buffalo Grove, IL
Full guide →Buffalo Grove is a village in Chicagoland, in both Lake and Cook counties, around 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago.
City content from Wikivoyage (CC BY-SA 4.0) and Wikidata (CC0).
Who Is This Route For?
Weekend Trip
Doable as a same-day drive at 50m. Total distance: 26.5 miles.
Family Friendly
Moderate complexity with 0 natural rest stops along the way.
Solo Traveler
50m drive, comfortable solo distance.
EV Driver
0 DC fast chargers along the route. Coverage: unknown.
Scenic Drive
Turn-heavy local drive route profile with national parks nearby.
Drive Character
Expect a 50m drive with frequent turns across 26.5 miles of local and secondary roads.
This route has more turning and local-road decision points than a simple highway run.
There are about 16 navigation steps in the underlying route data, so the final approach matters more than the middle miles.
North Milwaukee Avenue is the longest continuous segment at about 7.6 miles.
How Hard Is This Drive?
Expect a hands-on drive with frequent turns and local roads rather than long highway stretches. You will hit about 9 points where you need to pay attention to lane position or signs. The trickiest moment comes early in the drive near South Buffalo Grove Road.
Driving Effort
6/10
Moderate - straightforward overall, but long enough or busy enough to require pacing
Balances navigation complexity with total wheel time.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 26.5 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
Where does it get tricky?
The main spots that need attention: near the start (South Buffalo Grove Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Lake Cook Road): Navigation decision point; at 15.6 miles (North Milwaukee Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
Critical Maneuvers
5 of 9 key pointsThese are the spots where you need to pay the most attention. Preview them before you drive.
4
0 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
South Buffalo Grove Road
Turn right onto South Buffalo Grove Road
Navigation decision point
5
0.2 mi into trip
|
~0m in
|
Lake Cook Road
Turn right onto Lake Cook Road
Navigation decision point
4
15.6 mi into trip
|
~26m in
|
North Milwaukee Avenue
Keep slight right at fork onto North Milwaukee Avenue
Highway fork - watch signs carefully
5
21 mi into trip
|
~37m in
|
West Grand Avenue
Turn left onto West Grand Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the left lane.
5
21.5 mi into trip
|
~38m in
|
North Laramie Avenue
Turn right onto North Laramie Avenue
Lane positioning matters here
Use the straight / left lanes.
Main Roads
| Road | Distance | Duration |
|---|---|---|
| North Milwaukee Avenue | 7.6 mi | 13m |
| South Milwaukee Avenue | 6.8 mi | 10m |
| North Laramie Avenue | 4.9 mi | 11m |
| North Central Avenue | 4 mi | 8m |
| East Lake Cook Road | 2 mi | 3m |
| West Grand Avenue | 0.5 mi | 1m |
| South Buffalo Grove Road | 0.2 mi | <1m |
| Lake Cook Road | 0.1 mi | <1m |
Longest stretch:
North Milwaukee Avenue
— 7.6 mi, about 13m
Turn-by-Turn Driving Directions
Step-by-step road directions between Buffalo Grove, IL and Cicero, IL.
1
Start on Aptakisic Road
60 ft
·
5 sec
·
Aptakisic Road
2
Turn right onto South Buffalo Grove Road
0.2 mi
·
20 sec
·
South Buffalo Grove Road
3
Turn right onto Lake Cook Road
0.1 mi
·
14 sec
·
Lake Cook Road
4
Continue on East Lake Cook Road
2.0 mi
·
3 min
·
East Lake Cook Road
Use the left lane.
5
Turn slight right
0.2 mi
·
41 sec
Use the straight / slight right lanes.
6
Continue on this road
0.1 mi
·
23 sec
·
this road
7
Turn right onto US 45; IL 21
0.9 mi
·
1 min
·
North Milwaukee Avenue
8
Continue on US 45; IL 21
6.8 mi
·
10 min
·
South Milwaukee Avenue
9
Continue on IL 21
5.3 mi
·
9 min
·
North Milwaukee Avenue
10
Keep slight right at fork onto North Milwaukee Avenue
1.4 mi
·
2 min
·
North Milwaukee Avenue
11
Turn slight right onto North Central Avenue
0.3 mi
·
56 sec
·
North Central Avenue
12
At end of road, turn left onto West Goodman Street
274 ft
·
10 sec
·
West Goodman Street
13
Turn right onto North Central Avenue
3.6 mi
·
7 min
·
North Central Avenue
14
Turn left onto West Grand Avenue
0.5 mi
·
1 min
·
West Grand Avenue
Use the left lane.
15
Turn right onto North Laramie Avenue
4.9 mi
·
11 min
·
North Laramie Avenue
Use the straight / left lanes.
16
Arrive at destination
South Laramie Avenue
Fuel & Cost
Regular Gas
$4.14 one way
$8.29 round trip
$3.97/gal
25.4 MPG avg
9 kg CO2
| Fuel Type | $/gal | One Way | Round Trip |
|---|---|---|---|
| midgrade | $4.36 | $4.55 | $9.10 |
| premium | $4.89 | $5.10 | $10.20 |
| diesel | $5.61 | $5.85 | $11.70 |
No toll roads detected on this route.
Drive Cost (one way)
Fuel
$4
Estimated CO2 emission: 9.3 kg one way. Prices: EIA weekly data, 2026-04-13.
Driving Electric?
About $3 in charging · 0 stops · 67% less CO2
| Vehicle Type | kWh | Stops | DC Fast | Home Charge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average EV | 7.9 | 0 | $2.78 | $1.27 |
| Efficient EV | 6.6 | 0 | $2.32 | $1.06 |
| EV Truck/SUV | 10.6 | 0 | $3.71 | $1.70 |
Gas CO2
9 kg
EV CO2
3 kg (67% less)
This trip is well within single-charge range for most EVs. No charging stops needed if you start fully charged.
DC fast charging avg $0.35/kWh. Home charging avg $0.16/kWh. US grid CO2: 0.39 kg/kWh.
Travel Intel
Current conditions at both ends of the drive.
Destination
Cicero, IL
Night in Cicero on Friday
Local time
10:33 PM
CDT
Current temp
52°F
Unavailable
Live forecast
Time zone
Same local time
Origin and destination are on the same clock, so arrival timing is easier to judge at a glance.
Temperature spread
14 degrees cooler at arrival
A meaningful temperature swing is a good cue to rethink layers, water, and how soon you want to arrive.
Road read
50m on the road
Use the two city cards together: check the sky where you start, then compare it with the local time and temperature at arrival.
Weather data from the National Weather Service. Conditions may change; check closer to your travel date.
Frequently Asked Questions
The drive from Buffalo Grove, IL to Cicero, IL covers 26.5 miles and takes about 50m without stops. Add 15-30 minutes for a fuel or rest stop on longer drives.
The main roads are North Milwaukee Avenue, South Milwaukee Avenue, North Laramie Avenue. Expect a mix of highway and local road driving.
This is a comfortable same-day trip.
The midpoint is about 13.2 miles from Buffalo Grove, IL. Look for rest areas, gas stations, or food options near the halfway mark.
At current regular gas prices, expect to spend about $4.14 one way. This estimate uses 25.4 MPG — your actual cost will vary with your vehicle's fuel efficiency and current gas prices.
Leave by 9 AM and you'll arrive before lunch. Even a 4 PM departure gets you there before dark in summer.
This drive requires moderate attention. Across 26.5 miles you will encounter 9 spots where lane choice or exit timing matters. Not difficult for experienced highway drivers, but worth previewing the tricky sections before you go.
The main spots that need attention: near the start (South Buffalo Grove Road): Navigation decision point; at 0.2 miles (Lake Cook Road): Navigation decision point; at 15.6 miles (North Milwaukee Avenue): Highway fork - watch signs carefully.
The route from Buffalo Grove, IL to Cicero, IL does not surface many named destination signs beyond the main corridor.
Yes. Nearby national parks include Pullman National Historical Park.
How this page is built
Compiled by the Trip.ovh planning team at COD Solutions Oy from open government datasets — OSRM over OpenStreetMap for geometry, EIA for fuel prices, and NPS for national parks. See our methodology for refresh cadence and limitations.
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