Route 66 Vacation Guide

Looking some ideas for your road trip vacation?
Have you ever wanted to follow a road just to see where it will take you?
Then check out our Route 66 vacation ideas for the adventure of your life!

Our website will help you understand what Route 66 is all about, how to experience it, things to do in its tiny towns or its large cities; side trips and byways that you can explore along the way. What to do, see and enjoy.

At www.TheRoute-66.com we offer reliable and comprehensive information on Route 66 hotels, motels and other lodging, attractions, landmarks, activities and sights, maps, weather and more.

So it is ideal for your vacation planning you can create your own itinerary along US 66.
Get Started, plan your vacation.

Vintage Motel Sign in Kingman Arizona

Some Key Facts about Route 66

The Mother Road

Length. Route 66 is 2,278 miles (3.665 km) long.

Many segments of the original road are now abandoned and some are buried under the modern freeways that replaced it in the 1970s; these segments cannot be driven. But don’t feel discouraged, there is plenty to drive and see along the remaining segments.

Route 66 crosses eight states from Chicago by Lake Michigan to Santa Monica on the Pacific Ocean. Each one has its special character. Each town has its own sights, landmarks and special Route 66 attractions.

Driving Route 66

You could drive it in less than a week.

If you drove eight hours per day at 50 miles per hour, you could drive the whole of Route 66 in about six days. Of course you’d miss out on all the fun, whizzing past the towns and villages.

So first of all define the scope of your vacations: the whole road? part of it? Focus on the top attractions? Take a slow pace and cover everything?

Where to start?

What are your plans?

Are you coming to a convention in Las Vegas or Tulsa and want to include a short Route 66 trip as an "extra"?

Are you specifically organizing your trip as a Road Trip vacation?

Or is Route 66 an add-on to your main vacation?

The type of trip you have in mind will define the scope of your Route 66 vacations.

Some travellers opt for covering the western section: California, Arizona and New Mexico and include a side trip to Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon. Get a feeling of the "Old West" and the fantastic outdoors in southwestern USA.

Others prefer the more densly populated sections in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and eastern Oklahoma. Enjoying the hills, plains and tiny villages.

Others skim along the whole route from Chicago to LA and stop at the main attractions.

Check our 1-Week Route 66 Road Trip Itinerary as a starting point for your adventure.

Start here!

Our suggestion is that you read our Tips for a Great Road Trip which outlines the whole Vacation planning process in detail.

And to get a better understanding of Route 66, get a broad outline of what Route 66 is all about reading our Route 66 Itinerary.

Frequently Asked Questions

See our FAQ page, with answers for your questions.

When is the best time to Drive Route 66? How long will it take? Is the Road Paved? What Papers will I need? What are the Speed Limits. and more

Explore Our Guide for Inspiration.

An overview of each State and its Main Attractions

Try our Route 66 planner tool

Get your kicks on your Route 66 vacations.

Try our Route 66 vacation Tool to get a first outline of your trip.

Choose different start and end points for your vacations and get:

• The distance between both points
• The time needed to drive that distance.
• Links to the main towns on your itinerary and links to hotels along the way.

Use this tool to refine your initial idea.

Next Steps

With an idea of what you will visit, the lenght of your journey and the starting, ending and waypoints of your trip, you can begin looking into the other parts of your trip: