Prices checked on Sep 11, 2026Things to do in Chicago
Discover Chicago at your own pace with Big Bus. Travel aboard an open-top, double-decker bus and enjoy panoramic views of the city's most famous landmarks, including the Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, Willis Tower, The Bean, Navy Pier and more. Hop on and off at conveniently located stops to explore Chicago's top attractions, vibrant neighbourhoods, world-class dining and shopping. Use our free app to track bus arrivals in real time and plan your day with ease. Enjoy multilingual digital commentary throughout your journey, packed with fascinating stories, local insights and recommendations. 48-hour and 72-hour tickets also include 4 Self-Guided Audio Walking Tours, covering topics such as Architecture, the Chicago Riverwalk and Public Art. The 72-hour Explore option also includes the Chicago South Side & Presidential Center Shuttle, connecting Downtown Chicago with the Obama Presidential Center & Jackson Park and the Griffin Museum of Science & Industry.
Chicago Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus lasts about 2 hours.
Prices start at $45 per person for this Chicago experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There are 3 booking options, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The experience is available in EN, ES.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
Wheelchair accessible Please advise at time of booking if wheelchair assistance is required
Yes, bookings are confirmed instantly.
Travellers rate it 3.9 out of 5 across 2,389 verified reviews; it is run by Big Bus Tours - USA. Most-mentioned highlights: Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus; Chicago South Side & Obama Presidential Center Shuttle (with 72-Hour option); Enclosed/Climate Controlled Lower Deck, Top Deck Open.
Candis the bus driver / tour guide was awesome. She interacted with the whole bus with stories, great information about the city and history. She also did triva with the group on the bus and gave away pins to the winners. What a great time!
Bus stop a little hard to find Other than that it was great!
Beautiful tour of the city, so convenient to get on and off at my own pace, definitely doing this again!
We did the 48 hour package. I wouldn’t discourage someone from doing this but I am a little lukewarm on my feeling of how it went. It worked the way it was supposed to - great areas to hop on and off to see and the buses come in the time frame mentioned. However I’m not sure if it was a holiday weekend (Monday of Labor Day and Tuesday) but they seemed understaffed. Only twice during the many times we hopped on did anyone check our tickets. One of the times the worker made me wait to check my ticket while other people were just going around me to get on. Also they offer an audio tour and give you headphones but some drivers give the tour and honestly the driver tour was much better (thank you Candace and Felicia!) I’m not sure why some do and some don’t? My only other complaint is if you start at any stop other than 1 and have to pass through 1 to keep going they make you change buses at 1. I don’t know why they just can’t change drivers? Hopefully this was just a holiday glitch because the positive parts were well worth the money.
This is the best way to see the city. Friendly tour drivers, love the hop off hop on option. Gave is many opportunities to see different parts of the city.
Thank you for your fantastic review! We're delighted to hear that you found our tour to be one of the best ways to see the city. The hop-on, hop-off service is designed to give our guests the flexibility to explore at their own pace, so it's wonderful to know that it gave you plenty of opportunities to discover different parts of the city and make the most of your visit. We're also pleased that our drivers helped make your experience even more enjoyable with their friendly service. Your kind feedback is greatly appreciated, and we hope to welcome you on board again for another memorable adventure. Flavius@BigBusTours
This is a great way to see the city. Then you can pick and choose what you’d actually like to explore
Thank you so much for your kind feedback! We're delighted to hear that you found the tour to be a great way to see the city and get an overview of its highlights. One of the things we love most about the hop-on, hop-off experience is giving guests the flexibility to discover the city first and then decide which attractions and neighborhoods they would like to explore in more detail. It's wonderful to know that the tour helped you do exactly that and make the most of your visit. Thank you again for sharing your experience. We hope to welcome you on board again soon! Flavius@BigBusTours
First Lady architectural river worth doing. Excellent narration by a volunteer docent, Dave. Chicago is a great city to visit and the weather was perfect!
Thank you for sharing your experience! We are thrilled to hear that you enjoyed the First Lady Architecture River Tour and found it to be worthwhile. It's wonderful to know that Dave's narration helped make the experience even more memorable. We are also glad that you had the chance to enjoy Chicago in perfect weather, which certainly makes exploring this beautiful city even more special. We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you on another Big Bus Tours experience in the future. Best regards, Flavius@BigBusTours
Busses were very full and the traffic was challenging, but still a great way to see the city.
We were disappointed that we could not sit on top. Rather underwhelming. Not sure how could be remedied but quite a bit of money to sit inside bus. The dots on the windows made photography difficult.
I wanted to share some feedback regarding our recent experience with Felicia. She was fantastic to ride with—friendly, funny, and incredibly knowledgeable about both the current state and history of the city. Even though we are visiting from Milwaukee, her welcoming personality made us feel right at home. She is truly a great fit for this role, and we thoroughly enjoyed our time with her although we did not go upstairs
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour by Open-top Bus | 2 hours | 3.9 (2,389) | $45 | |
 Chicago Architecture Center River Cruise aboard First Lady | 1h 30min | 4.9 (7,028) | $57 | View |
 Chicago Architecture River Cruise | 1h–1h 30min | 4.8 (16,969) | $39 | View |
 Chicago River 90-Minute Architecture Tour | 1h 30min | 4.7 (10,918) | $45 | View |
 Chicago Sightseeing River and Lake Cruise | 1h 30min | 4.7 (722) | $46 | View |
 Chicago River 45-Minute Architecture Tour from Magnificent Mile | 45 min | 4.7 (3,577) | $28 | View |
 Chicago By Night River and Lake Cruise | 1h 30min | 4.5 (432) | $50 | View |