Chicago Lake and River Architecture Tour
Description
An authentic Chicago tradition since 1935, this is the tour that started it all. This unique excursion tells the story of more than 200 years of fascinating social, cultural and political history, and explores more than a century of groundbreaking architecture. The journey begins with an up-close perspective of Chicago's internationally-known architecture as seen from the Chicago River. Then venture through the Chicago Lock on to the calm, cool waters of Lake Michigan for expansive views of Chicago's extraordinary 26-mile skyline. Take the selfie of a lifetime on this inspirational experience!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Lake and River Architecture Tours begin at Michigan Avenue and explore Chicago's amazing architecture along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. All tours are narrated by professional tour guides.
Your tour travels along Lake Michigan and explores Chicago's beautiful skyline.
Dedicated in 1989 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, known for reversing the flow of the Chicago River in 1900. For the first five minutes of every hour, the fountain shoots a water arc across the river from a tiered waterfall.
The largest commercial building in the world.
Pass by these iconic mixed-use apartment buildings - "a city within a city" with their unique corn-cob exterior.
Michigan Avenue is home of the Chicago Water Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, and the shopping on the Magnificent Mile.
This white, terra-cotta landmark was built in 1922 as headquarters for the Wrigley chewing gum company.
An open, pedestrian waterfront called the city's 'Second Lakefront.'
Second-largest opera auditorium in North America, with an Art Deco interior
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Weapons prohibited by US Coast Guard
- Outside alcohol is prohibited
- All bags are subject to search
- Arrive 30 Minutes prior to your departure time
- Contact tour operator for wheelchair & ADA access
- Indoor and outdoor seating is available on a first come, first served basis
- Special requests entered at checkout cannot be guaranteed
Reviews(2,418)
Kenny the tour guide was great! He’s knowledgeable, funny, and engaging. The tour itself was really cool and a must-do in Chicago. The start point was easy to find and all of the staff couldn’t have been nicer.
Kenny was an awesome host! Had a great time even in the rain! Lots of fun trivia and kept the crowd in it the whole trip! This was our second time and just as great as the first!
I did this tour with my dad who is almost 90. We both loved everything about it, especially the time on the lake.Very informative and well worth it!
I never got on the boat I had no clue where to park so I was driving around for 15+ minutes (mind you I’m not from Chicago) then someone who was collecting tickets said the boats depart at the exact time they are supposed to so we missed it trying to find a parking garage. I already requested a refund.
Sorry to hear about this experience. Parking can be challenging in Chicago, as it is in all larger cities. We do always try to depart on time, but we will review your refund request.
It was very rainy and foggy. Very informative and fun only thing that would have made it better was better weather.
We went on the architectural tour, and our tour guide was Kenny. He did an amazing job, so if you can get him as your tour guide, I highly recommend him! It was raining when we started, but thankfully it cleared up and turned into a beautiful day. We absolutely loved the tour! I would definitely recommend it—it’s such a great experience and a wonderful way to see and learn about the city.
We had Kay as our guide she was wonderful!! Great info and stories about the city. Answered any question asked! Highly recommend the Lake Michigan tour.
Beneficial to have both river and lake experiences. Knowledgeable tour guide, witty and entertaining as well.
Emma our tour guide to the fantastic job! It was such a fun and engaging tour and we got to see so much of Chicago in the hour and a half. The AC worked well and you were able to get drinks while I’m bored and of course, go in and out as you please. The bathrooms were clean and the stuff was all very helpful and knowledgeable. Highly recommend!
This is the one item we do when in Chicago, which says how much we enjoy it. With this said, on the recent tour (8/8/26), 2 items negatively impacted the tour. One within the tour operators control, the second one not in their control. First the meet point was not specific enough. Just had the meet address as 400 N Michigan. So we went there, and stood in line for 20 minutes for the Wendell Tours, only to be told after we got to the front, we needed to walk around the building to get in line for another boat. So we wasted 20 minutes, and then we were one of the last people in line, and did not get the desired seats, which we why we got there early. That was in their control. The second item was how long we had to wait to get through the locks. Which being a Saturday, it generally is busier, and created the issue. The challenge was we got back 45 minutes later then expected, and missed something else we had planned on doing that day. Wait time to get through the locks is not within the tour operators control. Again, it’s something we do every time we come to Chicago because we like it so much, but this last time it was not our best experience.
