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!
Prices change with the date; the lowest is shown.
Out at sunset: the 4:30 PM departure is under way when the sun sets, around 5:56 PM in the coming weeks.
In demand: 257 of the next 300 departures are already sold out.
From the operator’s live schedule on Viator, checked Oct 11.
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
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
Excurgo comparison of 522 Viator tours, recalculated daily.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Chicago Lake and River Architecture Tour lasts about 1h 30min. The itinerary has 9 stops.
Prices start at $45 per person for this Chicago experience, booked through Viator with the price shown before checkout. There is 1 booking option, so the final price depends on the option you choose.
According to the operator’s current schedule, it runs every day, with 10 departures a day between 10:00 AM and 5:30 PM.
Children aged 4–12 pay from $20, adults from $45. Infants go free.
It can: 257 of the next 300 departures are already sold out, so booking ahead is a good idea.
Yes. Cancel at least 1 day before the start for a full refund. Later cancellations are non-refundable.
The meeting point is Arrive at 400 N Michigan Avenue 30 minutes before your departure and you will be directed to your boarding dock. Please allow yourself plenty of time to arrive if driving. We do not have parking. It is recommend that you book parking in advance. Hotel pickup is not part of this experience.
The experience is available in EN, EN.
It is a small-group experience with a maximum of 300 participants.
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Contact tour operator for wheelchair & ADA access
Reviews collected by Viator and Tripadvisor
The speaker was interesting but we were disappointed in how the time was spent. We hadn't realized that the tour was going through locks and that took too much time away from the actual river cruise and discussion about the architecture.
The tour started and ended exactly on time, was really fun and informative, I'll definitely take the tour again when I'm back in the city. Great views and explanation of history, and an easy ticket buying and check on process
This is the second time we have experienced the architectural river tour. Learned new stuff and the crew aboard the boat was friendly and accommodating as they were the last time. This is definitely an interesting and economical experience for anyone who lives here and wants to learn more of Chicago’s history or someone from out of town that just wants a nice afternoon. !
Randy, our tour guide was excellent and entertaining as he described the architecture, dates and history of Chicago!
Kenny and crew were the best. I highly recommend to do the river and lake tour. The views and history made this a memorable activity
Go early as there wasn’t enough seats so in a group of 6 - four of us had to stand. Which is a lot for an 1 1/2 boat ride. Other than that it was nice
I am very disappointed. This tour was terrible. We spent most of the tour waiting in the Chicago Harbor Lock. The route was extremely short — from the Wrigley Building to the Merchandise Mart, then you immediately turned to the lake and came back. You completely skipped the North and South Branch. Our guide Jesse was not engaging, not funny, and clearly lacked in-depth architectural knowledge. I have taken many Chicago boat tours before and this was by far the worst. I want a refund. First Lady is better than Wendella.
Overall a great experience. We sat outside most of the tour and it was easy to hear. When we git chilled, we went inside but could not hear as well. Service people were professional and friendly.
Easy to communicate, right on time and interesting and knowledgeable guide takes you the journey enjoyable.
It was a delightful experience. The boat ride was fun, the sights were spectacular, and the guide was awesome.
| Tour | Duration | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago Lake and River Architecture Tour | 1h 30min | 4.7 (2,463) | $45 | |
 Historical and Architectural Chicago Fireboat River & Lake Cruise | 2 hours | 4.9 (502) | $47 | View |
 Chicago Architecture River Cruise | 1h–1h 15min | 4.8 (17,118) | $39 | View |
 Chicago Seadog River & Lake Architectural Tour | 1h 15min | 4.5 (308) | $42 | View |
 Chicago River 90-Minute Architecture Boat Tour | 1h 30min | 4.8 (1,940) | $33 | View |
 Lake Michigan Sunset Cruise in Chicago | 1h 30min | 4.5 (1,720) | $45 | View |
 Chicago Architecture River Tour & Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour | 2 hours | 4.0 (51) | $99 | View |