Tours and Tickets to Experience Cloud Gate (The Bean)

There are plenty of ways to experience Cloud Gate (The Bean). Looking at ratings and reviews previously given by customers, these are the best tours available right now:

• Chicago Favorites Ultimate Food and Walking Tour
• Chicago in a Day: Explore Food, History, And Iconic Architecture Walking Tour
• Best of Chicago Small-Group Tour With Architecture River Cruise
• Best of Chicago: Architecture & Highlights City Private Tour
• Explore Chicago’s Hidden Past: Prohibition Culture & Architecture

While it’s free to visit Cloud Gate (The Bean) independently, there are plenty of affordable tours that can help you learn more about the famous Chicago sculpture. Walking tours that visit Cloud Gate start at just US$45 per person, while hop-on hop-off bus tours begin at US$53 per person.

Cloud Gate—better known by its nickname, The Bean—is one of Chicago’s most famous public artworks. A highlight of Millennium Park, British artist Anish Kapoor created the sculpture in 2004. The large-scale, bean-shaped work has a polished steel surface that reflects the Chicago skyline, so it is perfect for selfies.

The Bean is located in the lakefront Millennium Park, in Chicago’s downtown Loop neighborhood. It’s easy to get there by public transportation, as the Blue, Brown, Green, Orange, Pink, Purple, and Red lines of the Chicago L all stop nearby, as do Metra and South Shore Line commuter trains, and local buses.

Yes, you can walk underneath Cloud Gate. One of the world’s largest outdoor public artworks, the monumental sculpture is 33 feet (10 meters) high, 42 feet (13 meters) wide, and 66 feet (20 meters) long. It’s worth walking underneath to admire the warped mirror views of the sculpture’s surface.

There’s rarely a bad time to visit The Bean. The public sculpture is accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week. While sunny days are a beautiful time to explore, the artwork looks just as striking in snowy weather. To beat the crowds, aim for early morning or late evening.