Chicago River 45-Minute Architecture Tour from Magnificent Mile
Recommended by 91% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Chicago, USA
+4
- 45 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
·
Overview
Get a front row perspective on the exquisite buildings that line the Chicago River during a 45-minute architecture cruise. Hear live commentary about the history and architectural heritage of Chicago on this family-friendly tour, which highlights landmarks such as the Chicago Riverwalk, Michigan Avenue Bridge, Wrigley Building, and Willis Tower. Sit on the open-air top deck or the sheltered bottom deck for the ultimate view of Chicago.
- 45-minute architecture cruise on the Chicago River
- Get another perspective on Chicago's heritage buildings
- Shorter tour is ideal for families and people with limited time
- Snacks, drinks, and souvenirs available for purchase on board
What's Included
- All Fees and Taxes
- Restroom on board
- Enclosed climate-controlled lounge/shelter from bad weather
- Alcoholic, non-alcoholic drinks & snacks available for purchase on board
- Storage
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 400 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
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.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Your tour packs the most important sites along the Chicago River into a bite-sized 45-minute boat ride, where you can get an excellent overview of the city in a short amount of time.
You’ll meet your guide on Michigan Avenue, and then you’ll be shown where you’ll board. It's recommended that you arrive around 30 minutes before departure, in case of any parking hassles or kinks to work out.
You can choose an open-air outdoor seat, or a sheltered seat on the bottom deck, depending on your needs.
This is a family-friendly tour, so bring the entire gang. Hear the history of Chicago as you pass by the Michigan Avenue Bridge, Wrigley Building, and more. Feel free to purchase refreshments onboard, too.
You’ll meet your guide on Michigan Avenue, and then you’ll be shown where you’ll board. It's recommended that you arrive around 30 minutes before departure, in case of any parking hassles or kinks to work out.
You can choose an open-air outdoor seat, or a sheltered seat on the bottom deck, depending on your needs.
This is a family-friendly tour, so bring the entire gang. Hear the history of Chicago as you pass by the Michigan Avenue Bridge, Wrigley Building, and more. Feel free to purchase refreshments onboard, too.
1
Chicago River
45 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
Chicago Riverwalk (Pass By)
Michigan Avenue Bridge (Pass By)
Wrigley Building (Pass By)
Merchandise Mart (Pass By)
Lyric Opera of Chicago (Pass By)
Marina City (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received within 48 hours of booking, subject to availability
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Weapons prohibited by US Coast Guard
- Outside alcohol is prohibited
- All bags 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
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 100 travelers
Supplied by
Frequently Asked Questions (10)
Q:Where do we meet for the 45-min Chicago River Architecture Tour - Magnificent Mile?
A:We are located at 400 N Michigan Avenue at the historic Wrigley Building. Wendella has four dock locations that extend west from the Michigan Avenue (DuSable) Bridge to Wabash Avenue.
Apr 2021
The answers provided are based on answers previously given by the tour provider to customers’ questions.
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Makenna_B
Our tour guide was amazing!! We all had such a great time and the views of the city were amazing!! It was so cool to learn the history behind the buildings and the architecture. There were so many things I didn’t know about Chicago until this tour! We went at 11am and it was the perfect time to go! I would highly HIGHLY recommend! I would for sure go again, hopefully at night this time. Definitely my favorite part of the trip!
Reviews
4.7
based on 3,530 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
Terrica_B, Aug 2026
This was an amazing tour! Beautiful experience. I can’t wait to return to Chicago to experience it at night and maybe even catch fireworks show!
Rupesh_G, Aug 2026
Event tickets worked fine. Ferry tour was great. Chicago skyline and narration of history behind buildings were things I liked the most
Moises_S, Aug 2026
Boat ride was over sold, therefore was no seats for everyone, some riders where standing blocking our view, they where running behind schedule, trip was rushed.
Jessica_M, Aug 2026
It was great, so family friendly and fun. Definitely recommend for others & affordable too. Im surprised by how long it was too. Definitely a steal!!
Micaelle_L, Aug 2026
Lots of content in a 45 min trip, great tour guide but lots of content, maybe a longer one would feel less rushed in terms of the speaking? But it was nice and overall enjoyable grateful to get lots of content
Ernesto_H, Aug 2026
Go for it.. it's a great experience. Especially with your partner enjoying a nice relaxing evening and a cool cocktail drink while you take pictures
Kevin_K, Aug 2026
So much fun. Our guide was fantastic. It was, fun, relaxing and it interesting all at the same time. High value for the money.
Rachel_H, Aug 2026
The tour guide is very informative, and the scenery is amazing. I believe our tour guide's name was Kenny, and he made the tour even better with his fun personality.
griselda_R, Aug 2026
Family had a fantastic time. Chicago weather was gorgeous the city was amazing and the guide was well informed and hilarious. Had a great family day. Helped we learned some facts too!
kristi_e, Aug 2026
Excellent tour. Great views of the city! Hwar all about the architecture and city history. Its river only and perfect length
Pamela_M, Aug 2026
This was one of the funniest informative boat tours I have ever taken. I don’t remember the guide’s name, but he was amazing. The amount of information the amount of jokes he said, kept us entertained the entire time. I loved every minute of it.
Kathryn_P, Aug 2026
We had a great experience taking the evening cruise on the river. Tour guide was extremely knowledgeable with great sense of humor to keep the experience engaging. Charge your phone because you’ll have the opportunity for some really amazing photos.
Temica_H, Aug 2026
No parking instructions
Boat leaves exactly at 10
No response from help center
I am tired of typing for no reason. They said come back we can’t
Response from Host, Aug 2026
We're sorry to hear you missed your tour. Parking information is available on our website, and our confirmation materials note that guests should arrive before departure. As advertised, the boat departs promptly at 10:00 a.m. and, for safety reasons, we cannot reopen boarding once the vessel is leaving the dock.
Vladimir_T, Aug 2026
Great enjoy the presenter and the accomodations on board.... The understanding of the achtecture and the seating was well
vcotto88, Aug 2026
I had a beautiful experience, very organized. The view were amazing. The weather was perfect. It was a whole vibe
Yolanda_E, Aug 2026
This tour is a great experience for any first timers in Chicago and the guide was very knowledgeable!
Tiera_W, Aug 2026
Such a wonderful experience, boarding was quick and easy. Me and my sister sat on top and order a drink for the ride. I love every minute of it, the tour guide, the views, everything was all in all great!! Highly recommend
Patricia_C, Aug 2026
Wonderful experience.! The boat left timely and the tour guide was excellent and entertaining. He was very knowledgeable about Chicago.
Eva_F, Aug 2026
The people were very nice and helpful! I only wish I arrived sooner to get seating at the top of the boat. We stood on the lower level and it had a very nice view but we could not hear the guide very well. It was still a fun experience and definitely worth a visit!
Patryce_R, Aug 2026
Very interesting learned a lot, didn't know about Chicago not the buildings especially having the 2nd biggest building in the US and one of the top blogs in the world
Meg_D, Aug 2026
Great river view tour of Chicago!
Our guide, John, was outstanding!
Very knowledgeable and fun sense of humor.
Highly recommend!
Alondra_N, Aug 2026
We got there 9:15 and the boat had already left, you guys need to put on the website that the that’s the time that the boat actually leaves… and we still didn’t get a refund.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Our web site, tickets and emailed confirmation list the scheduled departure time as the time the vessel leaves the dock, and for the benefit of all guests, we always try to leave on time.
If you contact us directly, we'd be happy to review your reservation and discuss any available rescheduling options.
Maheen_M, Aug 2026
It was very beautiful, calm, and an enjoyable experience! I learned listening to all the facts about the city and enjoying the views!
Charnique_W, Aug 2026
It was an awesome experience, the city was absolutely gorgeous!!! The tour guide was very knowledgeable. Purchasing the tickets were easy and available to my phone on time.
Michele_K, Aug 2026
It was a wonderful boat tour. Our guide was knowledgeable and funny. She pointed out all the important buildings and shed a little bit of history behind each of them
Erickson_D, Aug 2026
Try to arrive early at least 40 minutes early to get on the boat and get good seating, if you would like the deck or below. Also it helps to make sure you know where to go. The meet up place is on Michigan ave, but they'll direct you where to go to the docks below. The docks are literally by the Trump tower, so if you see that, you're in the right direction. There is bar that sales liquor and beer, and snacks like chips. Not sure how much they are. But the views was amazing and definitely worth it, especially at night, highly recommend!
gerard_a, Aug 2026
it was a perfect night for a cruise. The weather was perfect.
Our Guide, Gabby, was very informative and incredibly enthusiastic. She managed to cram in a lot of information in only 45 minutes!
Jaira_H, Aug 2026
Fascinating. The tour guide was knowledgeable, friendly, personable. We learned much about Chicago!!
Cierra_T, Aug 2026
Great views and Gabby was great. She was able to give a lot of history with recommendations in between.
Taylor_L, Aug 2026
We arrived at 7:59 and they told us we could not get on. The map given in the app wasn’t accurate about where we were suppose to go. As people not from Chicago it was hard to navigate and there was no help from staff.
Response from Host, Aug 2026
Sorry to hear about this experience. We do ask guests to arrive about 30 minutes before departure as we always try to depart on-time. We will review the app to see if it can be made any clearer.
Likely to Sell Out
From $28.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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