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
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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
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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
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
4.6
based on 3,695 reviews
Sort by: Most recent
The tour itself lasts exactly the same 45 minutes and shows a lot. The problem is that the guide’s voice is not clear for those tourists who are on the lower deck like we were
A magnificent experience; I loved being able to enjoy the city from the river—it's incredible at night.
We had a very entertaining tour guide and the views of the city were amazing. I’d recommend a night tour.
Great tour guide! Very informative! The views from the river were awesome and great opportunities for photos.
Was a nice and friendly environment, great speaker and very informative of the city’s buildings and history
Tour guide dry humor was absolutely hilarious! He was very knowledgeable. I would do it again but I'd want him as the tour guide.
Excellent! Last minute booking, booked about 30 mins before it started. Easy process, the cool breeze from
The water made for a relaxing boat ride and
Architectural tour.
So fun! Host was the best!!! Learned a lot of history about Chicago. It was a full moon too!! So nice and worth the price!
Great boat ride and fun way to see the city. Perfect for all ages. The tour guide on the mic was great! Highly recommend.
Good great way to see Chicago. I loved the architecture. Also the building were very nice and shows you the whole city and culture.
I don’t like the process of taking such a long line to aboard. But the scene is really good and the price is also very affordable.
Great tour loved it! Would do it again next time I’m in town! Kay was wonderful and had a ton of great information.
Great experience! Funny, entertaining, informative! 45 min was a great length for my kids but if I was going with adults only, I'd opt for a longer tour. Take pictures and use the restroom while boat is moving, as you won't be able to once the tour is over.
Our guide was so informative. It was very very interesting and she wove in a lot of early Chicago history
Expert guide, entertaining but instructive . Just enuf time ! 45 min was plenty. I learned alot about the chicago skyline.
Our guide, Trashay, was absolutely amazing! She was fun, knowledgeable, well-spoken, and friendly. The cruise was wonderful and well-organized. Everyone we spoke to was kind and helpful. Will definitely do it again someday!
The tour guide did a great job of making the history of Chicago intertwine with of the architecture we saw on the river. He also threw in some humor to keep us engaged. I would definitely take the trip again with our same tour guide.
We had such a great time, so informative, fun and beautiful we will be going again. It was a great birthday!
Excellent presentation by our very knowledgeable guide. Great perspective on the amazing architecture.
I would recommend coming a bit early. We had to park a few blocks over. Our tour was full so we had to sit on the lower deck. Totally worth it because there were alcoholic beverages for purchase and more spacious, still fantastic views.
We were surprised how many people were on this tour. You'll want to arrive early so you can be first in line to get a preferred place to sit. Sitting closer to the edge will enable you to get the best pictures. This tour is best (IMO) to do at night, so you can see the lights.
The tour was beautiful and the guide informative and funny! We went at night and I highly recommend it, everything was lit up.
It’s a wonderful experience. The guide was great and very informative and knowledgeable. My only complaint was that it ended too soon
A great tour that really captures the architecture in riverwalk. Chicago is so beautiful. Wendella is the best tour to book.
The boat was over crowded…poor
Management/sales team. The announcer although well informed, spoke too fast and you never knew what building he was talking about. That may be because we had to stand on the stairs in the front bc there was nowhere else to sit/stand. I wouldn’t recommend this to anyone…might be worth the dinner cruise or private tour.
Arrive early to get a good seat in the boat. Bring a layer. And have fun. Everyone on board is very friendly.
We got to the boat at 9:16 and they said we couldn’t get on even though we had reservations. And wasn’t able for a refund
It was a fun experience. Give yourself extra time to find the appropriate meeting spot… There are a lot of similar tours in that area. There are limited shaded spots on the boat. The torque gives great views of the city, informative commentary about the surrounding buildings and a nice vantage point of the Riverwalk.
Fun and informative. And just long enough that it didn't get boring. The guide was funny and itt was great at night with the lights of the city.
The tour itself was great, but unfortunately the customer service really impacted our experience. We arrived an hour early for our 7:45 PM tour, excited to get good seating, only to be told their system showed us for 6:00 PM. Even after showing our tickets with the correct time, we were still placed on standby and eventually boarded last.
What made this especially disappointing was that this experience was a graduation gift to myself, something I was really looking forward to and wanted to make special. After paying nearly $200, I expected more understanding and effort to correct an error that was not ours. Instead, I left feeling dismissed and disappointed. We enjoyed the tour itself, but unfortunately the way we were treated took away from what should have been a special memory.
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per personWas $28.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Chicago River 45-Minute Architecture Tour from Magnificent Mile
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