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
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
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 3,719 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Most beautiful tour ! Bring a jacket it’s def windy , it does have options to purchase for drinks and snacks which I thought was cool
It was evening and drizzly/rainy. The buildings could not always be seen as they drifted in and out of clouds (magical and mysterious). The tour guide also shared lots of fun trivia and history. It was my two teen children's favorite Chicago experience. Highly recommend!
We traveled with a young child, a pregnant family member, and a stroller, so accessibility was an important consideration for our family. Unfortunately, access to the boarding area was only available via stairs, with no elevator or accessible alternative route. This made it particularly difficult to navigate with a stroller and created an unnecessary challenge for our family. Providing elevator access or a stroller-friendly alternative route would significantly improve accessibility for families with young children, pregnant guests, and visitors with mobility limitations.
Aside from this accessibility concern, the tour was excellent. The explanations were clear and informative, and the weather and timing were perfect. We truly enjoyed the experience overall.
The narrator was very informative and easily attracted your attention to the right buildings. The boat has great views from any point.
I paid for a ticket, and I expected a seat. I believe they overbooked and there was no reason why if someone is buying a ticket that they can’t get a seat. Would if someone’s handicap and cannot stand for 45 minutes.
I thought it would be boring but it was Really interesting and good experience. All the workers were friendly.
Terrible decision couldn’t find the place! It’s not on the riverwalk at ALL! I walked so long I missed My boat’ no signs to point you in the right direction! Called customer service 3x no answer! Found it no more boats
For the night!
Great introduction to Chicago Architecture! Half of our group lives in Chicago and enjoyed the tour!
45 minutes was perfect! Our tour guide, K, was exceptionally knowledgeable, super friendly, and joyful!
Tour guide (Jack) was fantastic. Such a fun and affordable experience. Been to Chicago 100 times, and should have done this ages ago.
A fun and easy way to see the
Beauty of Chicago. Goes down the river and back and out towards the lake so you can see the skyline. Amazing!
Loved it! Bobby very informative and engaging, kept my attention. Loved all the interesting facts I learned about Chicago!
Truly beautiful experience! Great commentary! The weather was great and the sunset time was perfect.
Informative, humorous, good content for the time allowed. Guide was clean and interested in what he was presenting.
Currently working on bridge so did not get to see everything so disappointing that you only get a third of the tour definitely not Wendell’s fault
Fabulous and great to be on the water. View totally different. Commentator does an excellent job telling you about the architect, the Eco, friendly environment, things to look at in detail.
Our guide was great and the weather was spectacular. Always a wonderful trip on the water! We are repeat guests because it’s that good.
Great tour guide. Great overall experience. The description of architecture types and the stories behind each building were top notch. The scenery was to die for.
This was a wonderful day amazing experience
The young man was so informative obviously he needs to be but explained everything very eloquently! We had family from Greece first time in the USA
Absolutely loved it!
Thank you
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.
Member Pricing
From
$26.60
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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