Chicago Sightseeing River and Lake Cruise
Recommended by 94% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
Chicago, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
Why travelers loved this
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Overview
See the Second City from the water with a sightseeing cruise along the Chicago River and the Lake Michigan shoreline, offering a unique perspective of towering skyscrapers and historic architecture. This tour offers stories about the city’s history and culture as you pass by Chicago's landmarks, museums, and buildings. Capture unforgettable images of the city skyline from Lake Michigan, ensuring a unique look at Chicago, perfect for all ages.
- Cruise both the Chicago River and Lake Michigan in one tour
- Enjoy fun, family-friendly stories from expert local tour guides
- See top landmarks like Navy Pier, Wrigley Building, and Soldier Field
- Snap skyline photos from a unique water-level perspective
What's Included
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Live commentary on board
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- First Lady112 E Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60601, USA
On Michigan & Wacker Drive, at the northeast corner of the intersection. Upon arrival, please take the stairs down to Chicago's Riverwalk and visit the box office (right after/bottom of the stairs) for guidance to your cruise boarding dock. A departure board is available for your reference.
End point
This activity ends back at the meeting point.Itinerary
Chicago River (Pass By)
Lake Michigan (Pass By)
Navy Pier (Pass By)
John Hancock Center (Pass By)
Field Museum (Pass By)
Shedd Aquarium (Pass By)
Adler Planetarium (Pass By)
Soldier Field (Pass By)
Clarence F. Buckingham Fountain (Pass By)
Wrigley Building (Pass By)
Marina City (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Children must be accompanied by an adult
- Operates in all weather conditions, please dress appropriately
- Discounted parking available at 111 E. Wacker Drive. Please visit the dockside box office for parking ticket validation
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 115 travelers
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Featured review
Phyllis_K
Despite the light rain and mist, this tour was the highlight of my trip to Chicago. The views from the lake were still great, even with the weather.
Jacob was our tour guide, and he was excellent. He was informative without being boring and clearly knows and loves the city. His stories made the experience much more enjoyable.
There was inside seating on the boat, but I spent most of my time outside taking in the views, even in the drizzle. One of the coolest parts was going through the locks between the river and the lake—it’s a unique experience that really added to the tour. Cruising through the river and then out onto the lake gave a great sense of the city’s architecture and skyline.
If you’re visiting Chicago, I highly recommend this cruise—even if the weather isn’t perfect. And if Jacob is your guide, you’re in good hands.
Reviews
4.7
based on 560 reviews
Patricia_O, Nov 2025
So informative and interesting, our guide was Uber knowledgeable and fun. So happy we took in the lake as well as the river.
Micheal_B, Oct 2025
This is a fantastic river and lake tour that gives you great insight into the architecture of Chicago and some of its history. Our guide Hayley was fantastic (as was Mary Jo at the bar). Informative, fun, engaging — a great way to see some of Chicago!
Madison_B, Oct 2025
It was a cool experience, but they did not offer enough seats. There were 4 of us, and had to stand on the side of the boat (where we were asked to move several times by a worker because we were in the way). Only other option was to sit inside the boat and miss out on part of the experience and sightseeing.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for your review. We sincerely apologize that you were unable to find outdoor seating. We guarantee outdoor seating for every passenger, and a crew member should have been available to assist you in locating a seat. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to us directly at clientservice@firstlady.com with more details so we can address your experience further.
Peggy_M, Oct 2025
Clean and comfortable boat. Crew was fantastic-friendly, enthusiastic, knowledgeable of land marks, buildings, local stories.
John_W, Oct 2025
Great cruise departing from the Riverwalk at Michigan Ave in the Loop. Easy boarding, not too crowded. Great naration and views of the City from both the Lake and River. Really cool experience.
Kevin_B, Oct 2025
Jacob was an awesome your guide.,..........................................................................
Terri_M, Oct 2025
Be prepared for a top tier, exhilarating experience you won’t forget! It couldn’t have been a better activity and I wanted to go again!!
James_G, Oct 2025
We had a great time. The crew was very nice! :) The host was knowledgeable and told us stories and history about the cruise and Chicago. We would do this again! :)
Natasha_P, Oct 2025
On time departure. First went into Lake Michigan and then up the Chicago River before docking again. A lot of interesting information about the architecture and the guide was entertaining and fun to listen to. Sunset time was perfect. Drinks available for purchase.
Elaine_T, Oct 2025
It was very informative and fun!
The boat went further out on Lake Michigan
than other boat tours. We went past the lighthouse.
Michael_B, Oct 2025
Guide was fun and provided some nice facts. Beautiful view of the city and well worth the time and money.
solveig_p, Oct 2025
Good experience on boat traveling up the Chicago River to the Y and back then out the locks to Lake Michigan. Luckily weather was pleasant - out on a scenic lake on a nice day… what’s not to like! Beautiful view of cityscape and skyline! Was surprised at how few passengers were present but provided ease to move around and take in the view and photos from any vantage point.
The tour itself was disappointing. Frequently the guide would quickly offer a short blurb of info and unclear which building he was talking about. The points of history were quite random and did not have a cohesive flow. It appeared he memorized the info but did not really have an understanding or passion for the city and its history. Several long breaks (approx 25% - 30% of time on boat) took up time we could have learned a bit of history. Unfortunately, this appeared to be a paycheck job. Prior Viator tour guides I have experienced were truly thrilled with their subject matter, loved questions and were extremely knowledgeable.
I do not regret my time on the boat, but I would not suggest going on this tour if you actually want to learn something. This was more like a little boat trip. I thought the description was misleading to suggest it would be informative.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Thank you for your review. We appreciate your feedback regarding your tour guide and have shared your comments with our Tour Guide Manager. We hold our guides to high standards of knowledge and enthusiasm, and we're sorry to hear that your experience did not reflect that.
Preeti_G, Oct 2025
It was a great tour with ample architectural and historical overview of the Lake Michigan skyline and the Chicago River! Beautiful lit up experience after sundown! Guide Doug was awesome!
Shannon_B, Oct 2025
So glad we booked this tour! Amazing views of the skyline, and our guide Andy was a great storyteller, giving us lots of interesting facts and humor. Highlight of our trip!
Emma_H, Oct 2025
Great experience, Olivia gave great knowledge of the area in an exciting way, and we enjoyed the jokes.
RickL, Oct 2025
Excellent tour with a great tour guide. There was a lot of great information on the tour and it was very relaxing and enjoyable.
Kathy_H, Oct 2025
It was a great cruise. The guide was terrific.
It was a beautiful day. Best view is on the second deck to see everything. Only complaint is we had two people that needed an elevator and we couldn't find one. The are 3- 4 levels of steps.
Kim_R, Oct 2025
This cruise was fun and very informative! Mike was great as our tour guide, he was very personable and knowledgeable.
Marvin_G, Oct 2025
Lake and river cruise with plenty of photo ops. Jacob was an interesting, personable and funny host. Wonderful ride.
Heather_L, Oct 2025
It was so nice to be on the water, and to see the Chicago skyline from that perspective! Our tour guide was very knowledgeable, and very warm and friendly.
Letitia_B, Sep 2025
Very informative and pleasant!
Savannah was a great tour guide! Spoke very clearly and with enthusiasm!
Carlos_S, Sep 2025
They left without me. I checked in and went to use the facilities, when I came back they pulled the ramp n left. The next ride was 2 hrs away. They offered a "next available " pass. Monday. No refunds. Worst.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
We’re very sorry to hear that you weren’t able to join us for your tour. Our boats do depart promptly at the scheduled time, and it's also worth noting that restrooms are available on board for your convenience. While we’re glad we were able to offer an exchange, we're sorry the available time didn’t work with your schedule. We hope to have the opportunity to welcome you on a future cruise.
Tammy_M, Sep 2025
We were not able to find a parking space I called the operator and he said I could only use the ticket for 12:15 because they were full so I lost my 90.00
Response from Host, Oct 2025
We’re very sorry to hear that you weren’t able to join us for your tour. We do our best to help guests find our location in time, including sending a direct message earlier that morning with helpful details. Unfortunately, Saturdays are our busiest days and tours often sell out, so in this case, we were only able to offer an exchange for a different date. We truly regret the inconvenience and hope we can welcome you aboard another time.
Tremeca_R, Sep 2025
The tour was excellent. Savannah was great. Learned so much history on the ride and the weather was great.
Ann_D, Sep 2025
It was a beautiful experience out on the water as sunset took over the city and gradually all the building lights came on.
Erica_S, Sep 2025
The tour was great with a very knowledgeable narrator. I enjoyed it. However, we missed out scheduled tour because. Of the difficulty in finding the location. We had to call and a wonderful agent stayed on the phone with us gave us directions and told us where to park. Patrons should be given more information on the location.
Trenton_M, Sep 2025
Scenic views of Chicago from lake and river. Guide pointed out some notable locations. Great for a beautiful weather day.
Jennifer_R, Sep 2025
MUST DO!!! I've been on several of the Architecture cruises and this is the best one because it goes all the way out to Lake Michigan and you get and incredible view! Our guide was Olivia and she was fantastic. We learned so much AND had fun!
AMELIA_S, Sep 2025
After living in chicago for 32 years I have taken many tours. (Every time a relative comes to visit) this was by far the best. Libia was knowledgeable but in a light and funny way, incredibly witty and made the experience for the first time in many years, truly enjoyable. Thank you Libia!
Lauraine_R, Sep 2025
We’re Chicago residents and brought family who were visiting. We enjoyed the tour just as much as they did. In this boat ride you see Chicago from the lake and so a very different perspective … and you get to travel from the river to the lake through the lock which is so cool. The guide was informative, pleasant and fun. I’d recommend this.
From $46.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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