Chicago By Night River and Lake Cruise
Badge of Excellence
Chicago, USA
- 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Discover the beauty of Chicago at night during a 1.5-hour cruise on the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. Watch the city sparkle as you pass landmarks such as Museum Campus, Willis Tower, Aon Center and the John Hancock Building, and the illuminated waters of Buckingham Fountain. You'll learn about the history of the city from live commentary by your knowledgeable guide as you glide along the waterfront of Chicago.
- 1.5-hour night cruise in Chicago
- See Chicago landmarks lit up for the night
- Admire the dazzling sight of Buckingham Fountain at night
- Cruise along the Chicago River and Lake Michigan
- Hear informative commentary about the city’s history and architecture
What's Included
- All taxes, fees and handling charges
- Live commentary on board
- Restroom on board
- Snacks, beer, wine, and non-alcoholic beverages available for purchase on board.
- Gratuities
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)
Adler Planetarium (Pass By)
Field Museum (Pass By)
Shedd Aquarium (Pass By)
Soldier Field (Pass By)
Clarence F. Buckingham Fountain (Pass By)
Wrigley Building (Pass By)
Tribune Tower (Pass By)
Marina City (Pass By)
Merchandise Mart (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 250 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
Libby_B
Had a great time with amazing views! Mike was our tour guide and he was amazing! Very knowledgeable and answered all questions perfectly! 10/10 would recommend! Seeing the Downtown Chicago skyline from Michigan Lake was so cool! I would definitely do it again!
Reviews
4.5
based on 379 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
Carolyn_L, Jul 2026
Great tour to enjoy the downtown architecture against the evening sky. Learning the history of the buildings and the city was fascinating.
L_G, Jul 2026
It was a very fun, eventful and peaceful ride. We got to see the fireworks Drone show, and they extended the ride so it was over 2 hrs long. Would do it again.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Yvonne_K, Jul 2026
The tour was so beautiful and we learned quite a bit about the history and architecture. Highly recommend!!!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Benjamin_W, Jul 2026
The entire experience was great! Our speaker was super knowledgeable and made the experience so much more fun. Recommend this to anyone who likes history, drinks, being on the water, and enjoying seeing the city at night.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We strive to make our tours memorable for our guests. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Gabrielle_B, Jul 2026
This was a wonderful experience. We chose the First Lady as a last‑minute excursion to close out our vacation, and it ended up being a highlight of our trip. The crew was friendly, professional, and exceptionally knowledgeable.I highly recommend taking the evening tour being out on the lake and river while the city lights reflect off the architecture creates an unforgettable atmosphere. It’s the perfect blend of learning about Chicago’s rich history and enjoying a relaxing, scenic experience.The gentleman leading the tour did an excellent job balancing insightful information with moments for us to take photos and simply enjoy the view, ensuring we never missed anything important.We can’t wait to do this again on our next visit. Well done 😊
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. Yes, Chicago is a beautiful city especially in the evening. We strive to make our tours memorable for our guests. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Gloria_C, Jul 2026
Couldn't ask for a better tour as a 1st time visitor to Chicago. Clear directions from moment of booking to end of tour. Clean facilities throughout. Start to finish, no fluff or roundabouts just FULL TOUR EXPERIENCE! And special shout-out to Dalton the Guide, funny, knowledgeable, and well paced. Highly recommend doing the night tour, that transition from late afternoon to night is a beautiful sight!
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We think Dalton is awesome too. Yes, Chicago is a beautiful city especially in the evening. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Blake_V, Jul 2026
Terrible Customer Service. We booked the nighttime 1.5 hour River and Lake tour. It started raining when we made it to the lake and we were forced to take cover on the bottom level of the boat. It was impossible to see the building or skyline due to the storm and the company refused to offer a refund.
Orlando_V, Jul 2026
very informative. the skyline during sun set was impressive. i sat on the bow of the ship and had a front row seat of the sun set and the sights.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. Yes, Chicago is a beautiful city especially in the evening. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Angela_M, Jul 2026
It was a nice tour of the city lights and buildings took slightly longer than expected but worth the money
Melissa_W, Jul 2026
it was a great experience the boat was over 1 hour and a half. More like 2.5 hours. I had plans and I was late for my other plans I wouldn’t recommend a late boat ride if you have plans
Karen_B, Jul 2026
Took an hour longer than expected which sounds great but we just sat and sat and sat it got boring. It was cold and windy just sitting on a boat
Rawan_A, Jul 2026
It was a great experience, and the staff were amazing too❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We strive to make our tours memorable for our guests. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour. Hope you will return soon.
Jonathan_B, Jul 2026
The staff was excellent! The guide was knowledgeable and had that touristy humor that one would expect. However, there was a drunk passenger who entered the captain quarters. The removed him, but allowed him to linger around the captain area as if that rope was going to stop him. My wife and I were on high alert because we watched everything from the beginning and couldn’t relax for the rest of the long lock waits etc. I do highly recommend but our particular ride had us ready to defend ourselves if need be.
Tarrance_P, Jul 2026
Great time! Amazing views, even got an extra hour. Beautiful seeing the City of Chicago off Lake Michigan
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. Yes, Chicago is a beautiful city especially in the evening. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Emily_T, Jul 2026
Room for all passengers to sit outside and enjoy the views. Inside was a nice bathroom, good bar, and nice lounge with air conditioning. We enjoyed the lake part of the tour as we had not been through the lock or on a architectural tour that included the lake front. The evening was the perfect time to go as it was cooler, the sunset was beautiful and the lakefront lit up at night was grand! Highly recommend
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We strive to make our tour memorable for our guests. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Danielle_A, Jul 2026
First Lady was great. Dalton, our guide, was knowledgeable and entertaining. The views were one of a kind.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We think Dalton is awesome too. Yes, Chicago is a beautiful city especially in the evening. Hope you will return soon.
Nathan_L, Jul 2026
This was probably the best part of our trip to Chicago. First Lady was very accommodating to us when we had trouble with our booking and really saved our trip. The tour was 1 1/2 hours of beauty, great weather, and a vast array of knowledge from our tour guide (Doug) who was absolutely amazing. It really was a near perfect experience. I can’t recommend it enough.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We strive to make our tour memorable for all of our guests. We think Doug is awesome too. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Brian_S, Jul 2026
Don’t opt in for extra priority seating, but great overall tour. Beautiful night time scenery. Must try
Jaliyah_H, Jul 2026
It was nice but it was raining…uncontrollably but still nice tour. I liked the priority boarding. Wished I could take in the views in silence sometimes
Kimberley_Y, Jul 2026
When the description of the tour tells you they will cruise rain or shine believe it lol. It was raining, thundering and lightning. Everyone was crammed under the small covering like a pack of sardines trying to get away from the down pouring of rain 🤦🏽♀️ I haven’t been that close to people since before the pandemic. The turbulence of boat swaying back and forth did not help with all the other stuff happening.
Also, there were few people panicking a little due to being afraid of lightning . There were also periods of times you had to wait for other ships to pass or for them to open the gates that lead you between the river and lake that made matters even worst.
I get we all were aware of the weather forecast, but I felt tour company should have made the decision to cancel it and refund the everyone’s money. No one was able to truly.enjoyed the experience. Under different circumstances it probably would have been a great experience. I guess I will never know😊
Lana_B, Jul 2026
Bring a jacket. It was a great cruise and great views. The water was a bit choppy due to weather but otherwise smooth ride.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review and feedback. We are glad that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Sukumara_R, Jul 2026
Take the 8pm cruise, sunset and lights of the skyline is a treat. Crew are excellent. Ryan's narration of history of Chicago and the buildings is very insightful.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We think Ryan is awesome too. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Ann_D, Jul 2026
If I can give this zero stars I would. The reason why it’s the captains responsibility to watch for severe weather as that develop on area waterways. He didn’t. monitor weather forecasts, he didn’t remain vigilant of changing atmospheric conditions, and even after a lot of lightning he didn’t seek safe harbor immediately with the threatening weather. This was not just rain but tons of lightening! Your job is to keep people safe. If it was nice night, this can be lovely. But you trust in the captain to do the right safe thing. Mathew your Mic was at 100 decibels talking about jokes when lightening severe rain was coming down. Lower your mic. It doesn’t need to be 100 decibels. I have an app that measured your sound / loudness. People were afraid on the boat do you all were paying attention.
Aimee_H, Jul 2026
Despite a severe thunderstorm hitting while waiting for the locks to open-including lightning, strong rain, and winds, the captain proceeded to take the boat full of people out onto Lake Michigan and continued talking on the speaker, ignoring the fact that the passengers were unsafe, smashed together and concerned about the dangerous conditions. It was a miserable trip, which ended up lasting 25 minutes longer than scheduled, when rather, it should have ended way earlier. It was ridiculous that the captain kept talking as everyone was crunched together unable to even see the skyline due to the weather. Would not recommend. Such a disappointing experience.
Mark_A, Jul 2026
Be ready to pay $50+ for parking and 1/2 mile walk. Boat ride was fun and educational with very knowledgeable staff….but was so crowded on boat, hard to hear and enjoy. That late we thought maybe less kids. I love kids but not when they are miserable tired!!
Subhadip_K, Jul 2026
It was life threatening worst experience I ever had. The tour took place even under the lightning storm inside the weavy lake. The captain never gave us the proper guidence to stay calm during this situation. It could have been fatal, and boat could have sank into the lake with so many lives would have been lost.This was an absolutely careless and blunder by the touring committee and they should not have conducted the tour during this condition.
Money can never be greater than the cost of human life.
Eddie_W, Jul 2026
This was a great tour to see downtown Chicago. The view of the buildings was one to remember, but what really took everyone's breath was the view from Lake Michigan! Word of warning though, that lake tends to be a bit on the chilly side at night.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review and feedback. Yes, Chicago is a beautiful city especially in the evening. We are thrilled you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
LaShawn_R, Jul 2026
This was an informative and beautiful experience. It was a great experience from booking to the end of the tour.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We are thrilled you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Barry_H, Jul 2026
Great staff with a very nice boat. The tour was fun and informative. Very enjoyable time. If you like Chicago and want to see the skyline all lit up this is a great option.
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We are thrilled that you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
Seth_P, Jul 2026
The Chicago By Night River and Lake Cruise was outstanding. The director of the tour was funny, very knowledgeable and engaging. The boat was clean and the bartenders were skilled. The organizers were professional and I really enjoyed my time. I’m glad I did it
Response from Host, Jul 2026
Thank you for your review. We think our employees are awesome too. We strive to make our tours memorable for all of our guests. We are thrilled you enjoyed your tour with us. Hope you will return soon.
From $50.00
per personup to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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Chicago By Night River and Lake Cruise
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