Cruise down the Chicago River to see the city's famous architecture on this boat tour. With commentary from your onboard guide, watch the spectacular skyline glide by, including more than 40 notable buildings like Navy Pier, the Wrigley Building, and the John Hancock Building. Cover all three branches of the Chicago River, passing the East Bank Club, the old Post Office Building and the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower).

Discover all three branches of the Chicago River with your guide, an expert in architecture
Enjoy the best vantage point to admire the distinct city skyline and architecture
See more than 40 buildings including the Wrigley Building and Willis Tower
Discover the major events that helped shape the architectural history of Chicago

Why Travellers Choose This Tour

This ultra-flexible cruise runs more than 20 times daily from Navy Pier and Michigan Avenue.

What's Included

Guided architecture cruise of the historic Chicago River
Live commentary on board

Drinks (available for purchase)

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting points

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End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Make your way to either Navy Pier or Michigan Avenue (depending on option chosen) for your cruise departure. Board your riverboat and find a comfortable seat; a restroom and sometimes a full bar are available on the boat. Listen as your guide, an architecture expert, gives you an introduction to the city's landmarks.

Along the scenic route, see buildings by world-famous architects including Mies van der Rohe, Helmut Jahn, and Skidmore, Owings and Merrill. A boat on the river is the best vantage point to admire the distinct city skyline.

Pass by more than 40 distinctive buildings, including the John Hancock Center, the Willis Tower (formerly known as the Sears Tower), the Wrigley Building, and the Lyric Opera House. Listen as your guide recounts the two major events that helped shape the architectural history of the city. Learn about how the invention of balloon-frame construction revolutionized how homes were built, and hear the dramatic story of Chicago's rise from the Great Fire of 1871. Both of these milestones led Chicago to become one of the cradles of modern American architecture.

Your cruise ends at its starting point.

Chicago River

1 hour 15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Chicago Skyline (Pass By)

Navy Pier (Pass By)

Skydeck Chicago - Willis Tower (Pass By)

Tribune Tower (Pass By)

John Hancock Center (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
All boats have full restrooms and a full bar
Some boats are single deck vessels, the type of vessel you are placed on cannot be guaranteed
Wheelchairs or other walking assistance equipment are not provided.
Tour times cannot be changed.

Near public transportation
Departure locations cannot be changed
Beginning November 8, 2022 through April 2023, tours will be 60 minutes in length.
Cruises are dog-friendly
Most travellers can participate
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 250 travellers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires good weather. If it’s cancelled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveller Photos

Featured review

Dina_S

Our Guide was very knowledgeable and funny. We had a very memorable time on our tour! The details about the buildings and architecture was fascinating! Highly recommend this tour to anyone visiting Chicago!!

Reviews

5.0

10,250 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travellers.

Showing 1-10 of 10,250 reviews

History of the tall beauties along the river

Dave_H, June 2023

We were on the ‘Riverview’ and our docent was Jim. What a great job he did! I learned how to stop skyscrapers from excessively swaying in the Chicago wind. There’s 3 methods. Take the excursion and find out!😀

Fun, relaxing, informative, and beautiful!

Carrie_E, June 2023

Such a fun activity to do with our girls during our visit to Chicago. Ricky was our guide and did a fabulous job. Thanks for the memories!!

Beautiful Day on the River

Doug_S, June 2023

Views were incredible and river was beautiful. Great information from the tour guide…all around wonderful experience!

Excellent Tour

Kristin_K, June 2023

Sam was awesome-very informative and an excellent tour guide. His presentation was flawless and his knowledge on the history of Chicago was spot on.

A fun tour

gszrz6y8gj, June 2023

Great views. Fun way to see the architecture and hear some history of Chicago. Would definitely recommend!

Wonderful experience

Xiaoyu_J, June 2023

An absolutely must-have experience in Chicago. Shorelines service is great; our tour guide Stephanie is wonderful! The guide is very informative educational and entertaining. Good for all age groups. Highly recommended!

Awesome Chicago

Anita_W, June 2023

The history of Chicago and the amazing buildings! Great tour guide! Great experience! Lots of Beautiful scenery!

A Beautiful Day in May.

Gloria_L, June 2023

This is definitely a must do on your visit to Chicago. We loved it and will return with friends and family. ❤️

Really interesting and fun, I would recommend it.

Kathryn_M, June 2023

I especially enjoyed learning about the different styles of architecture throughout Chicago’s history, and being able to identify the styles of other buildings. And I liked the story of the cow that did NOT start the great fire.

Don’t miss this tour

Michelle_L, June 2023

Amazing experience. Highly recommend. The view from the water and the stories shared by the guide were impactful.

Do the nighttime tour!

Beth_G, June 2023

Guide and it was absolutely fantastic. We did the nighttime tour on a Wednesday and we got to see fireworks. Could not recommend more. It was amazing!

The knowledge and...

Mike_C, May 2023

The knowledge and personality of the tour guide. The knowledge and personality of the tour guide. The knowledge and personality of the tour guide.

Excellent experience and...

David_M, May 2023

Excellent experience and service we learned so much about the Windy City my son loved the Batman story

Highly recommend

Bekah_S, May 2023

Loved this tour! It’s a great way to see the city, learn some history, and get some Chicago recs from locals.

Great experience

Andrea_C, May 2023

Everyone was very helpful and accommodating. The experience was great. The tour guide spoke very fast and it was hard to understand what he was saying. It felt like he had everything memorized and was just trying to get through the information about every building but besides that it was a good activity to do with our friends who were traveling to visit us from Canada.

Fun Tour

Karen_D, May 2023

We had a beautiful day on board the Architectural Cruise. The boat gives you a unique perspective to view Chicago’s skyline that you couldn’t get from a street vantage point. Jack, our tour guide, kept it light and fun!

Chicago History

Sherika_H, May 2023

Being able to see the different history of Chicago was an experience that I will ever forget. My family really enjoyed themselves.

Tourist Must Do!

Angela_C, May 2023

The tour Kevin was nice, quirky and informative. Great way to see the and find new restaurants along the water

We really enjoyed our...

Fonda_S, May 2023

We really enjoyed our guide Antonio. He was knowledgeable and a very good storyteller. His wit and storytelling was really entertaining regardless of age group.

Chicago is my kind of town.

ELIZABETH_T, May 2023

The tour guide Joe was excellent. He was knowledgeable and very funny. I only wish the tour lasted longer.

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