River trips · CHICAGO
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 15 chicago river cruises worth the fare, each with its price, its passengers’ verdict and the one thing to know before you board.
Cruise the Chicago River for about an hour with a live architecture guide. You’ll pass the Wrigley Building, Willis Tower, John Hancock Center, Marina City, and more while learning how the Great Fire and balloon-frame construction shaped Chicago. Departures leave from Navy Pier or Michigan Avenue, and dogs are welcome.
“Guide was very knowledgeable. Easily understood. Boat was clean. Bar was well stocked. Captain very good.”
Board Chicago’s First Lady from the Riverwalk for a 90-minute cruise led by Chicago Architecture Center docents. Hear how bridges, industry, skyscrapers, and urban planning shaped the city while viewing Marina City, Willis Tower, Navy Pier, and 150 North Riverside. Choose an open-air deck or climate-controlled salon, with a full bar onboard.
“Truly the place you should start your Chicago trip. Learning a bit of history and explanation of why, how, when, etc helped get us excited to explore.”
Board a Shoreline Sightseeing boat for a live, English or Spanish narrated cruise through all three Chicago River branches. You’ll see Willis Tower, Trump Tower, Marina City, the John Hancock Building, and about 40 landmark buildings. Guides such as Chicago Bob, Juan, Jeremy, and Kevin add history and humor. A cash bar is available on most boats.
“It was awesome! Tons of history and architecture! Our guide Victor was amazing and non stop full of information, a little humor and just a ton of knowledge. I could listen to him for hours!”
Cruise the Chicago River from Lake Shore Drive toward Willis Tower and back with a live English-speaking guide. You’ll hear lively stories about Chicago’s buildings, choose indoor or open-air seating, and buy local beer, spirits, snacks, or hot chocolate onboard. A sunset departure adds colorful city views, while the climate-controlled cabin helps on cold days.
“Zach, our guide, was smart, funny, engaging and so informative on Chicago architecture! My family thoroughly enjoyed the tour and would do it again! When we got off the boat we enjoyed the building facts and fun we learned on the tour as we walked near the buildings.”
Cruise from DuSable Bridge up the Chicago River, pass the city’s landmark towers, then pass through the Chicago Lock onto Lake Michigan. An English-speaking guide such as Lucas, Kenny, Sarah, or Jack brings the architecture to life with sharp facts and humor. Choose outdoor seating or a climate-controlled cabin, and buy local snacks or drinks onboard.
“You may be waiting in line for half an hour. It may be a particularly warm day, with very little shade and no where to sit while waiting. You may be sitting in the hot sun at the dock without a breeze. NONE IF THAT MATTERS! You will have an excellent tour, with a very knowledgeable guide (and if you are lucky he will be very punny, too.). Well worth it.”
Cruise Chicago’s historic river for 90 minutes with live narration from guides such as David, Hillary, Heath, and Colleen. You’ll pass the Wrigley Building, Willis Tower, Aqua Tower, Merchandise Mart, Chinatown, and Navy Pier. Choose open-air seating or an enclosed, air-conditioned cabin, with a bar and restroom on board.
“Learned a lot, the weather was prefect, and our guide provided great info about the city. The sunset with views was 🤩.Definitely would take this tour again.”
This 1.5-hour evening cruise takes you from the Chicago River through the Chicago Harbor Lock and onto Lake Michigan. You’ll see Buckingham Fountain, Willis Tower, Navy Pier, Museum Campus, and the lit skyline while guides such as Olivia, Jacob, and Josh share lively Chicago stories. Bring a jacket and snacks.
“Nice informative, calm, and relaxing. Enjoyed going through the lock to go out on the lake too. Thanks!”
Cruise from the Chicago River toward Navy Pier, with light architecture narration, skyline views, and fireworks from the water. Choose a 45 to 60-minute river cruise or a 2 to 2.5-hour Lake Michigan trip through the Chicago Locks. English guides, indoor seating, outdoor decks, restrooms, and a cash bar are included.
“Great tour of city river front buildings. Beautiful fireworks.”
See Chicago from three angles on First Lady’s 90-minute cruise: the Chicago River, the Harbor Lock, and Lake Michigan. English-speaking guides such as Lake, Nick, Sarah, and Jordan have brought the buildings and city stories to life. Expect open and covered seating, skyline views, and possible waiting at the lock.
“The commentary was VERY GOOD. The trip overall was great, Thankyou.”
This four-hour Chicago tour combines a narrated drive, Cloud Gate, the Willis Tower Skydeck, a 75-minute architecture cruise, Buckingham Fountain, and the Adler Planetarium viewpoint. Guides such as Tony, Robert, Joe, Danny, and Jack handle the route and venue timing. Downtown hotel pickup is available, with groups capped at seven.
“1) driving around learning the history of the buildings that survived the fire. 2) visiting the sky deck on the sears tower being able to see the whole city from above. 3) visiting the places that that the river cruise can not cover. Note: I as an architect, I feel the sears tower should end the tour, visiting and seeing all the different historical places is meaningful and seeing the city from the river cruise is great, summing up the whole experience from the top of the sears tower would in my opinion, be a great way for everyone to see the context of the whole city they have spent…”
City Cruises Chicago takes you on a two to two-and-a-half-hour dining cruise from NBC Tower. Choose brunch, lunch, or dinner, then enjoy a chef-prepared three-course meal beside the Chicago River. Brunch includes bottomless mimosas, lunch and brunch include architecture commentary, and dinner adds an onboard DJ.
“Edgar was amazing, the experience was wonderful. Highly recommended.”
Cruise the Chicago River for 90 minutes aboard a classic 200-passenger boat while an English-speaking docent explains more than 50 important buildings. Guides such as Jim and Ed bring Chicago architecture to life. Enjoy the open-air top deck, free coffee, lemonade, soft drinks, and available snacks, with beer, wine, and cocktails sold onboard.
“Love the smaller boats. I took my mom on this particular tour and then recently my father and his girlfriend and my daughter took the same tour. They loved it!”
You’ll tour Chicago in a small minivan with an English-speaking guide, visit Willis Tower’s 103rd-floor Skydeck and The Ledge, then take a skyline cruise past more than 40 landmarks. Downtown hotel pickup and drop-off are included. Guide Robert has earned praise for his friendly, attentive service.
“Organisation désastreuse. Visite prévue de la rivière chicago annulée car le guide s est trompé. Remplace par 1 visite sur le lac non programmé fait en dernier minute et sur 1 créneau horaire en dehors du créneau horaire prévu. Des allés retours pour pallier cette incompétence et cette désorganisation qui nous ont fait perdre notre soirée.”
Join an English-speaking guide, including guides such as Hillary, for a 90-minute cruise past the Wrigley Building, Willis Tower, Aqua Tower, Merchandise Mart, Navy Pier, and more. You get indoor air conditioning, outdoor seats, a restroom, and a full bar with snacks for purchase. Arrive early for the best seats.
“We loved this tour! It was amazing seeing Chicago from the river. Our tour guide, Hillary, was very entertaining and you could tell she loved all things Chicago! I enjoyed hearing the history and interesting facts about the city and the architecture!”
Cruise the Chicago River aboard a smaller historic yacht for 90 minutes of architecture-focused commentary in English. You’ll hear about the designs, builders, and ideas behind more than 50 skyscrapers, from Art Deco and Gothic towers to modern high-rises. Coffee, lemonade, sodas, and snacks are included, with drinks available at the bar.
“We enjoyed the smaller feel of this tour vs others that have hundreds of people, but we had a hard time hearing the guide. We were at the front of the boat and between the people around us talking nonstop and the low volume of the speaker, we only heard about half of the tour. This wasn’t the guide’s fault, he was humorous and knowledgeable, but it did affect how much we learned while on the cruise. I also highly recommend arriving very early. Instructions said come 15 mins early and we got there 30 mins early to be safe, and almost every single seat was already taken. Overall, I…”
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