Such a fun boat ride just chilling riding going in and around all the buildings and learning about the architecture and history all while taking Chicago in The staff was great and it was a nice ride and break from walking Lovely time read more

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Such a great city for architecture, the very oldest building sitting next to the newest skyscrapers. I loved this tour...even though it rained and we had to spend part of the tour inside to stay dry without much of a view, it was still a great tour for the cost. We were warned to make a reservation cause the tours do fill up, and this was a holiday weekend. Do not leave Chicago without doing this! read more

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There are many different boat tours out there with different prices and different lengths of time I would definitely recommend the architect boat river tour. I would say if you have 90 minutes this boat tour is a must do. I believe the option times that we had to choose from was anywhere from 10:00 a.m. for the first boat going out and the last boat was 4:00 p.m. but check the website for exact times. We booked our tour online to make sure that we got the time and date that we wanted to we preferred earlier in the day. We booked about 2 months out. These tours fill up quickly especially in the summer time. We started lining up about an hour before to make sure we got a seat up top so we could enjoy the view. If you prefer to sit inside you still will be able to hear the tour guy just you may not be able to see everything he is announcing it may be on the other side of the boat which you may not see if you're inside because of other people that are sitting. Our tour guide was wonderful explaining the different buildings and if you had any questions he would definitely answer those questions later on. This was my second time in Chicago I learned many new things by going on the tour I am glad that I did and I would recommend anyone else to do so as well. read more

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Our friend recommended going on one of the River Boat Architecture Tours during our weeklong stay in Chicago. My husband booked us two tickets with the First Lady River Cruise. Highly recommended! Our guide Bill was great. He is also a docent at the Architecture Museum. With your boat tour ticket, you also get a discount to the museum. We sat on the upper level of the boat. You can take great pictures from the upper level of the boat. Warning - If you do this in the summer, make sure to put on sunscreen and/or hat. The sun is no joke. read more

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Highly recommend! Easy to book online. Came in early June, 12:00pm reservation. I had booked a tour a year before but had to cancel last minute due to illness and they refunded me 100% the day before. Line started 30 minutes before the departure time so get there early if you want a specific spot. Chairs on top as well as some benches on the side. Seating area downstairs, bar, and complimentary water, lemonade, coffee/ tea. Nice bathrooms on board. Ed was an amazing tour guide, very knowledgeable and Chicago local who knows his history of the city!! Informative and funny! *Note: This is the only tour I've been on so I have nothing to compare it too. Some of the other tours looked bigger, I would probably try another one next time just to compare. read more

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The night tour is the best cause you get to see the city with all the lights on. Our guide was very informative. Highly recommend if you have never done this or are new to the city. Lots of history to be heard. read more

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I booked the 90-minute tour for my son and I. We had a great time! This was the ONLY tour I've ever been on where they give you the full 90 minutes worth when they say it's a 90-minute tour. I've been on tours and experiences that claim to be, say, an hour and they were just 40-45 minutes (shame on all of you other tours that do this!). This one went the full length and our tour guide, Jim, spoke for the complete 90 minutes. He is a magnificent narrator! We learned a lot about the history and architecture of the city. This is not to be missed! read more

Chicago River Boat Architecture Tours - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We took First Lady tour and it was wonderful. I appreciated the history, the views and timeline on a beautiful sunny Chicago day. The boat we were on really needs a new microphone speaker. It kept cutting out - and the presenter did her best to make it work. But it was annoying. read more

Chicago River Boat Architecture Tours - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

We loved our tour in October 2026. It was led by Patricia and she was a total pro, narrating throughout our 90 minute trip. Such a great way to get to see the beautiful buildings along the river and learn a bit about Chicago's history. Highly recommend! read more

Chicago riverboat architectural historical tour on main branch of river. Time to cruise. Nonstop 90 minutes. Talk about the architectural sky scraper wonders. foremost. Mind blowing enormously tall. Alot of humor and details on rental price @$400,000 a year. Famous people like Barack Obama and Oprah Winfrey lived here. Willis seats tower 100 stories tall 1,052 in the Windy City Sky! It's the tallest! there are 37 drawbridges on the main branch river. That's all the facts in my head could remember. The river is alive! The buildings taller than Sequoia redwood trees or Oregon Douglas Fir. Glass, concrete and steel in assorted shapes - seemingly alive like a living tree. I feel the energy of the river and the buildings standing tall. Worth the moolah. read more

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My friend who is local recommended this tour. A great tour! She talked nonstop and was very knowledgeable and entertaining. They were also very flexible when we missed the 3pm tour and they put us on the 4pm tour. Seamless. It is a little tricky finding the place . GPS led us astray. Allow time. Highly recommend!! read more

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I'm originally from this area but we make up reasons every single time we are in Chicago to go on the architectural tour. it is such a good way to relax and enjoy the view of the city. highly recommend! we've done it at last 10 times in the last 10 years and it reminds me of going on this tour the first time when I was a little girl with my dad. very nostalgic in the best way. read more

10/10 would recommend. Love, love, love this tour. Doug was the best tour guide, friendly and funny. The views are amazing. Great to see the skyline. Good information as to what we were seeing. Going through the lock was fun and unexpected. As a first-time visitor to Chicago, this is some of the best vies of the skyline. read more

A fabulous tour especially during the holidays in the evening. We loved the festive feeling around the city and having this experience from the boat on the Chicago River. The tour guide provides some facts about various buildings seen along the way and you have plenty of opportunities to get shots of all the high rises, bridges and historical sites. I highly recommend this tour for visitors and locals! read more

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Ya know what, this is a safe to-do for both tourist and locals alike. And local adjacent, in my case. It was entirely different than what I expected, and in a good way. I got to see the city from a different perspective and I think everyone should do so from time to time. Great staff, clean boat. Didn't use the facilities but I was told there are two heads on board. read more

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Every person I asked for a suggestion about what to do when in the city and everyone said to take an architecture tour. They were right. I paid for the Gropuon which made our tickets half price. The one thing Is will say is that the parking directions for were confusing to me - I could have parked much closer but ended up going to the wrong location. This was something the tickets warned about but I just didn't figure it out. There was a bar and food on board but I didn't partake. We decided to do the nighttime tour per the suggestion of those who told me about the tour and I'm happy to have done so. The buildings were so beautiful and the lights were great. Next visit I will try the day time tour. It was an excellent way to spend 90 minutes and learn some really cool facts about a great city. I highly recommend it to anyone visiting Chicago. read more

I would do this tour 10x over and over again! It was absolutely amazing and educational. I loved being on the river. We happen to sit right under the awning on the boat, so when it rained we were covered. There were so many people on the boat, but it didn't feel like it at all. I felt completely safe the entire time. When it was time to get off, they had it super organized. This is a must do tour and the views were phenomenal. read more

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Highly recommend for anyone's first visit in Chicago! Get to the dock location earlier so you can pick a good seat. it's an open air 90 min cruising and the tour guide was very knowledgeable about the history of the architectural buildings. Very interesting and informative. We did the 4pm tour and it was sunny so don't forget sunblock, a hat and sunglasses! it got chilly because of the wind so I suggest to bring a jacket as well. There is a snack bar you can buy drinks and snacks. There are restrooms at the bottom. Have fun and take lots of photos and videos! read more

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The boat was great but my kids thought it was pretty boring. We had gotten so many good reviews from friends but it did not at all live up

Chicago is our new home and this was such a fun and informative experience! The weather was beautiful. The guide literally talked so fast I couldn't catch his jokes, then for some reason was talking about his family history. It was hard to understand what he was saying as it was all very fast paced. I would gladly try another tour to see what other fun facts about Chicago! read more

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Absolutely, without question, the WORST Chicago Architecture Boat Tour ever. We were misled from the start, believing we'd be on a large, multi-deck boat. The confirmation email even showed a picture of a boat like that- a large upper deck and an enclosed lower deck. When we arrived the boat was small, just one exposed single deck. There were only 4 rows of plastic, folding chairs on the back deck, and a few more under the rear canopy (which blocked any view). We had to sit on bench seating on the side of the boat, which meant you were really only seeing one side of the river without having to uncomfortably twist around to see. On top of that they had an umbrella set up for the docent to stand under, which further blocked the view. Initially, they wouldn't let anyone sit on the bow of the boat, where there were some better seats, but when the back filled up they opened it, so the people who came late got better seats than the bench seats we were crammed knee to knee into. Oh, and we were told not to talk during the tour, which departed 10 minutes late. It rained, not their fault, but had we been on the boat we thought we were on at least we would have had shelter. My wife used the restroom, and had to ask someone to watch the door since it didn't lock. When we got back and docked, the gas fumes were overwhelming as we came it, pretty bad. As stated, no doubt about it, absolutely the worst boat tour ever. I actually spoke to the captain and he just shrugged it off, though he did say the email confirmation could be misleading after I showed it to him. We've been on others, so anyone giving a good review must not know what the experience should be. Avoid this company at all cost, 1 star is a stretch. The pic is from the email confirmation, I wish I would have taken a pic of the boat we were on, which was a fraction of the size. read more

Chicago River Boat Architecture Tours - The boat that was on our email confirmation that we thought we'd be on. - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great educational tour. Wise docents. Nice boat ride with magnificent views. Good drink selection and nice bathrooms. read more

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I know what you are thinking: who wants to do an architecture tour on their trip to Chicago? That's what my friend thought, BUT it ended up being his favorite part of the trip. It's not too expensive, informative, and a smooth process. I scheduled it perfectly at Sunset and highly recommend booking it based on the sunset time. The payment online was smooth and seamless. When we arrived at the location to board, we scanned our barcodes and got in line--getting there early so you could get a good spot on the boat, whether in the middle or on the sides. We picked the sides to sit because it was less crammed and we had more seating space. Our guide was very talkative and spoke so fast that I couldn't understand, which showed his passion for the job. During the tour, we learned about the bridges, the History of Chicago, and why the buildings were designed a certain way. Sunset made the buildings shine, and to end it off, we saw the Cetenial fountain shoot water in the river and a dancing projector show against one of the buildings called Art on the Mart. read more

We set out for the 2:30 tour on a beautiful Friday Afternoon. Everything is very well organized and the staff is incredibly friendly. Ellen was our guide -- she's a true Chicagoan, right down to her moxy and accent. The cruise was really interesting, lots of great history, courtesy of Ellen, and beautiful buildings A nice bonus were the Aperol Spritz's from the bar downstairs. I highly recommend this tour as a great way to appreciate this wonderful city! read more

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I loved everything about this from the price point that I found online and don't forget to show up in person to buy tickets to ask for other discounts. I was able to get a military discount that I was not offered online, especially from other competitors. Plenty of room for everyone to sit you can stay in the sun if it's nice out or you can go downstairs if it's rainy we're having too much sun. There's restrooms on board that were nice. They offer free drinks to a certain extent and if you want alcohol, you can purchase it. I think they have chips or snacks as well. Really great way to explore the town! Loved it. read more

Very impressive and unexpected. We were at a ball game when someone told us about this tour. This was our first time in Chicago and they highly recommended this tour. I looked it up immediately and found this one. I booked it for the next day. The confirmation was easy to follow and find the meeting point. We took the 1030 tour. It was full but not packed. We had Sadie for our guide. She is a local and was super knowledgeable. Her description of every building on the river was super impressive and very informative. She gave us historical information. She gave us information on building codes from past and present, fun facts, and she made it fun. We learned more about Chicago in 1 1/2 hours than i could have learned from a book or a class. Like what the locals did for me, I will tell you, this is a must. This was worth the cost and time we had during our trip. Make the time and take the tour. You will not be disappointed. read more

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Sam, our First Lady docent, captivated us with her extensive architectural knowledge and enthusiastic narration. The 6:00 PM tour was perfect to view the different architectural styles reflected against one another and then to see these same buildings lit up from the inside against the darkenening sky! Absolutely stunning!! 10/6/26 tour. read more

Our tour guide Justine was so cool. She was super knowledgeable about the architecture of Chicago and could relate almost every building to a cool history fact/memory/place she took her students. Had so much fun would 1000% do again. read more

Had an amazing time with my Mom and Uncle John on the Chicago Architecture Center River Tour aboard The First Lady. The docent's storytelling brought the skyline to life--history, design, and fun facts all rolled into one. Smooth boarding, friendly crew, and amazing views from start to finish. To top it off, the Chicago Riverwalk is filled with excellent restaurants, making it the perfect spot to grab food and drinks after the ride. A perfect Chicago day! read more

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What a fun excursion. We learned the architecture of Chicago from a very informative story teller, enjoyed the cruise, and even a couple beverages (they were ok). Shade was available (we snagged it!), and it made for a lovely day! I recommend it! read more

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This tour was fun and I just wanted to do something in the city for fun. Even though I'm from Chicago I just wanted to do something different and fun. Jim the tour guy was really funny and he was really knowledgeable about the city buildings and architect. I purchased this on the Groupon which was a deal and they have parking right there next to the docking boats for $10 or you can use spot hero as well too and I got the indoor parking garage for $8. So if you want to get out for the summer and do some stuff this would be really cool to do. read more

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I am requesting a refund for a Groupon I recently purchased based on misleading availability information. Before purchasing the Groupon, I visited the merchant's website to confirm that reservations were available for the boat ride during the dates I would be in town. The website showed availability, so I proceeded with the Groupon purchase. However, immediately after purchasing, I attempted to make my reservation and discovered there were no available dates or times. Had the reservation system accurately reflected that no availability existed, I would never have purchased the Groupon. I made this purchase in good faith based on the information that was presented to me. I understand that Groupon may have policies regarding refunds, but in this situation the product cannot be used as intended because of inaccurate or misleading availability information. I respectfully request a full refund to my original method of payment. I am not going away respectfully. read more

I have been on several architectural boat tours which are a great way to give visiting guests an overview of our beautiful city. This company provided the best experience I have had. Our guide Hillary was fantastic! She didn't just tick off facts-she provided insight and backstories that made the experience much more interesting. Definitely worth the trip!! read more

Best Tour in Chicago for a reason! The staff is professional and friendly. See the city in all its glory.

Woo-hoo...REVIEW #7,000! That's a lot of typing and picture snapping on a smartphone for nearly two decades, and there's always more to Yelp judging from my endless backlog. I decided to reserve this milestone review for what I consider the essential tour of an inarguably great city. This is one of several companies that provide the Chicago River boat cruises. In fact, I went on the Wendella Tour Boats several years ago in the winter and loved it. I thought it would be great to go on another one on a sunny day. For approximately $58 per person, a true bargain, we were afforded a ninety-minute tour going up and down the river narrated by a local historian Ed who turned out to be a cello alumnus of the University of Chicago. He was informative and entertaining as the unique view from the open boat allowed Jamie W. and me to appreciate Chicago's architectural greatness. Landmark buildings abound with memorable sights such as Marina City, The Wrigley Building,?Merchandise Mart. Sears (now Willis) Tower, Lakepoint Tower. Oh yes, there was the Trump International Hotel with his name spelled out for all to see and genuflect. Yeah, right. RELATED - Exploring Chicago? Here's my collection of places I've visited and reviewed: https://bit.ly/44c4CZO read more

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We went in mid-July. Apart from it being as hot as hades, it was absolutely worth it! Chicago is a stunning city but seeing it by boat is an elevated experience. Absolutely recommended!! read more

Chicago River Boat Architecture Tours - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I would still love a "LIVE AGENT" to answer the phone each time I call; but Jennifer was GREAT to speak with! She was knowledgeable and quick to respond! Thank you, Jennifer! read more

I took the Chicago Riverboat Architectural Tour with my family of four on August 30, 2025, and unfortunately, it was a very poor experience. We arrived at 9:45am to check in for the 10:00 tour, only to find that the entire top deck was already 100% full. We were forced to sit on the lower deck, which had severely obstructed views of the very buildings we came to see. Because the guide was on the top deck, I couldn't see him point to anything, so I rarely knew which building he was even talking about. The audio on the lower deck was terrible--between the motor noise and the small, inadequate speakers, I could only understand about 20% of the narration. This company should only sell as many tickets as they can accommodate with a clear view and audible experience. When I asked for a refund due to these issues, they refused. I noticed other boats, like Shoreline Sightseeing, only had a single deck where everyone had the same experience--something I would recommend instead. Overall, I wasted my morning and left disappointed. I would not recommend this tour. read more

Great tour! Went on the boat First Lady, the docent was well informed and didn't miss a beat! Highly recommend! read more

Chicago River Boat Architecture Tours - Architectural river tour - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Beautiful ride along the Chicago River with an extremely knowledgeable docent--we learned so much about Chicago architecture and history...our appreciation of this amazing area grew stronger this afternoon! read more

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