I did the Birth of a Skyscraper tour with Mitch, and it was incredible!! I gained a deeper appreciation for Chicago's buildings. My partner even said that even though he passes by some of these buildings everyday, he didn't realize things until Mitch pointed them out! Mitch was engaging and friendly. He answered all of our questions as well, and I enjoyed his "storytelling format" of the tour. He also communicated with us about when and where we should meet. I highly recommend Free Tours by Foot for anyone visiting Chicago! read more

Bruce was a great guide on our Lincoln Park tour! Lots of info about Chicago's gangsters. Thank you Bruce!!

While the tour started out good led by Bruce and we were excited to hear about the Gangsters it quickly turned into a very boring commercial for things within Chicago - pizza, hot dogs, theatre .... Bruce had a list that he kept referring to and items that he had to plug. It was a very disappointing tour -- and Even more so because I've been on FTOF all over the world and have never experienced this before, anywhere. Oh well. Weather was beautiful and enjoyed my time with my friends. read more

We had the best time with Michael who lead our group through the history, culture and architecture. It was the winter riverwalk (even though it's Spring) and it was delightful. I highly recommend this activity for any age. We had a 9 and 15 year old who had a blast! read more

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Educational and great tour guides with a lot of insight! One of the highlights of our trip to Chicago. Want to go on all of their tours now and most certainly will next time I return to Chicago. Did the Skyscraper tour and learned about the evolution of skyscrapers throughout the years. The tour guide made sure to point out details as we walked down the street to our next stop. 5/5 would recommend read more

Took a tour of the Riverfront with Bryan. Fantastic tour. I have previously taken an architecture tour by boat so wasn't sure how much would overlap. Turns out-- next to nothing! Bryan had such interesting stories, information, and advice. Such a great use of time-- learned so much-- really enjoyable. Would not hesitate to recommend you take this tour! read more

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So it seems as if the option to review Free Tours by Foot is for the company itself versus a specific tour provided by Free Tours so I opted to give them 4 stars. However, I will state that while I was in Chicago, I took 3 tours from them and I really enjoyed the Chicago Crime & Gangster Tour led by Bruce Pilkenton and he was great. If I was to give a review of him and the gangster tour, it would be 5 stars, but since it's a general review I gave it 4 stars. The other 2 tours I took were just okay, one being very boring. I have been on many walking tours and very much appreciate the option of paying what I can and/or what I think it's worth so Free Tours is a great option. The only negative is that there may be a lot of standing around and no restroom options. It would be great if some can be incorporated somewhere along the tours. read more

I had the pleasure of being shown and told about Chicago by Mike. He is very knowledgeable and loves the city he is showing you. The cold didn't stop him and it was very enjoyable. Recommend to anyone that wants to learn about Chicago. Tip: go on the tour at the beginning of your trip and not the end like me. You will want to go back to some of the spots. read more

My wife and I attended the Lincoln Park Gangster tour led by Mitch. Highly recommend this. I learned a lot and it was a very entertaining look into a very historic neighborhood. This is a fantastic tour that is well worth your time read more

Free Tours by Foot - Where Dillinger was killed - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Bruce was definitely an Insider on details of Chicago. He was a great tour leader with lots of information. I enjoyed his sense of humor. I also enjoyed the slow pace yet so much packed into the time we spent with him. read more

Chicago Riverwalk tour in September was informative with lots of info about the history of not just the riverwalk but of the city and it's architecture. Lots of beautiful buildings. Brian provided lots of tips for doing things around the city as well. Our group had a truly international vibe as well. Many people born in one country, residing in another AND visiting the US and Chicago. The walk was not strenuous and well timed. Brian even took some time to take photos for anyone in the group that wanted them. And the weather was great that day. I always check to see if there's a free tours by foot at my destination. I have done these tours in other cities and countries and have never been disappointed. The guides are always welcoming and pleasant people. Thanks to all of you! read more

This is my third Free Tours by Foot in Chicago, and as always, it was just what I wanted it to be for my out of town guests. We did the West Loop tour and it was full of fun facts and city history, even in the rain! Bruce was well informed with upcoming events and was more than excited to suggest things for people to do after the tour concluded. My advice, try to take a city tour at the beginning of your visit so you can capitalize on these suggestions of local hot spots and activities to do. read more

There is no reason to not take advantage of this awesome group. I recently went on the Chicago Loop and Millennium Park Tour with guide Bruce. He was amazing and extremely knowledgeable. It was a little over 2 hours and a lot of learning! Stopped at some great spots and got great recommendations for places to check out on our own. You can't beat this opportunity. Please consider it for your next vacation! Just because it's free - TIP YOUR GUIDE! They deserve it and still makes it an extremely affordable experience. read more

We were in town for the Rolling Stones concert and decided to take the walking tour on Friday morning. Bruce was an amazing source of information and we learned so much about the city, stwo 13775 Henskee Road Alden, NY - New York 14004 read more

Aram was a fantastic, professional, and knowledgeable tour guide. I especially enjoyed his opinions on food rankings and city rivalry. His large voice made him easy to hear over the city sounds too. read more

My husband and I did the gangster and blues tour with Mitch it was amazing!!! He was so knowledgeable a d entertaining. I learned so much in the time we were with him and am so happy that we picked this event. I cannot wait to go again. It was a surprise date for my husband. We are both Chicago natives, well, my husband is originally from California but not lived here. We had a blast. read more

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We did the architectural tour. It was awesome. This is a must do if you are in Chicago. Free tours by foot does a phenomenal job!!!! Highly recommend. read more

I took the Loop and Millennium Park Tour with Aram on a recent trip to Chicago and really enjoyed it. Aram is a terrific guide and very knowledgeable. I learned a lot! I highly recommend this tour to any visitor to Chicago! read more

Free Tours by Foot - An untitled sculpture by Picasso, but not really by Picasso. Take the tour to find out more. - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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I can not recommend this company Enough! I had the pleasure of taking 2 tours with them. The first was with Larry on Monday 8/3 at 2pm. The Gold Coast & Lincoln park tour. I will say there was a mix up with this tour as I received a confirmation that told me to be there at 9:30 am, so I contacted and asked why I should be there at 9:30 when my tour was at 2. They made sure that I knew to be there at 1:50. I even received a call from Mike and he made sure I'd found my location - I showed up at the meeting spot about 5 minutes before the tour guide. There were 25 people supposed to be on the tour, but only 2 of us showed up. We waited 15 minutes, our guide checked inside the hotel, inside the coffee shop and when 2:15 rolled around, we took off. It appears that Lucielle F may have missed us, as it was myself, a gentleman from England and Larry. Larry was awesome, he showed us all over the Gold Coast and the various neighborhoods. He pointed out prominent homes and was very patient with me as I paused about every 50 feet to take photos - I have a huge thing for awesome doors. When we got to the Lincoln park area, he took us through the walk way, pointed out the area where the big trees used to be and explained why they had been removed, Then he showed us the pond which was thriving with life. The fish! The Ducks! And the ZOO!!!! I didn't even know there was such thing as a free public zoo! And it's so very well maintained. We had a great walk and talk. My 2nd experience was just as good. Michael did the Chicago Riverfront tour the next morning at 10 am. We were given the ins/outs of the Chicago skyline from both sides of the river. I loved learning about the gigantic middle finger to the city during prohibition. About the Jewelry building and why the Wrigley building maintains looking clean,and how it has the illusion of looking taller than it is. This guy was full of so much knowledge! Both guides were personable, friendly and ultra knowledgable. I really enjoyed both tours greatly and hope that the next time I'm in a city they'll also have these tours. Thanks Larry & Michael! read more

Free Tours by Foot - Trump building on the Riverwalk tour - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Our tour of Chicago architecture was leAd by Sean Grosshans. Sean provides a wonderful, light hearted, and insightful tour of the Chicago downtown area. He has a keen way to describe the wonders of historical architecture and the majestic modern skyscrapers. The Free Tours by Foot are easy walking. Stress free and a perfect way to see the city. Also, our guide Sean was funny and respectful. Thanks to him and Go big Red read more

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During a 2.5 day stay in Chicago last weekend I came only across the Free Tours by Foot by chance. And I am glad I did. On a very short notice I was able to join the Magnificent Mile Tour with Michael on Saturday morning and the Loop and Millennium Park Tour with Mike on Sunday morning. Both tours very highly informative and entertaining. Mike even offered taking group pictures in front of the Chicago theatre and the Bean and forwarded them to the group afterwards. Even before the tour started the guides communicated via email (w/o displaying the participants email addresses at any time) where to meet and both forwarded a picture of themselves. This really helped a lot when trying to find an unknown person in a crowd of tourists in a place you've never been before. Sonthanks a lot for that. The tours lasted around 2 hours each and we were very lucky that Mike met up with us at all after a severe thunderstorm had only stopped minutes before our tour. At the end, they did not not ask for any tips at all but everyone had such a great time that we all happily handed over an amount that was of everyone's own discretion of course. I can only recommend Free Tours by Food and hope they'll expand they business to other cities (in Europe) too. read more

Free Tours by Foot - The Bean in Chicago - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Great tour through Lincoln Park with James! He was very knowledgeable about the history of the area and helpful with suggestions of additional places to see in Chicago. Highly recommend! read more

Awesome tours with Mitch. We did the skyscrapers tour as well as the Lincoln Park tour. Mitch is super knowledgeable and friendly, and a true Chicago lover. I would recommend these tours for anyone visiting Chicago, a must! read more

I took the Chicago Gold Coast tour on 5/21/24 with Brian Smith and absolutely loved it. It went from The Drake Hotel to close to North Avenue. The residential architecture in that area (mostly from the late 1800s and early 1900s) is wonderful to view and Brian provided a rich history of the area through his commentary that brought it all to life. It was a great tour filled with fascinating information and a fun glimpse into the past. Brian was an excellent tour guide and I would like to take more tours that he leads. read more

Mitch was our Tour guide and he was great! Very informative and funny at the same time. I will definitely recommend this to friends and do another tour with them in the future. Thanks again Mitch read more

what a great way to experience a city, and fit for every budget! Our guide bruce went above and beyond!

Great time on the ghost tour with Mitch! He was funny, knowledgeable, and sincerely made you feel like he was enjoying his time as much as you did. Highly recommend and will do more of the tours next time we are in town read more

Free Tours by Foot - Chicago theater on State street - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The Gangster Tour was very interesting. Even lifelong Chicago residents will learn a lot. Great Tour Group!!

Had a great tour with Bruce in Chicago. He had lots of great stories about the history of the city. It was a fairly large group of about 18, however, everyone felt comfortable asking questions. His voice carries so we could all hear him during the tour. He also had great recommendations for restaurants, plays and other Chicago events. I would highly recommend this tour for an overview of the loop and Millennium Park. Bruce was great!! read more

Michael eas entertaining and knowledgeable on the Riverwalk & History tour. He knew his facts and kept everyone's attention. Please take advantage of this wonderful resource when in Chicago and so many more American and international cities. read more

We had an amazing tour with Mitch! We rented bikes and rode/learned about the World's Fair as we stopped along the way. Mitch filled us on on facts and even provide pictures. I asked if he was a history teacher, he seemed to love the history of Chicago so much! We paid for another tour later, and didn't enjoy it near as much! We Highly recommend this tour AND Mitch!!! read more

Free Tours by Foot - Bikes we rented on location. - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Excellent two hour with an excellent guide. Amazing way to learn about the beautiful, contradictory complex city that is chicago.

My husband and I took a tour with Aram on July 14th. We have visited Chicago in the past, but it's always nice to take a refresher tour. We enjoyed the information that our guide shared, as well as his general affection for the city. We also learned a couple of new things about Chicago that increased our appreciation of this beautiful city. read more

Free Tours by Foot - Skyline from sunset cruise. - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Amazing! We recently did the winter loop tour. It was freezing cold outside but it was so worth it. Our tour guide was an older gentleman (apologies I forgot his name) who had a wealth of knowledge about some of the famous buildings in downtown Chicago. We really enjoyed the tour, thank you! read more

I love free tours by foot, I have used them in multiple cities and they never disappoint. They are an incredible value as you tip based on how satisfied you are with the tour (all tours are VERY GOOD). All of the tour guides I've met have been very thorough and incredibly interesting people to learn from. I highly recommend FTBF read more

We did the downtown indoor and outdoor holiday light tour. Our host was super friendly, knowledgeable and helpful. Learned and saw so much. Hosts are paid on tips so bring your cash. read more

By the time I leave Chicago, I will have gone to 4 of these tours. My first one was Lincoln Park Blues & Gangster tour with Bruce. It was awesome! He was super informative and knowledgable, and he projected his voice really well so we could all hear him. It was really fun, and I really enjoyed walking around the neighborhood and learning about the gangster scene! My second one was Chicago Riverwalk & History Tour with Michael. We went to a bit of the riverwalk, and there was a big emphasis on architecture and history of Chicago. It was pretty interesting too, and I felt like I got overloaded with history! My third one was North Loop and Millennium Park Tour with Mel and Emir. They were super friendly, really energetic, and very engaging. They were very entertaining as well; at some point they recited a poem for us! It was a lot of fun going on the tour with them, and I definitely learned a lot about the loop! This was my first walking tour ever where there were two tourguides for the same tour, but they played off of each other really well and it was really fun. My fourth and last one (in two days!) was Architecture Tour with Alexander. He is very knowledgable about skyscrapers and architecture for sure! He was very engaging and I really enjoyed the tour. It started getting a bit repetitive towards the end, but hey at least now I can tell you what Chicago architecture constitutes! In general, all the tourguides had really engaging personalities and were very knowledgable. Good storytellers too! I really enjoyed all the tours, and I highly highly highly recommend going on a tour with them! read more

I took my brother on the Birth of the Skyscraper tour and it was outstanding. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable. The tour combined Chicago history with information about the evolution of architecture. I have already recommended this tour to friends living locally. read more

As a new Chicago resident, I'm intentionally playing tourist in my new home town to learn its nooks and crannies. Since free walking tours are my "go to" when I'm visiting new cities around the world, I decided to see what I could find available for the same day when we had a free Sunday. I reserved the 11am Sunday Magnificient Mile tour around 9am that same morning, and within minutes, had a confirmation email with detailed instructions about where to meet our guide and what to look for. I was really impressed with Michael's tour. It was the perfect blend of architecture, history, local insider knowledge, and humor. The two hour, mile-long tour was filled with content. As I mentioned, I've done "free" walking tours around the world (Reykjavík, Zurich, elsewhere), and this was easily in the top two I've done in the world. While I've walked the Magnificient Mile many times already in my short Chicago residency, I saw things during our tour I had never stopped to see, and I learned history that will enrich my time walking the Mile going forward. The tours are "free" in the sense that there's no fixed price, but the guides work on gratuity, so bring cash to pay at the end of the tour (though our guide also had a square reader so he could accept credit cards which was *much* appreciated). The $20/person recommended amount was more than worth it given the duration and content of our tour. I'm already looking at which other tours we could do when my dad is in town next month! I highly recommend Free Tours By Foot, particularly the Magnificent Mile tour with Michael, for tourists and locals alike. read more

Love this tour! My friend and I did the same tour in New Orleans and was just as great. We did a few tours in Chicago and my favorite was with Adam who led the Twilight Riverwalk Tour and Ghost Tour. He did a fantastic job, knew his history, and was very personable. He also made some recommendations of where to visit, which was nice. He was by far my favorite! Bruce also did a great job and was interesting during the North Loop & Millennium Tour. We started the Magnificent Mile Tour with Michael, but left after the first few minutes. He was a little intense like someone else said and his personality was not for us. Overall, the trip to Chicago was fantastic and Free Tours By Foot made the difference! read more

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