Bestseller9,647 reviews
90 minChicago River: 1.5-Hour Guided Architecture Cruise
★ 4.8 · 9,647 reviews
- 1.5 hours, All three branches of the river
- Live guide, running since 1935
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$45$30.00 / hour
Check availability→ River and lake, compared
Chicago architecture boat tour: four cruises compared
A Chicago architecture boat tour shows you the city the way its buildings were meant to be seen: from the river, looking up. Four cruises on this site are sold as architecture tours, at $28 to $45 per person, and they differ in three ways that matter: 45, about 75 or 90 minutes on the water; the river alone or the river and Lake Michigan; and how many travellers have reviewed them. Here are all four side by side, with the night cruise for the evening.
Quick answer
The short answer. For a first Chicago architecture boat tour, book the 1.5-hour guided cruise at $45: it covers all three branches of the river with a live guide, and it has 9,647 reviews at 4.8. Want Lake Michigan as well? The lake and river cruise, also $45, goes through the Chicago Lock. With small children, take the 45-minute family cruise at $28.
Chicago architecture boat tour at a glance
- Architecture cruises compared
- 4 listings19,513 reviews between them
- Lowest price
- $28per person, 45 minutes
- Most reviewed
- 9,647 reviewsthe 1.5-hour guided cruise, rated 4.8
- Highest rating
- 4.8two cruises, on 9,647 and 4,716 reviews
- Length
- 45 to 90 minutesthe family cruise is the short one
- All three river branches
- 2 of the 4the guided and the skip-the-line cruise
- Out on Lake Michigan
- 1 of the 4through the Chicago Lock, $45
- After dark
- $50night cruise on the river and lakefront
- Cancellation
- Free cancellationon all five listings on this page
Read this first
Four architectural riverboat cruises, two kinds of route
Pick the route first, then the length. The price follows from both.
On paper the four look alike: a boat, a guide, the river and the towers. In practice a Chicago architecture boat tour here is one of two routes. Three of the cruises stay on the river. One goes out through the Chicago Lock onto Lake Michigan and comes back, so you see the skyline from the water as well as from below it.
Every one of the four is guided. The 1.5-hour cruise lists a live guide, the skip-the-line cruise live narration, the lake and river cruise expert local guides, and the family cruise live, family-friendly commentary. If you were looking for a Chicago architect tour, this is the version on water: someone on board talks you through the buildings as you pass them.
Every trip, current fare
Every Chicago architecture boat tour, priced
The four architecture cruises and the night cruise, with the cost per hour worked out. The skip-the-line cruise is listed as one hour to 75 minutes, so it has no single hourly figure.
| Tour | Length | Price | What you get | Cost per hour | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago River: 1.5-Hour Guided Architecture CruiseLive guide, running since 1935 | 90 min | $45 | All three branches of the river | $30.00 | 4.8 · 9,647 |
| Chicago: Architecture River Cruise Skip-the-Ticket LineAbout 40 landmark buildings | 60 - 75 min | $39 | All three branches of the river | — | 4.8 · 4,716 |
| Chicago: 1.5-Hour Lake and River Architecture CruiseThrough the Chicago Lock | 90 min | $45 | The river and Lake Michigan | $30.00 | 4.7 · 2,234 |
| Chicago: 45-Minute Family-Friendly Architecture River CruiseFamily-friendly live commentary | 45 min | $28 | 45 minutes on the river | $37.33 | 4.7 · 2,916 |
| Chicago by Night River and Lake CruiseThrough the Chicago Harbor Lock | 90 min | $50 | The skyline lit up at night | $33.33 | 4.7 · 1,265 |
Cruise by cruise
What each Chicago River architecture boat tour covers
Each Chicago architecture boat tour on this site, with what its listing says it covers.
- The 1.5-hour guided cruise — $45, 90 minutes
A live guide and all three branches of the Chicago River. The cruise started back in 1935, and you choose between outside deck-top or indoor climate-controlled seating, with a cash bar. As a Chicago River architecture tour it is the full circuit, and it is the architectural boat tour Chicago visitors have reviewed most on this site: 9,647 reviews at 4.8. Lynne from the United States: «I really appreciated learning about the architecture of the iconic buildings.»
- The skip-the-line cruise — $39, 1 hour to 75 minutes
Live narration along the river, all three branches and 40 landmark buildings, with a cash bar. Rated 4.8 on 4,716 reviews: the same score as the 1.5-hour cruise for $6 less and up to half an hour shorter. Rodri from the United States: «Full commentary from start to finish.»
- The lake and river cruise — $45, 90 minutes
The listing calls it Chicago’s only architecture cruise on both Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. It passes through the Chicago Lock, with expert local guides, deck-top or climate-controlled seating and a cash bar. 2,234 reviews at 4.7. Paul from the United States: «we loved the view from the lake. It really gave us a sense of how large Chicago is.»
- The family cruise — $28, 45 minutes
Live, family-friendly commentary down the river, past Willis Tower on the South Branch, and a full-service bar on board. 2,916 reviews at 4.7. Kenneth from the United States: «A lot of territory covered in a relatively short time.»
- The night cruise — $50, 90 minutes
Not sold as an architecture cruise, but the evening answer: the river and the lakefront after dark, the lit skyscrapers, Buckingham Fountain’s light display and the Chicago Harbor Lock, with lively commentary. 1,265 reviews at 4.7. Nicole L from the United States called it «one of the best on the Riverwalk», so if a Chicago Riverwalk boat tour after dark is the plan, open this listing.
Forty-five minutes, 75 or 90
How long a Chicago architecture boat tour takes
Short on time? 45 minutes covers the river. Got the afternoon? Take the 90.
There are three lengths. 45 minutes is the family cruise at $28. One hour to 75 minutes is the skip-the-line cruise at $39. 90 minutes is the guided cruise and the lake and river cruise, both $45, and the night cruise at $50. Any Chicago riverboat architecture tour on this site fits in a morning or an afternoon, with time left over.
Per hour, the long cruises cost less. $45 for an hour and a half works out at $30 an hour; the family cruise at $28 works out at $37.33. What the extra 45 minutes buys is the rest of the river: the 90-minute guided cruise lists all three branches, while the family cruise names the South Branch and Willis Tower.
From the water
What you see from the deck
Three frames from the water: the lock, the lake and the river after dark.
Inside the lock
Concrete walls, green water and the towers straight ahead. The lake and river cruise passes through the Chicago Lock.
From the lake
The towers in a single line across open water: the view the lake route adds to the river.
After dark
Lit towers and a bridge reflected in the river. The night cruise runs on the river and the lakefront.
River only, or the lake too
River only, or river and Lake Michigan
One Chicago architecture boat tour goes onto the lake by day. Choose it if the lake matters to you.
The Chicago River architecture boat tour skyline is seen from below: you look up at the towers from between them. The lake adds the other view, the whole skyline in one line across open water, and it is the reason to pick the lake and river cruise over the 1.5-hour guided cruise.
Both cost $45 and both run 90 minutes, so the choice is the route, not the money. The guided cruise spends its time on all three branches of the river and is rated 4.8 on 9,647 reviews. The Chicago lake and river architecture tour goes from riverfront to lake through the Chicago Lock and is rated 4.7 on 2,234.
The night cruise passes through a lock too, the Chicago Harbor Lock. Michael from the United States: «Got to experience the Chicago Locks when passing from the river into the lake and then on the return trip to port.» That makes it a second way onto the lake, after dark, at $50.
Book direct
Each Chicago architecture boat tour, ready to book
The four architecture cruises, the most reviewed first, and the night cruise for the evening.
Through the Chicago Lock2,234 reviews
90 minChicago: 1.5-Hour Lake and River Architecture Cruise
★ 4.7 · 2,234 reviews
- 1.5 hours, The river and Lake Michigan
- Through the Chicago Lock
- Open deck or climate-controlled seating
- Free cancellation
$45$30.00 / hour
Check availability→ 
About 40 landmark buildings4,716 reviews
60 - 75 minChicago: Architecture River Cruise Skip-the-Ticket Line
★ 4.8 · 4,716 reviews
- 60 - 75 minutes, All three branches of the river
- About 40 landmark buildings
- Live narration on board
- Free cancellation
Bestseller2,916 reviews
45 minChicago: 45-Minute Family-Friendly Architecture River Cruise
★ 4.7 · 2,916 reviews
- 45 minutes, 45 minutes on the river
- Family-friendly live commentary
- Bestseller
- Free cancellation
$28$37.33 / hour
Check availability→ 
Through the Chicago Harbor Lock1,265 reviews
90 minChicago by Night River and Lake Cruise
★ 4.7 · 1,265 reviews
- 1.5 hours, The skyline lit up at night
- Through the Chicago Harbor Lock
- Buckingham Fountain light display
- Free cancellation
$50$33.33 / hour
Check availability→ The straight verdict
Which cruise an architect fan should book
Book the 90 minute Chicago architecture boat tour if this is your first time. $45, a live guide, all three branches, 9,647 reviews at 4.8. Of every architecture tour Chicago sells on the water, it has the most reviews on this site. Lynne from the United States: «I highly recommend this to be one of the first things you do when coming to Chicago for the first time.» For the best architecture tour Chicago gives a first-timer, start there.
Book the lake and river cruise for Lake Michigan. The same $45 and 90 minutes, plus the Chicago Lock and the view from the lake.
Book the family cruise with children. It is the shortest Chicago architecture boat tour family groups can book here: 45 minutes, $28, family-friendly commentary.
Want the 4.8 rating for less? The skip-the-line cruise at $39 runs an hour to 75 minutes.
Before you book
Four things to check before you pay
Two minutes on the listing before you pay for a Chicago architecture boat tour.
- Where you want to sit
The 1.5-hour guided cruise and the lake and river cruise list deck-top or climate-controlled seating. Maren from the United States: «The best seats however, were on the upper deck where you could see the guide.»
- Drinks are paid for on board
The 90-minute architecture cruises list a cash bar and the family cruise a full-service bar. Drinks are not part of the ticket price.
- Shade while you wait
Leah from the United States, on the family cruise: «the line that you wait in by the bridge is not shaded… Bring yourself a water and/or a hat.»
- The cancellation terms
Free cancellation on all five listings on this page. Note the exact deadline on your booking.
Seen the towers from the water and want them from the air? The one helicopter flight on this site is $130 per person, 7 to 20 minutes.
The helicopter flight→Common questions
Chicago architecture boat tour questions, answered
Which is the best Chicago architecture boat tour?
By reviews, the 1.5-hour guided cruise: 9,647 reviews at 4.8, all three branches of the river, a live guide, $45. For Lake Michigan as well, the lake and river cruise at $45. With young children, the 45-minute family cruise at $28.
What is the Chicago architecture boat tour price?
$28 to $45 per person for the four architecture cruises: $28 for the 45-minute family cruise, $39 for the skip-the-line cruise and $45 for each of the two 90-minute cruises. The night cruise is $50. Drinks are extra.
How long does a Chicago architecture boat tour last?
45 minutes on the family cruise, one hour to 75 minutes on the skip-the-line cruise and 90 minutes on the guided cruise and the lake and river cruise. The night cruise is 90 minutes too.
Does any architecture cruise go out on Lake Michigan?
One of the four: the lake and river cruise, $45 and 90 minutes, through the Chicago Lock. After dark, the night cruise at $50 also goes from the river onto the lakefront through the Chicago Harbor Lock.
Which architecture cruise is best with children?
The 45-minute family cruise at $28, with live, family-friendly commentary. Ahsan from the United States: «My whole family of 8 thoroughly enjoyed it.» The listings here state no age rules, so check the listing before you book.
Is there a sunset architecture tour Chicago visitors can book?
Not by that name: none of the listings here promises a sunset. For the evening there is the night cruise, $50 and 90 minutes on the river and lakefront after dark. Wilmari from the United States took the 1.5-hour guided cruise «at sunset/night», so the times on the listing are worth a look.
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