90-Minute Chicago River Architecture Tour

Overview

Be inspired by the captivating, visual art that is Chicago’s legendary architecture, and the exceptional architects who created this ever-changing, dynamic legacy for all to enjoy and admire. This comprehensive 90 minute tour will navigate through the heart of the city on all three branches of the Chicago River while your professionally-trained architectural guide tells the story of more than 130 years of innovation in design, style and technique and why it is important today. The Chicago River Architecture Tour is the most authentic and encompassing Chicago experience the city has to offer.

City: Chicago

Mon 18 Nov

Other dates

You can choose the date already on the booking website

Starting at $42.00

Make a reservation

Mon 18 Nov

Starting at $42.00

Make a reservation

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What's Included

Indoor and outdoor seating available (indoor is climate controlled)

Narrated tour on board by professionally trained tour guide.

Additional Info

Public transportation options are available nearby
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Weapons prohibited by US Coast Guard
Outside alcohol is prohibited
All bags subject to search
Arrive 30 Minutes prior to your departure time.
Contact tour operator for wheelchair & ADA access
Indoor and outdoor seating is available on a first come, first served basis
Maps are available with highlights in simplified Chinese. They can picked up per request at the ticket window.
Hand sanitiser available to travellers and staff
Regularly sanitised high-traffic areas
Gear/equipment sanitised between use
Transportation vehicles regularly sanitised
Paid stay-at-home policy for staff with symptoms
All Wendella staff is vaccinated against the COVID-19 virus.

What To Expect

Wendella

Vessels depart from Wendella's docks at the northwest corner of the Michigan Avenue Bridge (DuSable Bridge), at the foot of the Wrigley Building.

Skydeck Chicago - Willis Tower

The tallest building in the Western Hemisphere

Centennial Fountain And Water Arc

Dedicated in 1989 to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago, known for reversing the flow of the Chicago River in 1900. For the first five minutes of every hour, the fountain shoots a water arc across the river from a tiered waterfall.

Merchandise Mart

The largest commercial building in the world.

Michigan Avenue Bridge

Michigan Avenue is home of the Chicago Water Tower, the Art Institute of Chicago, Millennium Park, and the shopping on the Magnificent Mile.

Wrigley Building

This white, terra-cotta landmark was built in 1922 as headquarters for the Wrigley chewing gum company.

Chicago Riverwalk

An open, pedestrian waterfront called the city's 'Second Lakefront.'

Lyric Opera of Chicago

Second-largest opera auditorium in North America, with an Art Deco interior

Marina City

Pass by these iconic mixed-use apartment buildings - "a city within a city" with their unique corn-cob exterior.

Show 6 more stops

Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Traveler Photos

Reviews (1000)

Alexa_S

Jul 2022

Absolutely amazing!!! I highly recommend going! Worth the money! Our tour guide was wonderful! One of the best ways to see the city!

Mike N

Jul 2022

My wife and I had previously done the Chicago River Architecture Tour (CRAT) after sunset and enjoyed it a great deal. We recently also did it with our entire extended family (16 of us) with sunset happening in the middle of the tour, and that was also great. I should also note that they have extended the tour from our last time (5 years ago) as it now goes down to China town (nice). We enjoyed both times and even though we were sprinkled on by the weather gods, the entire family was really happy with the tour. These tours are really great on your own and even better with a group. The tour takes you down 3 sections of the Chicago river with some really good narration by a live tour guide. 90 minutes is a good amount of time, but wish it were a bit longer (just nice being on the water at night). The sites are absolutely wonderful to look at and the informational content is really good. You even get an opportunity to ask questions. The boats are clean, stable, and pokes along at a nice speed of around 5 MPH. There is also a bar with soft and hard drinks available for purchase along with bathrooms on board. Here are some tips. > Tickets purchased through resellers are the same price as tickets purchased directly from Wendella. > Tickets purchased through resellers are generally refundable up to 24 hours in advance of the tour date. > Tickets purchased through Wendella are non-refundable, but are transferable to another person and/or date. > I had problems getting tickets for a Saturday evening a week out from retailers who sell the Wendella tickets (they were sold out), but when I contacted Wendella directly, they had tickets available all the way up to the day of the tour, so contact them directly if problems. But don’t wait to buy tickets, as it’s not uncommon for them to sell out. > I personally recommend doing the tour after sunset as the city is very beautiful at night all lit up. If you want to do a combo, then bock something just before sunset and you will get the day and night views. > “Size Matters” in many things (boats too). If you feel this way, then you will want to target one of their larger boats. I have been on one of their larger boats and on their smallest once, and the larger ones are definitely more enjoyable. The only way I know of to target a larger boat is to call Wendella (number on their web site) and ask which CRATs are on their larger boats. You can them buy from them or a reseller. Unfortunately, this may restrict which time you opt for. > The Wendella dock is across the river from the River Walk, thus nice to do before or after the tour. > There are some nice looking restaurants on the riverwalk which would be nice to eat at pre/post tour. However, we ate at Sweetwater Tavern and Grill two block south of the river on Michigan (was pretty good and an easy walk to the boats). If you want to try Chicago Style Deep Disk Pizza, there is a Giordano’s Pizza which is a ½ block further. > There seem to be plenty of reasonable priced parking garages around there, specially south of the river. We did not have a car, but some of the family did drive in and used online websites (parking hero?) to shop for and reserve parking. I’m sure this is much better than going in cold. > The Riverwalk is pretty nice. Further, after dark (around 9PM right now), there is some type of visual effects (movie?) shown on the Merchandise Mart building which can be viewed from the Riverwalk. We say it passing by in the boat…looked pretty nice. > Check the weather. The upper deck is open air and where you want to be. If rain is possible, think about buying/bringing some dime store disposable rain ponchos. We got sprinkled and almost broke them out, but did not need them after all. Still glad we had them as it’s not nice to be trapped on a boat in the rain. > Make sure you bring a camera, lots to take pictures off. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Valerie_B

Jul 2022

Wonderful experience and great way to get familiar with the city. The boat was very spacious and comfortable. Our guide was very knowledgeable and with a great sense of humor. We took this tour with our 12 years old son. All of us enjoyed it very much and we will highly recommend this tour to others.