Visiting Chicago can be a joy. The city has supreme architecture, friendly people and incomparable food. Whether you spend a day hanging out at Millennium Park, having lunch outside the Art Institute of Chicago, or strolling along the Magnificent Mile, Chicago is a wonderful city to visit, and you will quickly feel right at home.
Chicago is a big city, in fact, it’s the third-largest city in the United States, and if you’re visiting for the first time, you’ll want to do some careful planning in order to fully enjoy your visit. Chicago has so many great places to visit and so many attractions to see, that you’ll want to visit them all.
A practical way to see Chicago’s great landmarks is to go on a tour of the city. There are many kinds of tours available to visitors; bike tours, boat rides, cruises, and even walking tours. Check out this list of top 10 tours of Chicago.
Bobby’s Bike Hike Tours
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The most popular bike tours in Chicago are the Bobby’s Bike Hike Tours, which offer a wide variety of fun tours that cater to groups. The company provides the bikes and plans out the itinerary, and even offers night hotspot tours. Be sure to try out the Obama stimulus package bike tour while you’re in town.
Second City Neighborhood Tour
If you’re looking for a fun tour, then check out one of the funniest tours around; the Second City Neighborhood Tour. This tour allows you to learn a lot about the history of the Old Town area in a relaxed, pleasant environment. Tour guides walk visitors around the neighborhood providing anecdotal quips and hilarious stories of celebrities and locals.
Absolutely Chicago Segway Tours
For another fun tour, then look no further than the Absolutely Chicago Segway Tours. These tours take visitors all over the city at some of the most entertaining places such as Millennium Park and the Chicago Lakefront, depending on their chosen tour. The evening tour takes visitors to the Navy Pier to enjoy the fireworks display whenever they are scheduled.
Chicago Food Planet Tours
Chicago is well-known for its fantastic food. Doesn’t it make sense to take a food tour of Chicago, to experience the best of what the city has to offer? The critically-acclaimed Chicago Food Planet Tours are the way to go if you’re visiting Chicago. This company offers different tours depending on your taste. Choose between the Bucktown/Wickertown food tour, the Near North food Tour, and the Chinatown food tour. Get interesting tidbits about the various neighborhoods you’re visiting and their architecture, while tasting some of the culinary magic they have to offer.
Loop Train tour
Want to discover Chicago through a different lens? Then hop on the Loop Train tour which offers an elevated view of some of Chicago’s most famous architectural masterpieces. Visitors from out of town as well as natives enjoy going on the famed L Train and discovering the architectural history of this great city. The tour is free and the tour operators very knowledgeable about the history of the city, its architecture, and of the train itself.
Chicago’s Haunting Tours
Feeling a little daring? Then you should embark on Chicago’s Haunting Tours. This 2.5 hour interactive tour takes visitors to some of Chicago’s most actively haunted locations and is the most highly-rated ghost tour in Chicago. The company provides many different tours that allow visitors to delve into the city’s haunted history through visits to murder sights, graveyards, notorious haunted streets and much more.
Cruise of Chicago at sunset
If you want to take a break from the city, and discover Chicago from the water, then a boat tour might be in order. Wendella offers different boat rides that will take you around the Chicago River or Lake Michigan or both. There’s even a special 2-hour cruise of Chicago at sunset, which provides a romantic ride along the lakefront.
Cruise of Chicago at night
Can’t get enough of Chicago by water? Then hop on an entertainment cruise and make a night of it. The Odyssey offers great dining, live music and a spectacular view of the city by night. There are also many other entertainment cruises which offer their services by day such as the Spirit of Chicago, the Mystic Blue, Seadog which even provides speedboat excursions.
Chicago jazz tour
Chicago is well known for its vibrant music scene, and going on a Chicago jazz tour can be a great way to discover it. The Chicago Jazz Cub Crawl allows visitors to hit up some of the best jazz clubs in the city all in one night for a flat fee.
Chicago Trolley and Double Decker
One of the most popular tours in Chicago is the Chicago Trolley and Double Decker. The tour offers hop on and hop off services spanning 13 miles of sightseeing and has 18 stops. Visitors can hop on the signature red and green buses and get off to visit the venues they like at their leisure. There are also private charters available for special events and those offering specialized tours.