Sightseeing Cruises

45-min Chicago River Architecture Cruise by Wendella

4.8/5(2,091)

Cornelia H

Group

Verified booking

3 weeks ago

We love this architecture cruise! This is the second time my husband and I have gone on this tour. We brought his mother from London! She loved it. It's really educational without being overwhelming. And it's beautiful. It's such a unique way to see the city. It's the #1 thing I recommend to those visiting the city. (Our tour guide was great. But he went on and on about how you HAVE to leave downtown and how being downtown was horrible and touristy. As a Chicagoan, I agree. But it was a little over the top and aggressive the way he kept saying it. He also didn't recommend other neighborhoods to go to. If you're going to make a big deal of it, you better recommend neighborhoods and places to go not downtown.)

Ronald J

Couple

Verified booking

5 days ago

Took the 745 pm tour and loved every moment! Our tour guide was beyond knowledgeable of each building and even added in some jokes and yes he was actually funny lol. best part of the cruise for me was learning that the dark night movie was filmed here and actually seeing some of the buildings like the bank the joker robbed in the beginning of the movie! Highly recommend taking the Wendella boat tour

Robin M

Group

Verified booking

2 weeks ago

Our docent was spectaular! So informative, with a dazzling display of ingtresting facts about what we were sailing by. She not only told us about each building (when it was erected, how many floors, how much office space, etc.) she also named the architects behind the creation of the building! We all enjoyed the boat tour very much. (And she gave us a great suggestion for lunch when all done

Joseph D

Solo

Verified booking

3 weeks ago

There were so many things I enjoyed about the forty-five minute architectural tour. It was an superb value, the length was just right for all the other things we wanted to do that day, super-easy to get to by public transit, and Kaye, our guide, was informative, fun, and humorous. We wanted to adopt her! I would definitely take this tour again with other vistimg guests!

Janet R

Group

Verified booking

2 weeks ago

Our family of 5 all loved this cruise. Our guide was very knowledgeable and had some wonderful stories to tell as we sailed along the river. We learned a lot about the area, buildings and got quite the history lesson. Time went by way too quickly. I highly recommend this cruise. The skyline is absolutely gorgeous. You will not be disappointed.

Kandra M

Group

Verified booking

3 days ago

The cruise was excellent, on time, friendly staff, excellent views and knowledgeable tour guide. My only suggestion is the guide should talk slower and more distinctly. There were many foreigners who could not understand what she said. Thus, we did not hear or respond to some of her jokes. Otherwise, it was a very pleasant experience!

45-min Chicago River architecture cruise (as per option selected)

90-min Chicago River architecture cruise (as per option selected)

Expert tour guide

Food and beverages (available for purchase onboard)

TOTAL DURATION45 minutes
1 Boarding point
Wendella's Michigan Avenue Docks
Get direction
Sights covered
London Guarantee Building
Carbide and Carbon Building
Crain Communications Building
35 East Wacker
Leo Burnett Building
77 West Wacker
Chicago Riverwalk
LaSalle/Wacker Building
333 West Wacker
Civic Opera Building
CME Center
Willis Tower
2 North Riverside Plaza
100 N Riverside Plaza
150 N Riverside Plaza
River Point
Merchandise Mart
Reid-Murdoch Center
Marina City
AMA Plaza
Trump International Hotel & Tower
Wrigley Building
Tribune Tower
NBC Tower
Centennial Fountain
Lake Point Tower
TOTAL DURATION1 hour 30 minutes
1 Boarding point
Wendella's Michigan Avenue Docks
Get direction
Sights covered
Lake Point Tower
Centennial Fountain
NBC Tower
Tribune Tower
Wrigley Building
Trump International Hotel & Tower
AMA Plaza
Marina City
Merchandise Mart
Reid-Murdoch Center
Residences at River Bend
Kinzie Park
River Point
150 N Riverside Plaza
100 N Riverside Plaza
2 North Riverside Plaza
Old Post Office
Union Station Power House
Canal Street Railroad Bridge
River City
The Southbank
311 South Wacker
Willis Tower
Chicago Board of Trade
CME Center
Civic Opera Building
333 West Wacker
LaSalle/Wacker Building
Chicago Riverwalk
77 West Wacker
Leo Burnett Building
35 East Wacker
Carbide and Carbon Building
London Guarantee Building
Aon Center
Aqua Tower
Vista Tower
Crain Communications Building
Chicago Marine Safety Station
Goose Island
The Domain

You can cancel these tickets up to 24 hours before the experience begins and get a full refund.

2,091 reviews
How do we collect reviews?
These ratings include verified reviews from both Headout guests and our trusted partners who operate this experience locally. All reviews come from real travelers who've taken this experience.
1.8K
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Guests from Canada, United Kingdom, Mexico and over 52 countries have loved this experience
What our guests say
Cornelia H
Group
Verified booking
3 weeks ago
We love this architecture cruise! This is the second time my husband and I have gone on this tour. We brought his mother from London! She loved it. It's really educational without being overwhelming. And it's beautiful. It's such a unique way to see the city. It's the #1 thing I recommend to those visiting the city. (Our tour guide was great. But he went on and on about how you HAVE to leave downtown and how being downtown was horrible and touristy. As a Chicagoan, I agree. But it was a little over the top and aggressive the way he kept saying it. He also didn't recommend other neighborhoods to go to. If you're going to make a big deal of it, you better recommend neighborhoods and places to go not downtown.)
Joseph D
Solo
Verified booking
3 weeks ago
There were so many things I enjoyed about the forty-five minute architectural tour. It was an superb value, the length was just right for all the other things we wanted to do that day, super-easy to get to by public transit, and Kaye, our guide, was informative, fun, and humorous. We wanted to adopt her! I would definitely take this tour again with other vistimg guests!
Janet R
Group
Verified booking
2 weeks ago
Our family of 5 all loved this cruise. Our guide was very knowledgeable and had some wonderful stories to tell as we sailed along the river. We learned a lot about the area, buildings and got quite the history lesson. Time went by way too quickly. I highly recommend this cruise. The skyline is absolutely gorgeous. You will not be disappointed.
Cassandra W
Couple
Verified booking
Last week
The tour was very educational. Our tour guide was very knowledgeable and she was very eloquent in her commentary. She really engaged us during the tour and it was a lot of fun. I would definitely recommend that to my friends who visit the city.
Amanda P
Couple
Verified booking
3 weeks ago
The architectural boat cruise was a great way to see the city and learn about the buildings while enjoying a break from walking. The tour guide was very informative. It was nice to be able to walk around the boat and get different views too!

What to bring

If you wish to purchase refreshments at the snack bar, bring your credit card along, as cash transactions are unavailable.

What's not allowed

Keep in mind that alcohol, weapons, flammables, and explosives are not allowed on this experience.

Your voucher will be emailed to you instantly.

Please arrive at the meeting point 30 mins before the scheduled time of your tour to avoid any delays.

Display the voucher on your mobile phone with a valid photo ID at the meeting point.

Meeting point

Meet your guide at Wendella Tours & Cruises.

Address: 400 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611, United States.

Landmark: The cruise departs and returns to Wendella's Michigan Avenue Docks, located at the northwest corner of the Michigan Avenue Bridge (now called the DuSable Bridge), at the base of the Wrigley Building on the Chicago River.

Get directions to the meeting point