Art Institute Tour: Explore Iconic Masterpieces

Experience the best of the Art Institute of Chicago on this skip-the-line guided tour. Explore famous artworks by Caillebotte, Seurat, O’Keefe, Hopper, Picasso, and more with an engaging guide.

Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • The Art Institute of Chicago - Only the highest quality guide is equipped to introduce you to one of the greatest museums on earth. the Art Institute, one of the world’s great art museums, houses a works that cover centuries of Art & History. Its is also known to have the worlds greatest collection of Impressionist artwork (Even rivaling the Musee…
What's Included
  • Duration 2.5 Hours
  • Professional Tour Guide Exclusively For You
  • Wheelchair Friendly
  • Skip-the-Line Private Museum Tour
  • All Entrance Fees
What's Not Included
  • Tour price does NOT include hotel pickup or drop-off (we recommend UBER or Taxi)
  • Tour price does NOT include gratuities (optional)
Additional Information

The Art Institute of Chicago draws a crowd comparable to top-tier museums such as the Met, Louvre, and British Museum. On this special 2.5-hour guided tour, you get the advantage of bypassing the queue and exploring its most eminent displays under the guidance of a knowledgeable guide.
Typically Featured Works Include: (Subject to artworks’…

Location
The Art Institute of Chicago
South Michigan Avenue
Meeting Point: “To The Lions Left”; next to the iconic lion statues (the lion on the left when facing the museum) outside the main Museum entrance on South Michigan Avenue.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
5.0
(232 Ratings)
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Daniel_z
Jul 15, 2025
We brought our niece who... - We brought our niece who recently graduated high school and will be going into an art and business program in college. We booked a private tour so that she could ask questions and it was amazing! Our guide Samantha is a graduate of the Art Institute and having studied and spent so much time there was deeply knowledgeable about the museum, its history, and the collection. We spent a lot of time with the Impressionists and found some new treasures too (like the miniatures collection in the lower level). Had a fun and informative time- highly recommend.
Review provided by Viator
Richardhv697gh
Jul 12, 2025
The Best Docent Tour - My group of 4 met Spiro outside the Chicago Institute of Art on Thursday 11 July at 1030. It was the second time my wife and I had taken a docent guided tour of the Institute. Spiro is by far the most inspiring, interesting, informative and impactful docent we’ve ever met, including other museums and venues. We absolutely recommend this tour and especially with Spiro!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Harold
Jul 6, 2025
Great tour of Chicago Art Institute led by Spiro - Spiro met us outside and got us in with no issues. He very well balanced talk of the Institute and its approach to presenting art and the art itself. He spoke beautifully, answered questions and included us in a two way discussion. There were six of us in the group. Speaking for my wife and myself, we thoroughly enjoyed the tour and look forward to a return visit with him and the company in the near future.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Debrap928
Jul 1, 2025
Enjoyable Tour - Our guide Joe did a fabulous tour. We truly appreciate all of his knowledge he shared with us about art. Joe had a nice blend of interaction with our group of 7, the time flew by. If you have the opportunity to tour The Art Institute take it.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Gaurav_g
Jun 22, 2025
Great overview of art museum collection - Great way to learn and understand the art styles. I am completely new to art scene and our guide explained various styles in detail. Great overview of overall art collection
Review provided by Viator
Susan_a
Jun 21, 2025
Enchanting!! Easy to get to and nice museum. Would highly recommend this way to experience the art of the Chicago area. - Joe was our guy and he made everything so much more enjoyable. All ages were in our group and regardless we learned such interesting facts about the art.
Review provided by Viator
Mike_f
Jun 20, 2025
Spiro was the true Treasure of the Art Museum - We had the pleasure of taking an educational tour of the Art Institute of Chicago with Spiro, and it was an outstanding experience from start to finish. Spiro brought the museum to life with deep knowledge, engaging storytelling, and a genuine passion for art history. Whether you’re a first-time visitor or a seasoned art lover, Spiro has a remarkable talent for making art accessible, relevant, and inspiring. We couldn’t recommend him more highly.
Review provided by Viator
Lhrandolph
Jun 20, 2025
An excellent tour. - Spiro was excellent. Witty & knowledgeable, he tied the evolution of painting & the Impressionists to the invention of photography, which is never heard & found very interesting.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Chris_k
Jun 13, 2025
Exceptional Art Tour - Our tour guide Heath was exceptionally knowledgeable and intelligent on art history, very approachable and added humor at times! Feels like we had a 2 semester art history class in a 3 hour tour!!!
Review provided by Viator
S556lesusanc
Jun 10, 2025
Art Institute of Chicago private tour - Our guide, Spiro, was excellent and very knowledgable. Our family enjoyed the private, personalized tour and learned a lot more about the art and the Art Institute than we had on previous self-guided tours.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
From $90
up to 12 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).