Chicago River Cruise: Historic Architecture Tour

Explore Chicago’s iconic architecture on a guided river tour. Discover historic landmarks, new developments, and enjoy a unique cruise experience through the city’s three river branches.

Duration: 1 hour, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 24 hours
Highlights
  • Wrigley Building - Situated in the heart of the Magnificent Mile and just steps from the Michigan Avenue Bridge, the Wrigley Building has been a prominent feature of Chicago’s skyline since 1920. Originally designed as the headquarters for the successful chewing gum company, the building was inspired by the Giralda Tower of Seville Cathedral in…
What's Included
  • Fully enclosed interior with air conditioning, seats, & windows
  • Outside seating available (first come, first serve)
  • On-board restrooms
  • Guided architecture cruise of the historic Chicago River
What's Not Included
  • Full bar & snacks (available for purchase)
  • Gratuities
  • $12 to $15 discounted parking lot connected to marina
Additional Information

Marvel at the magnificent architecture on the Chicago River with expert tour guides! All ages welcome.
Each architecture river tour is narrated by a professional guide which leads passengers down the Chicago River to discover the city’s most renowned landmarks. In addition to historical insight on well known structures such as the Civic Opera House,…

Location
900 S Wells St
South Wells Street
Registration takes place in the parking lot connected to the marina. For a map, please go here: https://toursandboats.com/sogdirections. Please note that parking typically costs between $12.00-$15.00. For more details on directions and parking, use the link above.
Cancellation Policy

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

Customer Ratings
4.9
(1442 Ratings)
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Anastasia_s
Jun 29, 2025
Excellent tour and guide... - Excellent tour and guide was so knowledgeable ! Truly learned so much and enjoyed it. Highly recommend!
Review provided by Viator
Nadejda_j
Jun 29, 2025
Architectural knowledge from the canal view reflecting past, present and future is shared clearly and with good humor - We enjoyed the Architectural boat tour. It was 90 min of incredibly relevant information shared clearly and with good humor. The tour guide was knowledgeable and the boat ride was on time with boarding and onboarding, well organized and located at a convinient location to Grant Park.
Review provided by Viator
Ray_m
Jun 29, 2025
Informational,... - Informational, entertaining and relaxing . Easy to access and accommodating. Good parking Also other options for dining and drinks available in neighborhood. All good
Review provided by Viator
Kimberly_l
Jun 28, 2025
Wonderful architectural... - Wonderful architectural tour experience. Staff were very nice, professional from beginning to end!!!!
Review provided by Viator
Flyer48668498735
Jun 28, 2025
Hillary was awesome - Hillary the tour guide was awesome! she was so knowledgeable about the architecture and really seemed to enjoy what she was doing. would reccomend!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Cristina_l
Jun 28, 2025
Chicago River Cruise - It’s a very good informative regarding the history of Chilcago’s beautiful and sky scrapers buildings
Review provided by Viator
Y1934btsarahk
Jun 27, 2025
Best river tour yet. - Hillary was terrific! She presented a lot of information in an interesting and humorous way. This was not my first Chicago riverboat architecture tour, but it was my first with this company and I highly recommend! This tour goes further down the river towards Chinatown and just covers more of the city overall. I appreciated how Hillary was kind but firm in not allowing people to be disruptive during the tour, making it more pleasant for everyone.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Seaside28454223428
Jun 27, 2025
Tour well done! - The guide was great. Couldn’t have asked for better. She was super informative. It was a very hot day, so being able to go in and out of the air conditioned cabin was much appreciated. Many thanks to the capable crew.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Global19427468630
Jun 26, 2025
Fun trip on the chicago river - It was a great excursion and very informative. Our tour guide was very funny and kept us interested. It was a beautiful day and my teenager had fun.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Elizabeth_f
Jun 26, 2025
Excited - Very informative. The ride had so many interesting things to see. Real history about the state of Chicago.
Review provided by Viator
From $37
up to 15 guests
1 - Adult
Cancellation: Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start of your experience (local time).