On the advice of my cousin we booked a tour at twilight (645) which was perfect. Our tour set out while there was daylight and proceeded into sundown which allowed for the lights of the buildings to sparkle against the clear evening. Under the guidance of our excellent narrator, Vincent (?), it was a great trip. He didn't hold back on what he thought of some of the buildings to come. His openness in sharing his knowledge was wonderful. Highly recommend this time of day and provider for an iconic architectural river tour is a must read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - Beautiful! - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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We went on the architecture tour and it was wonderful! Our guide was great and we learned so much about the city. There are restrooms and a full bar inside. Seating is first come first serve, so would get there 20-30 min early if you want to sit at the front. read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Just getting to the launching area was a lot of walking. And if you didn't know about any elevators to get you to the Riverwalk level, there are lots and lots of stairs. Once on the boat, it was quite noisy and you couldn't avoid the smell of diesel exhaust. In addition the narrator of the cruise was a little out of sync as we approached a building bridge or site. And her voice on the speakers was not clear over the noise of the cruise ship. However still a lovely experience. read more

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We have used this company twice. There are two pickup locations, off Michigan Avenue or Navy Pier. I will make a note that you cannot get on at one location and off board at the other location. So just keep that in mind. There is a water taxi though. I think that the docent, Liam was very good at cracking dad jokes, very history informative and overall enjoyed the vibe. The only issue I do have is the bar area. I do not feel that the bartender on staff during our excursion was as educated in simple drinks. read more

My friend and I booked the lake skyline tour at 7:15pm specifically to catch the sunset at 7:26pm. We planned to arrive by 7pm per the directions and completely missed the confirmed time because as you see in the pictures, the address provided and hyperlinked is in a completely different location than the actual check in and departure area (a solid 10 min walking distance and we were basically jogging). Because of this, the next available time was 8pm, when it was already dark. The 1-star is because this seems like a simple fix in the confirmation email to provide hyperlinked coordinates instead that is accurate to the actual location and matches the picture in the confirmation email to avoid any confusion. The boat ride itself was perfectly fine. read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - The address linked in the confirmation email is NOWHERE close to the actual check in area. - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Great architectural tour of the city from the river. Our guide was funny and very knowledgeable of everything. read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Booked this tour because we wanted to see as much of Chicago as possible and being on a boat makes seeing things 75% more awesome. The boat is easy to get to, at the front of Navy Pier, and easy walking distance from downtown hotels. The tour itself was very interesting. Eric was our tour guide and he did an amazing job. He gave us lots of really neat information about the architecture and history of the city. He even sang at one point, which was pretty good. This tour is absolutely worth the time and money spent if you're visiting from out of town and want to learn more about the history of the city. read more

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Shoreline Sightseeing provides wonderful Chicago architecture tours! I have enjoyed their tours many times over the years. Their docents are a wealth of Chicago knowledge, and are very good presenters and teachers. The scenic courses the Shoreline Sightseeing boat tours take through the city are remarkable and beautiful. Thank you to Shoreline Sightseeing for being a wonderful part of Chicago and of Illinois. God bless. read more

A boat tour of the Chicago River was on the top of my bucket list during our short visit to the city. We arrived super early on a red-eye flight, and we weren't able to check into our hotel yet, so my boyfriend and I decided to do the architecture tour to kill time. My boyfriend purchased the CityPass tickets and for about $100 a person you can pick 3 Chicago attractions and one of them was the Shoreline Sightseeing Tour. I wanted to make sure we didn't ride on the "Chicago's Little Lady" boat tour since that was the one that was a victim of Dave Matthew's Band incident haha iykyk! Since I was so jetlagged, I honestly fell asleep on this boat tour in the beginning. The tour guide was very informative, but for me it was just nice to go for a ride on the river. The distance it covers is not as much as I thought, but the length of time was satisfying enough to get my fill of the city views. read more

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What a great way to see and hear history of Chicago. Tour guide Jamie was excellent. Would have enjoyed some moving air with a fan as it was extremely hot on our tour day and time. Shade under bridges was welcome. read more

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Great tour! I believe the guides name was Andrew. Very knowledgeable on the buildings we saw. Highly recommend doing this tour. Great time. read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - Chicago Rver. Boarding area for tour. - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

20/10. The vibes were nice, the weather; great and the tour guide; very knowledgeable and funny. Booked on Viator and arrived early, did some sightseeing around the area then went on board. Daytime is nice but during sunset? Chefs Kiss read more

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Everything went well! I booked an evening tour to get both daylight and night views. It was perfectly timed and worked out. As much as I liked the ride, I did start getting antsy and was ready to get off. But it was a long day of sightseeing so keep that in mind if you book a late tour. The guide was a very entertaining fellow and full of Chicago history. Having a financial background, I enjoyed being close to the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. I was about to hop off that boat and try to find me a job lol. There were other exciting buildings to view as well. Tip: buy the Chicago city pass, it's included. read more

When I was researching things to do on our trip to Chicago mid-September, everyone said THE thing to do was go on the architecture tour, especially when the weather calls for it. This was without a doubt our favorite activity in Chicago. I had already purchased a Chicago city pass, and we chose the Shoreline Sightseeing Architecture River Tour. Of the options that you get to choose from, this is also the most expensive choice, which means it is DEFINITELY worth it if you have the city pass. I picked a time that was a little closer to sunset when reserving the tickets, and the sight was fantastic. The tour lasted around an hour and a half. Our tour guide was Ricky. He was very confident, clear, and humorous. On the tour, you learn a lot about the buildings, and you may think, well that's boring, how much can they really tell you? Well...they tell you a LOT. It was so fun to learn about the architectural history of Chicago and how building designs got to where they are today. It was very informative, and the view is simply amazing. This is something that you can't miss. Even if this is for tourists, it's not one of those overpriced tourist traps. It's so worth it! The nice thing too is that even if you've been before, the tour will have a lot more information later on as more buildings get constructed. You best believe I'll be going back in the future. If you have the chance, go for a walk around Navy Pier before or after the tour as well. read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - Chicago Skyline - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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This was a great way to see the city and get some perspective on the history of the area. Our tour guide kept us interested and informed. read more

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Architecture Tour at Navy Pier I could write a short story of how phenomenal and exciting this was. All these skyscrapers on or near the river. Our tour guide was so knowledgable with just the right amount of humor. He named the various European architects that designed the various skyscrapers. He pointed out 3 buildings with a short one in between, called Danny Devito between two models. Took a zillion pictures that could be suitable for framing. I felt like a child going to Disneyland the first time. My pics say it all. CITY PASS You can upgrade to the water taxi service for $12 that is good for 24 hours from the time u upgrade. You see the same skyscrapers just without the tour guide. You miss so many sights taking Uber, this is the way to travel and u save money. The staff is so friendly and help you navigate to other stops you might have to transfer to as well as the schedule. Michigan Ave stop drops you off at the Magnificent Mile, so much to see and do on foot. Shout out to Captain who contacted our transfer water taxi to wait for us at the transfer dock. If in Chicago it would be a shame not to do this tour. I would rate them a 10 if I could. read more

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Military discount! Cha Ching! Ran into the booth across from the Wrigley building and it was organized and timely. Great area to wait where there's Apple Store, Chicago tribune etc. there's lower level where we stayed for shade and upper level. The guide tour was very knowledgeable and seeing the sites while sitting and not braving the heat was a plus! Highly recommended! read more

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We had a great architecture tour with shoreline. Our reservation wasn't too crowded at 12:15pm on a Saturday. Tickets were easy to snag online the night before, and boarding was easy - we arrived about 10 minutes before departure, which was perfect. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and sprinkled in architecture tidbits with fun stories about the history of Chicago. The hour length of the tour felt like the perfect amount. Definitely a highlight of our trip to Chicago. read more

Great experience. We did the architecture river tour. Make sure to come a bit early before your reservation time or else you may get a bad spot on the boat under the canopy if it fills up which makes it hard to take good pictures or view buildings on the other side of the boat. The tour guide was very warm and uplifting. He did a great job. The people working the ticket booth were very helpful as well. read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - View from the boat - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

I haven't done an architectural boat tour in over a decade and this was my favorite Chicago architectural boat tour experience I've been on! I was also very lucky to enjoy this tour on a rare warm 80F day in late October. The boat was easy to locate and instructions were clear. Our tour guide/narrator gave a phenomenal performance and tour. He even sang a song that he wrote himself to help us better remember some architectural history. Views of our lovely city on the cruise were also breathtaking! If you haven't been downtown in a while or seen the newly erected buildings over the pandemic, doing a boat cruise with Shoreline is a fun way to do it! read more

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Jim did an excellent job explaining the architectural history of Chicago. He was engaging and kept us entertained while we battled with the cold weather. The views were phenomenal and although the tour was 75 minutes, it felt shorter. read more

taking a boat ride along the chicago river is a must when visiting the windy city! the architectural boat tour takes from old navy pier into the chicago river, and back out towards lake michigan. the boat moves very slow so you really have time to take it all in, take pics, take selfies, or just sit and admire all of the unique, historical building that chicago boasts. our docent was amazing, full of knowledge, with a story to share about each of the buildings that we saw, including the chicago tribune, water tower, wrigley building, willets tower (aka sears tower) and more. the ride is approximately 75 minutes (honestly, closer to 90 on my watch, from the time i sat down til the time i disembarked), and cost $42.46 per person. normally it's $50 per person but i got a 15% discount courtesy of the chicago marathon! they have departures roughly every 30 minutes for the entire day, and you can book online and have an e-ticket (qr code) or purchase a ticket on the spot - beware if you wait til the last minute, you risk your desired tour time being sold out! i highly recommend wearing/bringing an extra jacket/windbreaker to stay warm since you will be sitting up top, outside, exposed to the elements. i brought my own water, but they do have a small bar on the lower deck where you can buy a beer and other beverages. there are separate men's & women's restrooms on the lower deck as well. although i've now done this tour twice, i will definitely be joining again the next time i visit the windy city! read more

This tour was a lot of fun and it is one of a kind. The meet up point was across the street from our previous tour but it was not hard to find. We approached one of the employees and he told us where to go to get in line. We had arrived about 20 mins before the tour time so we stood in line along with everyone else. (right in front of the Apple store along the wall) Check in was easy. Right before we boarded, we took a group picture and headed right on. It was a super hot and sunny day so we head right down to the bottom floor for some much needed shade. We sat on a bench so we were able to hang out on one of the sides of the boat and look out. The tour started shortly after boarding and we had a very friendly narrator giving us the 411 about the buildings and their history. The tour was a long one and we even took a little nap... The sun defeated us. The ride was very relaxing, smooth, and calm. We saw a lot of buildings we had yet not seen yet and we learned a lot of interesting facts. It was totally worth the visit and I would definitely do it again. We ended up purchasing our group photo because it was very cute! read more

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The architecture cruise is a must-do Chicago tourist activity -- though lots of locals do it too! (It's also quite a good bargain at less than $50.) I took the one departing from the Michigan Ave. dock. (Note that you will have to navigate several sets of stairs to get on board.) The seating on my vessel was rows of plastic chairs in the middle of the deck, plus rows of polished wooden benches along the sides of the boat. The top deck seating is fully open, so bring those hats and that sunscreen! There is a limited amount of covered seating below the top deck, but the views from there would be somewhat obscured. There's a full bar, so you can get a nice highball or serving of wine to accompany the tour; lots of people take advantage of this amenity, which will add to the price of your experience but can add to the fun as well. The cruise (75 minutes) leaves the dock going west, then you take the north branch of the Chicago River for a short segment, then turn around and go a considerable distance down the south branch. Then you come back to the main branch out to Navy Pier before turning back to the dock at the starting point. The narration along the way is designed to be informative as well as entertaining with plenty of humor and good stories about the landmarks along the way. There's some opportunity for audience participation, but if you're uptight about that sort of thing, it's not compulsory. This is one of those quintessential Chicago experiences that lives up to the hype. read more

There's a reason I'm making student loan payments to Suntan U and the Fighting Owls, and put up with late nights when we didn't have gourmet coffee on campus. I love my profession, and seeing something come from a piece of paper or computer screen to reality. Add in boats and I'm definitely there! In addition to the waking tour, I also took an architectural boat tour down the Chicago River with Shoreline Sightseeing. Sam, my tour guide, was educational and funny in going over buildings old and new that grace the Chi, and giving a different perspective on some of the same buildings I saw on the walking tour. The boat itself is similar to the one we have here in Bayside for our tours and salsa cruises, and I was fortunate enough to get a seat on the upper deck. The fact that it felt about 50 degrees with the breeze? No problem as they have hot cider and light blankets for sale! My tour departed from the Michigan Avenue pier, proceeded to Wolf Point (where the River branches off into the North and South branches) and then back to the lock with Lake Michigan where I saw the Navy Pier and a Chicago FD fire boat. Sam gave us a refresher on architectural history and accurate summary of some of the styles: art deco (vertical pinstripes), contextualism (lining up view lines with adjacent buildings) and modern architecture (can be placed anywhere). Sam also pointed out cool trivia such as which buildings were featured in movies. Some of the more notable buildings I saw included a closer view of the Marina City "Corn Cobs", the Tribune building, Harry Weese's River Cottages, the Art-Deco style Civic Opera Building, a cool abandoned coal plant and the woman-designed (Jeanne Gang) Wave Tower. read more

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Enjoyed the 75 minute architecture tour at 10AM on a Wednesday morning with Keegan as our guide. I really think that the guide can make or break the experience, so if you're able to request someone, I highly recommended going on a tour led by Keegan. The interspersed humor made for a fun and enjoyable trip. This was my first time going on an architecture type tour, but I loved how they provided historical context on the types of architecture & key figures involved. Definitely a rather touristy excursion, but as a first time visitor to Chicago, I'm really glad I decided to try it! Highly recommend if you're looking for a fun outing. read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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So just hear me out, ok? This is a safe space and there will be no judgmental 'tudes (at least until I finish my schpiel). While an "architecture tour" may lack the juice to lure some travelers while in Chicago, that just means that they'll be departing this great city after experiencing an incomplete visit. I don't claim to possess much knowledge about the field of architecture, but the great thing about this experience is that you don't need to in order to enjoy it. Listening to the tour guide share some of the history of Chicago (with plenty of family friendly comedy infused throughout), you'd be surprised how quickly your 75 minute tour has concluded and you're slipping him or her a tip on the way off the boat (don't forget that part, k?). We last visited Chicago in 2019 and this was amongst a handful of things that we knew we'd be doing again during this visit. A Chicago Architecture Tour--not just for nerds, but they're welcome here (along with everyone else ). And that's...Henry's Take. #chicagobucketlist read more

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What a great tour! It was very educational, informative, and interesting. And such a fun way to see everything, by boat. It wasn't difficult, didn't seem too crowded, even though it was a filled boat, it just was a very nice way to spend 90 minutes while learning so much more about this beautiful town of Chicago! read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

This tour was such a treat. We covered sevwral branches of the river and got reay beautiful views of the skyline. Our docent's humor was delightfully corny, while being informative. He painted vivid images of.the city's development.through skilled storytelling. I have been on far less enjoyable toues for more money in other places. A great value, for sure. read more

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First time trying Shoreline, after doing Wendella's at least 10 times. We had family from straight outta Iloilo come and visit and we decided to give them a try. You board on the Northside of the river bank, a little East of Michigan Avenue. The tour was very similar to Wendella's, however it seemed like Wendella's was a tad longer. You do go up and down the river and the tour guide was very knowledgeable. He had the tone and cadence of a smooth jazz radio station DJ, although I wasn't about to fall asleep because it was like zero degrees on deck. The boat does exit the lock and goes out into Lake Michigan, just like Wendella's. I would do this again for a river tour. read more

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Great tour guide, wonderful information, was truly a beautiful ride. Would highly recommend as it isn't a long tour and can be a quick afternoon item. Had a bar and snacks in the back and can bring your own food and drinks aboard which made it a nice way to eat our lunch. read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Docent Alexis was so fun for my sister and I's tour around Chicago. We were visiting in late October, and thankfully it wasn't too chilly. Alexis was passionate, engaging, and funny. We purchased the C3 City Pass and used the tour as one of our activities. read more

Brought my family here for a day trip. Spent part of the day at the pier and booked a boat tour. It was a little colder than we thought it would be however it was still a good experience. The prices were fair, about $30 per person for a 30 min tour. The view was everything. Along the way was a pre recorded guide of all the sites we pass. There was a cash bar and seating was spacious with an upper and lower deck. Family friendly and good for all ages. read more

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It's EXTREMELY cold and very windy. You can't survive on the deck for more than 20 minutes. Two tickets for this architecture tour costs over $100 with one ticket of $47, and a hour trip on the water. It's indeed eye opening to understand the history of this skyscraper city. The green water is dyed on St Patrick's day. You can find a small bar on the boat too, we recommend you get a hot coco there. read more

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The whole family LOVED the architectural river tour. We learned so much. My ten-year-old even said that he now looks at the buildings everywhere differently. Jamie was the most amazing tour guide. I wish she gave every single tour available in Chicago! She was knowledgeable and engaging. She brought life to the buildings she spoke about. I highly recommend this tour! read more

My 14 yr old nephew and I (from the UK), had the pleasure of taking the Architecture Boat Ride on 14.08 during the evening/sunset. We had Gill give us a thoroughly educational and informative insight into the Chicago Skyline. The stories behind some of the buildings and bridges were really interesting - Gill knew her stuff. She was extremely charismatic and I would highly recommend the experience. The sunset ride gives you the best of both - daylight/dusk conditions for an evening to remember. My nephew did say the experience elevated his stay and enjoyment of Chicago! I couldn't agree more. Thanks Mohson (UK). read more

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Went here as part of the City Pass. The City Pass itself is so worth it and this tour was probably the highlight of the pass (out of all the things I got to do.) This tour was over an hour long. The tour guide was super knowledgeable and very enthusiastic. The sights were lovely. There is ample seating on the boat itself. Thankfully, it didn't rain during our tour despite rain being predicted in the forecast for the days we were in town. They do sell drinks and ponchos on the lower deck. There is also a shaded part towards the back of the boat, as well. Highly recommend the tour with Shoreline! Also fun fact, this company dumps the green coloring for the water for St Patrick's Day. read more

Such a fun nighttime architectural boat tour!! Our docent, Sam was informative, funny, and genuinely friendly. Would take this tour again in a heartbeat! read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Signed up for this with my GF while here in Chicago. Definitely a must do upon your visit. They cover everything related to architecture while on the tour. The narrator of the tour, Ricki provides a very interesting history of Chicago, the river all of its architecture in the general vicinity. Ricki himself was very animated and an excellent story teller. read more

Shoreline Sightseeing - Merchandise mart - Architectural Tours Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

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Yes yes yes yes yes! This was probably our favorite experience on our Chicago trip. I would 100% recommend the architecture tour. It was amazing. The staff is super friendly and knowledgeable. They serve drink on the boat which is always a plus. The tickets are very reasonably priced and the tour is the perfect length. Add this to your Chicago to do list! read more

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