Chicago Architecture Walking Tours

Stand at the bottom of LaSalle Street and the Board of Trade closes the canyon like a stage set, with Ceres on the roof and banks in columned temples on both sides. Chicago built the first skyscrapers here, and most of the best rooms are hidden behind revolving doors. We compared the architecture walking tours on GetYourGuide and Viator and kept six: two interiors walks that take you into the lobbies, the Chicago Architecture Center's Golden Age route, a walk through the tunnels under the Loop, a long afternoon with deep-dish pizza and a 90-minute first look along the river. What each one costs, where it starts, and what the listings leave in the small print.

Book on Viator Book on GetYourGuide Compare all 6

Architecture walks at a glance

  • Two hours on foot, as a ruleFive of the six last 90 minutes to two hours and cover about a mile and a half. The food walk takes four and a half
  • The lobbies are the prizeThe Rookery, the Board of Trade and the Tiffany dome are free to enter, but a guide knows which doors open and what you are looking at
  • All in the LoopEvery start point is a short walk from the L. Most walks begin in one place and finish in another, often by Millennium Park
  • Rain or shine, mostlyThe walks go ahead in bad weather. The Pedway tour stays under cover, the CAC gives no refunds for rain

On the sidewalk and inside, photographed

Down the LaSalle Street canyon
The Rookery's spiral stair
Red stone on LaSalle and Adams
Under the light court
Bridge houses at golden hour
Columns in a railway hall
Brass doors in an Art Deco lobby
Limestone and balustrades on the sidewalk
Green squares and towers
The skyline above Millennium Park

If you only have a minute

Which Chicago architecture walking tour should you book?

If a friend asked us which walk to book for a free morning in the Loop, this is what we would tell them over coffee at the Cultural Center.

The best Chicago architecture walking tour, for most first-time visitors, is Inside Chicago's Dazzling Interiors walk, from ~$35. In two hours a local guide takes you through the Art Deco lobby of the Board of Trade, into the Rookery's light court and under the Tiffany dome of the Chicago Cultural Center, plus a couple of rooms the company keeps as a surprise. It holds a 5.0 from 1,860 reviews on Viator, with a single review below three stars, and 4.9 on GetYourGuide.

Want the history from the people who train the city's docents? Take the Chicago Architecture Center's Golden Age walk for ~$35. Cold, wet or windy outside: the Pedway tour spends most of its two hours in the tunnels under the Loop. The cheapest is Empire's Secret Interiors walk from Union Station at ~$30, the longest is Chicago in a Day with deep-dish pizza and Italian beef, and the shortest is the CAC's 90-minute Must-See walk along the river.

No walk can promise every door, because these are working buildings. Check what a Chicago architecture walk costs and which lobbies you can walk into, see how long each walk lasts and when to go, then read what the listings play down before you pay.

Our pick

The architecture walk we would book: Inside Chicago's Dazzling Interiors

Not the longest walk, nor the cheapest. It is the two hours that put you inside the most rooms worth seeing, with a guide who makes them make sense.

The Rookery's light court with a curving iron staircase and a glass roof, visitors on the marble floor below Our pick

Original Chicago Architecture Interiors Tour: Dazzling Interiors, Inside Chicago Walking Tours

5.0 / 5 from 1,860 reviews on Viator · 4.9 / 5 from 62 on GetYourGuide

You meet in a plaza on South Financial Place, beside a big metal horse, with the back of the Board of Trade towering over you. The first stop is inside it: the Art Deco lobby of 1930, all polished stone and long vertical lines, the kind of room that tells you why people still call the period glamorous. From there the guide threads through the Loop and into buildings most visitors walk past, explaining how each was built and who paid for it.

The listing names the high points without giving away the whole route. An 1880s building whose interior was later reworked by Frank Lloyd Wright, which is the Rookery's white and gold light court. A vaulted Postmodern ceiling with Moorish details. Then the finale, standing under what the listings call the world's largest Tiffany stained-glass dome, in the old public library that is now the Chicago Cultural Center, a minute from Millennium Park. Entrance fees are covered; the walk is about two hours.

Price
from ~$35 per person, the same on both sites
Duration
About 2 hours
Start
Plaza at 425 S. Financial Place, by the horse sculpture
Finish
Inside the Chicago Cultural Center, 78 E Washington St
Rating
5.0 / 5 (Viator) · 4.9 / 5 (GetYourGuide)
Access
Wheelchair and stroller accessible, per Viator
Discounts
Child and senior rates on Viator
Cancellation
Free up to 24 hours, pay later on both sites
Viator GetYourGuide

Live availability and prices on GetYourGuide

Powered by GetYourGuide

How the two hours run, stop by stop

The company keeps part of the route secret on purpose, and doors sometimes change on the day. The order below follows the listings and what recent guests describe:

The south end of the Loop

  • Meet at 425 S. Financial Place, next to the metal horse
  • Inside the Chicago Board of Trade, the Art Deco lobby

North through the Loop

  • The Rookery's light court, the room Wright remodeled
  • A Postmodern vaulted hall with Moorish details
  • One or two surprise interiors along the way
  • Under the Tiffany dome in the Chicago Cultural Center

What the price covers

The ticket buys the guide and any entry fees along the route. The tip and the coffee afterwards are on you.

Included
  • A local guide for about two hours
  • All entrance fees on the route
  • A small group most days, per reviewers
  • Tips on where to go next, often by email
Not included
  • Tips for the guide
  • A return to the start point
  • A fixed list of every stop
  • Food or drinks

Between us, before you go

A word from one Loop beginner to another. The walk starts at the south end of downtown and finishes in the north, so plan your next stop near Millennium Park rather than back at the hotel. The plaza is easy to miss the first time: look for the horse. And because these are office buildings, a lobby can close for an event or for security, in which case the guide swaps in another.

Guides such as Heath, Spencer and Kate come up again and again in the reviews, often with the remark that the reviewer had done the river cruise before and wanted something different. River cruise or walking tour sets the two side by side.

Why it beats walking in on your own

You can push open the Rookery's door yourself, and you should. What you cannot do alone is tie the rooms together: why the Board of Trade's lobby looks forward while the bank temples across the street look back, or why Wright was asked to modernize a building only seventeen years old. The guide also knows which lobbies admit groups on which days. The Loop interiors you can walk into lists the doors that are open to everyone.

Who we would not send on it

Travelers who want skyscrapers from the outside and the river in view, who will be happier on the CAC's 90-minute walk from Wacker Drive. Anyone wanting lunch built into the tour, for whom Chicago in a Day is the better pick. And people who would rather never set foot outside in January, who should take the Pedway walk.

Book it if

You have one morning or afternoon in the Loop and want to see inside the buildings that made Chicago's name, with someone who can explain the ironwork and the money behind it. Two hours, the rooms you would never find alone, a finish by Millennium Park. All you bring is comfortable shoes and a few dollars for the guide.

Skip it if

Ready for the lobbies?

Both sites charge the same, and both let you cancel for free up to 24 hours before and reserve now, pay later. Viator carries far more reviews; pick whichever account you already have.

Viator GetYourGuide

The walk itself

How a Chicago architecture walk works

Every listing on this page comes down to two questions. Do you want to go inside, or see the towers from the street and the river? And which month, with the Loop anywhere from a windy 32 °F January to a humid 84 °F July?

Style · through the doors

Two hours of lobbies

Dazzling Interiors, the Pedway, Secret Interiors

2 habout 1.5 miles, in and out of buildings, start and finish apart

You spend half the walk indoors, looking up. Good in any weather and the best way to see marble, mosaics and Tiffany glass, as long as you accept that a door can be closed on the day.

Style · streets, river and food

The skyline and the story

CAC Golden Age, Chicago in a Day, CAC Must-See

1.5–4.5 hmore facades, the river, a couple of famous rooms

More time on the sidewalk, with the Wrigley Building, the Tribune Tower and the Reliance Building explained from across the street. The food walk adds four tastings and a lot of history beyond buildings.

Chicago weather and crowds, month by month

  • How busy the walks get
  1. Jan32°F high0 °C

    Bitter wind, the Pedway's month

  2. Feb36°F high2 °C

    Quiet groups, short daylight

  3. Mar47°F high8 °C

    Thaw and gusts, pack a hat

  4. Apr59°F high15 °C

    Changeable, the first warm days

  5. May70°F high21 °C

    Mild, long light, before the crowds

  6. Jun80°F high27 °C

    Warm evenings on the Riverwalk

  7. Jul84°F high29 °C

    Peak season, book a week or two out

  8. Aug82°F high28 °C

    Humid afternoons, walk in the morning

  9. Sep75°F high24 °C

    Clear skies, summer crowds gone

  10. Oct62°F high17 °C

    Crisp, and Open House Chicago weekend

  11. Nov48°F high9 °C

    Gray and raw, lobbies feel warmer

  12. Dec36°F high2 °C

    Holiday windows and lobby trees

Temperatures are typical daytime highs in the Loop; the wind off the lake and between the towers makes winter feel colder. The bars show roughly how busy the walks get. Highlighted months are the ones we would pick for mild weather and open lobbies without summer crowds. The year in detail.

How long each walk lasts

  • Mostly on the street
  • Mostly inside buildings
  • Can run shorter

Lengths come from the listings. The dashed end on Secret Interiors marks the reviewers who found their walk shorter than the two hours listed. Add the walk to your start point and from the finish, which is a different corner of the Loop on five of the six.

  1. Decide inside or outsideInteriors walks need open doors and suit weekdays and bad weather. Street walks need decent weather and suit weekends. The lobbies you can enter.
  2. Check where it endsMost walks finish a mile from where they start. Pick the finish near your next plan, not your hotel.
  3. Mind the Sunday closuresThe Rookery is closed on Sundays, and some office lobbies lock at weekends. Guides swap in other stops.
  4. Dress for the windLayers in spring and fall, a real coat from November to March, shoes for a mile and a half. When to go.

The best time for an architecture walk goes through the seasons, the weekday and Sunday rules, and the one October weekend when buildings open that stay shut all year.

How to choose

How to pick the right architecture walk

The listings all promise beautiful buildings and expert guides. What differs is how much of the walk happens indoors, how many people share your guide and where you finish.

Inside or out

Three walks are built around lobbies; three spend more time on the sidewalk and by the river. The Loop interiors you can walk into.

Group size

Chicago in a Day caps groups at 12 and the Pedway walk at 15. Empire's groups can reach 30. Small groups and private guides.

The era you love

The Golden Age of the 1890s, the Art Deco of the late 1920s, or glass and steel after Mies. Each walk leans one way. Chicago's Art Deco buildings.

Who is coming

The food walk lets under-4s join free, the Pedway has staircases, and the CAC has nowhere to leave a stroller. Architecture walks with kids.

Walk or cruise

A river cruise shows forty towers sitting down; a walk takes you inside a few. Many visitors do both on the same day. River cruise or walking tour?

Price

From ~$30 for Empire's walk to ~$99 for the food walk, per person; most cost ~$35. Tips come on top. Every price in one table.

Everything else to do in Chicago

The 6 tours

Six Chicago architecture walks, side by side

We read every Chicago architecture walking tour on both booking sites and kept the six we would book ourselves. Price, rating, operator and the catch for each, with a button for each site that sells it.

A small tour group in a polished stone Art Deco lobby with tall elevator doors Our pick

Original Chicago Architecture Interiors Tour: Dazzling Interiors, Inside Chicago Walking Tours

The walk we would send our parents on, and happily join.

Two hours through the Loop's finest rooms: the Board of Trade's Art Deco lobby, the Rookery's light court, a Postmodern hall with Moorish details and the Tiffany dome at the Cultural Center, plus surprise stops. Entry fees included.

  • DurationAbout 2 hours
  • OperatorInside Chicago Walking Tours
  • RatingViator 5.0 (1,860) · GetYourGuide 4.9 (62)
  • Start425 S. Financial Place, by the horse sculpture
  • StrengthsThe most interiors for the money, guides reviewers name
  • Ideal forFirst visits, design lovers, anyone who did the cruise

Good to know: It ends a mile from where it starts, at the Cultural Center. Part of the route is kept secret and a lobby can close on the day. Tips are extra. The Loop interiors.

~$35per person
Viator GetYourGuide
The Palmer House lobby with its painted ceiling, gilded lamps and a grand staircase Docent-led

Historic Treasures of Chicago's Golden Age, Chicago Architecture Center

For readers who want the story from the people who wrote it down.

A CAC-trained docent walks you from the Chicago Architecture Center on Wacker Drive past the Wrigley Building and the Carbide & Carbon Building, into the Palmer House lobby and on to the Reliance Building and the Cultural Center. Entry to the CAC's exhibits is included.

  • DurationAbout 2 hours
  • OperatorChicago Architecture Center
  • RatingViator 4.9 (456) · GetYourGuide 4.8 (224)
  • StartInside the CAC, 111 E Wacker Drive
  • StrengthsThe city's architecture authority, the Golden Age from Burnham to Sullivan
  • Ideal forHistory lovers, a first look before the CAC's own cruise

Good to know: It runs rain or shine with no refunds for weather, and there is nowhere to leave luggage or a stroller. The two sites disagree on wheelchair access, so ask. How the skyscraper began.

~$35per person
Viator GetYourGuide
A tour group walking down a long Pedway corridor beside a stained-glass panel All-weather

Underground Pedway and the Loop Architecture Tour, Inside Chicago Walking Tours

The one to book when the forecast looks grim.

The Pedway is the tunnel and concourse network that links dozens of downtown buildings. You learn to use it, pass stained-glass hallways and an underground swimming pool, then surface for the Picasso, Macy's on State Street and the Cultural Center.

  • DurationAbout 2 hours, about 1.5 miles
  • OperatorInside Chicago Walking Tours
  • RatingViator 4.9 (577) · GetYourGuide 4.8 (334)
  • Start120 N. LaSalle Street, under the big mosaic
  • StrengthsWarm in winter, cool in summer, a side of the city few visitors see
  • Ideal forBad weather, repeat visitors, the curious

Good to know: Not wheelchair accessible, with a handful of staircases, and not for anyone uneasy in tunnels. Some guests wanted more walking and less how-to-navigate detail. Max 15. Walks for every season.

~$35per person
Viator GetYourGuide
The coffered ceiling and chandeliers of Union Station's Great Hall framed by stone columns Lowest price

Secret Interiors Architecture Walking Tour, Empire Tours

The bargain of the six, if you do not mind company.

You meet under the skylight of Union Station's Great Hall, cross the river into the LaSalle Street canyon where Batman was filmed, go inside the Rookery and the Palmer House, and finish under the Tiffany domes of the Cultural Center and the old Marshall Field store.

  • DurationAbout 2 hours
  • OperatorEmpire Tours
  • RatingGetYourGuide 4.8 (698) · Viator 4.9 (80)
  • StartUnion Station Great Hall, under the Clinton Street sign
  • StrengthsCheapest, a grand starting room, the Palmer House lobby
  • Ideal forBudget trips, arrivals by train, West Loop hotels

Good to know: Groups can reach 30, and some reviewers found the pace rushed or the walk short of two hours. The Rookery is closed on Sundays, when another stop replaces it. Arrive 15 minutes early. Wright in the Loop.

~$30per person
GetYourGuide Viator
A guide talking to a group in front of the red Chicago Theatre marquee on State Street With lunch

Chicago in a Day: Food, History and Architecture Walking Tour, Urban Adventures

Four and a half hours that feed you while they teach you.

From the Chicago Theatre marquee through the Pedway, along the Riverwalk to the Wrigley Building and Marina City, into the Cultural Center and Millennium Park, with deep-dish pizza, a Chicago-style hot dog, Italian beef and popcorn on the way. Prohibition and Great Fire stories come free.

  • DurationAbout 4.5 hours
  • OperatorUrban Adventures (Intrepid)
  • RatingViator 4.9 (1,445) · GetYourGuide 4.8 (163)
  • StartUnder the Chicago Theatre marquee, 175 N. State St
  • StrengthsA full meal of local classics, groups of 12 at most
  • Ideal forFamilies, first visits with one free day, food lovers

Good to know: Less pure architecture than the others and the priciest. It books out weeks ahead on Viator. Drinks and extra food are not included. Under-4s join free. Walks with children.

~$99per person
Viator GetYourGuide
The white Wrigley Building and the Gothic Tribune Tower facing each other across Michigan Avenue Shortest

Must-See Chicago 90-Minute Walking Tour, Chicago Architecture Center

A first lap of the city before you decide what to see properly.

A docent loop from the CAC on Wacker Drive past the white terra cotta of the Wrigley Building, along the Riverwalk to Jeanne Gang's rippling Aqua tower and up to the Tribune Tower, the winner of a contest for the most beautiful office building in the world.

  • DurationAbout 90 minutes
  • OperatorChicago Architecture Center
  • RatingViator 4.9 (174) · GetYourGuide 4.6 (90)
  • StartThe CAC, 111 E Wacker Drive, and back there
  • StrengthsShort, ends where it started, the CAC exhibits included
  • Ideal forTight schedules, the first afternoon in town

Good to know: Mostly outside views, and the route can change without notice. Its GetYourGuide score is the lowest of the six. No coat check or luggage storage. Walk or cruise?

~$35per person
Viator GetYourGuide

A small heads-up. These are GetYourGuide and Viator affiliate links, so when you book through one we earn a little commission and you pay exactly the same. It keeps this guide going and never touches our ranking or the catches we point out.

Before you go

Eight things about architecture walks that no listing puts in big letters

None of these sits at the top of a booking page, and each one decides whether you come home with sore necks from looking up or wondering why the door was locked.

What you should know

  1. Interiors are a privilege, not a ticket. The lobbies belong to offices, hotels and shops. Events, security or a Sunday can close one, and the guide picks another. Which doors are open.
  2. The start and the finish are rarely the same. Five of the six end a mile or so from where they begin, often near Millennium Park.
  3. The Rookery shuts on Sundays. Walks that include it swap in another stop, so book a weekday if Wright's light court is the reason you go.
  4. Small group means different things. Chicago in a Day stops at 12, the Pedway at 15, Empire at 30. Ask if it matters to you.
  5. Rain does not cancel a walk. The CAC gives no refunds for weather, and all six go ahead in drizzle. Bring an umbrella or book the Pedway.
  6. Tips come on top. None of the six includes one, and US guides work for them. Carry some small bills.
  7. The popular slots go early. Viator says the interiors walk books about 13 days ahead on average and the food walk about 39. Summer weekends fill first.
  8. Winter wind is no joke. At 32 °F (0 °C) the gusts between the towers bite, and July can top 85 °F (29 °C). Best months.

Everything in one table

Six architecture walks, catch included

The six tours side by side, with the strength and the catch of each one in the same row.

Swipe the table sideways to see all columns →

Tour Ideal for Price Length Starts at Operator and rating Strength and catch Book
Dazzling Interiors (our pick) First visit, design lovers ~$35 About 2 h 425 S. Financial Place Inside Chicago Walking Tours
Viator 5.0 (1,860)
GetYourGuide 4.9 (62)		 Board of Trade, Rookery, Tiffany dome. Ends far from the start, secret stops.
ViatorGetYourGuide
CAC Golden Age History, the CAC's docents ~$35 About 2 h CAC, 111 E Wacker Drive Chicago Architecture Center
Viator 4.9 (456)
GetYourGuide 4.8 (224)		 Palmer House, Reliance, CAC exhibits. No weather refunds, no bag storage.
ViatorGetYourGuide
Pedway and the Loop Cold or wet days ~$35 About 2 h, 1.5 miles 120 N. LaSalle Street Inside Chicago Walking Tours
Viator 4.9 (577)
GetYourGuide 4.8 (334)		 Mostly indoors, max 15. Stairs, no wheelchairs, some dull corridors.
ViatorGetYourGuide
Secret Interiors Budgets, train arrivals ~$30 About 2 h Union Station Great Hall Empire Tours
GetYourGuide 4.8 (698)
Viator 4.9 (80)		 Cheapest, Rookery and Palmer House. Groups up to 30, can feel rushed.
GetYourGuideViator
Chicago in a Day Families, food lovers ~$99 About 4.5 h Chicago Theatre marquee Urban Adventures
Viator 4.9 (1,445)
GetYourGuide 4.8 (163)		 A full meal of tastings, max 12. Priciest, less architecture.
ViatorGetYourGuide
CAC Must-See Short on time ~$35 About 90 min CAC, 111 E Wacker Drive Chicago Architecture Center
Viator 4.9 (174)
GetYourGuide 4.6 (90)		 River, Wrigley, Tribune, back to the start. Mostly facades, route can change.
ViatorGetYourGuide

About the numbers. Prices are per-person "from" rates in US dollars (the lower one when a tour is on both sites), and ratings are what each site showed when we compared. Dates, group size and offers move them a little, so peek at both. The booking page has the final word.

Who went

Reviews from travelers who looked up

Eighteen travelers, some under blue skies and some in sideways rain, on what won them over and what they would do differently.

★★★★★Dazzling interiors walk

We had done the boat tour the day before and thought we had seen Chicago. Then our guide walked us into the Board of Trade and I actually gasped at the lobby, all that stone and light. In the Rookery she pointed out which parts Wright had changed and which he left alone, and suddenly the room made sense. We finished under the Tiffany dome with sore necks and a list of restaurants she wrote down for us. Two hours went far too fast.

SLSofia L. · Lisbon, PortugalBlue-sky walk
★★★★★Golden Age with the CAC

Our docent was a retired engineer who seemed to know every rivet on Michigan Avenue. The Palmer House lobby alone was worth the ticket, and we went back to the Architecture Center afterwards to study the city model.

JKJames K. · Manchester, EnglandBlue-sky walk
★★★★★Pedway and the Loop

It rained the whole morning and we stayed dry for two hours. Who knew there was a swimming pool under the Loop?

MTMei T. · SingaporeRain, wind or snow
★★★★☆Secret interiors from Union Station

Starting in the Great Hall of Union Station was a lovely idea, and the Rookery was the highlight. Our group was big, close to thirty, so at the back I sometimes missed what the guide said. Still good value.

LBLukas B. · Vienna, AustriaBlue-sky walk
★★★★★Food and architecture day

I booked this for the food and came away talking about buildings. Between the hot dog and the Italian beef our guide had us looking up at the Wrigley Building, walking the Pedway and standing under the dome at the Cultural Center. The deep-dish pizza is a meal on its own, so skip breakfast. Four and a half hours sounds long, but with the stops it never dragged, and our twelve-year-old asked more questions than anyone.

PNPriya N. · Bangalore, IndiaBlue-sky walk
★★★★★90 minutes along the river

Ninety minutes, the river, the Tribune Tower and a docent who loved every brick. Ideal for our first afternoon.

TRTom R. · Denver, ColoradoBlue-sky walk
★★★★★Dazzling interiors walk

Gray, windy day, golden rooms. The Tiffany dome at the end was the best moment of our whole trip.

AWAnna W. · Kraków, PolandRain, wind or snow
★★★★★Golden Age with the CAC

Drizzle from start to finish, and our docent never lost a single one of us. She had a gift for making old buildings come alive. The glass of the Reliance Building, the green and gold Carbide and Carbon tower and the painted ceiling at the Palmer House each came with the story of who built them, and why the city rebuilt so fast after the fire. We ended under the Tiffany dome and followed her back to see the scale model. No refunds for rain, but we did not want one.

MHMargaret H. · Toronto, CanadaRain, wind or snow
★★★★★Pedway and the Loop

We came in January with a forecast of minus twenty and nearly cancelled the trip. This walk saved the day. Our guide taught us how the Pedway works and which doors lead where, then took us through corridors of stained glass, under department stores and into a lobby I would never have found. We popped up at the Picasso for five frozen minutes and dove back underground. The newer tunnels near the end are a maze I could not repeat alone.

DSDaniel S. · Tel Aviv, IsraelRain, wind or snow
★★★★★Secret interiors from Union Station

Cheapest tour we found, and the Rookery staircase alone justified it. Book a weekday so you get inside.

CGCarmen G. · Madrid, SpainBlue-sky walk
★★★★★Food and architecture day

The wind off the river was fierce, but the stops come often and most are indoors. Italian beef was new to me and now I miss it. Our guide wove the Prohibition stories into the buildings very well.

HMHiroshi M. · Osaka, JapanRain, wind or snow
★★★★☆90 minutes along the river

A good introduction on a cloudy day, though it is mostly outside views and I had hoped to go into more buildings. The docent explained the Tribune Tower competition in a way my teenagers actually listened to.

EDElise D. · Lyon, FranceRain, wind or snow
★★★★☆Dazzling interiors walk

Superb rooms and a guide who knew her stuff. One lobby was closed for an event, so we got a substitute, which was fine, but I had my heart set on it. Finding the horse sculpture at the start took us a while.

BOBen O. · Auckland, New ZealandBlue-sky walk
★★★★☆Golden Age with the CAC

Excellent docent, slightly too many sidewalk stops for my taste. The exhibits at the Architecture Center were a bonus.

GPGrace P. · Seattle, WashingtonBlue-sky walk
★★★★★Pedway and the Loop

Rain all morning, so we changed plans and took the Pedway walk. Some corridors are just corridors, but the guide made even those interesting, and we came out by Millennium Park as the sun returned.

OFOliver F. · Edinburgh, ScotlandRain, wind or snow
★★★★★Secret interiors from Union Station

We arrived on the train from Milwaukee and walked straight into the Great Hall to meet the group, which felt like the opening of a film. The guide took us across the river and down LaSalle Street, showing us the corners used in the Batman films, then into the Rookery, the Palmer House lobby and finally under the Tiffany dome at the old Marshall Field store. It was busy and the pace was quick, but for the price we could not believe how much we saw.

RARachel A. · Melbourne, AustraliaBlue-sky walk
★★★★★Food and architecture day

Came hungry, left full and a lot smarter about Chicago. The best four hours of our trip.

MJMarcus J. · Atlanta, GeorgiaBlue-sky walk
★★★★★90 minutes along the river

We had one afternoon before a conference and wanted the big picture fast. Our docent started at the scale model in the Architecture Center, then walked us along the river, past the Wrigley Building and up to the Tribune Tower, where she showed us the stones from famous buildings around the world set into its walls. Ninety minutes, back where we started, and we knew exactly which buildings to revisit the next morning.

INIngrid N. · Oslo, NorwayBlue-sky walk

Comfortable shoes on

Book Dazzling Interiors for your Loop morning

If you have one free morning or afternoon downtown and want to see the rooms that made Chicago's reputation, we would book Inside Chicago's interiors walk. The Board of Trade's lobby, the Rookery's light court and the Tiffany dome in two unhurried hours, with a guide who tells you why each one looks the way it does.

Close to two thousand travelers rate it 5.0 out of 5 on Viator, and both sites let you hold a place now, pay nearer the day and cancel until 24 hours before. Bring a layer for the wind between the towers.

~$35

per person · about 2 hours · in the Loop

Viator GetYourGuide
  • ✓ Free cancellation up to 24 hours before
  • ✓ Reserve now, pay later on both sites
  • ✓ Entrance fees included
  • ✓ Ends by Millennium Park

Good to know

Why Chicago is the city of architecture, and what you are looking at

Five minutes of reading, and the stone temples and the brass doors on your walk will fall into place.

The Loop takes its name from the elevated tracks that circle it, and almost every walk on this page stays inside that ring or just north of the river. In roughly a square mile you can see the whole history of the tall building, from masonry walls six feet thick to glass towers that seem to hang in the air. No other American downtown packs so many firsts so close together.

01The fire that cleared the ground

In October 1871 the Great Chicago Fire burned through the center of a city built largely of wood. The rebuilding drew ambitious young architects from the East and from Europe, gave them land at high prices and clients in a hurry, and pushed them to build up rather than out. Where the skyscraper was born.

02The frame that went up

In 1885 William Le Baron Jenney's Home Insurance Building carried its weight on a metal skeleton, and it is often called the first skyscraper. Burnham and Root, Holabird and Roche and Louis Sullivan followed with what became known as the Chicago School: tall offices with wide windows and ornament where people could see it. The Rookery of 1888 is the one most walks take you into.

03The White City and the plan

The World's Columbian Exposition of 1893 dressed the lakefront in white classical palaces, and Daniel Burnham's Plan of Chicago of 1909 shaped the parks and boulevards that followed. That is why so many Loop buildings of the Golden Age look like Roman temples or Renaissance palaces, and why the CAC's walk dwells on them.

The moment most walkers remember is not a facade. It is stepping off a gray sidewalk into a room of marble and gold that nobody outside would guess was there.

04Brass, stone and the crash

In the late 1920s money poured into a new style that looked to the future: setbacks, vertical lines, polished metal and stylized plants. The Board of Trade and the dark green and gold Carbide & Carbon Building date from the very end of that boom, just before the crash of 1929 stopped almost all building for years. Chicago's Art Deco buildings.

05Glass and steel after the war

Mies van der Rohe came from Germany in 1938 and taught a generation that less is more, from the apartment towers at 860–880 Lake Shore Drive to the black Federal Center in the Loop. The engineers of SOM then stacked tubes into the Willis Tower of 1973, and Bertrand Goldberg's Marina City gave the river its two concrete corn cobs.

06Manners in the lobbies

The rooms on these walks are working buildings, with security desks, office workers and hotel guests. Keep voices low, step aside for people heading to the elevators, skip the tripod and follow the guide's lead on where to stand. Photos are usually fine; a guard who says otherwise has the last word. The Loop interiors you can walk into.

1871The Great Fire clears the center

1885The first metal-frame skyscraper

1893The World's Columbian Exposition

1930The Board of Trade tops out in Art Deco

Would you see more from a boat? Our guide River cruise or walking tour? weighs the two, and how to fit both into one day.

Questions and answers

Frequently asked questions about Chicago architecture walking tours

Fourteen questions we hear again and again, with the full answer.

How much does a Chicago architecture walking tour cost?

Most two-hour walks on this page cost ~$35 per person, the same on both sites. Empire's Secret Interiors walk is the cheapest at ~$30, and Chicago in a Day costs ~$99 with a full meal of tastings. Tips are extra everywhere. Every price and extra is in our cost guide.

Which Chicago architecture walking tour is the best?

For most first-timers, Inside Chicago's Dazzling Interiors walk: the Board of Trade, the Rookery and the Tiffany dome in two hours, rated 5.0 by 1,860 Viator reviewers. For the Chicago Architecture Center's own docents, its Golden Age walk scores 4.9 from 456.

Is the river cruise better than a walking tour?

They show different things. A cruise lines up dozens of towers along the river while you sit, but it cannot take you inside a single building. A walk shows fewer buildings, up close and from the inside, including old Loop landmarks that do not face the water. With a full day, do the cruise in the morning and an interiors walk in the afternoon. The two compared.

Can I go inside the Rookery and the Board of Trade on my own?

Usually, yes. The Rookery's light court and the Board of Trade's lobby are open to the public on weekdays, and the Chicago Cultural Center is free. The Rookery is closed on Sundays, and any lobby can close for events or security. A guide adds the story and doors you would not try. Which lobbies are open.

How long is an architecture walking tour?

Most take between an hour and a half and two hours, on foot for roughly 1.5 miles (2.4 km). Chicago in a Day runs about four and a half hours because of the food stops. Most walks finish in a different part of the Loop from where they start.

What happens if it rains or snows?

The walks go ahead. The Chicago Architecture Center says plainly that it gives no refunds for weather, and the others run rain or shine too. The interiors walks spend half their time indoors, and the Pedway tour stays mostly underground, which makes it the safest bet on a grim day.

Are the walking tours wheelchair accessible?

Some are. Viator lists Inside Chicago's interiors walk and Chicago in a Day as wheelchair and stroller accessible. The Pedway walk is not, because of staircases. For the CAC's Golden Age walk and Empire's walk the two booking sites disagree, so ask the operator before you book.

Are these walks good for kids?

Older children usually enjoy them, especially the tunnels of the Pedway and the tastings on Chicago in a Day, where under-4s join free. Two hours of history can be long for small ones. Strollers are fine on some walks, but the CAC has nowhere to leave one. Walks with kids.

When is the best time of year for an architecture walk?

May, June, September and October, for mild weather and long light without the July crowds. October also brings Open House Chicago, usually in the middle of the month, when the CAC opens buildings that are normally closed. Winter walks work, best on the Pedway route. Month by month.

Where do the walks start?

All six start in or right beside the Loop: the plaza at 425 S. Financial Place, the Chicago Architecture Center at 111 E Wacker Drive, 120 N. LaSalle Street, Union Station's Great Hall and the Chicago Theatre on State Street. Each is a few minutes from an L station.

Do I need to tip the guide?

Tips are not included on any of the six walks, and in the United States guides expect them. A few dollars per person for a short walk and more for a guide who spent the afternoon with you is common. Small bills make it easy.

Is there a Frank Lloyd Wright walking tour in Chicago?

In the Loop, the walks by Inside Chicago and Empire take you into the Rookery's light court, which Wright remodeled in 1905. For his houses, go to Oak Park, about 9 miles (14 km) west, where the Home and Studio runs guided tours. Wright in the Loop and Oak Park.

Can I cancel a walking tour for free?

Yes, all six cancel for free up to 24 hours before the start, and both GetYourGuide and Viator let you reserve now and pay later. Late cancellations and no-shows are charged in full, and the CAC does not refund for bad weather.

Can I do the walk on my own instead?

Yes, and the lobbies that are open to the public cost nothing. A free route from Union Station to the river takes two to three hours at an easy pace. What you miss is the story behind each room and the doors only guides know. A self-guided Loop walk.

Read before you travel

Guides to Chicago's buildings on foot

Ten questions that keep coming up, each with the long answer instead of the short one.