Last year, Tripadvisor completed a study of the ten most popular tours and found Chicago's Architectural Boat Tour to be the most booked in America. You can look at the top 10 here. The Architectural Boat Tour is a phenomenal experience for four primary reasons: Viewing the city from the Chicago River provides a unique perspective and an opportunity to pinpoint exciting places to check out later in your trip. You will learn fascinating stories about Chicago's history that will impress friends and family. You will feel like you've completed an Architecture 101 class and had fun doing it. Riding a boat through a giant city is oddly thrilling. Because the Architectural Boat Tour gives you an opportunity to spot interesting places to check out, I would suggest putting it at the very top of your itinerary. Because there is a great deal of competition in the world of Chicago boat tours, allow me to give a short list of some of the top companies and the varieties of boat tours provided by each. Chicago Architectural Foundation River Cruise Climb aboard Chicago's First Lady for this 90-minute tour of downtown Chicago with a docent (tour guide) who is a member of Chicago's Architectural Foundation. The vessel is immaculate, and the guide will drop some serious architectural knowledge and historical deep cuts. Shoreline Sightseeing Shoreline Sightseeing is the company that officially won the “Best Tour in America” award from Tripadvisor in 2017, and it's not hard to see why. They have the largest fleet of tour boats in Chicago, and their Architectural Tour is as good as you can find. They also branch out to offer narrated Lake Tours that give fantastic views of the city's skyline, Fireworks Tours that provide a great view of Navy Pier's seasonal fireworks, and even Water Taxis that have regular stops at various locations throughout the downtown area. Seadog Cruises Seadog Cruises is a highly-rated fleet of speedboats that offer Architectural Tours, Lakefront Tours, Fireworks Tours, and even an Extreme Thrill Ride. They have several other specialty cruises that provide unique experiences. Be sure to check their website to see all they have to offer. Wendella Boats Wendella Boats operates the original Architectural Boat Tour, and they are still going strong. Their trained professionals offer a fantastic Architectural Tour, a Lake and River Tour, a Sunset Cruise, and a Fireworks Cruise. They also operate the iconic yellow and black Water Taxis that can be seen gliding through Chicago's busy downtown waterways. There are many more companies to choose from, so take a peek at the options above and do speak with Best Western River North's concierge if you have any questions. You'll thank us when you discover that riding a boat through a giant city is oddly thrilling.
