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Shoreline Sightseeing - Architecture River Cruise

Chicago, Illinois, United States

A view from the shoreline sightseeing boat

Shoreline sightseeing is one of the many tour boat operating companies that offers architectural boat tours of the Chicago River. After picking up the tickets that we purchased online, we boarded the boat and waited for the departure. After hearing the "rules and regulations" of the boat, our tour guide introduced herself, and we were on our way.

A view of the Sears Tower and our guide from the tourboat

The boat departed from Ogden Slip on the south-west side of Navy Pier. We first proceeded down the northern branch of the Chicago River, then turned around, and went down the southern branch. Our tour guide deserves special mention, as she was quite enthusiastic with the tour. Unfortunately, I thought the tour was too fast paced. Our guide was only able to spit out one or two quick facts about some of the buildings we passed before moving on to the next building. This is likely due to the speed the boat was moving - it was going quite quickly, and not leaving much time for the guide to talk. A more leisurely tour, such as a walking tour (such as Chicago Architecture Foundation - Architecture of Culture & Commerce Walking Tour) provides a better way to hear more of the back-story to each building.

At $24 each (during weekdays), I'm not sure the tour is a good value for the money. You do see a lot, but you don't get to hear much about what you see.

Cost

$24 for adults on weekdays, $26 for adults on weekends. At the present time, there is a 5% discount for pre-booking tickets online.

Dress

Casual - shorts and a T-shirt is fine.

Estimated Visiting Time

The total time of the boat tour is about one hour. The boat boards 15 minutes before departure, and you should also leave time for purchasing your tickets (or picking them up from the ticket booth if you purchased them online).