Bike Tour of Chicago's Lakefront Neighborhoods

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Chicago Lakefront Neighborhoods Bicycle Tour

3 hours
Mobile ticket
Offered in: English

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Overview

Pedal past the lakefront neighborhoods of Chicago's North Side on this bike tour of the Windy City. Follow a local guide along quiet streets, city parks and scenic beaches, starting at Lake Shore Drive and continuing along Rush Street and the Magnificent Mile. Catch a glimpse of the Playboy Mansion, Oprah’s penthouse and the Victorian houses of Old Town. Select from several departure times in the morning or afternoon.

Bicycle tour through Chicago's lakefront neighborhoods
Bike along Rush Street and the Magnificent Mile
Glimpse the Gold Coast Mansions, including Oprah's House and the Playboy Mansion
See the Historic Old Town District, Lincoln Park Zoo, North Avenue Beach and more!

What's Included

Bicycle
Helmet
Local tour guide

Food and drinks
$10 per person suggested guide gratuity. (via Cash, Venmo and PayPal)

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

540 N Lake Shore Dr, Chicago, IL 60611, USA
Through the driveway (tunnel) to our entrance

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

What To Expect

Start your bike tour of Chicago's lakefront neighborhoods at Lake Shore Drive, where you’re outfitted with a stylish bicycle and a helmet. After a safety briefing from your guide, set out to discover the Windy City on two wheels.

Follow your guide off the beaten path through scenic parks and along Lake Michigan’s popular shores to quiet residential neighborhoods on the North Side of Chicago, including Rush Street and the Magnificent Mile. You’ll cycle past North Avenue Beach and the Lincoln Park Zoo, and marvel at the elegant homes and brick mansions of the Gold Coast Historic District.

Your guide shares insights about each neighborhood and points out highlights such as St Michael's Church, the Playboy Mansion, Oprah Winfrey’s penthouse and the historic district of Old Town, lined with charming Victorian houses. You’ll hear interesting facts about how Chicagoans live and develop an appreciation for one of America’s greatest cities.

This tour covers approx. 9 miles (14.5 km) of generally flat terrain at a leisurely pace. Appropriate for all ages and fitness levels, but children should be capable and comfortable with riding on city streets.

Museum of Contemporary Art (Pass By)

St Michael Catholic Church in Old Town (Pass By)

The Magnificent Mile (Pass By)

Lincoln Park Zoo

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lake Michigan

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

North Avenue Beach

15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lakefront Trail

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Gold Coast

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Old Town

5 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lincoln Park

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Lakefront Trail

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
This tour is appropriate for all ages and fitness levels. Professional guides blend quality information, group interaction, and most of all, fun, to create an unforgettable Chicago experience. Bikes are provided. Child bikes, seats and tagalongs are available.
Not wheelchair accessible
Storage for larger bags/items available for free
Please note: children must be strong, capable riders and be able to bike for 9 miles
Near public transportation

Infant seats available
Most travelers can participate
TripAdvisor rated Bobby’s Bike Hike its highest-level Traveler’s Choice Award each year since 2002.
Operates rain or shine, please dress appropriately. If extreme weather forces cancellation there will be options to change tours or refund.
Minimum numbers apply. There is a possibility of cancellation after confirmation if there are not enough guests to meet requirements. In the event of this occurring, you will be offered an alternative or full refund.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.
Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.

Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.
This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Featured review

Jessica_W

Vas was an awesome guide!! I highly recommend this tour, you will enjoy intimate parts of chicago with lots of history

Reviews

5.0

195 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

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Showing 1-10 of 195 reviews

November 2023

Debbie_L, Nov 2023

We went in the morning, the weather was beautiful and guide Vasil was excellent. It was a great experience.

Perfect for anyone who likes biking but dislikes navigating through a foreign city

Helen_W, Oct 2023

We loved the lakefront tour! Vasil was a great tour guide and he had interesting stories to share. We saw a lot more from Chicago than we would have been able to discover by foot. We loved the ease of just following someone who knows the area. While riding, you can just take in the scenery without worrying about navigating. They know which ways are bike-appropriate and take you on a beautiful tour to spaces you would likely miss otherwise!

Awesome and a must do

Julie_A, Sep 2023

Actually cycling in a city with a confident guide making it all seem easy , Gold Coast was beautiful as was st micheals church .

A great way to see the city!

Kasey_F, Aug 2023

York was a great tour guide. I felt safe the entire time riding through the city. I had a blast and can’t wait to do this again one day!

Do it!

Jessica_W, May 2023

Vas was an awesome guide!! I highly recommend this tour, you will enjoy intimate parts of chicago with lots of history

Fabulous

Cynthia_M, Oct 2022

Lou our guide was fabulous! Super great, wonderful knowledge of the City! This tour was really a great way to experience the City and see wonderful architecture.

Great bike Tour

SCOTT_H, Aug 2022

Getting to know the city of Chicago. Our guide was great as well we enjoyed the people who rode with us.

Lou was enthusiastic and...

Nam_N, Aug 2022

Lou was enthusiastic and gave us a nice history lesson on the city of Chicago. We couldn’t ask for a better experience. I’m thankful for having him as a guide.

Wonderful viking!

Nanhee_K, Aug 2022

It was a great experience, everything was perfect. We were very happy to join in this activity. Our guide(maybe he is Chang?) was very knowledgeable, friendly and rich-experienced. He also gave many interesting explanations by matching places with Chicago's history while leading our safe viking. If I have a chance to visit Chicago someday, I'd like to try it again. Thank you all of the joiners with us !

Fantastic bike tour!

Barbara_W, Aug 2022

Our tour director Lou was fantastic. Lou made sure that everyone felt comfortable and his tour was informative and fun. We saw a lot of things on the bike tour that we would have not seen otherwise. Highly recommend.

Best way to know the real history of Chicago

Oswaldo_V, Jul 2022

The best way to start a day with my families and looking other parts of the city besides de big buildings

Hidden Gems By Bike

Raul_S, Jun 2022

Great way to see places that otherwise you would not visit. Outstanding guide (Lou), so much fun and knowledgeable. Do it!

Short and sweet enjoy

Shwetank_S, Sep 2021

The trip was a short and sweet trip across neighborhoods of Chicago and finally the lake. It was properly guided, and the guide Nick was very helpful and cool. Helped me finding the location of the place and came to pick me up from the spot where I was lost. The entire trip was very light and chilled.

Fun tour of Chicago

Luckygirl94010, Oct 2019

This was a very nice tour of some of the best spots in Downtown Chicago. Lake was so friendly and informative. Definitely put this on your list the next time you are in Chicago.

Bobby bike trip, Chicago

jillyemc70, Nov 2018

Great bike trip around Chicago. Peter the guide was great, really knowledgeable Just book with Bobbys bikes direct, vand save about $20.

Neighborhood Bike Tour

Kenneth_W, Jul 2018

Fun, slow paced,easy bike ride through a few of Chicago’s neighborhoods. Guide was knowledgeable about basic Chicago history.

Great ride. Lots of fun...

Alejandro_L, Mar 2018

Great ride. Lots of fun. Unfortunately we never received the pictures that our great guide took during the tour

Highly recommend doing this tour...

Jennifer G, Nov 2017

Highly recommend doing this tour, really enjoyed it, nice way to see the city!

We had the best time. Our guide Mark...

Richard H, Oct 2017

We had the best time. Our guide Mark was very clear in his explanation on the dos/ do nots of bike riding and was excellent in his information about Chicago. Highly recommended

Very gentle 7.5 mile cycling tour...

John_A, Sep 2017

Very gentle 7.5 mile cycling tour through the city centre, parks and back into the city along the Chicago shoreline. Plenty of stops along the way which included historical highlights. Great mixed group and superb tour guide. Highly recommended tour!

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