An excellent choice for first-time visitors, this tour provides a comprehensive overview of the city and hits on both classic attractions and little-known sites. Beginning at the Chicago Theatre, work your way to the Chicago Pedway, an elaborate network of underground tunnels used by locals and commuters. Stroll the Chicago Riverwalk and see Millennium Park; then, embark on a food tour to taste some of the city’s famous foods.

Discover key landmarks along the Chicago Riverwalk and Magnificent Mile.
See the best of the city, all in just half a day.
Immerse yourself in the best of Chicago culture and discover why Chicago’s art, food scene, and architecture is one of a kind.
Get a taste of “Chicago-style” iconic food - Chicago-style hot dogs, deep-dish pizza, and Italian beef - in one of the city’s most historic neighborhoods.
Travel on the historic Chicago El, with transit fees included.
This tour is carbon neutral, operated by a B Corp certified company committed to using travel as a force for good.

What's Included

Discover Chicago on 5 Food Stops with 5 Food Samples
Try Deep dish pizza at a pizza place that’s an icon to Chicago
Taste a classic Chicago sandwich: Italian beef
Get a taste for Chicago’s most famous food like Chicago-style hot dog
Enjoy a couple of classic made-in-Chicago snacks like Chicago-style popcorn and homemade chocolate
Transportation between tour halves
Discover Chicagos’ incredible architecture both old and new
Get tips on what else to see, do and eat during your stay
Join professional English-speaking local guide

Gratuity
Drinks and additional food

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

The Chicago Theatre
175 N State St, Chicago, IL 60601, USA
The Chicago Theatre (underneath the marquee), 175 N. State Street, Chicago, IL 60601

End point

River North, Chicago, IL, USA
A central location in the River North neighborhood near the Chicago Brown Line “L” Station.

What To Expect

The Chicago Theatre

10 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Chicago Pedway

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

City of Chicago - City Hall (Pass By)

Chicago River

20 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Wrigley Building (Pass By)

Tribune Tower (Pass By)

Millennium Park (Pass By)

Cloud Gate (Pass By)

River North

1 hour 30 minutes • Admission Ticket Free

Historic Water Tower (Pass By)

The Loop (Pass By)

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Wheelchair accessible
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed
Near public transportation
Transportation is wheelchair accessible
Most travelers can participate

This is a child-friendly walking tour. Children under the age of 6 are permitted to join this tour free of charge.
Please note: food options and portion sizes will vary depending on the season and where we stop that day but the total amount of food included will be equal to a full meal.
Suitable for all ages and fitness levels, but please note that this tour covers between 4.8 to 6.4 km (3-4 miles) of walking.
We can accommodate vegetarian options but cannot accommodate other food allergies or dietary preferences. Please notify us in advance if you have any dietary requests.
Experiences happen rain, shine, or snow. Please dress accordingly.
Note that the Bean sculpture is under construction until Spring 2024 and views will be limited.
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 12 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 good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Reviews

5.0

731 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 731 reviews

Great overview of a beautiful city.

KathrynE_M, Apr 2024

Seeing inside of amazing historical buildings. History. Riding the L. Chicago Dave was knowledgeable and enthusiastic.

Amazing

Michael_P, Apr 2024

Great skilled Tourguide. Nice hidden places explored. Delicious food on the way. Met nice people on that tour too.

The best way to experience Chicago in a day.

Devin_L, Apr 2024

Kevin was an exceptional tour guide. He is very knowledgeable and enthusiastic. Food was great. If you only have one day in Chicago this is the tour to take!

A little bit of all of Chicago!

Latisha_V, Apr 2024

Dave is an excellent tour guide! You get a little bit of the architecture, history, and food in this tour. Highly recommend!

Great tour and food highlights

Jack_B, Apr 2024

Wonderful small group tour. Great way to experience Chicago in a day. Lots of walking but that gets your appetite up for some Local food highlights.

Great way to see Chicago!

Cara_S, Apr 2024

I only had one leisure day in Chicago and this was a perfect way to spend it! Our guide was so knowledgeable about the city’s history and the architecture. He showed us things that I as a tourist wouldn’t necessarily know to look for. He also brought us to some great spots for classic Chicago food and explained their history.

I learned

Michele_H, Apr 2024

Kevin did a fantastic job, he was knowledgeable and understanding of the group needs. I found the architecture history interesting and came away with a better understanding.

Offer restroom breaks at least 1/2 way into the tou.r.

Charmayne_M, Apr 2024

The history behind Macy's retail store. Millennium Park attractions Prior to the tour, the guide should ask if there are any physical limitations, because there are elevator(s) available,especially in the museum(s).

Fun time

Jonathan_C, Mar 2024

Rich was an excellent guide. The pace was just right and we learned things we next would have seen without a guide.

I earned my steps

Francine_W, Mar 2024

Kevin the guide was great. I really enjoyed myself. I haven't had a hotdogs in 20+ (I'm not a vegan just haven't had one) but the Chicago dog was great. Learning a few hidden gems about Chicago are things I will take home a share. I wouldn't mind doing this tour again when the weather is warm.

So much information!

Anne_C, Mar 2024

Dash was a great guide- he’s a wealth of information about the city and obviously loves it. He did a great job running interference for us with the crowds on st. Patrick’s day and adapting the itinerary to give us the best experience possible

Architecture and food favorites!

Nick_M, Mar 2024

Our guide was amazing! The knowledge of the city was impressive. We saw many amazing sights, followed by some absolutely delicious food!

Perfect introduction to Chicago

Carrie_D, Mar 2024

My two teens and I were visiting Chicago for the first time for a college tour. We only had 48 hours to explore and get a feel for the city, so this seemed like the best way to pack in a lot in a short amount of time. I'm so glad we chose to do this tour our first morning in Chicago. Dash was a great guide, very personable and fun with lots of knowledge to share about the town, architecture and art scene in the city. We saw all the good stuff, ate good food and he even introduced us to riding the train which helped us to navigate the city a little easier for the remainder of our stay. Would highly recommend to anyone planning a trip to the Windy City.

A wonderful experience with an amazing g guide!

Eleesha_G, Mar 2024

Our tour guide Tall Dave was an amazing wealth of knowledge. He was easygoing, happy to answer any questions and t had a great route planned for the day. He went above and beyond, recommending other things to do while we were there and even took the time to drop us off at our next adventure after the tour! There were four of us traveling together and we unanimously agree that the tour was well worth the money spent and would recommend it if you are visiting Chicago!

We will never forget Chicago!

Courtney_V, Mar 2024

More than pleased that we took the tour with “Chicago Dave “ , now I know that I will never ever forget Chicago!! It was a little bit of a rainy day but we went for it anyways so happy that we did. Chicago Dave even altered our trip a little bit due to the weather I learned more than I have ever known about Chicago. The history, all the good details , the visual it was more than we expected. “Chicago Dave “definitely knows his stuff he has a great personality interacts with all the guests , tells you the fun stuff , brought us to historic places that we would definitely return to. We have a huge respect for Chicago wanting to keep their amazing landmarks. It’s amazing how Chicago rebuilt itself . Trust “Chicago Dave “ to show you the secrets places that you would never see if you did not take this tour. Have fun!!!

An excellent way to spend the day

lydiaakinola, Feb 2024

This was a fantastic introduction into the culture and history of Chicago through buildings and food. (Tall) Dave was the perfect host, effortlessly weaving cultural nuggets and anecdotes with actual delicious titbits as we walked around some of the city's hidden gems as well as the more obvious monuments. Time flew bye and not a minute was wasted. I didn't feel rushed with enough time to stop and appreciate the views. Would definitely recommend

Excellent

Liz_G, Feb 2024

This was a wonderful walking tour. The guide covered many interesting facts about Chicago, we rode the train, walked a lot, visited the main sites, visited less known sites, and tried great samples of the local food. Highly recommend it!

Excellent experience

Yveline_S, Dec 2023

Wonderful interaction, courteousness, and knowledge of our tour guide. Another excellent experience!

Best all-in-one Chicago tour!

Michael_B, Dec 2023

Tall Dave was very informative, insightful with travel tips, and took us to see some really cool places with beautiful architecture we would have never found on our own. We sampled all the foods Chicago's known for (deep dish pizza, hot dog, Italian beef sandwich) and it's twist on mixing sweet and salty popcorn.

Dash was an exceptional...

Dan_D, Dec 2023

Dash was an exceptional guide. We saw amazing architecture, learned of the city's past and tasted authentic "Chicago dishes". The 5 hrs flew by

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