What a Chicago river cruise costs

Six cruises, one price table

Four companies run the six cruises on our home page, and most of their docks lie a short stroll from the Michigan Avenue bridge. The figures below are GetYourGuide "from" prices for one adult in US dollars, approximate from prices shown when we last looked. They shift with the date and departure you choose, so read the table as the shape of the range and confirm the total at checkout.

How the routes differ is laid out in which cruise to book, and the buildings guide names what you pass on each branch. This page deals with the money.

The lowest fares, ~$28 and ~$39

Wendella's 45-minute family-friendly cruise from ~$28 is the cheapest ticket on the page. Starting at the Lake Shore Drive end, the boat follows the river as far as Willis Tower on the South Branch and returns toward the lake past the Riverwalk. The North Branch is not on the route. Children under 4 ride free according to the listing, and Wendella lets you carry on your own non-alcoholic food and drinks. One reviewer took a night departure and found the lit-up city beautiful from the deck.

Shoreline's skip-the-ticket-line cruise from ~$39 is the cheapest way onto all three branches. It runs 75 minutes, or 60 in the colder months, past about 40 landmark buildings with a live guide in English or Spanish. The barcoded ticket takes you straight past the ticket office. Two rules can cost you, though. You cannot bring your own food or drinks aboard, and a same-day switch of date or time carries a $10 fee per ticket.

Mid-range fares, ~$42 to ~$45

Chicago Line's architecture boat tour with drinks from ~$42 is the one cruise where something to drink comes with the ticket. Coffee, tea, lemonade, water and soft drinks are free, while alcohol and snacks are sold on board. The 90-minute route covers all three branches from a private dock on Ogden Slip, east of the busy stretch by Michigan Avenue. It scores 4.7 for value from 594 reviews.

Our pick, Wendella's 1.5-hour guided architecture cruise from ~$45, costs a little more and has by far the largest review base, 4.8 out of 5 from 9,624 guests. The live guide takes you up the main branch past Wolf Point and into the North and South branches before heading back toward Lake Michigan. You can book with free cancellation up to 24 hours ahead, and reserve now and pay later. The listing lets children under 3 ride free, and value scores 4.7.

Wendella's lake and river cruise from ~$45 sells for about the same as our pick but trades the outer branches for a passage through the Chicago Harbor Lock and a view of the skyline from Lake Michigan. It is listed at about 90 minutes and can run longer in high summer when the lock is busy, which means extra time on the water for the same fare. Lake or river weighs that trade.

One more mid-priced option leaves from Navy Pier. The Seadog speedboat architecture cruise from ~$42 clears the locks and gives you a narrated spell on the river before it races along the lakefront. Its catch shows in the scores, 4.5 overall and 4.4 for value, and in the spray, since you can get wet. It is more thrill ride than architecture lesson.

The top fare, ~$57

First Lady's Architecture Center cruise from ~$57 is the dearest of the six, and the extra buys the commentary. It is the only cruise narrated by volunteer docents certified by the Chicago Architecture Center, who talk you past more than 50 buildings and 13 bascule bridges. Every passenger also gets a guaranteed seat on the open upper deck, and proceeds support the center's nonprofit work. One four-star reviewer called it a bit costly but made for people who love architecture, which sums up the deal. Our guide to the docent cruise goes deeper.

The $5 museum add-on, or the combo

When you book the First Lady cruise, the listing offers general admission to the Chicago Architecture Center at 111 E Wacker Dr for $5, against a usual $14. A separate First Lady cruise and Architecture Center combo from ~$71 pairs that same docent cruise with a voucher for the center, valid from 7 days before your sailing to 7 days after. Its weak point is the price. On the fares we saw, the plain cruise with the $5 option came to less than the combo, so compare both totals at the booking step before you choose.

What the ticket leaves out

• Alcohol. Every boat sells it, and Wendella's boats take cards only;
• Snacks. Garrett's Popcorn on Wendella, cookies and chips in First Lady's salons;
• Tips. Wendella's listings say gratuities are not included;
• Same-day changes on Shoreline. $10 per ticket;
• The Architecture Center. $5 with the First Lady cruise, $14 without.

Getting to the boat costs little, since most of the docks sit close to the Michigan Avenue bridge. Where each cruise boards has the addresses and the walking routes.

Children's fares and cost per minute

Free ages differ by boat. Wendella's listings let under-3s ride free on the 90-minute cruise, while the 45-minute one waives the fare for children under 4. First Lady's evening sailing, Chicago by Night, also carries under-4s for free. The Architecture Center advises against its docent cruise for children under 12, a hint about the pace of the commentary rather than a ban. Cruising with children covers strollers, snacks and restrooms.

The 45-minute cruise looks cheapest, yet per minute it is the dearest of the Wendella tickets. Set ~$28 for 45 minutes against ~$45 for 90 and the longer cruise doubles your time for well under twice the price. Shoreline's ~$39 for 75 minutes lands close to that 90-minute rate, though the same fare buys only an hour in the colder months. Chicago Line's ~$42 for an hour and a half, with soft drinks thrown in, works out lowest of the six. The docent cruise and the 45-minute boat cost roughly the same per minute, the highest rates on the page.