A leading world operator of open-top bus tours, City Sightseeing provides Chicago visitors with sightseeing opportunities, complete with a choice of live guides or recorded multi-lingual commentary. For more than 20 years, City Sightseeing has been providing guests all over the world with easy access to the magnificent sights and sounds of the city, with the freedom to choose where they spend the most time.
City Sightseeing visitors can create their own bus tours as they hop on and off of the buses as often as they like, at any of the ten designated stops on the route. The bright red buses are easy to spot and the friendly staff is available and eager to help!
Types of City Sightseeing Tours
City Sightseeing provides options for visitors to create their own tour of 1, 2, or 3 days. With year-round access, guests can enjoy the open-deck on warmer days or move down to the lower deck in case of rain and/or colder temperatures. Summer weather allows for tours later into the evening in order to catch the Windy City illuminated with lights.
The summer months bring additional opportunities, including the possibility to jump onto an extra Wrigleyville Excursion route, operating late May through early October. This excursion is separate from the hop-on, hop-off bus tours and makes us of a trolley instead of a double decker bus.
What You’ll See on a City Sightseeing Tour
With a hop-on, hop-off tour, visitors can make their own decisions about the places where they want to spend the most time. Some of the most popular sites explored by City Sightseeing include:
- Millennium Park—with its spectacular public art collections and outdoor gardens
- Adler Planetarium
- Art Institute of Chicago
- The Magnificent Mile—with its 13-block stretch on north Michigan Avenue
- Hard Rock Café
- Skydeck Building—with its 103rd floor viewing platform
- 360 Chicago—on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Building
- Navy Pier
- Field Museum and Shedd Aquarium
- Wrigleyville (seasonal)
City Sightseeing Tours Services
City Sightseeing’s standard service is through double-decker, open-top bus tours. Guests may choose between 1-day, 2-day, or 3-day tickets that allow them to see the best that Chicago has to offer at their own, leisurely pace.
Originally begun in Seville, Spain, City Sightseeing now offers hop-on, hop-off bus tours in more than 100 cities all over the world. (Tickets are not transferrable between cities.)
For other Chicago hop-on, hop-off bus tours on open-top, double decker buses, consider Big Bus Tours.
City Sightseeing Tours Timing
City Sightseeing’s bus tours are offer year-round in Chicago and run from morning until evening. Bus frequency during the week is approximately every 45 minutes, while weekend frequency is around every 30 minutes. During the warmer months from late May until mid-October, guests may take advantage of the City Sightseeing night tour which includes Chicago lit up at night.
City Sightseeing Tours Considerations
Information to consider prior to booking a tour with City Sightseeing may include:
- Tours commentaries are given live in English.
- Audio tour guides may be available in Spanish, German, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese and Mandarin Chinese.
- 2-day and 3-day tickets may be offered at a significant discount.
- All tours are family-friendly and welcome children.
- Children, seniors and students may be eligible for discounts. Infants always ride for free.
- Vouchers for City Sightseeing Chicago may be redeemed at one of three locations, including: Magnificent Mile/Pioneer Court, 360 Chicago or Hilton Chicago
- Summer months bring additional opportunities for a 90-minute tour of Wrigleyville including Chicago History Museum, Wrigley Field and Lincoln Park Zoo.
- Food and beverages are not included in the tour, but guests can take advantage of plenty of opportunities for purchasing along the way at various stops.
- City Sightseeing tours are wheelchair accessible and may be accessed by people who have mobility issues.
- Service animals are allowed on buses, but pets may not be. Contact the company ahead of time to inquire about pets.
- Buses typically run on schedule, but itineraries may need to be revised or cancelled due to weather. Guests should refer to the website for more information.
- Groups rates may be available. Contact [email protected] for more details.
- Tickets may be refundable if cancelled more than 24 hours prior to the date selected at the time of purchase.
Book a City Sightseeing Tour
Tickets for City Sightseeing should be purchased in advance online. Booking is easy online. Online bookings show weekly availability including tour times as well as revealing tours that are already sold out. Pay for your tour in advance with a credit card and receive an email with all of the information you need about where and when tours meet as well as what to expect.