10 Best Places For City Views in Chicago
Chicago is a city full of architectural wonders! Here are the 10 Best places for city views in Chicago! This list gives the address of where each are located, the reasoning behind my ranking and tips for visiting each of these, along with photos. Chicago is a wonderful city and the city can be viewed from many areas all providing different perspectives and beauty. If you’re planning on visiting this city, I hope this guide helps you to make the most of your trip!
Top 10 Best Places for City Views
10 – Chicago Riverwalk
Cost: Free
The Chicago Riverwalk is a pedestrian path along the south bank of the Chicago River that has great views of the city as well as restaurants, fishing areas and boating docs. This area of the city gets busy during the warmer months and most of the businesses along the Riverwalk close for the winter months. The Riverwalk was constructed starting in 2001 and was expanded with new sections in 2012, 2015, and 2016.
This is a great way to see city views for free while enjoying a nice walk along the river. I definitely recommend this during the warmer months when the businesses are open as it is a nice place to walk and hang out with some food or a drink. Additionally, Art on the Mart can be viewed from the Riverwalk which is an art show projected on the Merchandise Mart every night at 8:30pm.
Did you Know: The Riverwalk is actually at ground level, while the city is built up around it. Back in the 1850s and 1860s engineers raised central Chicago to build over the swampy ground below!
9 – Renaissance Chicago Downtown (Raised Rooftop Bar)
1 W Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL, 60601
Cost: Varies
If you’re looking for a great hotel to stay in located right on the river in a GREAT location, look no further than Renaissance Chicago Downtown. I stayed here on my recent trip to Chicago was lucky enough to be upgraded to a suite with a river view, it was absolutely amazing! The hotel is in the perfect location just a short block away from most of the L trains since it is right next to the loop and it is within walking distance of so many landmarks including The Chicago Theater and The Bean.
This hotel also has a rooftop lounge on the 3rd floor open to the public called Raised. It faces the Chicago River and has a great view! They are open from 4-11pm Monday-Thursday and 3pm-12am on Fridays and Saturdays.
This comes at 9th on the list, since the best views are located within the hotel if you stay there on higher floors, but the 3rd floor view from the lounge is a great alternative.
8 – Cloud Gate (The Bean)
201 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL, 60602
Cost: Free
When you think of Chicago, you think of The Bean which is actually the nickname for Cloud Gate (because of its appearance). It’s an art installation that Chicago is famous for! Most don’t think of the city views you get from The Bean and Millennium Park. One side of the Bean reflects the park, and the other side of the Bean reflects the Skyline in front of it. Its truly beautiful and makes for amazing photos (that is, if the Bean is not too busy). Open 6am-11pm.
Pro Tip: Visit the Bean early in the morning or late in the evening, preferably during the week. Avoid The Bean Mid-day and the weekends.
7 – Maggie Daley Park
337 E Randolph St, Chicago, IL, 60601
Cost: Free
If you’ve never been to Maggie Daley Park, you should, especially if you have kids! Just take the BP Pedestrian Bridge from Millennium Park (where the Bean is) over to the park. This park has gorgeous views of the city with the park as the foreground. Maggie Daley Park has many activities including the largest playground I’ve seen, a miniature golf course and rock climbing wall during the warmer months, and a large ice skating rink in the winter. If you visit Chicago while the ice rink is up or in the warmer months, I’d recommend visiting this park, and its free to visit!
6 – Signature Lounge in the John Hancock Building
875 N Michigan Avenue, Chicago, IL
Cost: Free Entry, Cost of Food or Drink
Located on the 96th floor of the John Hancock Building is the Signature Lounge, a lounge that provides great views of the city from above. It is free to go up, but you must purchase food or beverage. It is the cheapest way to see views from above the city. There are tables along floor to ceiling windows but they are hard to come by and they often have a long wait. The food and drinks are just average, and the service is okay, they know people are going to get essentially free views. I was able to get photos in areas where people weren’t sitting but there aren’t many areas to do so.
If you wish to have a more formal experience, the Signature Room on the 95th floor offers fine dinning for dinner. 360 Chicago is the Hancock Building’s Observation deck which is open from 9am-9pm and until 11pm on Fridays and Saturdays which offers 360 views of Chicago. 360 Chicago tickets start at $30 for General Admission. I tried to visit 360 Chicago on my recent trip but they were very busy as it was a weekend. I cannot speak to the experience of 360 Chicago, otherwise this might be higher on the list.
Pro-Tip: Honestly the best views up in the Lounge are from the Women’s Restroom! There is a floor to ceiling window with unobstructed views that’s not well known about!
5 – North Avenue Beach
Cost: Free
One of the best views of the city skyline along with Lake Michigan is from North Avenue Beach. Here, the view of the skyline and lake are beautiful and the skyline view includes the John Hancock Building. A great way to take in the view here is by renting a Divvy Bike and bicycling along the lake. This is ranked as 5th because the views are great and its completely FREE but it is also not the most enjoyable during the colder months.
There are other locations in which you can view the city skyline along with lake Michigan including Adler Planetarium and Belmont Harbor, but I can only write to the location I visited which is the North Avenue Beach.
4 – Chicago Water Taxi
400 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611
Cost: Varies, $6 One-Way, $10 All Day Pass
See the city from below while taking a cruise along the Chicago River on the Chicago Water Taxi. This is a great way to view the city on the river if you are on a budget or have already been on an Architecture boat tour (see #2 below). The water taxi only runs during the warmer months, so be sure to check the schedules and routes.
During my first visit to Chicago, I took the Water Taxi from the Riverwalk to Chinatown and back using an all day pass. This was a great option to see all the buildings you see on an architecture boat tour, just without a tour guide telling you about the buildings. For an even cheaper option, you could take a one-way cruise to Chinatown and take the L-train back. Ranked 4 for great views, on a budget but the architecture tour is better for the information and views.
3 – Skydeck Chicago at Willis Tower
233 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
Cost: Basic Admission $30-$39 Adult, $22-$33 Children
View the city from 1,353 feet over Chicago. The Skydeck offers great views with floor to ceiling windows as well as from The Ledge which are glass boxes from which you can see the city below your feet as well! The cost is extremely reasonable for the value for this observation deck! Not only do you get amazing views but they recently renovated the queue line to to be interactive providing the history of Chicago and information about Chicago and the Sears/Willis Tower along with many photo ops along the way.
I recently visited for the second time and I was pleasantly surprised by all their tuque line additions, it really enhanced the experience! The Skydeck can get very busy with long waits. The best time to visit is during the first available times or the last available times during the week, avoid mid-day on weekends if possible!
This is ranked as 3 because it is the best overall view from above combined with the experience before the viewing deck. It’s not a necessary visit unless you are looking for the great photo ops it provides. Great for a first time visit to Chicago!
Pro Tip: The 4th Floor Roof Deck is free and open to the public, which gives views of the city (but nothing like the views from the Skydeck).
2 – Architectural Boat Tour
Multiple Locations along Chicago Riverwalk or Navy Pier
Cost:
Shoreline Siteseeing: $43 per Adult, $24 per Child
Chicago Architecture Center: $51.96 for Day tours, $55.74 for Evening cruise
One of the best ways to see the Chicago Skyline is via boat tour that tells you all about the history and styles of architecture of the buildings along the Chicago river. A river cruise is a MUST do for any first time visit to Chicago and especially for any history and/or architecture enthusiast. I went on the Shoreline Siteseeing’s first Sunset cruise for the season (these are only offered in the warmer months) and it was Amazing! I highly reccomend taking a sunset cruise to see the city both during the day and lit up once the sun sets. One of the best views is once the boat takes you out to Lake Michigan to see the skyline and the sunset, absolutely amazing!
This is only ranked as number 2 because of the cost (which can get costly for larger groups or families).
1 – Terrace 16
401 N Wabash Ave 16th Floor, Chicago, IL 60611
Cost: Free, Cost of Food and/or Drink
Located on the 16th floor of the Trump Hotel are the most beautiful views of the city. I have ranked this as Number 1 because there is 180 degree views of the Chicago skyline which includes iconic Chicago buildings, views of the Chicago River, and Lake Michigan in the distance. There is no cost to visit the terrace but they offer breakfast, lunch, and dinner or you could always stop in for a drink and views. This is a great place to visit day or night but I believe the views are even better during the day.
The balcony is open year round but there are no tables on the balcony during the colder months. Views from inside the restaurant are great, but it is best to visit in the warmer months so you can sit out on the balcony with the best views!
The 10 Best Places for Chicago City Views
So there you have it, the 10 best places for city views in Chicago! I hope this will help you on your trip to Chicago, and if you’ve been before, maybe I have introduced you to some places with city views that you may have not known about! Did I miss any of your favorite spots? Let me know in the Comments!
I’ll be posting more from my recent trip to Chicago but in the meantime, see these posts from my previous visit to the windy city: Things to do in Chicago, Speakeasies and Bars of Chicago, or Favorite Foods of Chicago.
