The 15 Best Lake Michigan Cruises in Chicago

Lake Michigan Sunset Cruise in Chicago - The first 15 minutes on the Chicago River

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 1,520 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $45Our pick

See Chicago’s skyline from the river and Lake Michigan at sunset, with city lights, onboard narration, open-air seating, and a bar.

“I booked this experience for my husband's first weekend after retiring after 40 plus years. This first step in " the best is yet to be" did not disappoint. Despite the large crowd of participants everything flowed smoothly in getting on the boat. The guide was engaging and very knowledgeable. We learned a lot of interesting facts about Chicago history and architecture. The Skyline view at sunset was awesome. The hour and a half flew by.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

Lake Michigan Skyline Cruise in Chicago

2.Lake Michigan Skyline Cruise in Chicago

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 897 reviews · 30 to 45 minutes (approx.) · from $32Best value

See Chicago’s skyline from Lake Michigan on a 30 to 45 minute cruise with recorded commentary, onboard bar, restroom, and dog-friendly seating.

“Great little boat ride into the lake for a beautiful view of the city and the lake. Courteous staff . Would definitely go again !!!”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Evening Experiences, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

Chicago by Night River and Lake Cruise

3.Chicago by Night River and Lake Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 791 reviews · from $45

See Chicago glowing after dark on a 90-minute river and Lake Michigan cruise with skyline views, lock passage, and lively city stories.

“It was a wonderful and informative tour, but we found it a bit expensive for our budget.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

Chicago: Shoreline Lake Michigan Skyline Cruise

4.Shoreline Lake Michigan Skyline Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 758 reviews · 30 min · from $32

See Chicago’s skyline from Lake Michigan on a 30-minute Shoreline cruise with audio commentary, fast boarding, and wide-open photo views.

“such a great informative tour that showed us the wonderful buildings and lake view!”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Evening Experiences, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

Chicago: 1.5-Hour Scenic Sunset Lake Cruise

5.1.5-Hour Scenic Sunset Lake Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 739 reviews · 1h 30m · from $45

Review of Chicago’s 90-minute sunset cruise from the River to Lake Michigan, with skyline views, open decks, a cash bar, and practical tips.

“Our family of five really enjoyed this excursion. We started out in day light and by the time we returned we had a beautiful evening view of the Chicago city skyline. All said this was the best part of our four day visit.”

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Chicago Speedboat Rides, City Tours, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

City Cruises Chicago: Seadog Lakefront Speedboat Ride

6.City Cruises Chicago: Seadog Lakefront Speedboat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 642 reviews · 30 - 75 minutes · from $42

Review of Chicago’s Seadog speedboat ride, with skyline views, history, music, splashes, family tips, and Extreme Thrill details.

“The only bad thing about this was that it didn’t last long enough. Loved it. Got soaked just what I expected and wanted, nearly lost my eyelashes due to the speed of the boat. Would defo recommend this.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

Chicago Sightseeing River and Lake Cruise

7.Chicago Sightseeing River and Lake Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 509 reviews · from $45

Cruise Chicago’s river and Lake Michigan for skyline views, architecture stories, Navy Pier, Soldier Field, and sunset photos.

“The 6:15 pm tour is perfect. You get to see the sun come down and the building’s light up. Mike was awesome! He gave great info and was an overall great guide.”

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Chicago Dinner Cruises, Cruises & Boat Tours, Dining Experiences, Dinner Experiences, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

Chicago Signature Dinner Cruise on Lake Michigan

8.Chicago Signature Dinner Cruise on Lake Michigan

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 348 reviews · from $89

Watch Chicago glow from Lake Michigan, enjoy an all-you-can-eat dinner buffet, then dance to a live DJ on this 2 to 3 hour cruise.

“The music, site and ride was nice. IWe enjoyed the trip. We almost missed the ship because it was futheaway then we thought.”

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Chicago Dinner Cruises, City Tours, Cruises & Boat Tours, Lake Michigan Cruises, Lunch Experiences, Tour Reviews

City Cruises Chicago: Signature Lunch Cruise on Lake Michigan

9.City Cruises Chicago: Signature Lunch Cruise on Lake Michigan

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 348 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $66

Review the City Cruises Chicago lunch cruise, with Lake Michigan views, buffet dining, DJ entertainment, practical tips, and honest value advice.

“Really great experience, food fantastic, cruise so pretty as you can see the Chicago skyline and Navy Pier. Only negative experience music was geared to only one age group although there were all ages abc ethnicity.”

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2-Hour Experiences, Chicago Segway Tours, Lake Michigan Cruises, Museums, Tour Reviews, Tours

2-Hour Chicago Lakefront & Museum Campus Segway Tour

10.2-Hour Chicago Lakefront & Museum Campus Segway Tour

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 345 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $64Top rated

Review of Chicago’s 2-hour lakefront Segway tour, with museum views, skyline stops, guide tips, pricing, access details, and who should book.

“Our guide was Micheal, and he was so fun to have as our guide. He was patient and that was great considering it was our first time riding. I would definately do it again! We went on a quiet Monday, there were not alot of crowds at 10am on a Monday morning, This was a plus!”

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Chicago Dinner Cruises, Cruises & Boat Tours, Dining Experiences, Dinner Experiences, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

Chicago Premier Dinner Cruise on Lake Michigan

11.Chicago Premier Dinner Cruise on Lake Michigan

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 344 reviews · from $49

Review the Chicago Premier Dinner Cruise for skyline views, a three-course meal, DJ music, fireworks, costs, and practical tips.

“Boat ok . Food was good nothing special but good , personals 👎 sever hostess absolutely non professional. Start about table they put us to table after 10min the told us we ha e to move to different table to window which weageed. Some couple next to us said we waiting Read more”

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Chicago Speedboat Rides, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

Lake Michigan 30-Minute Speedboat Ride

12.Lake Michigan 30-Minute Speedboat Ride

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 333 reviews · 30 minutes (approx.) · from $42

Chicago’s 30-minute Lake Michigan speedboat ride pairs skyline views, lively commentary, and a fast run from Navy Pier for $42.78.

“My email confirmation said Lake Michigan 30 minutes speedboat ride. Please include the name seadog. We walked around the other side of the pier looking for a speed boat because google maps gave us walking directions for the other side which was wrong. We loved the boat experience! It was great.”

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Cruises & Boat Tours, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

Chicago: Narrated Sightseeing River and Lake Cruise

13.Narrated Sightseeing River and Lake Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 268 reviews · from $45

See Chicago’s skyline from the river and Lake Michigan, pass through the harbor lock, and enjoy live architecture stories on a 90-minute cruise.

“Super fun way to see Chicago from the river and Lake Michigan!”

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Chicago Architecture Tours, Cruises & Boat Tours, Historical Tours, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews

Historical and Architectural Chicago Fireboat River & Lake Cruise

14.Historical and Architectural Chicago Fireboat River & Lake Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 246 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $47

Cruise Chicago’s river and Lake Michigan aboard a historic fireboat, with architecture, city stories, lake views, snacks, and a full bar.

“Amazing tour in a restored active duty Chicago fireboat. Guide had an amazing amount of Chicago knowledge. Much fun!”

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Cycling Tours, Lake Michigan Cruises, Tour Reviews, Tours

Bike Tour of Chicago’s Lakefront Neighborhoods

15.Bike Tour of Chicago’s Lakefront Neighborhoods

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 241 reviews · 3 hours (approx.) · from $59

Explore Chicago’s lakefront, Lincoln Park, Old Town, and Gold Coast by bike on a relaxed 9-mile guided ride with bikes included.

“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.”

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