The Art of a City, Downtown Chicago Guided Walking Tour — Semi-Private (12 Guests Max)
About this activity
Discover Chicago’s public art and architecture with an expert guide on a 2.5-hour semi-private downtown walking tour. See Cloud Gate, Picasso, Chagall and the Willis Tower exterior. Maximum 12 guests.
Highlights
- Marvel at Cloud Gate (The Bean) in Millennium Park
- See Picasso's monumental sculpture at Daley Plaza
- Experience Willis Tower’s breathtaking exterior
- Admire Chagall’s Four Seasons mosaic masterpiece
- Visit the iconic Chicago Theatre and Buckingham Fountain
Full description
Discover downtown Chicago’s public art and architecture on a 2.5-hour semi-private guided walking tour for up to 12 guests. See Cloud Gate, the Chicago Theatre, Picasso’s sculpture, Willis Tower and Buckingham Fountain.
Explore Chicago’s public art and architecture with an expert guide and a small group. Begin at the Art Institute’s South Michigan Avenue entrance, then walk through Millennium Park to Cloud Gate and Crown Fountain. Highlights generally include the Chicago Cultural Center, the Chicago Theatre marquee, Picasso’s sculpture at Daley Plaza, Miró’s sculpture and Chagall’s Four Seasons mosaic. Discover The Rookery, Willis Tower exterior, the Board of Trade, Calder’s Flamingo and Grant Park before ending at Buckingham Fountain. The route may vary. This is a 2.5-hour walking tour; admission tickets, food, drinks, hotel transport, gratuities and luggage storage are not included.
Included / Excluded
- 2.5-hour guided semi-private walking tour
- Expert local guide specializing in art and architecture
- Small group experience (max 12 guests)
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Food and drinks
- Gratuities for the guide
Itinerary
Art Institute of Chicago — left lion meeting point
Meet your guide by the left lion when facing the Art Institute main entrance at 111 S Michigan Ave. Arrive 10 minutes early. The walk begins outside the museum; entry is not included.
Millennium Park: Cloud Gate and Crown Fountain
See Cloud Gate (the Bean) and Crown Fountain in Millennium Park.
Meeting point
Start Location
Art Institute of Chicago — left lion meeting point
The Art Institute of Chicago, 111 S Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60603, USA
Meet 10 minutes before the tour by the left lion statue when facing the main entrance.
Get directions →Important information
Know before you book
- Tour is not wheelchair accessible and involves city walking
- Maximum group size is 12 for an intimate experience
Know before you go
- Wear comfortable shoes for walking
- Dress for Chicago weather (layer as needed)
- Bring an ID or a photo of an ID showing your age.
- Meet 10 minutes early by the left lion statue at 111 S Michigan Ave.
- Tour runs rain or shine
Cancellation policy
Up to 24 hours before the beginning of the activity: full refund Less than 24 hours before the beginning of the activity or no-show: no refund
Reviews
We booked this tour to get as much as possible out of our time at The Met. What we didn’t know we were getting was a personalized experience full of captivating stories about the artists' lives and the people who brought the art to the museum. Robin was a wealth of knowledge and a highlight of our trip to New York!
Spent a great day with Charlie he was very engaging and shared lots of information and entertaining stories with us. He took great care of us and we would recommend him for any future tours.
Mark, tour guide for the Metropolitan Museum is an outstanding teacher: engaging; entertaining; professional; personable; experienced and deeply knowledgeable as a result of a lifelong passion and relationship with the Met. He loves what he does and cares deeply about sharing his knowledge and insight to spark curiosity and inspire his clients--his students--to understand context and meaning of each piece or work of art reviewed. My wife, a retired professor emeritas and myself both left thoroughly impressed and grateful to have been taught by best and most captivating guides we have had the privilege of meeting on one of our many travels and adventures. Hire the best. Hire Mark. Worth every penny and every minute of your time you can afford at the Met. Like us, you will look forward to coming back for another teaching session from Mark. In my case, hopefully we will be back on my birthday next year! (Thanks again Mark!)