What is the Chicago self-guided walking tour?
The Chicago self-guided walking tour turns your phone into a storyteller: the World City Trail app sets out the way through the city and, at every stop, narrates the history, legends and odd facts that belong to the place. Count on roughly 3 hours for the whole route, with 73 minutes of walking spread over 5 km and 10 stops, starting whenever you choose. The route keeps close to Lake Michigan, moving from the pier through the gardens of Grant Park to the museums on the shore.
At Navy Pier the narration explains how a municipal dock of 1916 got its naval name during the First World War, and at the Outer Drive Bridge you hear why this bascule bridge of 1937 was once called the longest, widest and heaviest of its kind. In Millennium Park the story turns to Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate, better known as The Bean, while the Art Institute brings the bronze lions of 1894 and the paintings American Gothic and Nighthawks. The four sea horses of Buckingham Fountain stand for the states around Lake Michigan, and Queen's Landing recalls Queen Elizabeth II arriving on the royal yacht Britannia in 1959.
- Durationabout 3 hours
- Walkingabout 73 min · 5 km
- Stops10
- LanguagesEnglish, German, Spanish
What happens along the way
Listen on the spot
Each stop opens with narration about the place in front of you: when it was built, who shaped it, the legends around it and the detail most people walk past. The same chapter is there as text if you would rather read.
Follow the map
Google Maps connects each stop with the following one. Across 5 km the walking adds up to roughly 73 minutes, and the speed is entirely yours.
Stop whenever you like
Lunch, a museum visit or a rest in the shade: the app keeps your place, so you carry on later that day or on another one.
Eat and shop locally
Tips for cafés, restaurants and local shops near the route come built in. You can also start at a different stop or change the order in the app.
See the route and attractions →
How it works
- Book online Choose the number of people. Your booking reference arrives by email straight away.
- Get the app Download the World City Trail app from the App Store or Google Play and enter your booking reference.
- Walk when you like Start whenever you are ready, walk at your own pace and pause any time. No guide, no fixed schedule.
A good fit for these travellers
Curious minds
Why a square carries its name, who spoke from a balcony, what a statue recalls: the narration gives you the background.
Families and couples
Legends hold the children's attention, the history keeps adults interested, and nobody hurries you along.
Repeat visitors
Even streets you already know take on new meaning once you hear what happened in them.
Good to know
- Bring a charged smartphone with mobile data; a power bank helps.
- No entry tickets needed: everything happens outside the buildings. Going inside is optional and paid separately.
- Family friendly; children must be accompanied by an adult.
- Not suitable for wheelchair users and difficult with strollers.
- Groups of up to 5 work best; larger groups split up, one ticket per person.
- Every purchase helps support stray cats and dogs in Greece.
Pier to planetarium
10 stops · about 73 min walking · start: Navy Pier · finish: Adler Planetarium
Navy Pier is the starting point, and from there the walk follows the shore to the Outer Drive Bridge before turning into Grant Park for Maggie Daley Park and Millennium Park. The Art Institute of Chicago on Michigan Avenue comes next, then Buckingham Fountain and, across Lake Shore Drive, Queen's Landing. The last stretch crosses the museum campus past the Field Museum and the Shedd Aquarium to the Adler Planetarium on its point in the lake. You may change the starting stop in the app, and you never need an admission ticket.
Open the route map ↗
1Navy PierStart
Navy Pier opened in 1916 as Municipal Pier, a lakefront dock that was later used to train naval personnel during the First World War, which gave it its present name. Today its Ferris wheel and the Crystal Gardens are among the first things visitors see along the pier.
2Outer Drive Bridge
This double-leaf bascule bridge was inaugurated in October 1937 to link the north and south sections of Lake Shore Drive. When it was completed it was described as the longest, widest and heaviest bascule bridge in the world, and it was officially named for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1982.
3Maggie Daley Park
Maggie Daley Park opened in 2014 in Grant Park and is named after Maggie Daley, wife of former mayor Richard Daley. Its winter ice-skating ribbon and play areas make it a destination for every age.
4Millennium Park
Millennium Park opened in 2004 on a former railway yard in Grant Park. Its best-known sculpture is Cloud Gate by Anish Kapoor, nicknamed The Bean, whose polished steel mirrors the skyline, and the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, designed by Frank Gehry, hosts free summer concerts.
5The Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago opened in 1879 and is one of the largest art museums in the United States. Two bronze lions by Edward Kemeys, dating from 1894, guard the steps on Michigan Avenue, and inside hang Grant Wood's American Gothic and Edward Hopper's Nighthawks.
6Buckingham Fountain
Buckingham Fountain was dedicated on 26 August 1927 as a gift from Kate Buckingham in memory of her brother Clarence. Its design by Edward Bennett draws on the Latona Fountain at Versailles, and its sea horses represent the four states bordering Lake Michigan.
7Queen's Landing
Queen's Landing is a concrete working pier on the lakefront, directly across Lake Shore Drive from Buckingham Fountain. It recalls the 1959 visit of Queen Elizabeth II, the first by a reigning British monarch to Chicago, when the royal yacht Britannia sailed through the Saint Lawrence Seaway to the city.
8Field Museum
The Field Museum was founded in 1893 with a gift from the merchant Marshall Field and moved into its white neoclassical building in 1921. Its Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton, known as Sue, is one of the most complete ever found.
9Shedd Aquarium
The Shedd Aquarium opened in 1930 on the lakefront, financed by the merchant John Shedd. Its tanks bring together reefs, rivers and oceans from around the world, and its Beaux-Arts building is one of the city's great landmarks.
Read the full story →
10Adler PlanetariumFinish
The Adler Planetarium opened in 1930 as the first planetarium in the Western Hemisphere, on a point of land reaching into Lake Michigan. Its Sky Pavilion offers views across the lake and the skyline, and its shows explain the night sky.
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Anonymous (verified owner) –
Very informative and good integration with Google maps