Chicago River & Lakefront Boat Tours

This is the best architecture boat tour in Chicago. The guide Cliff is very knowledgeable, easily understood, and very personable. One gets a unique perspective of the Chicago skyline from the lakefront and then then from the Chicago river after passing through the logs. The boat is intimate, the bar is well stocked and the atmosphere is quite friendly

This is an excellent tour .Very friendly , fun , & professional crew.The Captain of the vessel is a well seasoned & smooth operator.They are proud of what they do & it shows.Very warm , welcoming & knowledgeable.Roughly 2hrs from check in to disembarking.I am not a touristy guy but this is The Sweet Spot of local flavor without being overbearing.It's also one of the Lesser crowded of things to do.I write this hoping it doesn't change but they deserve the acknowledgement & i hope it grows .Thank you for an informative & fun experience.......They do have a nice selection both non and alcoholic beverages on board for everyone to enjoy.

Best tour in the city. Best tour taken! So much history! Our crew was exceptional. Cliff & Mike were the best guide's. Would highly recommend this tour.

Look for the big red boat! The entire crew was helpful and accommodating. Our tour guide Cliff was excellent — knowledgeable and friendly. Taking a historical tour on a historic Chicago fireboat was really special. We thoroughly enjoyed our time on the water.

Cliff was an amazing guide and extremely knowledgeable. Highly recommend!!!

Outing Fun, interesting. A good presentation

Absolutely thrilled we ended up booking this tour. Did some research and decided this one sounded the best and oh was it!!! Loved everything about this tour. The boat was fantastic and came with so much history of its own and character. The captains and staff on the boat were brilliant. So informative and knowledgeable. But delivered in a way that you wanted to know more and also with incredible humour and fun. Cliff was our tour guide and I’m so glad. I’m not sure you can get any better. I thought I’d like this tour but I absolutely loved it. The information was so interesting and I left knowing so much more than I imagined I would.The tour itself is fantastic. What an incredibly beautiful city Chicago is and you wouldn’t know it just from the streets. You must see it from the water. This tour included the lake as well as the river which was rare and great.Went by so quickly as it was so great. And enjoyable. It’s not jam packed like other boats are and we’re. This was so much more personal and intimate and I wouldn’t have wanted to do it any other way. Cliff you were fantastic and we were so privileged meeting you and learning from you today. And it’s owned and operated by veterans too which we thought was great. Thank you for a brilliant day out on the water. - John and Eleni.

Was a fantastic tour, very fun and educational- highly recommend!!

Chicago fireboat river tour This was a fantastic experience and having the history of the fireboat added even more to it. It felt like a personal tour, being more intimate than the larger boats. There’s a bar onboard too. The skipper and crew were terrific and Captain Cliff was extremely knowledgeable and quite the entertainer. The city from the river is awesome. We highly recommend it. Thanks again. John and Eleni

Excellent! This was a fabulous experience! My mom and I took the tour in the afternoon on a beautiful Sunday. It was interesting, fun, and very informative. We could not originally find the location of where the boat took off, so we missed it by about five minutes. I called the number provided and they rebooked us from the noon tour to the three pm tour, no questions asked. I can’t wait for more friends and family to visit, so I can take them on the tour again!

Best value in the city We chose the lake/river tour. The crew was friendly and informative. Being from the west coast, we learned about Chicago’s history not only by building development but also from a firefighters point of view. We went through a lock system for the first time and did get to go out on the lake itself. It was a smaller, more intimate group which I feel gives it a more private excursion vibe. I would definitely do this cruise again.

A must do tour of the Chicago riverfront! We learned so much history of the city and its skyline. Wonderful tour guide!

What an incredible experience! This lake, locks, and river boat tour with Chicago Fireboat Tours exceeded all expectations. From the moment we boarded, the crew was friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about sharing the history and beauty of the area.The journey through the locks was fascinating and gave us a unique perspective on how the waterways connect. Cruising from the lake into the river provided stunning views of the skyline, waterfront, and surrounding scenery that simply can't be appreciated from land. Cliffs narration was informative, engaging, and filled with interesting facts and very fun stories about the city's history, architecture, and maritime heritage.The boat was comfortable, well-maintained, and offered excellent viewing opportunities from every seat. We especially enjoyed learning about the engineering behind the locks and watching the water levels change as we passed through.Whether you're a visitor or a local, this tour is an unforgettable way to experience the beauty, history, and character of Chicago architecture. The combination of scenic views, fascinating stories, and the unique lock experience makes this one of the best boat tours we've ever taken. Highly, Highly recommend Chicago Fireboat Tours!

Hands down the Best Cruise in Chicagoland So we have lived in Chicago for a very long time and gone on many boat tours: architecture, river, lake, fireworks, Windy, etc. This was our favorite by a long shot. First it covered the river and the lake. We went through the lock at Chicago. We were given a history of the city and the fire service. The boat is like a mini museum with lots of photos. And the architecture part of the cruise was very informative. You cover all the important buildings in Chicago with lots of added color. Plus, as an added bonus, they take your picture when you get on the boat and email you it for free. There's a bar with snacks and drinks and two toilets. And the people who work are the boat are so lovely. You can tell the really care. From now on when people visit, this is the tour I will book for them.

What an incredible experience! What an incredible experience! This lake, locks, and river boat tour with Chicago Fireboat Tours exceeded all expectations. From the moment we boarded, the crew was friendly, knowledgeable, and passionate about sharing the history and beauty of the area. The journey through the locks was fascinating and gave us a unique perspective on how the waterways connect. Cruising from the lake into the river provided stunning views of the skyline, waterfront, and surrounding scenery that simply can't be appreciated from land. Cliffs narration was informative, engaging, and filled with interesting facts and very fun stories about the city's history, architecture, and maritime heritage. The boat was comfortable, well-maintained, and offered excellent viewing opportunities from every seat. We especially enjoyed learning about the engineering behind the locks and watching the water levels change as we passed through. Whether you're a visitor or a local, this tour is an unforgettable way to experience the beauty, history, and character of Chicago architecture. The combination of scenic views, fascinating stories, and the unique lock experience makes this one of the best boat tours we've ever taken. Highly, Highly recommend Chicago Fireboat Tours!

Best first day activity in the city Amazing fun experience. Guide was very knowledgeable and super personable. Great way to get an introduction to the city while at the same time goingdeeper into history. Loved portion in addition to the river. Being able to see the lighthouse in the skyline makes this river cruise stand apart from the rest. Really cool experience to be on the fire. Much more intimate experience with the tour after seeing some of the bigger tour boats going by Hundred percent recommend!

Fred Busse Chicago Fire Boat Tour MUST do when in Chicago! Cliff was an AMAZING host and very knowledge. The day was perfect and the view was great! I'd recommend getting there early as parking was crazy and if you want to be in the front to see everything, it fills up fast. I do think it was over booked because they had to add chairs and it was not easy to move about the boat. Overall it was FANTASTIC!

Fanatics Chicago river tour 10/10 - loved it! Smaller boat made it feel more personal. Hosts were informative and accommodating - and very friendly! Highly recommend!