Chicago River & Lakefront Boat 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!

Great Day on Lake Michigan and Chicago River Great experience / tour. Fireboat added to interesting (and beautiful) journey of Chicago and its Architecture. Appreciated the bonus of the lake, which don't believe all tours include. Excellent job by Cliff, telling the history of Chicago, and the buildings. The entire Fireboat team did a great job. Great weather did not hurt!

Chicago lake and river tour. This tour is a must do! We learned so much about the buildings and history the Chicago River area. The tour guide was excellent and spoke to us personally before and after the tour. Excellent experience.

What a pleasant way to experience Chicago’s skyline, Navy Pier and architecture. The Fireboat crew is very knowledgeable What a wonderful way to experience Chicago’s skyline, Navy Pier and architecture.

Highly recommended river tour This tour was one of the highlights of our day! Our guide, Cliff, shared fascinating details about Chicago's history, architecture, and development, while still keeping the tour entertaining and engaging from start to finish. His storytelling brought the buildings and history to life. The perfect mix of education and humor made the time fly by. What made the experience even more special for me was that the tour was conducted on a retired firefighting boat. Knowing the vessel's history added a unique charm to the trip, and its smaller size created a cozy, intimate atmosphere that made the experience feel much more personal than a large sightseeing cruise. Even though I'm originally from the city of Chicago, I learned so many fun and surprising facts about the city. Whether you're a visitor or a local, this tour offers a whole new appreciation for the city's architecture and culture. Highly recommended!

The best tour! This has to be the best non-private boat tour in Chicago! The guide was funny, knowledgeable, and interesting. The boat was the perfect size - not one of those huge ones, and we weren't packed in like sardines. Easy to get drinks and snacks from bar. Everyone was so nice and cheerful and seemed to love their job. Would highly recommend!

Skip the big, impersonal riverboat cruises and definitely go with this veteran-owned, small, interesting fireboat. The tour was more personal and Cliff (the narrator) was excellent! Plus, you get to see the beautiful skyline from Lake Michigan as well as the architecture and history from the Chicago River. A must do if you are in Chicago! 🙌🏻

Fabulous tour!! Cliff was extremely knowledgeable about Chicago history, architecture, and about Busse!! Crew was great. We had a great time!! Thank you!!!😊

The best way to enjoy Chicago architecture with the bonus of seeing views of Chicago from Lake Michigan! What a fantastic experience. I have been on other architectural tours of Chicago. This one is the best one. First of all, the tour guide is excellent and the acoustics are good on the boat so we didn’t have to strain to hear the commentary which was informative yet entertaining! Not overwhelming. You are not in a group of hundreds so you can get up and walk around the boat which was great for grandchildren. Also because you are in a smaller boat you cruise out on Lake Michigan for more amazing views of Chicago. If you like history, you love the boat and the artifacts. Highly recommend

This was not only a fun spin on experiencing Chicago from the water But unique in the sense that you got a great view of the Chicago skyline from the lake, as well as along the river. Our guide, Cliff, was superb! The boat was just the right size to accommodate our big group, but also feel intimate. Plus, added bonus, we enjoyed a drink from the bar!

Super Tour, v.a. empfehlenswertmit kleinen Kindern! Wir konnten in Ruhe die Architektur genießen während unsere Kleinen mit einer Wasserpumpe vom Boot aus Wasser spritzen durften, die waren begeistert! Abgesehen davon, dass es natürlich etwas ganz besonderes ist auf einem Echten Feuerwehrboot mitzufahren. Tolles Erlebnis für Groß und Klein!

Top notch This was not only a fun spin on experiencing Chicago from the water But unique in the sense that you got a great view of the Chicago skyline from the lake, as well as along the river. Our guide, Cliff, was superb! The boat was just the right size to accommodate our big group, but also feel intimate. Plus, added bonus, we enjoyed a drink from the bar!

Fantastic tour! Capt. Cliff was knowledgeable and very passionate about Chicago history, architecture, & Busse Fireboat! A great experience!! Loved learning about the lock.

Totally recommend! Super friendly, clean and full of knowledge!

What an incredible experience! Erich and Ray are amazing hosts, Navy veterans who personally renovated this historic 1936 fireboat and brought it back to Chicago's waterways. Sailing down the Chicago River and into Lake Michigan as the sun set over the skyline was absolutely breathtaking. If you live in Chicago or are visiting, stop what you are doing and book a cruise. You will not regret it! 🚢🔥

A perfect historic afternoon! The Fireboat tour is the perfect history tour of Chicago on a historic vessel. Cliff is super knowledgeable and Manny is the man for a great drink while cruising Lake Michigan and the Chicago River. What a great way to spend the afternoon! Thank you!