Our Reviews

Amazing view of the fireworks! Great variety of classic rock. Good mellow vibe.

Beautiful Informative Cruise This was a great 2-hour cruise which included the Chicago River, the river locks and Lake Michigan. Staff was friendly, organized and helpful. They explained the boat layout and assisted people with boarding as needed. We left the pier on time. Boat was full but did not seem overly crowded. Seating was open or covered - your choice. Cliff, our narrator, was outstanding. His presentation combined in-depth knowledge with genuineness of delivery. Not boring or rote. The cruise covered history, maritime info and architecture. As a lifelong Chicagoan, I thought I knew a bit about landmarks and past events along the route, but I learned a lot!

Fire boat It was a great experience. I have done other architecture cruises before . This one was by far the best .

Fun, different Chicago boat tour! Had a great tour with the fireboat crew. We've been on the Wendella Architecture Tours, which are excellent. This one is fun because we actually went through the locks, twice. We heard different stories about different buildings and learned new historical facts about Chicago. Nice bar on the boat, too. Definitely recommend!!!

Excellent Excellent. You get the lake, river, the locks, a bar and a great time!!!

Best Tour of Chicago Absolutely wonderful tour all around. The boat is amazing and the crew was fantastic. We learned so much about the area and history, with lots of laughs from the amazing Cliff. Magic Manny the bartender quenched our thirst the entire time. Great seating options with sun and shade, and plenty of space to walk around the boat. It was our first time to Chicago so we highly recommend this tour to get a great view of the city and learn about the architecture of the amazing city. We loved going thru the lock and river, as well as getting the skyline view from Lake Michigan. 10/10!! Read more about - Historical and Architectural Chicago Fireboat River & Lake Cruise - https://www.viator.com/tours/Chicago/Historical-and-Architectural-Chicago-Fireboat-River-Cruise-F-Sun/d673-447367P1?m=65553&nid=VR.64886b75-af2c-4a61-a47c-82bcdb6c64f9.VT_EMAIL_TRV?mcid=56757

How can this be anything OTHER than 5 stars???Wonderful tour of the harbor and Chicago river, replete with anecdotes told by an engaging and funny host/tour guide. Plenty of seating on board, it never felt crowded.We enjoyed every minute and this is a MUST DO in Chicago!

Great trip We had a great experience. Cliff, the guide, was very knowledgeable and made us laugh. It would be nice to be able to get the parking within the website.

A must ! If you’re into history, water, and architecture, this tour is for you! Pro tip: arrive early to get a spot at the front of the line so you get prime seating instead of being squished. The guide was knowledgeable, the views were gorgeous, and the whole experience was an absolute 10/10!

Great experience The staff were friendly and very knowledgeable about the city , the fire boat and provided an interesting tour.

Don't miss this tour boat This was such a great tour on the water, you see so much more of Chicago doing this ride. Very cool ,experience, if you dont do this one you've missed the boat,lol ..

Amazing way to see the city This was an amazing tour and the perfect way for us to end our trip to Chicago! The guide was a great storyteller and we learned a lot about the history of Chicago. It was so cool to see the city from the river. Highly recommend! 10/10

Great way to see Chicago! Excellent way to spend an afternoon in Chicago. We thoroughly enjoyed our guide, Cliff. He was very knowledgeable but made the tour interesting with his delivery and the stories he told. The boat was also perfect. It was relatively small compared to some of the boat tours in the city. We only had about 15-20 people on the boat. We all had seats but could stand up to get a better view or walk around very easily. We would definitely recommend this activity for anyone coming to the windy city.

Great tour! Great tour! The guide, Cliff, was amazing.

Absolut Empfehlenswert! Ein super Erlebnis für jeden, der Chicago besucht. Man bekommt wirklich viel und verständlich erklärt. Ein sehr sehr guter Guide! Super tolles Erlebnis! Danke!!!!

Personalized experience on a historical vessel Uncrowded vs the “cattle boat” tour experience and so cool to be on a historical vessel that is part of Chicago history. Highly recommend. Great bar service and conversations with the crew. Support our veterans and choose this tour!

Awesome experience. Highly recommend

Made me love Chicago We had a wonderful time and the guide was delightful. Highly reccomend

Must Do! Awesome. Very fun and informative. I highly recommend.

What a great tour! The staff were incredible, knowledgeable and very friendly! We learned a lot in the relative short time on the tour and couldn’t be happier with how great it was. Will definitely book again!

Perfect day on the water Awesome for a family. Great views and history to learn along the way. They pack a ton into the 2 hour cruise. so cool to be able to cruise along the lake and go up the river.

Authentic Chicago fire boat tour We went with 7 girlfriends on this epic adventure during a rain storm. It was an exciting experience with a crew who knew what they were doing . Captain was professional and informative , it was an absolute must do experience , best of all the tour boats in Chicago if you like authenticity and history. We did manage to have some fun too, thx to the crew!

Fun fireboat frolic Great tour!! Very cool tour on historic fire boat. You get to go through the lock from the lake to the river very interesting experience. Guide was very informative.

Must do!!! This was an awesome cruise!!! We have two sons that are firefighters and they would’ve absolutely loved this. What excellent guides and so friendly!! Loved all the knowledge and how the boat is set up. Seeing the architecture from this view is amazing!! Would definitely recommend and will be back if we’re in the area again. Great job crew!!!

Great tour and “dad jokes” as a bonus I typically don’t write reviews, but Chicago Fireboat Tours deserves one! After seeing the large tour boats on the water, I’m happy that we picked the smaller fireboat. The best part was absolutely the tour guide. He was fabulous! His knowledge and “dad jokes” were informative and entertaining. I would recommend this tour operator above all of the others.

Best tour of Chicago ever The tour was great! I learned so much about Chicago and the views from the boat were spectacular. I would highly recommend this tour. You will not regret it.

A Fun Look at History Friendly crew and knowledgeable guide. As well as Fun. I would love to return again with friends.

Excellent tour!!Can’t recommend more…Great crew, amazing view and very relaxing atmosphere.

Great Boat Cruise This was a really interesting and informative tour. Having never visited Chicago before, we had limited knowledge but our guide gave us a fantastic amount of information on the history of the city and the buildings.

Lake and river cruise - perfect!! Very pleasant and informative trip. Excellent value as well.

Unique experience We had a nice ride. The bar had nice cool drinks. It was a hot day. The museum onboard had some interesting patches from around the world. The captain was very knowledgeable and friendly. We liked there were some high top tables which provided a view over the heads of people at the side rails. Thank you to the crew for a nice experience.

Chicago on the way iver Great tour, lots of history and fun info. Relaxing with great views of the city.

Good Narrator, lovely ride through a gorgeous city.Well worth the price

Excellent architecture tour Excellent tour of the River. Our guide was very knowledgeable with lots of detailed information about the sights. Boat is smaller than those used on other tours so far more personal experience. Highly recommend

Such a lovely 2hr journey Such a wonderful tour of the Lake and the River. The staff, Cliff the guide and the whole experience was very informative and a lovely 2hrs out on the water.

Fun experience Great tour, informative and quirky. Family friendly, although snacks for purchase were limited. Great way to see the city.

This fireboat tour was spectacular! My friend and I both had a wonderful time and can't recommend it highly enough. The length of 2 hours was perfect so we didn't feel rushed. We motored around near Navy Pier and on the river. While I'm generally not into architecture, the buildings were beautiful and interesting to learn about. I expected that the tour would include a recording of the information about all the sights, but the person narrating the tour did so live. He came up and chatted with all the passengers a couple of times. We felt very well cared-for. Word to the wise though, it can get a bit chilly so wear layers if possible. Highest recommendation!

Awesome! Great tour! I learned so much about the waterfront and also got great city history and architecture information. The fireboat is beautiful. Our guide was engaging and funny.

Great tour, and loved the small and unique boat. We've done other architectural boat tours, and it was so nice to be with just ~50 people instead of hundreds. Staff was great, and highly recommend!

River and lake tour Thoroughly enjoyed the tour! Our group was small and it all felt very personal. Our guide was so knowledgeable and we had a wonderful time!

You won’t be disappointed! I’m so glad we chose the Fireboat tour! The ship is historical and has a great history, the crew was very friendly, and our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and shared a lot of information about Chicago architecture and history.

Great tour and crew! Very interesting history and architecture talk.

Take the tour! Overall great tour! We were lucky in that our tour started after the rain cleared out for the day. Cliff, our tour guide was fantastic! Would highly recommend!

Great time!! Great time! Would highly recommend and would do it again!

Magnifiques expérience avec des commentaires très intéressants et hilaires, un guide très attentif et attachant ! Vraiment un top!Thank you Cliff and all the crew!

This s tour is FIRE!!!! Educational, entertaining, and all around enjoyable. Great way to see the city without all the crowds! Would do again in a heartbeat!!!! Thank you Cliff and all the Captains aboard the Busse.

Magnifique expérience Magnifiques expérience avec des commentaires très intéressants et hilaires, un guide très attentif et attachant ! Vraiment un top!

Great Tour! Shoutout to our tour guide - Cliff - who was engaging and informative for the entire 2 hr cruise. Amazing views of Chicago from both the river and the lake, as well as all sorts of interesting architecture and history insights that I never knew. Plus the boat itself is an interesting part of Chicago history

Very nostalgic boat. Great tour down the river.

Our family of adults and kids ranging from 2 to 12 had a great time on the Fireboat tour. Cliff, the tour guide, was entertaining and full of Chicago history and facts. The rest of the crew likewise were friendly and took time to visit and talk to everyone. Great to have a small bar with beer and drinks on a hot day. Getting to go out on the Lake and through the locks is a plus that most river tours don't do. Most of all, the fireboat is much cooler than an overgrown pontoon boat. Highly recommend!

Capt Ray and his crew were great! Your took us to the perfect firework viewing spot. Great conversation with the Captain after about the history of the boat. Highly recommend!

I have been on multiple Chicago river tours visiting Chicago over the past 10 years and the Chicago Fireboat tour was the best BY FAR that I have ever been on. I’m not one to leave many reviews, but the staff was so friendly and welcoming that they deserve it.Cliff is a national treasure, who might be the most knowledgeable guide I’ve ever spoken to. If you are blessed enough to have him giving your tour that day, thank your lucky stars! He is the man. He is one of the main reasons I would recommend this tour.The entire staff was awesome (shout out Captain Eric who was on board and also is a co-owner of the company). Veteran owned and operated, they were a small “mom & pop” type tour offering a much more personalized experience vs some of the “corporate” type tours i’ve been on in the past. PLUS the boat is a retired Chicago fireboat, so you feel part of the history of the city.You don’t need to keep searching for a better price or a better tour, you have already found it. Pull the trigger and book with Firehouse, you will not regret it!THANK YOU again yall!- Frank & Shelby from Philly (go birds)

Being a retired fireman, I was really looking forward to this tour. They exceeded my expectations. I brought a old coworker and family and friends, and every one of us, I really enjoy their time. All the history that was shared and beautiful sights were amazing.

A 2 hour tour of the Chicago lake front and the Chicago river. Through downtown

Made Me Want To Move Here So interesting and informative. Made Chicago sound like a great place to live. Got to see and hear so much about history and current life here. Highly recommended!!!

A + history tour A++ experience. Our guide, Cliff, was full of stories of the history of the city and its buildings and how the locks between the lake and the river work. The crew was gracious and friendly. 2 hours was just enough time to see it all. The fire boat history is also amazing.

Fabulous! Fabulous! We loved this tour - and we've taken a few other Chicago boat tours before, and this one is outstanding. The Narrator was awesome - quite informative and a great presentation regarding both the boat and the skyline.

Great intro to the windy city This was a great intro to the windy city. Went with some friends and a preschooler, and everyone enjoyed the ride. The tour guide Cliff was excellent - a nice blend of knowledge and humor. My kiddo enjoyed waving at all the other boats and people on the bridges!

10/10 Fantastic tour with friendly and informative guides.

Chicago by boat Great experience Gorgeous guide