Our Reviews

Awesome! We had an amazing time! Cliff and the rest of the crew were very kind, engaging & gave us a wonderful experience. I highly recommend THIS unique cruise on the Fred A. Busse!!!

Fantastic lake/river tour in Chicago I am so happy that my out of town visitor suggested a river boat tour and that we chose Chicago Fireboat Tours. It was the highlight of our time together. Our cruise lasted almost two hours (great value for money!) and took us along the magnificent Chicago lakefront and past some amazing riverfront architecture. Cliff, our guide, was full of facts and fun and could not have been more engaging. He and Manny made our day. Whether you're a native or a visitor, don't miss this tour!

Fantastic Tour! Cool boat, great bartender, and Cliff crushed it as a tour guide with a perfect mix of jokes and education. I wish I had done this tour on my first day visiting Chicago so I had a better understanding of what I was looking at walking around. Hard not to notice the different types of buildings afterward. Would 100% recommend this tour to anyone thinking about seeing the city from the river and lake, or looking to pick up a little history about the area.Well done crew!!

Amazing tour! The best trip in boat! Full of interesting data and friendly crew! The guide was super kind. It’s a must of Chicago!

A must do! We did this tour and had such a great time! Cliff, our guide, was funny and friendly and make the experience so great. It was so fun to learn all about the buildings in Chicago as well as other cool facts and the boat was awesome. Highly recommend!

Awesome It was absolutely amazing will be doing it again next time we visit

An amazing time! Mr. Cliff, the tour guide, is fantastic and is hilarious. There were only 5 people on the tour myself and my mom included so it felt like an intimate and special experience. Support these folks!! P.S. my furry best friend & kitty daughter, Miss Aurora, was treated like a VIP.

Great time! An amazing time. Mr. Cliff, the tour guide, is super awesome. There were only 5 people myself and my mom included on the tour and it was incredible. My cat, Miss Aurora, was treated like a VIP. God bless. Support these folks!

Super tour. Awesome tour. Cliff was knowledgeable and also entertaining. We will do another tour with these guys next visit to Chicago.

Great tourist experience We also loved this tour with Cliff’s commentary. Definitely worthwhile even though we had so little time in Chicago we are glad we chose this tour

Our guide cliff was. Both informative and very engaging. I recommend this tour highly

You have to take THIS boat tour!!! Thank you to all the crew of the Fred A Busse! Cliff was our tour guide and he sure knows his Chicago history! He is the perfect guy for the job -he is so engaging and well spoken! We thoroughly enjoyed our time with him and our bartender Manny was excellent as well. I would recommend this crew to EVERYONE looking to take an architectural boat tour.

Excellent

Top notch experience! The crew was knowledgeable and entertaining. Cliff our guide knew a tremendous amount about Chicago history and architecture...plus he was quite funny in his presentation. The fireboat is nostalgic and an amazing part of history in itself. Manny the bartender is a great dude and quick with his service. As a life long Chicago resident I was a bit skeptical on what I would see or learn, however the tour ended up being amazing. So much so that I plan to do it with family again this summer!

This is my new favorite version of the architecture tour! The boat is a real decommissioned fire boat decked out with memorabilia and of course a bar. The guide was so funny and kind (and they even called to help us find the parking lot/waited an extra couple minutes before departing). Guarantee the other tours would never. Highly recommend taking this tour next!

What an amazing tour! The guide was friendly and so knowledgeable!What a great boat!

This was the most amazing tour ever! Huge shout out to Cliff for being so warm and welcoming, and pouring his heart out in the historic details on this tour! We’ll definitely do this again

We did a tour on a Tuesday in April as a school group of 40 people. The booking procedure was excellent. Erich was easy to work with and even amenable to our schedule since we booked so far in advance. The “day of the tour” instructions were clear and specific. We really appreciated the enclosed portion of the boat as it was a chilly day. The guide shared great information during the tour in an engaging way. The staff was very friendly and the whole experience was excellent.

Worth it. An amazing tour.

Crew was very professional and kind. boat was really clean

Did the St Patrick’s day river dyeing cruise and it was great! Very nice crew and we had a great time

How did I just learn about this tour this year? It will become a yearly tradition. It was so much fun. The crew was fantastic, Santa was great, the holiday tunes set the mood, and the views were phenomenal. It was cold, but the hot chocolate helped.

An absolute stellar crew of down to earth Chicagoans. We boarded the 7pm fireworks cruise, had a beautiful ride down the river before returning just in time for the fireworks. Cocktails on board were 10/10 and loved the little museum on board.

Fun for the whole family!! We did the santa boat ride and had a great time! Super friendly staff. Will definitely do again. Highly recommend

The guide was very friendly and had tons of knowledge. The bar tender was nice and helpful also. Very fun and informative ride

Great experience Great experience. Friendly and informative staff. Small bar onboard and was surprised at how many things we learned and how relaxing it is.

A ride on the Fred A. Busse Fireboat is a MUST for anyone who lives in or visits Chicago! The Boat: A ride on a decommissioned fireboat is a super cool experience. It's spacious, there is a bar with drinks and snacks, and it's basically a museum on the water.The Tour: Holy History Bat Man! My father has lived in Chicago for most of his life and was amazed at how much he didn't know. The tour guide was flawless. He explained everything in detail and truly made it fun.The Staff: Friendly, professional, considerate (my father is older and blind in one eye so they told us we could get on first to make sure he got situated comfortably), and just a pleasure to be around.We can't say enough good things about this tour! Thank you for a fantastic experience!

La mejor opción El recorrido extra en el lago le agrega el plus de skylines maravillosas. El guía es muy bueno y cuenta anécdotas interesantes y valiosas. Ampliamente recomendable.

Definitely “ a must do “ There were 3 of us. This was a great experience. It is a smaller boat. Very well operated, maintained and had a great narrator on board. We sat in the front area for most of the tour, beautiful day though chilly. This is for anyone wanting to feel the drop in Lochs and hear current & historical information on the buildings along the Lake. Fun excursion

MUST DO ! What an awesome tour. Bathrooms, beverages, room to move around. This was like a private tour. Forget the big boats. THIS is where its at. So friendly and knowledgeable. Be the tour group everyone else is looking at.

Loved getting to see Chicago by water on this floating museum of a boat! Cliff our docent was very knowledgeable, and Magic Manny poured em strong. REALLY appreciate that they held the boat for us as we navigated downtown parking and streets with the same name but some are upper or lower. Getting to start and end on the lake meant going through the river lock which was a first time for everyone in my group and the timing of our tour (4pm) meant we came back as the sun was setting on the city, truly a charming experience. Highly recommend!!!!

Best Architectural Tour I'm so glad we got to go on the Chicago Fireboat cruise! The whole crew was so welcoming and the fact that they held the boat for us (we were 6 minutes late) gave them an immediate 5 stars but the experience alone warranted the full 5 as well. Going from the lake, through the locks and into the river then back again was super cool and a first for everyone in our party. We did the 4pm tour so we got to see the sunset at the end which was so gorgeous! Highly recommend!!!

Úžasné!

We were treated to an almost private tour in early September. The tour guide was so knowledgeable and our teenagers were really engaged the whole time. This is a great way to see the architecture of Chicago and to learn about the history of the city.

THE BEST RIVER CRUISE!!! Outstanding boat, comfortable, many amenities, including a bar, restrooms, clean, outstanding tour, guide, and staff. We were lucky enough to have Cliff on board who is extremely knowledgeable and was clear and concise regarding every interesting building. His knowledge and presentation surpassed my expectations. Overall, the two hours flew by. I was in desperate need of a C charger for my phone and the bartender Manny graciously plugged it in for me so I could improve the battery and take pictures along the way! I cannot compliment the staff, the boat or the overall tour. It was all incredible.

Fireboat “41” Fred Busse, is the best way to cruise the river. Learned so much, and your cooler on a fireboat. Amazing! From the minute you arrive you’re welcomed aboard, quaint little bar and snacks to not being overcrowded. The experience was one of the best I had in Chicago. It’s a must if you wanna do a river cruise. And who doesn’t wanna cruise on a real fireboat that actually put out fires in Chicago.

A great tour with great people! Cliff was our host and was a wealth of knowledge, friendly, and made the tour great! The other tour boats look massive, very crowded and not so enjoyable. Our time on the Chicago Fireboat Tour was great and would definitely recommend over those big tour companies!

perfect way to end our stay Awesome tour! Great guides, cool boat, small group of passengers (small boat), and a lot of information shared about the history of Chicago and the river and the buildings along it. Only thing I would change - it was a bit hard to hear the tour guide (sat mostly in the bow outside, and the wind made it hard to hear, when we moved inside there were a lot of loud families and again, couldn't hear well). Otherwise, well worth every penny and would highly recommend to everyone!

Sehr liebevolle geführte Tour auf dem schönsten Boot der Gegend! Sehr liebevoll durchgeführte Tour durch den Hafen und die Kanäle von Chicago. Feuerwehrleute sollten unbedingt Patches mitbringen. Es sind schon einige auf dem Boot vorhanden. Fühlt sich nicht nach Massenabfertigung an. Auch das Boot ist super schön hergerichtet. Ich würde die Tour jederzeit weiterempfehlen!

Fire in boat tour We had a fantastic experience. Tour guide had excellent knowledge and had a nice way when he was telling the stories. The fire boat itself was a novel experience.

Very knowledgeable and fun experience. Of course not cheap like everything in big cities like Chicago, but you get quite a lot offered in regards to architecture and background information. snacks and drinks are also available to buy.

Thank you for such an enjoyable couple of hours. The staff were fantastic. Very informative commentary, would recommend this cruise to everyone. Stu and Rosie - from Australia

What a fantastic day!! Cliff made the tour so enjoyable. Great way to spend two hours in the city. Highly recommend take the tour. Best way to see the city!!

Highly recommend! We had a wonderful time on this adventure! It was a small and more intimate experience vs the other river boat cruises that looked like a herd of people were on them. Cliff was wonderful and full of interesting facts about the city and the history behind the buildings. I highly recommend this tour of Chicago!

Great tour in an historic fireboat with a friendly crew. The crew was friendly and welcoming. The tour had the great combination of Chicago architecture and history. Cliff was an outstanding tour guide. Highly recommend!

A great tour We thoroughly enjoyed our small group tour on the Fireboat. Our guide was very knowledgeable and witty. Very relaxed adventure. Thank you.

First time doing a sunset tour and we could not have asked for a better experience. The Captain and his crew were very knowledgeable about the boat and its history.Would definitely recommend this to anyone that would like to know more about the history of Chicago as well as the Fred A. Busse.We will be back for more tours and rides in the future!

Beautiful Day! My birthday celebration! WOW!!! What a beautiful day on a Boat with such incredible history! So beautifully restored! Our crew kept us safe despite big waves- the views were incredible and Chris our guide was funny and informative! Disappointed that there are no fire hoses spraying water but the lake tossed some waves so we got sprinkled with water! Thank you for the tour!

I did a lot of research to find a smaller boat that mixed Chicago history with some architecture. Also during my research, I found some boats started in or included part of the lake so you get a view of the skyline and a ride through the lock between the river and lake. And then - on top of all that - a ride on a real, retired Chicago fire boat?! Honestly, it was a great afternoon with Cliff and the Captains and the crew. Highly recommended by all 5 of us!

Amazing Tour I hope you get as beautiful a day as I did, it was such a wonderful experience! My family has gone on other architecture tours, but swore this one was the best. Cliff gave wonderful backstory to the city, the boat, and the amazing buildings on the river-with humor! The entire crew was incredibly approachable for questions, and the drinks made by Manny were well enjoyed. Starting out on the lake was super cool, and the tour wasn't crowded at all. I booked online, showed up early, and boarding was a breeze!Don't forget to admire the pictures in the cabin!

Great tour and well narrated. Many tours are either river or lake but not too many do bothGet a great architectural tour plus a view of Navy Pier and surrounding area. Very cool and worth the 2 hours. Highly recommend

Very fun time. The whole crew is friendly and knowledgeable on the architecture and history. Highly recommended.

100% Recommended!!!Not only it was an awesome experience to navigate the river on an actual Fireman boat, but the staff was super friendly, attentive and knowledgeable of the city and the boat' history itself!We actually decided to go on it because my 3-year-old is a huge fan of firemen, and it was totally worth it. They even had an old water pump for him to play with while navigating.Also, it was raining that day and they are one of the few boats that has a 100% covered area, where you can still enjoy the ride, see the buildings/architecture, while enjoying a coffee or a beer.Best option to go with in Chicago!!

Best tour I've taken in Chicago. What a great tour! Somehow, I had the boat all to myself (it seemed most people booked for later in the afternoon when it would be warmer), and the crew were all really friendly. Cliff was a great tour guide, knowledgeable, great sense of humor, and a good story-teller. He answered all my questions and I learned about Chicago history, the architecture, and about the boat itself. It was the best tour I've taken here and the fact that its all Veteran owned and operated was very cool. I'd definitely take it again and have already recommended it to a friend. Plus, even if you aren't the only passenger, it's still smaller than the other boats we saw on the river for a more intimate experience.

By FAR the best boat tour in Chicago! I used to think “all Chicago River boat tours were the same tour, different boat” and you just hoped to get a good guide ( I’ve done them about 20 times)But finally, I found one that’s truly a “step above”Not only do you learn some history but you’re riding in a piece of it on the Fireboat! The tour is much more intimate and the staff better trained than the other boats, they all clearly love their jobs and are well managed. That’s no easy feat in hospitality ( I work in hotels and it’s so hard to get folks caring this much) Also, the value of this tour with more affordable drinks and better service is just insane. We’ve done the Fireboat 4 times now, and I’ll never do Wendella or one of the “mass producers” again Met the owners, who also “drive” and they were really welcoming and let me daughter take pictures in the captains chair and generally “run roughshod” all over their boat. Pretty sure she got yelled at on Wendella, maybe justifiably lol Overall, this is a 6 star experience, and the care and attention of the captain and crew is incredible, just keeps getting better

Great tour; 2 hours — nice crew and very good tour guide/history story teller. Highly recommended. Picked this company because we went out on Lake Michigan first to see the city landscape and skyline, and then went through the locks to the more standard architecture river tour.

Great experience! Lovely crew with great passion for the city and its history. Very nice way to discover Chicago. I would definitely recommend this more personal experience over the huge boats with hundreds of tourists.

Epic! Lived near Chicago for half of my life, took the Wendella about 50 years ago. Visiting Chicago now and decided to go on a few adventures, this was a wonderful tour. Veteran owned, learned a lot of Chicago history that I didn’t know and rode a true piece of Chicago history. In credible views! Highly recommend!

Weekend in Chicago What a wonderful tour on a piece of Chicago history. The trip and crew were outstanding. The weather cooperated and we learned alot from the narrator.

I am not a leading authority on tours, but this is the best one I have ever taken. This operation is the personification of integrity, knowledge, and customer service.Picture this: My wife and I booked this tour the day before. Because we don’t know the area well, we showed up way early. As we stood alone on the pier, getting lashed by the wind and cold, we grew steadily convinced that this trip was going to be canceled.When co-owner and captain, Ray, approached us I was sure that he was going to inform us that our money had been refunded and that we were welcome to come back some other time. Not at all.Ray welcomed us aboard, introduced us to the entire crew, invited us to warm up with a cup of coffee.Note that this is a boat that routinely packs in over 100 passengers, but now we were the only ones onboard. Soon after taking a table on the wind-protected aft deck, we were introduced to Cliff, our tour guide.Cliff didn’t sit tucked away somewhere using a PA-system; he sat down at the table with us. We then struck up a 90 minute conversation about the boat, its history, Lake Michigan, the Navy Pier, the lock, the Sanitation and Transportation canal, the Great Fire of 1871, the architecture of the great buildings along the river, and much more.Cliff, a native Chicagoan, has lived and studied this city and its lore and history and he’s a great storyteller to boot.All in all, we had the best tour of our lives thanks to the professional and personable crew of the Fire Boat Tour.Don’t miss it!