Chicago Sightseeing From Skydeck to River

Chicago’s skyline rewards two different vantage points, and most of its street-level sights sit close enough together to see on foot between stops. Here is how they fit into a day.

Two observation decks

Willis Tower Skydeck, at 233 S Wacker Dr in the West Loop, sits 1,353 feet up on the 103rd floor and includes The Ledge, four glass balconies cantilevering 4.3 feet out over Wacker Drive; admission starts from $32. 360 CHICAGO, at 875 N Michigan Ave on the Magnificent Mile, sits at 1,030 feet on the 94th floor but looks directly over Lake Michigan and Oak Street Beach, with its TILT platform dropping 30 degrees. Weekday admission runs $30, weekend $35. Compare observation deck tickets on GetYourGuide . Check the live webcams at theskydeck.com before paying on an overcast day, since lake fog can drop visibility to zero from either deck.

Museum Campus

South of Grant Park, Museum Campus holds the Field Museum, home to Sue the T. rex, with basic admission at $30; Shedd Aquarium, where the Abbott Oceanarium houses beluga whales and sea otters, at $39.95 to $44.95 with a mandatory advance reservation; and Adler Planetarium, closed Tuesdays, with museum entry at $19. Details for all three sit at fieldmuseum.org , sheddaquarium.org , and adlerplanetarium.org .

The Art Institute and Millennium Park

At 111 S Michigan Ave, the Art Institute of Chicago houses American Gothic and the largest Impressionist collection outside Paris, and is open every day except Tuesday. A few blocks north, Millennium Park is free and holds Anish Kapoor’s Cloud Gate, popularly known as the Bean, along with the Jay Pritzker Pavilion.

Navy Pier’s general admission is free, with the Centennial Wheel, Chicago Children’s Museum, and Chicago Shakespeare Theater along its 3,300-foot length. Centennial Wheel tickets can be booked through Viator . Downtown, the free Riverwalk runs 1.25 miles along the river’s south bank from Lake Shore Drive to Lake Street, a good link between the Loop and Museum Campus on foot.

Griffin Museum of Science and Industry

The Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, in Hyde Park about 8 miles south of the Loop, holds the U-505 submarine and a full-size Boeing 727; Metra Electric from Millennium Station gets you there in roughly 15 minutes. This is too far to fold into a downtown walking day, so budget a separate half-day for it.

The Magnificent Mile

A mile of flagship retail lines Michigan Avenue between the river and Oak Street, passing historic landmarks including the 1869 Chicago Water Tower and the Wrigley Building.

The verdict: pick one observation deck rather than both, since the views overlap more than the price gap suggests, and put the savings toward a Museum Campus ticket instead. For a hotel within walking distance of Michigan Avenue, check rates on Booking.com , and see the attraction tours guide for the river cruises linking several of these stops by water.