13 Best Things to Do and See in Chicago
Exploring Chicago on foot is one of the best ways to feel the city’s atmosphere, connect its landmark places and discover its neighbourhoods at a more natural pace.
In this guide, you will find the attractions not to miss when planning a walking route in Chicago, with simple reference points.
To go further, you can also enjoy a private guided tour in Chicago. It is a smoother way to connect places, understand details you might miss on your own and enjoy a more human, personal discovery adapted to your trip.
1. Millennium Park
In the heart of Chicago, Millennium Park is a vast public space where contemporary art, architecture, and relaxation come together in the middle of downtown. Visitors can admire iconic works such as the famous Cloud Gate, beautifully landscaped gardens, open green spaces, and cultural installations that attract both locals and visitors. The park also offers stages for concerts and events, as well as pleasant views of the Chicago skyline. It is a lively, accessible place, ideal for an urban stroll.
2. Navy Pier
Navy Pier in Chicago is one of the city's most iconic lakefront attractions. This large leisure and promenade area offers views of Lake Michigan and the skyline, plus a Ferris wheel, family activities, shops, restaurants, and cultural event spaces. Visitors come to stroll by the water, enjoy the lively atmosphere, shows, and the many facilities that make it a year-round favorite.
3. Cloud Gate
Cloud Gate, nicknamed “The Bean,” is an iconic sculpture located in Millennium Park in Chicago. This monumental polished stainless steel artwork attracts visitors with its organic shape and reflective surface, which distorts and reflects the image of the skyline, the park, and passersby. It is a popular meeting point for photos, walks, and admiring the surrounding architecture. Easily accessible in the heart of the city, it offers a spectacular visual experience that is modern, playful, and emblematic of Chicago.
4. Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago is one of the great art museums in the United States, located in the heart of Chicago. Visitors can discover a rich collection spanning centuries and continents, with paintings, sculptures, decorative arts, photographs, and contemporary works. The museum is especially known for its masterpieces of European, American, and modern art, as well as for its high-quality temporary exhibitions. A visit allows you to explore a variety of galleries, admire famous works, and better understand the history of art in a must-see cultural setting.
5. Skydeck Chicago
Skydeck Chicago is an observatory at the top of Willis Tower in downtown Chicago. It draws visitors for its open views over the city, grid-like streets, business district towers and, on clear days, Lake Michigan. From this height, Chicago appears as a structured urban landscape, where the density of skyscrapers contrasts with the wide open horizontals. The experience highlights both the architecture and the city’s topography, with a panorama that helps visitors understand the scale of central Chicago.
6. Field Museum
Chicago’s Field Museum offers a rich journey through natural history and science, from fossils to animals, minerals, human cultures, and ancient worlds. Its galleries blend rare objects, taxidermy specimens, and striking reconstructions, making it both an educational and visual visit. Located in the heart of Museum Campus by Lake Michigan, it is one of the city’s most iconic museums.
7. Museum Campus
Chicago’s Museum Campus is a large, green cultural complex located on the shores of Lake Michigan, bringing together several major institutions dedicated to science and natural history. As you stroll through it, you will discover iconic museums, exhibition spaces, and pleasant gardens, with wide views over the skyline and the lakeshore. It is a place appreciated as much for its collections as for its open-air walk, ideal for understanding Chicago through nature, science, and heritage in a setting that is both educational and very enjoyable.
8. Chicago Riverwalk
The Chicago Riverwalk is a pedestrian promenade along the Chicago River in the heart of downtown. Enjoy a lively waterfront setting with docks, terraces, skyline views and easy access to cafés and leisure spots in some sections. It is a popular place to walk, relax and see the city from a different angle, with urban architecture, redesigned riverbanks and a vibrant atmosphere in every season.
9. Grant Park
Grant Park is one of Chicago’s great urban parks, offering a vast breath of fresh air on the edge of downtown and Lake Michigan. Visitors will find wide lawns, pleasant walking paths, gardens, and several cultural spaces and outdoor events. The park is also home to iconic landmarks such as Buckingham Fountain and serves as an ideal starting point for enjoying the skyline views. Very popular, it attracts both locals and visitors looking for relaxation, open views, and lively energy in the heart of the city.
10. John Hancock Center
The John Hancock Center is one of Chicago’s most iconic skyscrapers, instantly recognizable by its sleek silhouette above the Magnificent Mile. A visit reveals a major office and residential tower, along with public areas, shops, and city and Lake Michigan views. Its modern architecture appeals to skyline lovers, while its downtown location makes it an easy stop to enjoy Chicago’s lively atmosphere and shopping avenues.
11. Chicago Theatre
The Chicago Theatre is one of downtown Chicago’s iconic landmarks, easily recognized by its famous marquee and historic-style facade. This performance venue hosts concerts, stage shows, private events, and other cultural happenings in an elegant, lively setting. Inside, visitors will find refined decor, a grand auditorium with a theatrical atmosphere, and a sense of the prestige associated with major urban stages. It is also a popular attraction for its architecture and its role in the city’s cultural life.
12. Medieval Torture Museum
The Medieval Torture Museum in Chicago offers an immersive and memorable visit dedicated to the history of torture practices in the Middle Ages and other periods of history. Through displays, reconstructions, and exhibited artifacts, the museum helps visitors understand punishment methods, the instruments used, and the historical context in which these practices existed. It is a history museum attraction aimed at visitors who are curious to discover a dark but informative aspect of the past, in an experience that is both educational and striking.
13. Chicago Children’s Museum
The Chicago Children's Museum is a children's museum at Navy Pier, offering interactive spaces where young visitors play, explore, and learn through hands-on experiences. In Chicago, it stands out among family attractions by combining culture, play, and discovery in an iconic lakefront setting.
Antony M
During my travels, I looked for guides who spoke my language. This search turned out to be long and tedious. That is why I created MYTOGU (My Tourist Guide): a matching site between tourists and professional tourist guides.
