Chicago River & Lakefront Boat Tours

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