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Chicago Elevated Architecture Tour: Train Ticket Included
4.7
53 Ratings
Chicago
Discover Chicago’s iconic architecture on an elevated train tour. Learn about the history of the ‘L’ system and explore the city’s famous buildings from a unique perspective. Train ticket included!
Discover Chicago’s iconic architecture on an elevated train tour. Learn about the history of the ‘L’ system and explore the city’s famous buildings from a unique perspective. Train ticket included!
Duration:
2 hours
Cancellation:
24 hours
Highlights
- Chicago Architecture Center - Start your tour at the Chicago Architecture Center. The fare for the Chicago Elevated Rail system is included. Be sure to get a “Ventra” card from the Chicago Architecture Box Office when you check in for the tour.
- Washington/Wabash - Washington/Wabash “L” station
- Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago -…
- Chicago Architecture Center - Start your tour at the Chicago Architecture Center. The fare for the Chicago Elevated Rail system is included. Be sure to get a “Ventra” card from the Chicago Architecture Box Office when you check in for the tour.
- Washington/Wabash - Washington/Wabash “L” station
- Trump International Hotel & Tower Chicago - See Trump Tower.
- Marshall Field and Company Building - See the Marshall Field Building
- Harold Washington Library Center - See the Harold Washington Library and State/Van Buren Station
- MCC Chicago, Federal Bureau of Prisons - See the Metropolitan Correction Center
- 343 S Dearborn St - See the Fisher Building.
- DePaul University - DePaul Center - See the DePaul Center.
- 175 W Jackson Blvd - See the Insurance Exchange Building
- Clinton - Clinton St/Lake St “L” Station
- 567 W Lake St - See the Chicago Transit Authority’s (CTA) headquarters.
- Chicago Board of Trade Building - See the Chicago Board of Trade Building
- 180 N Wabash Ave - See the LeMoyne Building
- Washington/Wabash - Washington/Wabash “L” Station
- Chicago Architecture Center - Return to the Chicago Architecture Center
What's Included
- Ride on the Chicago Elevated Rail
- Access to Chicago Architecture Center galleries
- Guided narration by a certified professional
- Ride on the Chicago Elevated Rail
- Access to Chicago Architecture Center galleries
- Guided narration by a certified professional
What's Not Included
- Food or drink
- Storage for luggage or strollers
- Coat check
- Food or drink
- Storage for luggage or strollers
- Coat check
Additional Information
Experience the awe-inspiring architecture of Chicago from the distinctive vantage point of its elevated rail and station platforms. Discover the history of the renowned ‘L’ system and its influence on the development of the Loop’s buildings. The inaugural elevated train, a significant emblem of Chicago, began its operation in 1892. Now, the ‘L’ offers…
Experience the awe-inspiring architecture of Chicago from the distinctive vantage point of its elevated rail and station platforms. Discover the history of the renowned ‘L’ system and its influence on the development of the Loop’s buildings. The inaugural elevated train, a significant emblem of Chicago, began its operation in 1892. Now, the ‘L’ offers unparalleled views of the downtown area. Its elevation of over 20 feet provides an opportunity to observe architectural nuances that often go unnoticed by sidewalk pedestrians. This is our most extensive tour in the Loop, encompassing hundreds of buildings and spotlighting those of architectural interest. As a certified nonprofit organization, your CAC ticket purchases directly fund our educational initiatives and community outreach programs.
- Only about 15 minutes of this two-hour tour is on a train, while most of the remaining tour takes place outdoors standing on the station platforms.
- Pets are not allowed.
- The itinerary of this tour is subject to change without notice.
- Seating at stations and on the train is not guaranteed.
- This tour is not ADA accessible. Stairs are required.
- Not recommended for travelers with difficulty walking or standing.
Location
111 E Wacker Dr
East Wacker Drive
Chicago Architecture Center at 111 E Wacker Drive.
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Customer Ratings
4.7
(53 Ratings)
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Schiang68
Nov 10, 2024
Best CAC tour so far - We've visited the CAC for years and taken many of their walking tours. While they've all been very enjoyable, this was the best tour so far. Our docent Matt was warm, extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable, and very considerate of individual attendees' needs (e.g., getting a stroller and young kids around the Loop). Thank you, Matt!
The individual audio systems were easy to use and made it simple to hear Matt despite background city noise.
Great experience and very highly recommended.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Mbweigel
Oct 26, 2024
El Tour Outstanding - Chris did an amazing job with this tour. We enjoyed it so much. We are members and go on 5-6 tours each year. He is one of the best as is the tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Linday619
Oct 16, 2024
Great experience and definitely bring your walking shoes. - For this tour, you go to the Chicago Architecture Center where there was a visible check in counter. You received a Day Venture Pass. Steven was the tour guide for this run, he was quite knowledgable about the facts of each site that he took us on. Also the fact that this tour also provided headphones and listening devices became very good. You can still hear Steven as he spoke about each locations and didn't have to necessary need to be as close to listen to him speak. There is some walking up and down the stairs on this trip. This is a walking tour, and we visited roughly three stations and the challenge apparently was that this was the day of the Chicago Marathon so the amount of people using the L on a Sunday apparently was more than normal Sunday travel. I would definitely recommend this tour experience for anyone visiting Chicago and wanting to explore the facets about the L with architecture points.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ruth_h
Sep 28, 2024
Amazing Tour! - Howard was an amazing tour guide. He was so knowledgeable. I highly recommend this Elevated train tour.
Review provided by Viator
Rachelsj8404ej
Sep 22, 2024
Loved the train tour! - Great mix of train history and architecture history. Chris was a great tour guide! Was looking forward to this tour for a long time, didn’t disappoint!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Serischutt
Sep 9, 2024
Docents are amazing! - We took the architecture boat tour (Claudia), best of Chicago (Hannah), and the elevated train tour (Robin). Our docents were so knowledgeable, friendly, and engaging. This trip was for my son who is an architect student at Univ. of Oregon, but I enjoyed it just as much as him!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Carolynbe895jr
Sep 7, 2024
A fantastic tour! - Another awesome tour by Chicago Architecture Center - these are one of the best tours in Chicago! Chris was a superb guide. A highlight was the Quincy Station, that was returned to its original glory and is really spectacular. Small tour size (max of 10) makes it really enjoyable.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jet46233595127
Aug 27, 2024
Fascinating and enjoyable - We took this excellent walking tour with our guide Chris. He did a great job teaching us about the history, development, and influential people involved in building the L system, as well as teaching interesting facts about the architecture at the various stops on the loop. Absolutely loved it, really felt like we were getting an in-depth lesson during an enjoyable walk and ride around the loop.
This is a walking tour, moving from the Chicago Architecture Center on foot to a station about 10 minutes away, up and down several different L stations, and ending back at the Center, so be ready to walk a bit. It isn't overwhelming, most time is spent at the different stations looking at the architecture around the stations, but know in advance that it isn't just a train ride. Absolutely worth it and a great way to learn about this fascinating, unique feature of Chicago and to see how a city grows around infrastructure.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Blaine_p
Jul 14, 2024
Good tour - Very interesting facts about the Cotybif Chicago. Well worth the time. Not a bunch of time spent on the train so if that’s your main reason for the tour be mentally prepared for a train trip around the loop.
Review provided by Viator
877jasonu
Jul 21, 2024
The 2 hour tour was 90 minutes too long - Very disappointing. Unfortunately, while the guide tried his hardest, the tour just wasn’t interesting in the slightest.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
