Chicago Navy Pier Centennial Wheel: Skip-the-Line Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.26 (86 reviews) 60% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/7

Duration15m

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

200 Feet Above Lake Michigan: Navy Pier's Wheel Without the Wait

You board the Centennial Wheel with a mobile ticket, skipping the line. From an enclosed gondola 200 feet up, you rotate slowly through 360-degree views of Lake Michigan and Chicago's skyline. Multiple rotations are included, and the enclosed design keeps you comfortable year-round. The ticket gets you straight to the wheel without stopping at the box office.

15m

Step-by-step itinerary

Visit Navy Pier and ride Centennial Wheel

Skip ticket line for Centennial Wheel
Ride the enclosed gondola on the Wheel
Enjoy 360-degree views of Chicago and Lake Michigan
Explore other rides, games, shopping, and dining at Navy Pier

The Experience

Most visitors to Navy Pier end up in the ticket line. You walk straight to the gondola. The Centennial Wheel rises nearly 200 feet above the water, and from inside an enclosed cabin that seats up to eight people, the view doesn't change much whether it's January or July — Lake Michigan stretches out in one direction, the Chicago skyline fills the other, and the whole thing rotates slow enough that you can actually see what you're looking at instead of just snapping photos on your phone.

The mobile ticket means you skip the purchase queue entirely and head straight to boarding. Each gondola is fully enclosed, so wind and weather don't factor into whether you go — that matters more than it sounds if you're visiting in winter or during one of those sudden Chicago rainstorms. The rotation takes time, which is the point. You're not rushed through; you get a full, slow loop to take in the lake, the downtown grid, the Navy Pier grounds below, and whatever's happening on the water that day. Multiple rotations are included, so if the first one leaves you wanting another angle, you can go again without leaving the wheel.

Navy Pier itself is more than just the wheel — there's dining, shopping, and games scattered across the pier if you want to spend the whole afternoon there. But the ticket gets you straight to what most people come for, which is the view and the height and the enclosed comfort of it. The pier sits right on Lake Shore Drive, so public transit gets you there easily, and the whole area is wheelchair accessible if that matters for your group.

What’s included

Your visit includes a mobile ticket for entry, access to the Centennial Wheel with multiple rotations, and access to all on-site amenities at Navy Pier such as restrooms and restaurants. Service animals are welcome, and the entire facility is wheelchair accessible.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportPets welcomePublic transport nearbyInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Navy Pier

Is this one for you?Pick this if you want the Chicago skyline and lake view without standing in a ticket line — the mobile entry is what saves you 15 to 20 minutes and gets you straight into a gondola.