Chicago RIB Boat Tour: Navy Pier & Skyline from the water

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Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/15

Duration2h

GroupUp to 6

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Glide past Navy Pier and Soldier Field on a Navy-built RIB with life jackets included

You board a small-group RIB boat at Navy Pier and cruise past the Willis Tower, Soldier Field, the Adler Planetarium, and the Vietnam Memorial. Life jackets are included, and the fast-moving vessel keeps the skyline constantly changing as you photograph it. The route covers over 50 acres of waterfront sights in a few hours without requiring a full day.

Step-by-step itinerary

Chicago sightseeing boat tour highlights

Board US Navy RIB boat
Pass by Navy Pier
Pass by Soldier Field
Pass by Adler Planetarium
View Chicago skyline landmarks

The Experience

"So we're actually going out on the water to see all this?" That's what most people ask when they realize the boat is a rigid inflatable — the kind the Navy uses — not some slow barge. Navy Pier sits at the edge of Lake Michigan, and from there you get a completely different angle on the Willis Tower, the Tribune Tower, the Wrigley Building. The skyline doesn't look like postcards when you're underneath it; it looks like something that could fall on you, which sounds worse than it is. The boat moves fast enough that you're not sitting still watching the same view, but slow enough that you can actually photograph it without everything blurring.

The route takes you past Soldier Field, where the Chicago Bears play, and then out toward the Adler Planetarium on the northeast tip of Northerly Island. That's the part where the water opens up and you realize how much of Chicago is actually built on the edge of a lake — Fort Dearborn, the Vietnam Memorial, Wolf Point where the river splits. Your guide points out which buildings are which, and because the group stays small, you're not fighting for a spot at the rail or waiting for someone else's camera to clear the shot. Life jackets are provided, and they're not the bulky kind that make you look ridiculous; they're the kind you actually forget you're wearing.

The whole thing runs a few hours, which is long enough to see the major sights without turning into a full-day commitment. You're on the water, so there's wind and the occasional spray, but that's part of why you came — the skyline from a boat tour in Chicago feels like you're actually seeing the city instead of just walking past it. The boat itself is built to handle Lake Michigan, which matters more than you'd think when you're out there.

What’s included

Your tour includes life jackets, a small-group experience on a US Navy-built RIB boat, and passage past Navy Pier, Soldier Field, the Adler Planetarium, Fort Dearborn, the Vietnam Memorial, Wolf Point, and the iconic Chicago skyline featuring the Willis Tower, Tribune Tower, and Wrigley Building.

Good to know

Easy physical levelPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot for back problemsInfants must sit on laps

Operated by Blackhawk Boat Tours

Is this one for you?Right for travelers who want to see Chicago's skyline from a perspective you can't get from the street, with photography time built in and a small group keeping the pace manageable. Expect wind and water spray — that's what makes the boat fast and the views unobstructed.