Big Bus Tour Chicago - Your Guide

The Big Bus Chicago bus tours are the perfect introduction to the city, with incredible photo opportunities of iconic landmarks from the top deck. Hop on to discover Chicago and hop off at any spot to explore the city at your own pace.

SO WHAT EXACTLY IS HOP-ON, HOP-OFF?

In simple terms, Chicago hop-on, hop-off bus tours are a way for you to jump on and off any of our Chicago buses at any of our designated stops, as many times as you wish.

BUT IT MEANS SO MUCH MORE THAN THAT...

The Chicago hop on hop off bus tours give you the flexibility to plan your day, your way. You can choose to stay on board the entire Chicago bus route and take in the panoramic views, or hop-off at the destinations you want to further explore. Once you've seen it, done it and selfied it, you simply wait for the next bus to come along and rejoin the tour.

WHAT IS INCLUDED:

• Hop-on and hop-off bus tours allow you to plan your itinerary and explore the best of Chicago’s landmarks for as little or as long as you like. 

  • Hop off the tour as many times as you like within the validity period of your ticket and simply hop on again when you're ready.

• The bus tour includes an entertaining pre-recorded commentary. During the tour, you can listen to facts and stories about Chicago's fascinating history, impressive architecture, unique culture and more! Simply pick up a pair of free headphones when you board the bus (or bring your own), plug them into the set by your seat, and tune in to hear our expert virtual guides. Commentary is available in English and Spanish.

• The Big Loop (Red Route) buses run by each stop every 30 minutes, with 10+ different stops where you can hop on and off the bus. The complete circuit of our Big Red Route takes approximately 2 hours. 

• The Chicago route has been carefully designed to show you The Windy City's best landmarks and attractions, including Magnificent Mile, Millennium Park, Willis Tower and John Hancock Tower.

WHAT ARE THE STOPS?

The Red Loop includes 11 Stops around the city!

1. Chicago Riverwalk (98 E. Wacker Drive (across the bridge from Trump Tower)

   1. Trump International Hotel And Tower

   2. Wrigley Building

   3. Tribune Tower

   4. Michigan Avenue Bridge

   5. Chicago Architecture Center

2. Skydeck Chicago & Willis Tower (319 W. Jackson Blvd (opposite Willis Tower/Skydeck entrance)

   1. Willis Tower & Skydeck Chicago  

3. Millennium Park & The Art Institute of Chicago (S. Michigan Ave & E Adams St. (In Front of Potbelly)

   1. Millennium Park

   2. Palmer House Hilton

4. Hilton Chicago & Grant Park (800 S. Michigan Ave (outside Kitty O'Shea's Pub)

5. Adler Planetarium (500 E. Solidarity Drive (bus loading zone near entrance)

6. Museum Campus (425 E. McFetridge Drive (next to Field Museum car park)

   1. Field Museum

   2. Shedd Aquarium

7. Sheraton Grand Chicago (441 N. Columbus Drive (across the street from NBC Towers)

   1. Chicago Architecture Center

8. Navy Pier (600 E. Grand Ave (Big Bus tent @ north end of park)

9. Water Tower & The Magnificent Mile (163 E. Pearson St (near the corner of Michigan Ave)

   1. Holy Name Cathedral  

   2. Magnificent Mile  

   3. Old Water Tower

10. 360 Chicago (150 E. Chestnut St (near the corner with Chestnut St)

    1. Water Tower Place

    2. Magnificent Mile

    3. 360 Chicago

11. Hard Rock Café (614 N. Clark Street (in front of the Rock'n'Roll McDonald's)

    1. Hard Rock Cafe

    2. Merchandise Mart

    3. River North

WHERE CAN I START THE TOUR?

You can board the tour buses and start your Chicago sightseeing adventure from any of the 11 bus stops. However, if you are traveling into the city with the Jaycees, you will start your day by boarding from the Skydeck Chicago & Willis Tower stop. Pro tip: You could opt to do the Skydeck before you board.

WHAT TIME DO TOURS START AND HOW OFTEN DO THE BUSES RUN?

Please visit the Big Bus Tour Service Information page for up-to-date information on tour start times and frequency.

HOW DO I KNOW WHEN A BUS WILL GET TO A PARTICULAR STOP?

Download the Free Big Bus Tours Mobile app and get all the Chicago landmarks, routes and times in your pocket. Key features include:

- REAL-TIME BUS TRACKING lets you see the real-time location and stop arrival times of the Big Buses

- INTERACTIVE MAPS display the Big Bus tour routes, stop locations, landmarks and attractions

- STOP DETAILS include accurate pins on the maps, with supporting location photographs, addresses, descriptions and walking directions from your current location

- SERVICE ALERTS keep you updated about any anticipated changes to service, with further detailed information in the app message inbox

- ATTRACTIONS MENU showing you the location of all the best local landmarks, attractions, shopping, dining and things to do, complete with interesting facts, visitor information and special offers for selected attractions

HOW MUCH WILL THIS COST?

The Jaycees are working on rates now; however, we can guarantee it will be cheaper, easier and more efficient to get around Chicago using the Big Bus Tour buses than ride share, taxis, subway or public buses.