Chicago, Illinois, the third-largest city in the United States, offers a wealth of free tours. You can visit an area or neighborhood with trendy shops, restaurants, nightclubs and cultural landmarks or request a tour based on your particular interests. Free tours offered by the Chicago Office of Tourism cater to visitors, new residents and residents entertaining out-of-towners. Free virtual and audio tours of Chicago also are available. These tours are useful for planning your trip or for armchair travel.
Chicago Greeter Tours, offered by the Chicago Office of Tourism, allow you to be spontaneous or to plan ahead. Tours are free and are led by volunteers who are familiar with the city. Groups of six or fewer can call or book online seven to 10 days in advance to arrange a tour of various Chicago areas with a wealth of attractions, or they can contact Chicago Greeters in advance to book a custom tour planned around their own particular passions, like sports, shopping, dining, music or museums. Prepackaged walking and bus tours include those for Bucktown/Wicker Park, Lincoln Park, Little Italy and the downtown Loop.
Chicago Office of Tourism
Chicago Cultural Center Visitor Information Center
77 East Randolph Street
Chicago, IL 60601
312-744-8000
chicagogreeter.com
Armchair tours of various attractions in Chicago are available online through National Geographic's Chicago Traveler website (see References). These tours can be helpful for planning your visit to Chicago or simply are an easy way to preview the bustling city. Virtual tours include videos of the Chicago Loop, Navy Pier, the Theatre District, the Lincoln Park Zoo, the Chicago Museum Campus, Tastebud Tours of Chicago, a Water Taxi tour and Odyssey Cruises.
Organizations like the Chicago Office of Tourism and Chicago Loop Alliance offer free audio tours that can be downloaded from the Web to an MP3 player, smart phone or computer. You can enjoy audio tours at home or use them as your guide while you tour Chicago.
Audio tours are available in English and four other languages and are arranged by subjects of interest, including the following: the History of Chicago Blues, Chicago Model City, Architectural Gems of Chicago and Downtown Chicago's Art Loop. National Geographic provides links to download free Chicago audio tours on their Chicago Traveler website (see References).
