Luxury hotels in Chicago

Chicago guide

Chicago: the architecture river cruise

The birthplace of the skyscraper, seen from the river, then Millennium Park and the Art Institute.

A Chicago Architecture Center river cruise is the most cited thing to do in the city: ninety minutes past the towers that made Chicago the birthplace of the skyscraper, with expert commentary. Go in the late afternoon for the best light.

Millennium Park, with Cloud Gate, sits beside the Art Institute of Chicago, one of the world's great museums. Take in the view from the Willis Tower or 875 North Michigan, walk the lakefront, and try deep-dish pizza. Summer and early autumn are the best seasons.

The Art Institute and Millennium Park

The Art Institute of Chicago, one of the world's great museums, is the most cited cultural visit in the city, with Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Hopper's Nighthawks and Grant Wood's American Gothic, plus an outstanding Impressionist collection.

Next door, Millennium Park holds Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate, known as the Bean, the Crown Fountain and Frank Gehry's Pritzker Pavilion, which hosts free concerts in summer. The Riverwalk and the architecture boat tours start a short walk away.

Chicago's food, blues and jazz

Chicago's food is one of its most cited pleasures, from deep-dish pizza and the Italian beef sandwich to some of the most acclaimed tasting menus in the United States, several with MICHELIN stars, in the West Loop and beyond.

The city is the home of electric blues, and an evening at a blues club such as Kingston Mines or Buddy Guy's Legends, or at the historic Green Mill jazz club, where Al Capone once drank, is essential. Summer brings festivals and lakefront beaches.