Guides · United States
Getting around Chicago
How to move around Chicago on a 3-day walking trip: metro, tickets and the notes that matter.
Checked September 2026 against official sources
Chicago
Transit and walking
Follow the official link before you buy. Full walking days: Chicago itinerary.
Getting around
- On CTA trains and buses you can pay the regular fare by tapping a contactless bank card or phone, or with a Ventra card.Source: CTA · checked Sep 2026
Questions
Quick answers
When does the architecture river cruise run?
The Chicago Architecture Center's 90-minute river cruise runs from March to November and leaves from the Riverwalk at the Michigan Avenue Bridge.
How much walking is this itinerary?
Between sights it comes to roughly 2.5 to 3 km a day in a straight line, on flat ground, plus one ride on the L.
The days these rules belong to
3 days in Chicago
Chicago's sights line the lakefront and the river, so each day keeps to one stretch: day one starts at Cloud Gate and the Art Institute, takes an architecture cruise from the Riverwalk and ends on the Willis Tower Skydeck; day two walks between the three museums of the Museum Campus and back through Grant Park; day three follows Michigan Avenue north to the 360 Chicago observatory, strolls through Lincoln Park Zoo and ends at Wrigley Field. The Art Institute is closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, so plan day one around it.
