Illinois
3
Day Itinerary •
USA
Three days in Illinois gives you the essential Prairie State experience, anchored by Chicago, one of the most extraordinary cities in the world, with its unrivalled architecture, legendary deep-dish pizza, world-class art museums and the most extraordinary lakefront of any inland city in America. This route covers the heart of Illinois. The extraordinary Chicago Riverwalk architecture tour, the Art Institute of Chicago with its extraordinary Impressionist collection, Millennium Park's Cloud Gate, the finest deep-dish pizza in America, and a day trip to the extraordinary Starved Rock State Park canyon system along the Illinois River.
Best Time To Visit
May to October for lakefront and outdoor Chicago
Getting There
Fly into O'Hare (ORD) or Midway (MDW)
Getting Around
CTA L train and walking in Chicago. Car for Starved Rock.
Budget Per Day
Approx $120 to $200 per person per day
Difficulity
Easy, mostly walking and transit
DAY 1
CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE
MORNING
CHICAGO ARCHITECTURE RIVERWALK, THE MOST EXTRAORDINARY SKYLINE IN AMERICA
The Chicago Riverwalk is the most extraordinary urban waterway in America, its extraordinary mile-long promenade along the Chicago River giving the finest ground-level view of the most celebrated skyline in the world. The Chicago Architecture Center river cruise departing from Michigan Avenue gives the most extraordinary 90-minute introduction to the buildings that define modern architecture, from Louis Sullivan's Carson Pirie Scott to the Willis Tower, the Tribune Tower and Marina City. Cruise approx $48. Drive: 30 min CTA
MIDDAY
WILLIS TOWER SKYDECK AND THE LOOP
The Willis Tower Skydeck on the 103rd floor at 1,353 feet gives the most extraordinary panoramic view of Chicago and the surrounding Midwest, its extraordinary glass-floored Ledge boxes extending 4 feet beyond the building face giving the finest head-rush view in the city. The Loop below, Chicago's historic commercial center, contains the finest concentration of landmark architecture in America on a walkable grid. The Chicago Cultural Center is free. Skydeck entry approx $30. Drive: 10 min walk
AFTERNOON
NAVY PIER AND THE LAKE MICHIGAN WATERFRONT
Navy Pier is the most extraordinary lakefront attraction in Chicago, its extraordinary 3,300-foot pier into Lake Michigan giving views of the downtown skyline from the water. The Chicago Shakespeare Theater, the Smith Museum of Stained Glass and the extraordinary Ferris wheel are all unmissable. The Lake Michigan waterfront with its extraordinary 18-mile Lakefront Trail is the finest urban lakefront in America. Navy Pier free to explore, Ferris wheel approx $18.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Chicago Riverwalk secret garden at the west end near Lake Street contains one of the finest hidden pocket gardens in any American city, its extraordinary plantings entirely unknown to the thousands of tourists who walk only the eastern restaurant section of the Riverwalk. Free. The most extraordinary hidden gem on the Chicago waterfront.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Lou Mitchell's, The Loop The most legendary breakfast in Chicago since 1923. Extraordinary omelets, fresh-squeezed juice and malted milk. | Lunch: Portillo's, River North The finest Chicago-style hot dog and Italian beef sandwich in the city. An extraordinary Chicago institution. | Dinner: Lou Malnati's, River North The most celebrated deep-dish pizza in Chicago. Extraordinary butter crust and chunky tomato sauce. Book ahead.
DAY 2
CHICAGO CULTURE
MORNING
ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO, THE FINEST ART MUSEUM IN THE MIDWEST
The Art Institute of Chicago is the most extraordinary art museum in the Midwest and one of the finest in the world, its extraordinary collection of over 300,000 works spanning 5,000 years including the finest Impressionist collection in America outside New York. Seurat's A Sunday on La Grande Jatte, Grant Wood's American Gothic, Edward Hopper's Nighthawks and Georges-Pierre Seurat's collection are all extraordinary. The Modern Wing by Renzo Piano is the finest museum addition in America. Entry approx $25. Drive: 15 min walk
MIDDAY
MILLENNIUM PARK AND CLOUD GATE
Millennium Park is the most extraordinary urban park in Chicago, its extraordinary 24.5 acres containing Anish Kapoor's Cloud Gate, the most visited public sculpture in America, the extraordinary Jay Pritzker Pavilion concert shell by Frank Gehry and the Crown Fountain interactive video sculptures. The park is completely free. The surrounding Michigan Avenue with the extraordinary Chicago Cultural Center, the Magnificent Mile and the Riverwalk is the finest urban corridor in the Midwest. Drive: 10 min walk
AFTERNOON
WICKER PARK AND THE 606 ELEVATED TRAIL
Wicker Park is the most extraordinary neighborhood in Chicago, its extraordinary Milwaukee Avenue of independent boutiques, vintage shops, coffee roasters and live music venues giving the finest creative neighborhood in the Midwest. The 606 elevated trail, Chicago's answer to the High Line, gives an extraordinary 2.7-mile walk above the rooftops of Wicker Park, Bucktown and Logan Square through one of the finest urban rail conversions in America. The 606 completely free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Chicago Cultural Center on Michigan Avenue is the finest free cultural building in Chicago, its extraordinary 1897 Beaux-Arts interior with two Tiffany glass domes, one the largest in the world, housing extraordinary free art exhibitions and concerts entirely unknown to most visitors. Free. The most extraordinary hidden architectural gem in Chicago.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Dove's | Lunch: Au Cheval, West Loop The most celebrated burger in Chicago. Extraordinary single or double smash burger. Queue from 11am. | Dinner: Girl and the Goat, West Loop The finest restaurant in Chicago. Extraordinary wood-fired sharing plates from Stephanie Izard. Book weeks ahead.
DAY 3
STARVED ROCK STATE PARK
MORNING
STARVED ROCK STATE PARK CANYON TRAIL
Starved Rock State Park is the most extraordinary state park in Illinois, its extraordinary network of 18 canyons carved through St. Peter sandstone along the Illinois River giving a canyon landscape entirely unexpected in the Midwest. The extraordinary French Canyon with its 80-foot waterfall in spring and the Ottawa Canyon with its extraordinary smooth sandstone walls are the finest. The Illinois River bluff viewpoints give the most extraordinary views in the state. Entry free. Drive: 1.5 hr drive
MIDDAY
MATTHIESSEN STATE PARK AND THE DELLS CANYON
Matthiessen State Park adjacent to Starved Rock is the most extraordinary hidden canyon park in Illinois, its extraordinary two-tiered Dells Area with its upper and lower dells connected by a 45-foot waterfall giving a canyon experience entirely different from Starved Rock and far less visited. The extraordinary Giant's Bathtub pool carved by glacial meltwater and the remarkable Cascade Falls are unmissable. Entry free. Far fewer visitors than Starved Rock. Drive: 15 min drive
AFTERNOON
ILLINOIS RIVER VALLEY AND UTICA
The Illinois River valley below Starved Rock is the most extraordinary river landscape in Illinois, its extraordinary bottomland forest of ancient cottonwood and silver maple along the river corridor giving a wildlife experience unlike anywhere else in the Midwest. The Bald Eagle watching on the Illinois River from January to March is the most extraordinary eagle viewing in the central United States. The extraordinary town of Utica with its riverside taverns and the Illinois Waterway Visitor Center is charming. Free.
💎 HIDDEN GEM
The extraordinary Illinois and Michigan Canal State Trail between Utica and Ottawa is the finest hidden cycling and walking trail in Illinois, its extraordinary towpath along the historic 1848 canal corridor through the Illinois River valley giving the most extraordinary flat trail experience in the state. Free. Almost entirely unknown outside Illinois cycling circles.
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Breakfast: Heaven on Seven, Chicago Loop Extraordinary New Orleans-style breakfast before driving to Starved Rock. Outstanding beignets and chicory coffee. | Lunch: Starved Rock Lodge dining room Outstanding Illinois River valley views. Local Illinois cuisine and craft beer in the finest lodge in the state. | Dinner: Return to Chicago for dinner The West Loop or River North for the finest dinner in the Midwest after a day in the canyons.
DAY 4
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
DAY 5
MORNING
MIDDAY
AFTERNOON
💎 HIDDEN GEM
🍽 WHERE TO EAT
Where To Stay
The Loop, Chicago The Langham or Virgin Hotels Chicago. Approx $150 to $300 per night. River North or West Loop Hotel EMC2 or The Hoxton Chicago. Approx $130 to $250 per night. Budget option Freehand Chicago or HI Chicago Hostel. From $50 per night in shared rooms.
Top Tips
1. The Chicago Architecture Center river cruise is the finest architecture tour in America. Book ahead in summer.
2. Deep-dish pizza at Lou Malnati's requires a 45-minute wait. Order a thin crust tavern-style while you wait.
3. The Art Institute of Chicago is free on Thursday evenings after 5pm. The Impressionist collection is extraordinary.
4. Millennium Park's Cloud Gate is most extraordinary at dawn before the crowds arrive. Completely free.
5. Starved Rock's canyons have waterfalls in spring. The French Canyon and Ottawa Canyon are the finest.
6. Chicago's West Loop restaurant scene on Randolph Street is the finest dining street in the Midwest.
Total Budget
$120 to $200/day