What To Expect

What‘s Included

Reviews

• Kudos to candace! she was...

  Joanna B,Mar 22, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  KUDOS to CANDACE! She was fabulous! No need to get the earphones if you’re on her bus! She will energetically give you “fun facts”about Chicago along with humor.She goes above and beyond to make sure your experience is memorable. She even offered to take pictures of her guests at a scenic location overlooking Lake Michigan. She is THE reason I gave 5 stars. We had 2 other bus drivers, who were just that, bus drivers. While on their buses, we did use the earphones for about 20 seconds, but got bored and would rather just take in the views. The location of the stops were convenient to visit ALOT of Chicago’s “must dos”. All for all, it was worth the money, and I would recommend “the bus” to see the sights without the worry of driving and parking. Thank you Candace for making our trip to Chicago wonderful and memorable!!!

• Was not a good experience...

  Glenn B,Mar 22, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  2.00

  Was not a good experience for the first 45 min. Then we transferred buses and it got much better. First bus there was no narration

• Shout out to the amazing bus driver

  Barbara R,Mar 17, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  4.00

  We began our tour in Chicago at the Water Tower. Upon hopping onto the bus the driver was rude when we asked him a question about the sights. His response was “he wasn’t a tour guide” which we already knew. If he or his assistant would have offered the headphones we probably would not have asked anything. When we arrived at the starting point (Trump Tower) we got off the bus and hopped onto a different bus. What a difference this bus driver was, he offered the headphones and asked how our day was going, he was amazing, he made commentary, he answered questions, he took pictures he even offered to stop so we could buy some glitzes (hotdogs). Unfortunately we did not get his name. But a shout out to this amazing man who made our route memorable.

• Spring Break Family Fun

  Sandy R,Mar 11, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  5.00

  This worked out really well for our family. Allows you to get to the main sightseeing places and track the busses via the app for realtime updates to catch the bus when you were done at the various locations. Friendly drivers and a good way to learn a little history.

• Not well done

  Tj B,Mar 8, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  2.00

  I have done these bus tours in lots of cities and always found them very informative. This one played music and very little talking about the city and what we were seeing. So disappointing. It was also very confusing and contradictory as to what times the pick up was. It was not consistent. The pickup stops were not clearly marked. When I pressed show me the stop the picture had a sandwich board with a sign that said big bus stop but there was no such sign and the bus passed us because we were over by the kiosk with big bus on the next corner. This tour needs a lot of upgrades and the signage needs to be consistent. Had I known that busses would have an 45 to an hour pickup between buses I probably would not have taken this tour. I will definitely be finding out more information before I take another one of these.

• We purchased the Big Bus...

  TJ D,Mar 8, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  2.00

  We purchased the Big Bus tour expecting an informative overview of Chicago; however, our experience was disappointing. The audio on the bus was very difficult to hear, and the commentary itself was brief and not particularly informative. We decided to hop off at one of the stops with the intention of getting back on later, but we were unable to locate the designated pickup area. There was no visible signage indicating where to re-board, and the directions in the app were not specific enough to guide us to the correct location. As a result, we ended up walking for the remainder of the day because buses were running very infrequently. The app indicated that only three buses were operating at the time, with wait times of up to an hour for the next bus. Had there been clear signage, we would have been able to wait at the correct pickup location. We actually saw the bus pass by but could not reach the corner in time before it left. This experience was very disappointing, especially since we have previously used Big Bus tours in other cities with great success. Our experiences in New York and Boston were both enjoyable and well organized, which is why this visit was such a surprise. Given these issues, we would appreciate your review of this situation and consideration of an appropriate resolution.

• Suggestions for improvement

  williamsB1557WK,Mar 1, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  4.00

  Tour was great. Suggest they geo sync the audio and have the drivers comments come through the audio when the recorded audio is playing music. The driver was great so we ended up unplugging the audio. A combination would have worked better. Debrizio was great.

• Misleading Information, Mediocre Delivery, and a Missed Opportunity in Chicago

  U9540WGmiriamb,Feb 27, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  3.00

  I am a professional tour director who leads groups around the world. I understand guest expectations, operational standards, and what constitutes value for money. I chose this tour specifically to evaluate how Chicago’s key highlights are presented to visitors. The experience fell well below an acceptable standard. First, the website information was misleading. It prominently stated departures every 30 minutes. After waiting 50 minutes with no bus in sight, I discovered—buried further down the page—that service was operating on a 60-minute schedule. Repeated attempts to confirm timing through the company’s AI chat continued to state a 30-minute frequency. That is not a minor oversight; it is a failure in basic guest communication. Second, the equipment was substandard. The bus was old, rode harshly, and appeared poorly maintained. Comfort is not a luxury on a paid sightseeing tour—it is a baseline expectation. Third, while the driver-guide was personable, the narration was strikingly weak. Landmarks were pointed out with minimal context and little storytelling. Commentary consisted of generic, surface-level remarks with no depth, no historical framing, and no effort to create a cohesive narrative of the city. For a destination as architecturally and historically rich as Chicago, that is an inexcusable missed opportunity. At $116 for two tickets, the experience did not deliver professional-level guiding, accurate communication, or basic comfort. My recommendation: align your published information with reality, invest in vehicle quality, and—most critically—train your driver-guides to provide structured, engaging, and substantive narration. Guests deserve more than transportation with occasional commentary.

• Big Bus fun

  C8750TRbarbaral,Feb 26, 2026

  - Review from Tripadvisor

  5.00

  Great family fun. We stopped at all the places we wanted to see, sat on top and took amazing photos. Gotta try it.

• Probably not the best hop...

  Deb J,Feb 23, 2026

  - Review from Viator

  3.00

  Probably not the best hop on/off we’ve done however it does give you a basic introduction to Chicago. We would have liked a bit more commentary about the area. Winter time seems to also be challenging with less buses available. We didn’t catch his name but the male bus driver was quite good some more anecdotes to the recorded commentary.

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