Chicago received a recent makeover, adding wrought-iron street furniture, planters of flowers and spectacular lights along Michigan Avenue after dark. Striking sculptures by Picasso, Miró and Chagall watch over plazas alive with music and farmers' markets in summer. There are mesmerising trading centres, gigantic department stores, landmarks such as the Sears Tower, Art Institute and the city's newest playground, Millennium Park. Sports fans should make a pilgrimage to the esteemed Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. The city's main attractions read like a to-do checklist: Navy Pier, the John Hancock Building, art museums, galleries, lakefront activities and countless shops where you could spend a few dollars or thousands.
Recommended accommodation
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Ritz-Carlton Chicago
Set atop Water Tower Place, high above prestigious North Michigan Avenue and featuring exquisite décor and intuitive service, The Ritz-Carlton Chicago offers a setting of unmistakable grandeur.
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Peninsula Chicago
Discover a distinctive, sophisticated downtown Chicago luxury hotel set within the renowned Magnificent Mile.
Sample itinerary
Day 1
There is only one way to get a true feel for the magnificent presence of Chicago and Lake Michigan and that is from above. Visit the SearsTower, North America's tallest building and the third tallest building in the world. Take a walking tour to see Chicago’s many architectural styles from Beaux Arts to Art Deco, Gothic to Mies van der Rohe. Close to the Chicago River, you'll find the WrigleyBuilding and the TribuneTower, whose walls are studded with many famous stones collected from all over the world, including a moon rock and fragments from the Alamo, the Coliseum and the Great Wall of China. Pay a visit to the ChicagoHistory Museum in beautiful Lincoln Park to learn a little more about the Windy City’s history. In the evening, try one of the excellent restarants such as Japonais, a French-Japanese fusion restuarant located in the former warehouse of mail order catalogue giant Montgomery Ward.
Day 2
Today, take to the waters of the Chicago River with a boat tour and take an unmatched look at the city. Alternatively, spend a morning on the “beach”, relaxing on the shores of Lake Michigan. Spend the rest of the day on foot, stopping for a light lunch en route. Downtown in the Loop, admire sculpture by Picasso, Chagall, Calder and Miró, among others. Stop at the ChicagoCultural Center to see its latest exhibition, and end the day with a cool drink at an outdoor café, watching the world go by Chicago-style. Enjoy dinner and late-night drinks high above Chicago at The Signature Room, which sits on the 95th floor of the John Hancock Center.
Day 3
Visit the Art Institute of Chicago, where you can see one of the finest collections of Impressionist and Post-impressionist paintings in the world. Then head to River North, Chicago's best-known gallery district. After lunch, visit MillenniumPark; this 24.5-acre park features the work of world-renowned architects, planners, artists and designers. Among the attractions are the Frank Gehry-designed Jay Pritzker Pavilion; the interactive Crown Fountain by Spanish artist, Jaume Plensa; the contemporary Lurie Garden designed by the team of Kathryn Gustafson, Piet Oudolf and Robert Israel; and Anish Kapoor's, hugely popular Cloud Gate sculpture, nicknamed “The Bean”. End your visit with some Chicago Blues at one of the blues bars.
