Planning a trip to Chicago

Last updated: 06/10/2020

Chicago! In the American Midwest is located a beautiful city, full of history and present in movies, music, plays, among others. To help you plan your trip to this beautiful city, here's a guide to planning a trip to Chicago!

THE CITY OF CHICAGO

Chicago, the largest city in the state of Illinois, is the third most populous city in the United States, with approximately 2.7 million inhabitants. The city is an important hub for the telecommunications, transport and infrastructure industries. The city is also well known for its nicknames “chi-town“, “Windy City" and "second city“. We were there at the end of winter and it was still very cold there. The “Windy City”, or “City of the Winds”, in Portuguese, mistreated us a little on some occasions. However, nothing took away from the beauty of its imposing buildings, great museums and beautiful views.

LAKE MICHIGAN

One of the city's postcards is the Lake Michigan, which is one of the 5 Great Lakes that border Canada and the only one that is entirely within American territory. With almost 58,000 km², it is the largest freshwater lake in the US, and the fifth in the world. It is possible to see Lake Michigan from different points of the city and the landscapes provided by it are beautiful and unmissable.

CURIOSITIES

• It seems strange, but it is in the middle of the city of Chicago that it has start the famous Route 66, or Route 66, as we speak in this post on this iconic American road.
• And the City of Winds, “Windy City”, because it is very, very windy in the city.
• At Chicago pizzas are super famous, with recipes that were created in the city and there are even excursions and tours to visit pizzerias.
• In various locations in the city were filmed Scenes from the movie "The Godfather" and, formerly, the city was dominated by the italian mafia and gangsters like Al Capone.
• THE architecture of the city is also quite famous, with imposing, tall and beautiful buildings.

WHAT TO DO IN CHICAGO

There's so much to do in Chicago! Museums, observatories, interesting tours. The main attractions are:

• Observatories (SkyDesk and 360 Chicago)
• Museums (Field Museum of Natural History, Museum of Science and Industry, The Art Institute of Chicago)
• Addler Planetarium
• Shedd aquarium
• Millennium Park
• navy pier

In this post we detail several tips to know more about the city:

20 must-see attractions in Chicago

TOURS AND TOURS

Chicago has a lot more than you might think! It is possible to take amazing tours by boat, speedboat, helicopter, on foot and have a lot of fun! It is also possible to take super romantic walks along Lake Michigan. See some of the options:

• Chicago Dinner Cruise
• Chicago Brunch Cruise
• Architectural Speedboat Cruise on Lake Michigan and Chicago River
• Chicago Crime and Mafia Tour
• Chicago Pizzeria Walking Tour
• Boat ride on Lake Michigan
• Chicago Landmarks Helicopter Tour
• Chicago's LEGOLAND Discovery Center

WHERE TO STAY IN CHICAGO

The hotel we stayed in in Chicago was in the center, very well located and allowed us to do practically everything on foot or just a few meters to the subway station. A big advantage of this hotel is the convenience that under it is a theater with Broadway musicals! A curiosity is that the hotel lobby is on the 3rd floor.

• Hotel: Hampton Inn Majestic Chicago Theater District
• Address: 22 West Monroe, Chicago Loop, Chicago, IL 60603

But hotels abound in the city, in case you decide to stay elsewhere! And our tip is to try to stay very close to the center because it makes it much easier to move around and to do most of the walks on foot. See hotel options in the city of Chicago in this link from our partner Booking.com.

BOOK NOW your hotel and save up to 50%. Travelers readers are with a SUPER DISCOUNT! And the best, with FREE CANCELLATION*!

Booking.com


*check the hotels with free cancellation on the website

NICE TOURS AND EXCURSIONS IN CHICAGO

Read more about Chicago:

• What to do in Chicago – 4 days itinerary
• How to get from Chicago airport to downtown
• Navy Pier: Chicago's Most Visited Attraction
• Broadway in Chicago: Shows and Musicals beyond New York
• Basketball: Watching a Chicago Bulls Game
• The 10 best museums in Chicago
• 20 must-see attractions in Chicago
• 10 Chicago restaurant tips
• 10 free attractions in Chicago