Underground Chicago: Explore Pedway System Walking Tour
5.0
15 Ratings
Chicago
Discover the hidden world beneath the streets of Chicago on a walking tour of the Pedway system. Explore iconic landmarks, holiday decorations, and the festive atmosphere of the city during this unique underground adventure.
Duration: 2 hours, 30 minutes
Cancellation: 1 day learn more
Highlights
  • Swissotel Chicago - Meet your guide in the lobby before descending into the Pedway.
  • Chicago Pedway - Walk Chicago’s underground tunnel system. We will walk underground and aboveground several times during the tour.
  • Chicago Cultural Center - View the famous Tiffany Dome and more.
  • Macy’s on State Street - Visit this iconic department store and marvel at its amazing architecture and Tiffany dome. Our stop wouldn’t be complete without seeing “The Great Tree” in the Walnut Room and the festively decorated store and windows.
  • Block 37 - Continue strolling the Pedway through this popular city mall.
  • Daley Bicentennial Plaza - We ascend from the Pedway to explore the Christkindlmarket, the most authentic traditional holiday market outside of Europe. We’ll also view the iconic Picasso sculpture and the world’s tallest church (Unity Temple).
  • City of Chicago - City Hall - See Chicago’s City Hall and County Building, and if we’re lucky – a wedding at the Marriage Court!
  • Washington/Wells - We’ll board the L Train for a quick ride through the Loop.
  • Route 66 - See the origin/terminus of the famous Route 66 then visit the majestic lions with their holiday wreaths at the Art Institute.
  • Cloud Gate - The final leg of the tour takes us to Millennium Park and the famous Cloud Gate sculpture, aka, The Bean. We’ll also visit the city’s majestic holiday tree, a great spot for photos.
What's Included
  • Transit tickets
  • Local expert guide
What's Not Included
  • Gratuities
  • Food and beverages
Additional Information

The Pedway system in Chicago is a series of interconnected underground tunnels that allows individuals to traverse from one side of the Loop to the other without setting foot outdoors.

Our outing commences in the lobby of the Swissotel, from where we descend into the Pedway to set off on our subterranean journey toward the Cultural Center. After a quick exploration of the Cultural Center and its renowned Tiffany Dome, we head back to the Pedway for a brief stroll to admire the majestic interior of the legendary Macy’s department store.

Following a brief pause at a local food hall, we navigate back to the Pedway and trace it to the Daley Civic Center. Here, we rise to take in the famed Picasso sculpture. After that, we make our way back to the Pedway for a short trek to City Hall and Marriage Court, and then to the L Stop at Wells and Washington Streets.

A swift train voyage to the other section of the Loop leads us to the start/end point of Route 66 and the Art Institute. As we continue towards Millennium Park, we stop to admire the renowned Cloud Gate sculpture, commonly known as ‘The Bean’, where our expedition concludes.

  • Should be able to climb stairs as not all train stations are equipped with elevators.
Location
Swissotel Chicago
East Wacker Drive
Meet your guide in the hotel lobby.
Cancellation Policy

For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.

Customer Ratings
5.0
(15 Ratings)
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Renecm2061nr
Feb 23, 2024
Great Pedway tour under ground the Chicago Downtown - I have lived in Chicago for 10 years, I have walked through the Pedway so many times but not the entire passage, and also I have never noticed the spots or areas we discussed during our tour. Our docent John provided us with plenty of information about it, pointed a different type of things, architecture of buildings we stepped out for short period of times, designs and even some cool art we found during our walk. We walked through different buildings, including some government, commercial and even private corporate office buildings. It was amazing how the city is connected through a lower passage, in this case the Pedway system that makes things easier during the super cold days while in the winter season. I was amazed how literally you can cross the entire downtown from underneath the street level, and how some areas of the Pedway system are open for 24 hr due the connection to the Red and Blue line subway from the CTA. I definitely recommend this tour during the winter period, I think is something cool you can do in Chicago, I am sure now when I walk through it I definitely won't get lost! I hope more people from Chicago take this tour and John provided us with plenty of information and made our tour even more enjoyable!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Lynn_m
Nov 13, 2023
This tour met and exceeded all expectations. - Our guide Tom was a life long Chicago resident and extremely knowledgeable and personable. He catered the tour to fit the interests of our family. Our son had recently moved to Chicago and he gave him several ideas on how to further explore the area. We will definitely be doing another tour with him when we get back to Chicago.
Review provided by Viator
Charlesmj9931ld
Oct 13, 2023
Excellent - Very informative and interesting. I will recommend the tour to others. Especially enjoyed the many stories our guide told.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Ralphgb4352ok
Oct 1, 2023
Great Tour! Learn about the Pedway System as well as the Architectural Highlights! - Tom was amazing! He was very personable, knowledgeable and wanted to be sure that we experienced the city to the fullest and our questions were answered. He knows the ins and outs of the city. When in Chicago, we highly recommend L Stop Tours!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Trevar2023
Jun 5, 2023
Chicago Underground - I was not sure what to expect with this tour! Tom was a wealth of knowledge about the city and its history! I never knew so much could be happening below a city street! My friend and I were on a time schedule to meet the Metra back to Libertyville, so he modified our tour and walked us almost back to Union Station. Some day I want to be a Tom, the tour guide!
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Cqc12
May 19, 2023
This is THE tour to take - Tom was the best guide to have showing his love and knowledge of Chicago. Not only will you learn about the pedway, you will also have an experience riding the L, walking up to the street to learn about the history of Chicago, the buidings and great [laces to eat!. Tom goes at the pace of the people involved and was really a joy to be around. We will definitely go back and do whatever tours he offers. Thanks again, Tom!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Donziej
Apr 25, 2023
A Great Way to Discover an Overlooked part of Chicago. - I didn’t know the Chicago Pedway existed and I was keen to learn more. This tour was the perfect opportunity. Tom, our guide, was deftly engaging (read: no fake enthusiasm nor tired jokes) knowledgeable and of just the right temperament. He patiently answered any questions and made the entire experience enjoyable. I plan to take other tours with this company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
588maryr
Apr 7, 2023
Pedway Tour Exploring! - Tom was a knowledgeable tour guide. We were familiar with some of the sites on the tour and Tom was flexible and added sites into the tour that were not originally planned. Tom shared tidbits of fun facts as well as interesting details about the pedway, buildings, and other sites we visited. He was flexible and very pleasant to spend 2.5 hours with. We were really happy to find this particular tour. We have wanted to explore the pedway on a tour and these tours are hard to find! We were thankful L Stop Tours offered this tour! Thank you L Stop Tours! We hope to be back!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Andrewsq3078pr
Nov 22, 2022
Super tour and super guide. - Tom was an excellent and personable tour guide. He has a wealth of knowledge about the pedway system and he was very flexible about tailoring the tour to our interests. He was good company and very enjoyable to be with. One of my children said, “he was great! Six stars out of five.“ we enjoyed all the different sites and learning more about the Pedway system.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Anne
Nov 22, 2022
Little known pathway brought to life. - Tom was a knowledgeable guide and showed us spots in Chicago even unknown to many Chicagoans... via the pedway. He also went out of his way to accommodate my injured knee by limiting stairways. Thanks, Tom. Highly recommend this tour.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
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