If you’re looking for the best places in Chicago to take your Instagram photos, you’ve come to the right place. From iconic landmarks to trendy neighborhoods, this city has something for everyone, the Loop, Millenium Park, the crazy 360 view…
Here are fifteen of the best places in Chicago to snap a great photo and rack up the likes.
To start, introduce the city of Chicago wich is best known for its skyline, museums, and architecture. Then, move on to some of the best places in the city to take photos. Before getting started, let’s take a look at Chicago’s neighborhoods. In spite of its gigantism, most of the remarkable sites are not far from the lake, near downtown and its heart, the Loop. We explain below where to sleep to enjoy it. Otherwise, you can also go and discover other lesser known neighborhoods like Wicker Park, Logan Square, Bucktown or Pilsen.
Millennium Park
Millennium Park is one of the best places in Chicago for top instagram post. It is located in downtown Chicago, and it has a lot to offer tourists and locals alike. The park was built in 2004 and has since become a popular destination for people looking to take pictures or just enjoy the scenery. There are plenty of things to do in Millennium Park, including concerts, art exhibits, and more.
The best places for Instagram pictures are often very beautiful. Millennium Park in Chicago is one of these places. It’s well-known for its amazing architecture and stunning views of the city skyline.
Cruise on the Chicago River
If you’re looking for a great place to take some Instagram-worthy pictures, cruising on the Chicago river is a great option. The view of the city skyline from the river is simply beautiful, and there’s no shortage of photo opportunities. Whether you’re enjoying a leisurely cruise or taking part in one of the many special events hosted by the Chicago River Cruise line, you’re sure to have a memorable experience.
For us, it’s a must to get a first glimpse of the city. Discovering its crazy architecture, the skyscrapers that reveal themselves at each turn taken by the Chicago River, feeling Lilliputian in front of these modern monsters or the racy buildings from before the Great Depression, appreciating all the bridges that span the river, looking at the Trump Tower (4th tallest building in the US), seeing these buildings growing like mushrooms. We went to the DuSable Bridge, on the south side, to land at the Chicago’s First Lady Cruises pier. We opted for the “architecture tour”: 1h30 on the water to take the measure of Chicago. A must-see in our opinion.
- The address : Chicago’s First Lady, 112 E. Wacker Drive Chicago
- Reservations and price on the official website. There are other cruises, see on Viator, Tiqets or Civitatis. It is also included in the GoCity. Price of the cruise : about 45$ + taxes
The Magnificent Mile
The Magnificent Mile is one of the best places to take beautiful pictures in Chicago. There are a lot of interesting things to see and do there, like concerts and art exhibits.
Chi-Town’s iconic thoroughfare is Michigan Avenue, which serves most of the notable sites with its north-south orientation. It’s sort of like New York’s 5th Avenue. And there’s a famous stretch on its north side, the Magnificent Mile, between the bridge over the Chicago River and Oak St. Named by businessman Arthur Rubloff in the 1940s, the street is lined with luxury stores, hotels and restaurants.
There are also a number of notable buildings. The Water Tower at 806 N Michigan Ave with its neo-gothic style, the Pumping Station a bit in the same vein just in front, the very classy Wrigley Building at 410, the 875 North Michigan Avenue (ex-John Hancock Center), its 344m high, its observatory (we’ll talk about it later) and its very batman look with its antennas…
Stones have been embedded and not just any stones: a piece of the Taj Mahal, one of the Parthenon, one of Notre-Dame-de-Paris, one of the Palace of Westminster, a piece of the Arc de Triomphe, one of the Great Wall of China, etc… 136 fragments in total.
The address: N Michigan Avenue, between the Chicago River (DuSable Bridge) and Oak St
The Cloud Gate, strange architecture
The Cloud Gate is one of the best places in Chicago to take Instagram pictures. It’s a famous sculpture located in Millennium Park. The Cloud Gate is made of stainless steel and it’s very shiny. People often call it The Bean because of its shape. The best time to take pictures of the Cloud Gate is at night when it’s lit up.
Once passed the Chicago River in direction of the south, one arrives quickly at the Millenium Park and at one of its monuments of entry, the bean. Yes, the “bean” or to make it more striking, the Cloud Gate (it’s pretty cool, huh?). Photogenic to death, even my grandmother would make 1000 likes on Instagram with this jewel signed Anish Kapoor. The biggest challenge, take a picture without anyone on it. Try your luck at sunrise. It rises in line with the “bean”.
The bean has been there since 2004 but has taken a considerable place in the hearts of Chicagoans. Ten meters high, a base of 20m by 13 and a hundred tons that look like liquid mercury. To you the photos reflecting the skyline and deforming the bodies…
The address : Millenium Park, near the intersection of N Michigan Ave and E Randolph St
Crown Fountain, Buckingham Fountain, Millennium Park and Grant Park
The Crown Fountain is a great place to take pictures for Instagram in Chicago.. It’s located in downtown Chicago, and it has a lot to offer tourists and locals alike. The fountain was built in 2004 and has since become a popular destination for people looking to take pictures or just enjoy the scenery. There are plenty of things to do in Millennium Park, including concerts, art exhibits, and more.
After the bean, you can continue to discover the Millenium Park, this green lung of 10 hectares, included in Grant Park. The other nice place, besides the Pritzker Pavilion when there are concerts, is the Crown Fountain . Another jewel of interactive urban art. Two 15m high slabs with a led screen, a water mirror, and, as Nadiya would say, it’s time for the show. The faces appear, spit water… When it’s hot, it’s a must.
A little further, the Grant Park is spread out. Less beautiful, it still houses a remarkable piece, the Buckingham Fountain, one of the largest fountains in the world, inaugurated in 1927.
The address: Crown Fountain, just south of the Cloud Gate. Buckingham Fountain, 301 S Columbus Dr
The Field Museum
The Field Museum’s a museum that has a lot of different things to see, including exhibits about dinosaurs and other ancient creatures so you can make some incredible instagram post.
This is surely the most beautiful museum in Chicago. It is located in a huge building of classical style. To discover embalmed animals, to discover thematic exhibitions, or to see temporary exhibitions like the one dedicated to the world of pirates, it is the place to be, whether you are alone, with family or friends.
The John Hancock Observatory
The John Hancock Observatory is one of the best places to take pictures in Chicago. It is located in downtown Chicago, and it has a lot to offer tourists and locals alike. The observatory was built in 2004 and has since become a popular destination for people looking to take pictures or just enjoy the scenery. There are plenty of things to do at the John Hancock Observatory, including concerts, art exhibits, and more.
One of the best spots in Chicago to see the city from above, as well as Lake Michigan from 310 meters above. According to the Chicago Tribune newspaper, the Observatory offers the best view possible. Don’t hesitate to take advantage of the multimedia tour to understand and discover secrets about Chicago. 360 Chicago is open 365 days a year from 9am to 11pm (last admission at 10:30pm).
Chicago has some of the tallest skyscrapers in the United States. Like any big city, it is possible to climb to the top of some towers to admire the city from above.
See the John Hancock Observatory in the clouds
The John Hancock Observatory is often lost in the cloud so it might be best to take your photo from above. The best place to get this is the Signature Room on the 95th floor. The views are incredible and the best part is that it’s free!
If you’re looking for a more traditional view of Chicago, head to the top of the Willis Tower and step out onto The Ledge. You’ll be surrounded by glass on all sides with nothing but air between you and the street below. It’s an exhilarating experience and the perfect place to snap a photo for your Instagram feed.
If you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of downtown, take a ride on the ferris wheel at Navy Pier.
The Museum of Science and Industry
Beware, you will be amazed with this museum because it is simply the largest museum dedicated to science in the world. A museum worthy of its size since you will be given the opportunity to discover in real size a German submarine dating from the Second World War, a Boeing 727 where you will simulate a flight, you can also go down into an old coal mine, admire robots working in a toy factory. Not to mention the 3D movies that are offered on a giant IMAX screen! Don’t hesitate to book the Chicago Pass which allows you to enter more than 25 museums.
The Loop
A stroll along the Riverwalk will allow you to admire its many bascule bridges and its unique architectural buildings. The Riverwalk is part of the Loop, Chicago’s historic downtown, which is also its business district. It is bounded by an aerial metro that makes public transportation as useful as it is enjoyable!
The Loop district offers many opportunities for strolling at the foot of the skyscrapers. You can also walk along the Chicago River on the Riverwalk
There is a visit that you can’t avoid when you arrive in Chicago, it’s the famous train that runs through the city. In fact, the Loop is a structure of railroad tracks that is often seen in movies and this train is a real pride of the locals. The best thing to do is to take the train in the opposite direction of its classic visit to enjoy a few minutes of walking on these tracks that run at the height of the first floor of buildings.
Willis Tower, a great view from the bottom
You can’t visit Chicago without climbing to the top of the incredible Willis Tower! Previously called Sears Tower because it housed the offices of the Sears company, it is the second tallest tower in the United States just behind the One World Trade Center in New York (443 meters, compared to 541).
Propelled in 45 seconds to the 103rd floor of the tower, at a height of 412 meters, the skydeck offers a most impressive view of the city and Lake Michigan… and even, in the distance, of the neighboring states: Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin.
It costs about $25 per person to access this panoramic view. The skydeck will surely give you a dizzying feeling when you first step on the glass floor. Day or night, the view is breathtaking. However, prefer a day when the weather is clear.
If you want to avoid the long wait, I advise you to go at the opening. Not only will you avoid the line to get to the skydeck but it will also be much more pleasant to take nice pictures.
Eat a deep-dish pizza and take nices pictures
Being a major city of Italian immigration, Chicago keeps track of it. The famous deep-dish pizza is the perfect example of the mixing of the two cultures. All kinds of restaurant chains will offer you to try this specialty, but Giordano’s is the place to go! Indeed, the Giordano’s chain has maintained a certain authenticity and this is where the pizzas are the best. A word of advice: don’t count the calories!
Why visit Chicago?
Ranked as the 3rd largest city in the United States, Chicago is a major industrial and economic hub of the country. It is located on the shores of Lake Michigan and is a modern place where buildings stand proudly at the four corners of the city. You can see the Chicago Spire, but also many modern and sometimes futuristic buildings.
Chicago has the second most parks and green spaces of any city in the United States. It has more than 570 parks and green spaces. Impressive! You won’t be able to stop looking at them. Here are a few you won’t want to miss. Check out Lincoln Park, which welcomes more than 10 million visitors each year. It also has a beautiful zoo and botanical garden. You’ll also explore Garfield Park, Burham Park. Don’t miss the Grant Park where you can see the famous Buckingham Fountain. However, there are also important ones left! You have to go there.
Where to stay in Chicago?
Chicago is a city with a very large area. As such, there are many neighborhoods to choose from. However, there are a few that stand out and will give you a real experience of the city!
First of all, the Loop is the business district of Chicago. Here you will find the Willis Tower, but also the shores of Lake Michigan. You can easily find a place to live near the railroads and Chicago’s most important landmarks.
Secondly, Gold Coast is the wealthy part of the city. Many wealthy tourists spend their vacations here amidst the white sandy beaches and luxury stores.
Finally, Old Town is the historic part of the city. Its narrow, flowery streets and Victorian architecture provide a relaxing setting for an evening stroll.
Emily is a young American woman who has a great passion for traveling. She loves exploring new places and sharing her experiences with others through her Instagram account. Emily is always on the go, and she loves to learn about new cultures and share them.