Enjoy the Chicago Day Bike Tour & see the Skydeck at Willis Tower

FAQ

• Expand/Collapse Where is the bike tour meeting point?

  This tour meets at our office, located at 910 S. Michigan Ave., Suite 130, Chicago, IL 60605, at the south end of Grant Park. Our entrance is located on 9th Street, steps away from the intersection of Michigan Avenue and 9th.

  • If you are taking the public Subway (the L), we're located midway between the Roosevelt stop (Red, Orange and Green Lines) and Harrison (Red Line only).
  • We have several parking options within a few blocks of our office and all have rates posted as you enter. Please note that the open air lots will require you to pre-pay for parking and tow violators regularly for not having a ticket on their dashboard. Additionally, parking rates are subject to special event pricing on busy weekends when there are festivals, concerts and other major events, so please plan accordingly.
• Expand/Collapse Is this tour appropriate for children?

  Yes! Our Chicago Day Bike Tour is a wonderful way for kids to discover Chicago. Please keep in mind that children under 18 years old must be accompanied by an adult on the tour.

  • For children up to 12 years old or 45kg (100lbs) without good bike handling skills we offer 2-wheeled tandems that allow the passenger to pedal or coast, without having to maintain a high level of balance. All riders over 45kg (100lbs) must ride their own bicycle. We have various sized city bikes to accommodate just about every size of rider, from extra small 20 inch wheeled bikes for riders that are 3.3ft (100cm) to extra large for riders up to 6.5ft (198cm). Unfortunately, we do not have adult tricycles, adult tandems, or bikes with training wheels for adults or children that may be less confident in their riding ability.
  • There is no additional charge for trailers, tandems or baby seats. Due to limited availability, please book baby seats, trailers, tandems, 20” and 24” wheeled bikes in advance. 
  • Please Note: All extra small 20 inch and small 24 inch bikes are equipped with both hand brakes and pedal brakes.
  • Our city tours are very casual, with only slight elevation changes on varying surfaces including smooth gravel and pavement. It is necessary, however, that any person participating in our bike tours have at least some bike riding experience, and should be comfortable riding in a group.
• Expand/Collapse Do I have to visit Skydeck the same day as my bike tour?

  No, your Skydeck ticket(s) are valid for 6 months from the purchase date listed on this voucher. You are not required to visit at a specific time, except within 6 months from the purchase date and between open hours. You are more than welcome to do both in the same day, but it is certainly not required.

• Expand/Collapse What cycling skill level do I need for this tour?

  While all of our tours maintain a leisurely pace, we want our guests to have fun and be safe, so being able to ride a bike is paramount.

  You should have good balance, be able to start and stop comfortably, and be familiar with hand brakes. We will be riding on bike lanes, through parks, and occasionally with traffic. Riders should be prepared riding single-file behind other riders and riding in a group. Safety is our number one priority but confidence in yourself is the first step to overall group safety.

  If you're not sure how you'll fare, we invite you to come to our office about 30 minutes prior to your tour start time to try the bikes. 

• Expand/Collapse Is the lunch included in the price?

  No, the cost of lunch is not included. Your options at the lunch stop will include salads, sandwiches, and wraps which you can enjoy indoors or outside in the park. You are welcome to pack your own lunch.

  Please note that only the 9:30 a.m. tour includes a stop for lunch. If you are joining us on the 2 p.m. tour, please eat prior to your tour.

• Expand/Collapse Where do I enter for Skydeck Chicago?

  The Willis Tower is located at 233 S. Wacker Dr. Chicago, IL 60606.

  Access to the Skydeck elevators is on the south side of the building, on Jackson Blvd. There are signs indicating where to enter for Skydeck. 

• Expand/Collapse How do I receive my Skydeck ticket(s)?

  You will receive two separate emails from Fat Tire Tours. The first will be confirmation of your puchase with us, and the second will be an email with your tickets included. You can either print off your tickets or present them on your mobile device in order to enter the Skydeck.

  Please note that due to processing times, your tickets may take up to 24 hours to arrive in your inbox. If you have not received an email with your tickets within 24 hours, and have checked your spam box to ensure they did not incorrectly send there, please Contact Us and our team will be happy to help. 

• Expand/Collapse Is a helmet included?

  Yes, helmets are provided and we require all riders to wear helmets on our tours.

  Your safety is top priority for us and studies have shown that helmets can reduce head injuries by at least 85%.

• Expand/Collapse Can we buy water at your office?

  Yes! We have cold water available for purchase in our office.

   

   

• Expand/Collapse Is this tour offered in any other languages, or only English?

  All scheduled tours are in English, but private tours can occasionally be scheduled in other languages, given we have a tour guide who speaks the language of your choice. Contact our private tours team to inquire.

• Expand/Collapse Do I have to print off my Skydeck ticket(s)?

  No, presenting your tickets on your mobile device is acceptable for entry.

• Expand/Collapse When can I visit the Skydeck?

  Your ticket(s) are valid for 6 months from the purchase date listed on this voucher. You are not required to visit at a specific time, except within 6 months from the purchase date and between open hours.

• Expand/Collapse Do we go inside the museums and monuments?

  Unfortunately, 3.5-4 hours does not give us enough time to enter any of the sites that we see on our Chicago Day Bike Tour.  This tour is designed to enjoy the city from a broad perspective and come away with a greater understanding of its history and layout.

  After your tour, we have lots of information in our office in regards to museum opening times and the best way to see them.

• Expand/Collapse Can I leave the tour early?

  We are not able to accommodate special requests like this on our public tours.  Once the tour begins we ask that you stay with the guide and the group until the end.

• Expand/Collapse How long is the ride?

  Our Chicago Day Bike Tour is approximately 3.5 - 4 hours long. This includes plenty of breaks for water, taking photos, and to hear loads of fascinating facts and stories from your tour guide. 

   

• Expand/Collapse What's the closest Subway (L) station to Willis Tower?

  The nearest L stations are Quincy Wells (Brown, Orange, Pink, Purple Lines) and Monroe (Red and Blue Lines). Chicago's transit system provides real-time updates to the Google Maps app on major smartphones and more information can also be found at TransitChicago.com for routes, stops and timing.

• Expand/Collapse What is your cancellation policy?

  We are happy to offer full refunds for our Chicago Day Bike Tour if the reservation is cancelled more than 24 hours (1 day) before the scheduled tour. We do not offer refunds for any reason once we are within the 24 hours of the scheduled tour.

  Per Skydeck policy, your Skydeck tickets are non-refundable.

• Expand/Collapse What is your weather policy?

  All of our tours run rain or shine. In the event of rain, guides will have ponchos that are free of charge.

• Expand/Collapse Is there parking available near the office?

  There is a parking garage in Columbia Plaza (the building we are located in). It is operated by PMI Parking. Note the address of the parking garage (2400 Virginia Ave NW) is slightly different than our address (502 23rd St NW), but they are in the same building. There is also street parking available near our office, but be sure to check the meters as they may restrict the parking time to 2 hours. Or, they may not allow parking during certain hours. Though parking is available, we always encourage our guests to use the METRO to avoid street closures, heavy traffic and difficulty finding parking.

• Expand/Collapse What's the closest Subway (L) station to the meeting point?

  We're located midway between the Roosevelt stop (Red, Orange and Green Lines) and Harrison (Red Line only). Chicago's transit system provides real-time updates to the Google Maps app on major smartphones and more information can also be found at TransitChicago.com for routes, stops and timing.

• Expand/Collapse Can minors come on tour alone?

  For safety reasons, minors (anyone under the age of 18) must be accompanied by an adult on the tour.

• Expand/Collapse What time do I need to get there for my tour?

  Your tour will start promptly at the scheduled time, therefore please arrive 15 minutes prior to tour departure time in order to get fitted for bikes, use our restrooms, or buy water. 

• Expand/Collapse Are reservations required for this tour?

  Yes, reservations are required for our Chicago Day Bike Tours.

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