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Yes, reservations are necessary but no advanced payment is required.
We would advise that you call in or email your tour request at least 72 hours in advance of your requested date. We do consider "last minute" requests but we cannot guarantee choice nor availability of tours with fewer than 72 hours notice.
 We heartily encourage disabled visitors to join us. We are perfectly comfortable accommodating the disabled and we are sincere in our solicitation of those with physical impairments. Let us discuss with you those tours that we know present fewer accessibility obstacles. If necessary, we will devise combinations of accessible tours and customize an itinerary that satisfies your interests…no extra cost.
No, there are no tours on national holidays, certain religious holidays nor on Sundays. The reason is practical. Many key establishments are not open thereby limiting the opportunities our tours ordinarily offer.
Yes, the minimum number is two. The minimum cost for a group of just two visitors is $40 per person.
No...there is no limit to the number of members you may include in your group. It is completely your choice. However, keep in mind that it is always our intention to maintain our trademark personal approach. When a group's size affects the quality or the safety of a specific tour, we may suggest an additional guide at a reasonably adjusted cost.
Yes, we are always open to customizing large group tours and quite open to scaling down costs outside of our regular pricing schedule in order to meet your budget requirements. Corporate groups, reunions, wedding parties, fundraising gatherings, and school field trips are all within our experience. We will use as many of our guides as necessary to personalize experiences for large group events.
Yes, we can provide step-on or ride-along guides. While we are recognized for our "walking narratives", we have a good deal of experience providing the same engaging narrative approach while accompanying you on the vehicle of your choice (bus, Limo, etc...). We do not contract for vehicle usage.
If your children are inquisitive and want to go, we encourage you to include them. We are convinced that our tours are substantial educational experiences. They are walks through history, architecture, biography, geography and legend. At the least, they have the equivalent educational value of a school field trip. Children under sixteen are included at half price.
Our tours are priced for budget minded visitors. We do not increase our fees based on the number of visitors in the group. We set prices according to the expected duration of the tours themselves. Our two hour tours are $20-$25 per person. Our three hour tours are $25-$30 per person. Our tours that are expected to take close to four hours are tours that include public transportation to nearby neighborhoods and are set at $35-$40 per person, with bus or elevated train fare included in the cost. The minimum fee for a group with just two members begins at $40 per person. Children under sixteen are included at half price. Payment can be made directly to the tour guide at the end of the tour.
No.
We do not accept personal checks. However, we do accept checks for corporate, institutional, organizational, or large group tours.
We sincerely suggest a tour time of 10:30 am. This is a time that allows the luxury of a "vacation wake up" and a leisurely breakfast. But even more wisely, it is a starting time designed to avoid the inconvenience of the morning and the late afternoon rush hour crowds. If 10:30 am is not your first choice, an alternative time can be discussed and measured against your choice of tour.
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If you are staying in a Loop hotel, we will come to get you. There will be no need to worry about finding us. We will either ring your room or arrange to meet you in the hotel lobby. If you are staying outside of the Loop area, we will meet you at the northwest corner of the intersection of Washington and Michigan. Just outside the door of the Chicago Cultural Center there is a sculpture entitled "Bronze Cow". Your guide will be waiting for you in front of the sculpture. However, if it is raining, etc. , enter the Cultural Center on the Washington Street side. Your guide will be in the lobby. Guides can be recognized by their business licenses displayed on their jackets or shirts.
We will proceed unless you express that the weather conditions are not acceptable. However, if the weather services issue "hazardous warnings", we reserve the right to suggest cancellation. Should you decide to cancel due to unacceptable weather conditions, call the WALK CHICAGO TOURS HOTLINE at 1-708-557-5400 at least three hours before tour time. There is no cancellation fee for adverse weather situations. However, if weather causes cancellation after the tour is underway, full payment will be requested.
Again, please try to give us at least three hours notice. Situations do occur, but they should be reconciled with the least amount of inconvenience to all involved. Call the WALK CHICAGO TOURS HOTLINE at 1-708-557-5400. A guide on call will answer between the hours of 9 am and 10 pm CST. During other time periods, a voice mail prompt will be available.
On the average, our walks cover about a mile to one and a half miles. (Two kilometers on the metric scale) The pace is very casual and non-athletic. We stop as often as you might care to do so. Restrooms are always within reach. Refreshment stops need only be requested.
On walks that last three or four hours, requests to stop for lunch are considered reasonable and are always honored. Lunch at various cafes, delis and bistros can actually enhance the tour experience. However, keep in mind that the guide may have to adjust the tour in order to accomodate the time spent at lunch, especially on tours returning on public transportation.
The choice of point of return is completely up to you. However, if you have a secondary destination for the day, we can instruct you as to how to get there. Under any circumstances, our guides will have the intention of traveling back to the Loop. But even then they may be able to accompany you for at least part of the way toward your chosen alternative destination.
Tipping is allowed but never expected.
Gratuities are earned.
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