Big Bus Tours, the global leader in open-top bus sightseeing, is kicking off the summer season with the launch of an enhanced Sunset Live Tour experience in Chicago. Available now through Oct. 19, Chicago area locals and visitors alike are invited to experience breathtaking views and memorable photo opportunities during the 90-minute live-guided tour as the sun sets on the Windy City.
Scheduled to depart from and return to Chicago’s Hard Rock Café (63 W. Ontario St.), the Sunset Live Tour takes its guests on a panoramic tour of the city’s Gold Coast, Lincoln Park, Magnificent Mile, lakefront. Led by a live guide, guests can take in captivating storytelling of the city’s history from the bus’ top deck alongside the magnificent scenery, architecture, landmarks and neighborhoods that make Chicago a world-class destination as they are illuminated by the golden hour. New this year, Big Bus Tours will offer a live-guided, Spanish language Sunset Live Tour every Friday evening.
Sunset Live Tour start times are outlined below:
- Now – August 11th: 7:30 p.m.
- August 12th – August 27th: 7:00 p.m.
- August 28th – September 17th: 6:30 p.m.
- September 18th – October 1st: 6:00 p.m.
- October 2nd – October 19th: 5:30 p.m.
“Our Sunset Live Tour offers an unparalleled perspective of the city’s stunning scenery and world-renowned architecture during a truly magical time of day,” said Big Bus Tours Senior Vice President and General Manager John Curran. “Experiencing these
views from above street level while cruising the city streets is sure to create unforgettable memories for both Chicago locals and visitors.”
Sunset Live Tours is an exciting addition to our daily Big Bus Tours’ Hop-On Hop-Off experience, which allow visitors to explore popular destinations within Chicago’s vibrant downtown area, taking in historic sites, cultural institutions, hidden gems and more. The 11 stops featured on the Hop-On, Hop-Off Route include:
- Chicago Riverwalk
- Skydeck Chicago & Willis Tower
- Millennium Park & The Art Institute
- Hilton Chicago & Grant Park
- Adler Planetarium
- Museum Campus
- Sheraton Grand & Loews Chicago Hotels
- Navy Pier
- Water Tower & The Magnificent Mile
- 360 Chicago
- Hard Rock Café & River North
A full Hop-On, Hop-Off route map is available here. Service begins at the Chicago Riverwalk (98 E. Wacker Drive) at 10 a.m. and the last bus departs at 5 p.m. daily. Pickups are available at each stop every 20-30 minutes and the full route circuit takes approximately two hours. Upon boarding, guests will receive a set of headphones to use on-board for recorded commentary in English and Spanish that complements the route. Guests are encouraged to hop on to discover and hop off at their leisure to explore the city via Hop-On, Hop-Off one-day or two-day ticket packages.
Individual tickets for all Chicago tours begin at $49.50 for adults and $35 for children ages 3-12. Tickets are available online at www.bigbustours.com and advance ticket purchases are recommended. A variety of ticket packages are also available online. Tickets are available for on-site purchases at Big Bus tour stops throughout the city. For more information, visit www.bigbustours.com.
About Big Bus Tours
Big Bus Tours is the world’s largest operator of open-top sightseeing experiences, inspiring the spirit of adventure in 26 world-famous cities across four continents. Beginning its journey over 30 years ago, with a fleet of only three buses, Big Bus Tours has expanded to a global fleet of hundreds of open-top buses, turning 6 million tourists into explorers, every year. Big Bus Tours operates in Abu Dhabi, Berlin, Boston, Budapest, Chicago, Darwin, Dubai, Dublin, Hong Kong, Las Vegas, London, Los Angeles, Madrid, Miami, Munich, Muscat, New York, Paris, Philadelphia, Prague, Rome, San Francisco, Singapore, Sydney, Vienna, and Washington, D.C., with a sightseeing concept designed to provide a flexible approach to city discovery. Each open-top bus tour provides a hop-on, hop-off facility at a variety of interesting locations, with complementary additions to enhance the visitor sightseeing experience. In February 2015, private equity firm Exponent purchased Big Bus Tours, with a shared vision to make Big Bus Tours the number one thing to do in every world-famous city, and in 2016 Merlin Entertainments became a shareholder. With a unique, innovative, and entertaining digital audio guide that immerses customers in each city, the Big Bus city experience leaves every customer with a story to tell. A perfect city companion, The Big Bus Tours app includes tour highlights, city guides and map and real-time bus tracking, downloadable in the Apple and Android App stores. For more information log onto the Big Bus Tours website www.bigbustours.com.
