FAQs

Free Chicago Walking Tours is absolutely completely free. When you sign up for a Tour we only collect an email address, your name and phone number – no credit card or any billing information. Free Chicago Waking Tours does not charge any money at the beginning, middle or end of the tour.

You are NEVER REQUIRED to pay ANY MONEY.

Instead we ask you tip the guide what you feel the tour was worth. Free Chicago Walking Tours and our guides work really hard creating unique, interactive & exciting tours.  We’re confident you will feel Free Chicago Walking Tours is well worth any price, but we let you decide that.

First and foremost make sure you bring a great attitude and come ready to Meet People, Have Fun & Learn. Participating and engaging will make Free Chicago Walking Tours very memorable. There are some tangible items you will want to bring as well:

• Camera
• Comfortable shoes
• Appropriate clothes for the weather (umbrella, rain jacket, sweater, etc…)
• Sunscreen
• Water

You will see a lot of different cool and interesting buildings, places and people with Free Chicago Walking Tours. Make sure that you review all of the Tours we offer to find the one that stops at the places you want to see. If you have a particular spot in mind, but do not see it listed in any of the descriptions please send us an email and we can help you pick the best tour.

Free Chicago Walking Tours wants everyone to Meet People, Have Fun & Learn – not pass out to due exhaustion or pull a muscle. Our tours will almost never go further than 2 miles.

You will need to register online to join a tour. This helps us control the group size and deliver you an exceptional experience. Reserving online in advance ensures you have a spot on the tour and will receive important information including details about your tour guide.

Free Chicago Walking Tours will always start on time. If you’re going to be late you can text or call the guide and they will tell you where to meet.  It’s best of course not to be late. You don’t want to miss the introductions!

Free Chicago Walking Tours is a big fan of…you guessed it…WALKING! Sometimes that is not possible. Our next favorite mode of transportation is either the bus or our famous “el” elevated train line. If you’re new to the city the buses and trains can get confusing. Read Your Guide to Getting Around in Chicago for help.

Free Chicago Walking Tours would love to help plan your trip. We’re not a tour agency, but we’re locals, and we want to help. Consider us city ambassadors. Send all questions about your upcoming to trip to Free Chicago Walking Tours through the Contact Us form.

Yes, that is completely fine. You should know that Free Chicago Walking Tours encourages meeting people and interacting while on the tour. We go through a short round of introductions for everyone – guests and guides – before the tour takes off and the guides will be engaging the group throughout the tour. You of course do not have to participate in any part that you do not want to.

Short answer: No. We love dogs as do the majority of our guides. However, in order to ensure a consistent and pleasant experience for everyone on the tour we ask kindly that you leave your furry friends behind. We’re working on dog-specific walking tours so keep your eyes open for updates.

Yes, Free Chicago Walking Tours provides Private Tours. Read all about the process and request a Private Tour here.

Chicago has oodles of convenience stores flourishing across the city. It’s not possible for our guides to take the entire group to a store and stay on schedule. Please make sure to eat something before your tour. You are more than welcomed to bring any water and snacks along with you as well.

Rain or shine the show must go on. Because we have commitments from guests that can be traveling from really far away, it’s not fair for us to cancel a tour just because we have a little bad weather. We cannot risk disappointing a guest. Our guides will show up at the meeting place on time. If no guests arrive within a certain time frame then we’ll pack up and head home.

We really want you to tip what you feel the tour was worth. To help you plan accordingly, the average per person tip is between $15-$20 per person. But again, it’s all up to you.

We get this question all the time. Especially from our friends and family who we encourage to take the tour. We’re very confident that you will, regardless of how long you have lived in the city, learn something new and interesting on our tour. There are way too many stories — and stories of stories woven throughout Chicago’s history for you to know it all.  Free Chicago Walking Tours dares you to be a tourist in your own city and come join us for a walk.

We believe that tourists and locals alike should have the chance to explore our city without having to commit to any specific price.

At the conclusion of the tour you are encouraged to tip your guide. It’s really a pay-what-you-feel-the-tour-is-worth tour. No upfront costs. You don’t have to pay anything if you didn’t feel it was worth it. But that is rarely the case.

Yes, Free Chicago Walking Tours has Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. We publish all kinds of fun facts and information about special tours on our social media pages, so make sure you follow us. Below you can find our information for each.

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram

Yes, please review Free Chicago Walking Tours on TripAdvisor, especially if you enjoyed your tour. TripAdvisor is a great way to let others know about our awesome FREE tours in Chicago. If for any reason Free Chicago Walking Tours did not meet your expectations please send us a note using our Contact Us form and we will correct the issue.

Free Chicago Walking Tours limits the number of guests on any tour to 25 to ensure that we have a consistent and quality tour every single time.  More than 25 people creates complexities such as making sure everyone can hear the guide. Have you ever tried crossing the streets in Chicago as a group of 26 or more? Nearly impossible.

If you have a group that is larger than 25 people contact us – we will do everything we can to accommodate.

Free Chicago Walking Tours has a variety of Chicago experts standing by to give you your tour. Meet the Guides! Our team is made up of actors, teachers and retired folks – all with a unique and interesting perspective on the city. Our schedules and guides change frequently. You will get an email from your guide the night before the tour introducing themselves and confirming the meeting point.

Free Chicago Walking Tours is family-friendly, there is no R-rated material within any of our tours. All are welcome!  We cannot think of a better way to spend a sunny afternoon than a family stroll through one of America’s greatest cities.

Please make sure that any children under 12 are booked as children and not adults.

There are so many great options in Chicago for deep dish pizza. One thing is for certain – you must try some before you leave. But where? Well, you’re going to get different answers depending on who you talk to. Some will swear by Giordano’s. Others will tell you that your best option is Gino’s East. You’ll even hear the name Pequod’s Pizza in the mix. For our money we always head to Lou Malnati’s. Honestly though we don’t think that you can go wrong anywhere. And by the way, you may want to look into the growing trend of “tavern style” pizza. Esquire wrote a great article on this topic. We’re particular Moretti’s and Barnaby’s.

Great question. Free Chicago Walking Tours operates in rain or shine, so this isn’t exactly an easy question to answer. We highly recommend that you wear comfortable walking shoes because you will be on your feet walking for at least 2 hours. Outside of that there is no dress code. Monitor the weather at Accuweather Chicago for all the latest updates. Here are some tips to make sure you enjoy your tour:

• Comfortable shoes
• Appropriate clothes (shorts if its hot, pants if its cold, jackets, etc..)
• Bring sunscreen – Chicago sun in the summer can be brutal
• Drink water – best to always have a bottle of water
• Umbrellas – even if there is just a slight chance of rain, this can’t hurt

We’re always interested in adding great guides to our team. If you believe that you are the best walking tour guide in Chicago send us an email with your name, why you would make such a great tour guide and a few ideas you have for walking tours. A member of our staff will respond promptly! email: info@freechicagowalkingtours.com