We decided to load up the family and play tourist in our own backyard. We grabbed the Water Taxi at the Michigan Avenue Bridge with our intentions to go to Chinatown for lunch. My first complaint was that there was no kiosk to buy tickets outside the water taxi launch at Michigan Avenue. We had to go all the way back up, around the Wrigley Building and then down the stairs to the Wendella Boats for a kiosk to buy tickets and then all the way back up the stairs, around the Wrigley Building and down to get on the water taxi. During this three stooges adventure, we happened to miss two boats...so that was a little annoying but now we know if we ever want to play tourist again. You can buy a 10 ride pass for $16 which works out to be $1.60 per ride which seems like a great deal at first, until you get to the Train Station boat launch and they tell you that you have to get off and wait for another water taxi to go to Chinatown. Oh and by the way there is no free transfer...it will cost you another $1.60 to get on that taxi to Chinatown. I am just glad we did not buy the $5 one way tickets because this review would have been 1 star! Also, when you buy the 10 ride pass it can be used for everyone in your group, so you do not need to buy individual ones for everyone traveling with you. That is a nice perk. Besides the double charge to get to Chinatown my review is for the amazing way to travel the Chicago River. How much fun to go from Michigan Avenue to Chinatown on the water. The river travel just made Chinatown seem so close and with no traffic. It is great to ride on the water and we enjoyed the spectacular views of the Sears Tower, Trump Tower and the Opera House to just name a few. The water taxi reminded me a little of our trips to Venice and getting around the city. I just wish that the water taxi went even farther into the city then just the 4 main stops. What a unique way to travel. I am glad that we got to try it and I look forward to doing it again...well we are going to have to do it again because I still have 4 single rides left! On a positive note it gives us a reason to have lunch in Chinatown again!!!

Extremely dissatisfied with the water taxi service. After having lunch on a beautiful day I decided it would be a good idea to take the water taxi and enjoy the view. Boy was I wrong. We walked over to the stop and went down a flight of stairs to purchase our tickets. This stop was underground, terrible circulation, extremely hot and it smelled like mold, construction and pulverized cement. I could barely inhale. To make matters worse we were a party of 4 and waited over 45 minutes to get a seat on the boat. Every ship that came by was at capacity. Luckily we were in front of the line. I feel extremely bad for the 50 people behind me and can’t imagine how long they had to wait. The staff has poor communication and they don’t really know what’s going on. All they have is a useless chart which is inaccurate. Chicago water taxi...if you don’t have room for passengers...then please stop selling tickets or at least give passengers an accurate estimated time. I guarantee if I was told it was going to be a 45 minute wait for a 5 minute ride I would of seeked an alternate form of transportation. We bought an all day pass for $10 but after that experience...we refused to get back on.

The experience was great, but the misinformation between staff was disappointing. My family and I bought 5 all day passes to go have lunch on the river walk. When we was trying to get back to China Town, we were told there wouldn't be another taxi until 6 45 pm and it was only about 4 pm at that time. When we bought the all day passes from on the boat , we were never told anything about what time it would return to China Town. We were traveling with my 72 year old mother for her birthday now stranded for a few hours in heat. When we asked about a refund so we can just take the bus or train the person on the boat directed us to the ticket window, but was told at the ticket window they could not give us a refund. So, long story short, no one took responsibility of the miss information and we ended up walking several blocks to the red line to get back to our car.

Most locals abstain from river/lake cruises because, hey, that's for tourists! A notion not aided by the fact that most public boats get under way from Navy Pier. For those skeptical locals (and curious tourists!) I highly recommend the CWT. It's a cheap, efficient, and fun mode of transportation. Depending on where you live and work, it's entirely possible you could take the boat to work every day. How many people get to claim that!? It's only drawback is that it runs on a timetable. And for those people used to the CTA, timetables are a quaint notion. It also (un)fortunately doesn't run in the cold months. Even if you don't incorporate the CWT into your commute, it still offers locals and visitors excellent views of the city from the river while actually transporting you somewhere you want to go.

The river taxi is fine but somewhat unreliable. We paid for the all day pass not realizing they utilize different boat sizes. When trying to get back to our starting destination the boat that arrived couldn’t accommodate the crowd that had gathered as it was way smaller than the boat that had made the original trip. The staff were not the nicest and arbitrarily picked who could board. They basically shrugged and advised us to wait for the next boat as more and more were arriving to the platform. We used a ride share service to return. I don’t recommend an all day pass, there’s a chance it will be wasted money.

If you want to travel on the river from Michigan to China town then this is the ideal one. Buy $9 ticket which is valid for full day. You can travel till China town, roam around and come back any time you wish. Sometimes they don't operate till Chinatown, so check before you buy the tickets. Compared to the expensive river tours this is the cheapest option. The only thing you may miss is the commentary. The boat staff are very nice. They have three or four boats and one boat is a big boat and you can really enjoy the views from open upper deck.

If you find yourself downtown at the Chicago River and need to go either down the East branch of the Chicago River towards Navy Pier or go North up the Chicago River or even South on the Chicago River towards Chinatown. Stop and think about using Chicago Water Taxi, 400 N Michigan Ave, Chicago, IL 60611. The trip will be more relaxing instead of a CTA Bus, taxi or Uber. You'll be able to see the Loop skyline from the Chicago River which I believe is a lot more relaxing. Fun for those who commute every day and those that are simply tourists.

Great, affordable way to have a river tour: there is no tour guide, because it's primarily designed for transportation, but for $5 ($9 all day pass) you can hop on at the Wrigley Building on Michigan Avenue and take a 40 minute cruise to a lovely park in Chinatown. There are also other stops, and you can go on the North Branch rather than the South if you prefer. Ideal for traveling with kids - much more affordable (both in $$ and time) than a formal tour, and the kids don't want to listen to someone drone on about the buildings anyway.

RUFKM.... All crews are not created equal. Today the taxi was 10 minutes late during rush hour and left with less than 20 of the 60+ waiting customers to make it to a party on time. Sheen patrons complained verbally and asked for the gate to be reopened, they were met with harsh tones and body language if they weren't ignored altogether. I typically like the relaxed pace. So, I don't usually mind when the service is running a little behind, but today was the WORST experience that will stick with me the longest.

This is a wonderful way to see the city from the water. And it's very cost-effective. $10 for an all-day pass is a bargain. You can travel the entire route in just a little bit over 1 hour. They had three boats running today I was on the smallest of the three. But it was still big enough to accommodate everybody that was getting on and off. The only negative thing is that you have to hike down a lot of steps to get in and out of the boat. That can be tough.

$9 for an all day round trip pass. We saw the sights around downtown Chicago. We got on the water taxi from Chinatown (parking was way cheaper) and just road the taxi into downtown. You can't beat $9 for all day. We even just missed the last water taxi back to Chinatown and the ferryman called the taxi that just pulled off headed to Chinatown and do you know they turned around to pick us up. WHAT GREAT SERVICE and it was my BDAY. We will be back!

We took a ride on the water taxi during an April snowstorm. It was awesome! We had the whole boat to ourselves, aside from two helpful and accommodating staff. The skipper and captain were both friendly and helped us get where we were going. We have lived in Chicago for over three years and can’t believe it’s taken so long to do this. It is a blast and definitely worth the cheap admission. We can’t wait to ride again in the summer!

I was in line one of the first 30 to arrive then rift before the taxi came about 50 people came behind us all which trues to cut in line and merge with the current line. There was about 2-3 employees there which did nothing to stop them however when we tried to merge in because we were being cut a random person said to get in the back of line and so of course the employee comes at us and we missed the boat . We didn’t get a refund

Water Taxi pickup spot is right outside my apartment. It's a very comfortable and smooth ride to Madison Street where my office is located. This weekend I took the water taxi to go to China Town. It was a very nice experience and is well worth trying. The view is awesome.It's dead cheap too. If you wanna enjoy unlimited rides in a day then go for One day pass which is fun and it allows unlimited hop on and hop offs.

Took the water taxi from Michigan Avenue to Chinatown. If you're looking for a cheaper alternative to an architecture tour (without a tour guide), you might enjoy the drip down the river. It should be called a water bus rather than a water taxi, but if you're imagining a Venetian vaporetto, you'll be disappointed. It's very slow, saving about 15 minutes compared to the hour it would take to walk the same distance.

It was fun. An independent way to look the beauty of the river and man made giantic structures. I took a ride while it was drizzling. The fresh cold air filling my breath, it was one of the memorable time s. The ticket cost is cheap too.if you take an one day pass of $10, you can go for multiple ride. It covers 4-5 places, in which Chicago rive walk and china Town park are two good places . It's worth for 10$.

Was hard to find first off. Very tiny sign compared to it's parent tour operation. When we did find it wasn't clear how to get the right boat. Didn't find out until we were on the boat that it scraps it's usual route during rush hour. Had to pay again and could only get back to where it started. Might not have been all bad, but they were rude about it. Take uber, nicer people and you get where you want to go.

We took the taxi from Michigan Avenue to ChinaTown. Entry to the taxi is next to Wendella Office. It would have been nice to have a clear sign board for the stop. It was worth the ride, had opportunity to view some amazing skylines. It’s $5 per one-way ride. Either you can purchase the ticket prehand ( from Wendella Ticketing center) or option of buying onboard via Credit Card only.

This is the yellow and black water taxis, $10 on/off all day but does not go past the river like shoreline. But it's less expensive than shoreline. It does go to Chinatown which shoreline doesn't. It was enjoyable. Boat clean and service professional. We sat up front, limited seats, outdoor seats on back as well. About 4-5 stops along river every 10 minutes during the simmer.

This is the coolest way to travel around the city. It’s amazing to see the buildings tower over you as you quietly glide down the river. My favorite route is the DuSable - Chinatown route; the view of the Ping Tom Park pagoda as the boat comes around the bend in the river is GORGEOUS when it’s sunny. If you’re from Chicago and you’ve never taken the Water Taxi, give it a try!

Been on it only once but it was a nice way to travel, especially on a Summer night. The water taxi I was on had an upper and lower deck and they didnt mind me standing up taking pictures on the upper deck, as long as I want getting in the way. It was nice to change it up and travel by boat instead of bike/uber/walking. I would recommend it if you havent already been.

We took the water taxi from Shedd aquarium to navy peir. For two adults and 2 children it was $30. This was more expensive than an uber but a different experience. The ride is only about 12 minutes. The staff really doesn't talk much as it isn't a cruise and just a taxi service. The water was choppy when we were stopped, yet once moving a very smooth ride.

LOVE THE WATER TAXI! Possible my favorite thing to do with out of town guests. Seeing the city from the river is a perspective you don't normally get and the bonus of being on the water can't be beat. I like to get on in China Town and ride round trip to Michigan avenue and back. I would commute this way if I could, because it would be AWESOME to do that.

Even on a holiday weekend they were equipped to move crowds. We traveled from Michigan Ave to Chinatown, and it sure beat driving. A scenic ride down the river instead of dealing with Chicago traffic and parking. Since we traveled round trip, we paid the $10 all day pass. You can buy tix for $6 one way also. Delightful, especially on a fair weather day.

A nice way to go down the river... there's plenty of tour boats that are probably quite interesting but are fairly expensive this is a dirt cheap way to get all the views from a boat ride along the river. you can buy a day pass for $10 jump on ride down to a different area of town get out walk around and explore and then just catch another boat back.

While yes, we could have arrived earlier, it was disappointing to see that the staff wouldn't let us on the boat while it was *right there*. We did not miss the boat, they just wouldn't let is on. Then the next boat was over 15 minutes late. It is okay for them to be late, but not us. The lack of professionalism is astounding.

This ride offers beautiful views of the city, the river, the riverwalk and the many bridges in downtown Chicago. The water taxi can be used purely for transportation (we usually ride from Chinatown to Michigan Ave) or it can be used for tourism/sightseeing. Great ride, at a low price. Highly recommend for tourists and locals.

I called the number through Google maps and the lady answers the phone and says "wrong number..this is architectural tour" ... didn't let me finish!! But if you scroll up ..it's CLEARLY CALLED "CHICAGO WATER TAXI TOUR" ..I WANT TO BE DROPPED OFF IN HOLLAND MICHIGAN!!... She wanted to go back to eating her potatoe chips.

The Chicago Water Taxi stops at seven different locations on the river. Different from one of the river tour boats, this is just a taxi. But, you travel the same river, albeit without a tour guide. Still, you can grab a seat and look up and appreciate the architecture. Stay on and do the whole circuit. You'll have fun.

Great way to commute on a nice summer day. Close to Ogilvee station where we hopped on the train and headed back home. Will be using it more now since I'm familiar with stops and how it operates. Should be advertised more since most people are unaware of this transportation option. Real gem!

I've taken the water taxi over the past 3 years and every year, except this one, has been great. Long story short, I've found them unreliable this year, if you happen to catch them, great, but this isn't a service that adheres to their schedule so if you are short on time, take a road taxi.

You will pay $6 for an amazing experience. The ride takes you from Chinatown to Michigan Ave .(They have different stops) The view is amazing and the boat its never crowded. The staff is always smiling and they’re so friendly. You can purchase your tickets online or inside the boat.

I had a wonderful weekend and we used the water taxi to get around town from one location to another. The staff was great and very knowledgeable about the area giving us directions after we were dropped off along with the times they will be picking up when we are ready to come back.

Really great if you enjoy waiting an hour since two boats never arrived at scheduled time, only to have a (full) boat finally arrive, then told to wait another half hour. So mad I spent money on a full day pass since I never got to use it because everything was always at capacity.

Whenever we go to Chicago, we always choose to ride on the chicago water taxi. This is the best way to commute from Ogilvie metra station to Chinatown or Michigan avenue. The best way to see Chicago's beautiful building and marvel at the architectural buildings along the river.

4 bucks for a ride from the Ogilvie station down to Chinatown. Got there quicker than a traditional cab or walk/red line route and had a much better view. Would recommend if you've got a destination that falls close to their route -- they run every 15 mins for most of the day.

Nice way to get around between Michigan Ave and the train stations. If you get a double decker taxi, the experience is almost the same as the $40.00 architectural tours. $6.00 one way, $10.00 for a day pass. You can buy online and show them the code that is emailed to you.

A nice way to see the city from the water if you don't want to spend 40 plus bucks for the architecture tour-although the more expensive tour is totally worth it, the you can do the water taxi just to chill, see the city from the water and get to Chinatown for Bubba tea

Great way to see the city resume prices it's a lot of fun I was commanded highly will take all my visiting friends from out of town and maybe go to Chinatown and back check out some of the restaurants ln Chinatown, really cool way for sightseeing in the city of Chicago

this is the best way to see the Chicago River if you don't care about the tour. You can buy an all day pass and take the boat from Michigan Ave to Chinatown go have lunch, browse and come back and see everything the shores of the river has to offer! Great fun!

Best way to spend four dollars (or less on the punchcard) in all of Chicago. Real transportation, great people, reliable service and much the same route down the river as the tourist cruises at (literally) ten times the price. Love the water taxi.

If you don’t want to pay $35 for the architectural tour, pay $6 for the water taxi ticket. It’s the same stuff but without the talking . The views are amazing, go on a nice warm day, it takes about 25 minutes to get from here to Chinatown

More enjoyable and affordable than the boat tours. Just cruise the river nice and calmly to Ping Tom park and get off and go to Chinatown for some dim sum. Then chill in the park for the ride back. Use your phone to buy tickets online.

What a great service! Love everything about it. Easy, affordable and staff is great. The first maye Dave helped us with an issue eith our tickets and was very nice. This is the way to get atound Chicago in the summer! Highly recommend

Best way to see the city, I use regularly to get from union Station to Michigan Ave to get me within walking distance to northwestern memorial / luries children's campus for my specialist appointments. Friendly staff clean boats

Highly recommend taking the water taxi on a nice day. The views of the city from the boat are outstanding. It's also a less expensive way to take a boat ride along the river, if you have already done the architectural tours.

Fantastic service, friendly staff. Great way to see Chicago from the water. The taxi into the CBD starts in Tom Ping park and calls in at Union Station and ond other place on it's way to town. $6 one way or $10 for the day

Great value for the money. The best way to see the city, especially on a nice sunny day in the spring summer or fall. Amazing architecture of the city. Good price. It's also a good way to get to some nice hikes.

Best way to get an overview of the architecture in Chicago. You'll see most of the important buildings from the river. And the tour guide will tell you a little about the architectural significance and history.

Unfortunately super unreliable. We waited almost an hour for the water taxi to come and then 20+ minutes at each stop. So unfortunate because it sounds like it used to be a great experience. Not worth the time

This is a great cheap way to do the architecture tour! You don’t get the commentary you would on the real tour but you get to see Chicago from the water and take some great pictures all for $10 round trip!

For $9 a day (as of 8/2017) one can ride all day and see much of the city or take a lovely ride from one part to another. There are multiple routes on the weekdays and one basic, but long one, on weekends.

If you take an all day pass is 100 times more cheap that the boats that give you a tour. you don't need listen the history of every building and you can down and board on every stop during the day.

Excellent place to enjoy with your family, without a doubt a place that you can not miss in your visit to Chicago, since the walk besides being very cheap offers you unparalleled views. Excelent

I love taking the Chicago Taxi Boat.It takes you through Down Town into China Town.I recommend getting the all day pass,great deal.Very nice people working on boat.Great place to take pics.

Super nice staff. Paid $10 round trip on a Saturday - from nearby metro station down to Michigan Avenue. Totally worth it. It makes one stop to the river walk on the way to Michigan Avenue.

So glad we told our 2 year old we were going to ride a water taxi just to watch it drive past us at the time it was scheduled to pick us up. The company wont even refund us, never again.

My wife and I loved our trip to China Town by Chicago Water Taxi. Cheap, efficient and on time. We used Credit Card and got 50 percent discount as senior citizens. Couldn’t be better.

It was a great experience. It's cheaper and quicker option compare to the expensive architecture tour. Felt like viewing a 3d picture, to watch the high sky line from the moving boat.

I had a friend in from Michigan so I thought it would be so fun to take a water taxi to China town and it totally was! Definitely something different to do with out of town friends.

Although my son wasn't in the good mood to sit in one place that day we enjoyed the trip. Especially the speaker was awesome. We got to know the place and had good time with family

Boat didn’t show up. They didn’t announce anything, we just sat there like dunces and then they told us we’d have to wait for the next one. No refunds either. Horrible service.

It was a good ride and they give respect to military veterans or active duty. I think it is much nicer than street taxis and too bad there is nothing for the winter months.

We always take the water taxi to Chicago's Chinatown. Nice ride among the buildings before a good brunch. Friendly staff, not crowded, and well priced. Recommended.

My 2.5 years old son loved it. We took one way ticket to China Town. The scene was perfect. We took lots of photos. Highly recommend families with kids.

Was a lot of fun and made for a good day trip down to Chinatown. You can see pictures from my day on the water taxi on Instagram @CaptainLongWoolSilver

Such a great and cheap way to get around in Chicago! The bonus is that you get to see all the sites! Its a great mode of traffic free transportation!

Great service. I do not use it as commute but rather to go with tourists visiting Chicago. Use it from downtown to Chinatown and enjoy the ride!

Great experience on the water taxi, although the instructions and staff could have been a bit more informative. Other passengers were helpful!

My son took me for a ride on this when I visited him in Chicago. Kinda neat ride up the river. Costs us 6 dollars each and would do it again.

So easy to do! For just $8 you can go from the train station to navy Pier and see all the waterfront sights along the way. Highly recommend!

Such a great deal for getting around, especially from Michigan avenue to Chinatown. A cheap boat ride down the Chicago River is magnificent.

A great experience! Worth the 10 bucks for an all day pass for sure. See the City from a perspective you will never forget. It's beautiful.

A fun way to get from Michigan Avenue to China Town. The trip was only $6 and included great views and a running commentary from the crew.

The air was still pretty chilly when we rode the water taxi. The ride blew my mind, absolutely an amazing way to see that great city.

Chicago's Best Kept Transportation Secret! With stops at Ogilvie, Michigan Ave, Chinatown, the $10 all day pass is totally worth it!

I have clogged veins in my legs. 10 bucks for all day passes is a good deal for me. Get me three quarters of the way there and back.

Excellent Choice for taking in the Scenery of Downtown Chicago and More! GREAT PRICES and Very Friendly Staff. Highly Recommended!

Their website says they are starting the water taxi back up June 2022. Called and was told they have no reopen date at this time.

No matter if you're a visitor or a local, this is a great, inexpensive, way to see the city when you have some free time. Do it.

Went on one for the first time the other day it was pretty cool! Not that expensive and much more peaceful then city traffic!

No accessible entrance or service. Extremely rude staff. Idiots never heard of the Americans with Disabilities Act.

How is it that after three years I still can’t get a consistent ride out of the water taxi? Why is this so hard??

Great way tour the city via water on a budget! You won't hear anyone talking but you will see some nice views

Incredibly awesome resource! Inexpensive and playful way to explore the city by water. Highly recommend.

Fast easy way to get around to avoid traffic and walking. Great way to see the city. Enjoyed the ride.

Nice relaxing way to get around to a few spots in town. Great views of the buildings and architecture.

This is really the frugal way to explore the Chicago river order tickets on line for better value.

We like this new all day $10 passes. Just walk around Chicago and get wherever you want by boat.

Nice way to see the city and handy if you are going down the river and don't want to walk.

Very convenient after waking a long way, great service and beautiful views from the boat.

Fun way to get to Chinatown from downtown. The weekday 10 ride pass is only $20.

Very fun! They dropped us off and picked us up right on the Chicago Riverwalk.

A fun and inexpensive way to get around Chicago’s waterways with great views.

Great sight seeing take from northern most point to southern most point

Great way to see Chicago via the river minus the traffic jam.

The BEST way to get from the train station to Michigan Ave.

Great way to see the city without paying tour prices.

Best way to travel. Excellent views quiet and fast.

Its unfortunate that they suspended the water taxi.