Lonely Planet Chicago

Product Review

Boldly rising from the shores of Lake Michigan, Chicago is the center of American innovation - birthplace of the skyscraper, house music, deep-dish pizza and the Ferris wheel. The urban hub of America's heartland, the city exudes friendliness, creativity, hospitality and straight-talking humor. Our smart, stylish guide will help you discover Chicago your way.

Explore The City - whether surveying Art Institute impressionism, ogling Loop architecture, hanging out in Millennium Park or knocking back beers in Bucktown, our local authors inspire you to explore.

Have Fun - tested tips for finding free music festivals, hot dogs or haute cuisine, sandy lakeshore beaches or great seats at the friendly confines of Wrigley Field.

Go All Night - at avant-garde theaters, stylish West Loop galleries, sultry nightclubs or on a well-worn bar stool with 10 of your new best friends.

Hit The Road - expanded itineraries spotlight the best of the Great Plains, from breweries and bratwurst in Milwaukee to sand dunes and old Victorians on Michigan's Gold Coast.

Customer Reviews

Average Customer Review

(15 customer reviews)

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful

A Nice Look at Half of a City., March 24, 2010

Connor Coyne (Flint, MI) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Chicago (City Guide) (Paperback)

If you enter Chicago from the east along I-94 or I-90 you would cross city limits at the Indiana-Illinois border or at the Calumet River. According to this book, however, you would seemingly not enter Chicago until you reached Roosevelt Road after another dozen-or-so miles. By focusing overwhelmingly on the North Side of the city, the book deprives its readers of some of the most inspiring and memorable features of what Norman Mailer called "the last of the great American cities."

True, Lonely Planet does a serviceable job covering the tourist meccas of the Magnificent Mile and Cubs-fanatic Wrigleyville; it might be sufficient for someone whose only goal is to kill boredom for a weekend in Chicago, and there's nothing wrong in that. But I look at visiting a new city as an opportunity to really get under the skin of a place; to absorb the sights and sounds of an exciting and unfamiliar world, and the Lonely Planet Guide to Chicago is deficient when it comes to sharing what...Read more

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful

Great Guide to Chicago, January 10, 2005

Ilona (Finland) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Lonely Planet Chicago (Paperback)

This guide book was our Bible during our short trip in Chicago. It was right about most things we had a chance to check out, e.g. where to catch the best view of the city. Other helpful information included as well. For example, average prices for meals in restaurants were very helpful when planning where to eat. Very important information, I think, when coming abroad is the information how to tip etc. It's all there.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful

Good book for tourists, March 22, 2007

J.J. (Denver, CO USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Lonely Planet Chicago (Paperback)

If you are thinking of taking a trip to Chicago, this book is great to have. The only thing was that it was a little confusing trying to figure out the different areas in the city - I wish it would have been a little more descriptive for those of us who haven't gone many places in Chicago. However, we did try several of the restaurants that were recommended, and we were satisfied with all of them! Great tidbits of knowledge on the city as well, learned a lot before even going!