The elevator ride alone is the first thrill — 103 floors in under a minute. Then you step out 1,353 feet above the Loop, and the real draw is The Ledge: five glass boxes bolted to the outside of the building, each one triple-laminated half-inch glass extending 4.3 feet out over Wacker Drive. On a clear day you can see four states. Budget 45 minutes to an hour, less if you go right at open before the lines build.
How to Spend the Day
Morning (9:00 AM–10:00 AM open, hours vary by season)
Go right at open — Skydeck is one of the most-visited attractions downtown and the line for the elevators backs up fast once tour buses start arriving midday.
On the deck
Don't rush past the history exhibits in the elevator lobby — there's a real before-the-ride wait either way, so it's worth reading rather than just standing.
The Ledge
All five glass boxes are worth doing even though they look identical in photos — they're spaced along the 103rd floor, so the view angle changes each time.
After
Catalog, the multi-floor retail/dining base of the tower, is right there if you want a sit-down bite without leaving the building.
How Chicago CityPASS® Actually Works Here (ELI5)
The short version: buy once online, get a mobile pass instantly, show it on your phone at the door.
- Buy Chicago CityPASS® online (button above) — you get a mobile pass delivered immediately, no printing needed.
- Use the email you buy with to set up the My CityPASS app or my.citypass.com — that's where your tickets, reservations, and attraction details live.
- If the attraction needs a timed entry reservation, reserve it through the app before you go — reservations are subject to availability, so earlier is safer, especially on weekends.
- At the door, show your mobile ticket on your phone. That's it — no separate line, no voucher exchange.
- You have 1 year from purchase to start using the pass; once you use the first attraction, the rest of the attractions are valid for 9 consecutive days.
Chicago CityPASS® covers fast-track Skydeck admission, including all five Ledge glass balconies — there's no separate Ledge upcharge the way some other attractions have an add-on fee. It does not cover parking or transportation downtown, so budget that separately (see Parking above).
Parking
Skydeck's own site (theskydeck.com) flags that booking a garage spot ahead of time through their partner iParkit is dramatically cheaper than paying the posted walk-up rate — worth doing before you go, not after you park.
- Three garages sit within about a block of the tower entrance (closest options are at 211 W Adams and 241 S Franklin).
- Pre-booked via iParkit: roughly $21 for 0–6 hours on a weekday, $26 for 6–12 hours, and a flat $21 for a weekend day. Day-of (not pre-booked) runs several dollars more at the same garages.
- The posted walk-up rate without any booking is around $61 flat — easily the most expensive way to park here.
- A couple of outdoor lots about half a mile away (400 S Franklin, 322 W Van Buren) run noticeably cheaper if you don't mind the walk.
Where to Eat
- Kindling Downtown Cookout + Cocktails (ground floor of the tower, with a second-floor terrace) — a James Beard-recognized chef's take on a cookout menu, the closest sit-down option to the Skydeck entrance.
- Catalog — the tower's multi-floor dining and shopping base, several counter-service and sit-down options without leaving the building.
- A short walk in the Loop also turns up Giordano's (deep dish, W Jackson Blvd) and a handful of quick-service lunch spots on Adams and Jackson.
Getting There
233 S Wacker Dr, Chicago, IL 60606
Chicago