Chicago Segway Tours: Prices, Routes, Age and Weight Rules

A Segway is the standing alternative to a bike tour: no pedaling, a guide in front, the Loop and the lakefront at a glide. Two operators sell it downtown, and their rules differ. Prices below come from each operator’s own pages and carry this page’s update date. For pedal and electric formats, see Bike Tours.

Absolutely Chicago Segway Tours

Absolutely Chicago works from Millennium Park and lists a range of Segway tours: Museum and Lakefront, Art and Architecture, Fireworks, Gangster, Haunted and private tours⁷. Its main office is at 238 E Monroe Street. Enter through the Exelon Pavilion southeast entrance and take the elevator to level 2⁷.

Tour	Price
Lakefront and Museum Campus	$701
Fireworks, Wednesdays	$673
Fireworks, Saturdays	$723
City Lights, Skyline and Lakefront	from $724
Insider Tour	from $726
Haunted Chicago: Ghosts and Gangsters	from $705

The lakefront route

The Lakefront and Museum Campus tour is eight miles¹. It starts at the southern end of Millennium Park and crosses Grant Park, where the open space around Buckingham Fountain is the photo stop¹. The guides then lead the group along the lakefront, past Monroe Harbor, to Museum Campus¹. There they cover the history of the Field Museum, Shedd Aquarium, Soldier Field and the Adler Planetarium¹.

The evening version, City Lights, runs the same Lakefront and Museum Campus route after dark⁴. The Fireworks tour highlights the Navy Pier fireworks display and the Buckingham Fountain light show³. It also glides through Soldier Field for a view of the south skyline³. For the bike version of an evening ride, see the night bike tour.

The themed tours

The Insider Tour runs two hours through Millennium Park and Lakeshore East to the mouth of the Chicago River⁶. The haunted tour covers sites such as the Iroquois Theater Fire⁵.

Chicago Segway Tours

The second operator, Chicago Segway Tours, sells a $65 two-hour tour at 11:00 AM and 2:00 PM². Its office is at 2 East 8th Street, a couple of blocks from Grant Park². Advance purchase is required². It offers multiple routes and runs late into the year², including a Riverwalk tour that takes in Navy Pier and the Chicago bridges¹⁰.

Groups are small: a minimum of two riders and a maximum of eight at a time⁹. If the temperature is over 100 degrees, the operator reschedules the tour⁹.

Who can ride

The operators set different floors. Absolutely Chicago requires riders to be at least 12 years old and to weigh at least 100 pounds⁷. Anyone under 18 needs an adult with them⁷. The manufacturer’s recommended maximum, which Absolutely Chicago applies, is 260 pounds⁷. Chicago Segway Tours accepts children 10 years of age or older⁹.

Absolutely Chicago also requires protective helmets at all times⁷. Pregnant riders are prohibited⁸. Use of cell phones is prohibited while operating the Segway⁷.

Booking, arrival and parking

Absolutely Chicago requires a credit card deposit on every reservation⁷. Arrive at least 15 minutes before your scheduled start time⁷. Every tour opens with a training session¹.

The Millennium Park Garage entrance is at 5 South Columbus Drive⁷. Absolutely Chicago gives a $10 voucher to riders who pay for parking at the garage on the day⁷. A tip of 15 to 20 percent is appreciated⁷.

Cancellations

Absolutely Chicago asks for at least 24 hours’ notice to cancel or reschedule⁸. A cancellation inside 24 hours carries a 75% fee, and a tour canceled less than 12 hours before departure is non-refundable⁸. All cancellations carry an 8% processing fee⁸. Groups of 8 or more count as a private tour⁸.

When the Bike Station ran Segway tours

In 2013 the Millennium Park bike station offered Segway outings alongside its bike tours¹¹. The Amazing Lakefront Segway Tour left daily at 10:30 am and 2:30 pm and cost adults $59¹¹. Segways at Sunset departed daily at 7:00 pm¹¹. The Early Bird Segway Glide left at 7:00 am and cost adults $39¹¹. The station’s own tour story is in the 2013 tours archive.

Segway or bike

A Segway tour covers the same ground as the lakefront bike tour and Chicago’s bike tours compared, with a guide and a short training session in place of pedaling. Segways cannot be rented without a guide⁷. Riders who want to roam alone should rent a bike instead.