Self-Guided Bike Tour of Chicago: Free Map, Routes, Rentals and Rules

A guide is optional in Chicago. The lakefront path is car-free, and the city prints its own map. What you need is a bike, a route and the rules. This page gives all three. For guided alternatives, see Bike Tours.

Start with the map

The City publishes a free Chicago Bike Map every spring¹. It marks bikeways, bike shops, CTA and Metra stops and Divvy stations¹. The 2026 edition is a PDF on the CDOT page¹. Printed copies are free while supplies last at aldermanic offices and bike shops¹. The network is large: more than 500 miles of installed or under construction on-street bikeways and off-street trails¹.

Choose your bike

Option	Price
Divvy single ride, classic bike	$1 to unlock, then $0.20 a minute4
Divvy day pass	$19.90; classic-bike rides include 3 hours free, then $0.20 a minute4
Divvy e-bike, single ride	$1 to unlock, then $0.44 a minute4
Bobby’s comfort hybrid	$14.99 an hour (2-hour minimum), $34.99 half day, $39.99 full day5
Bobby’s electric bike (age 16 and up)	From $29.99 an hour5

Prices are as published on October 19, 2026^4,5. Bobby’s discounts online rates by 10%⁵, and each rental comes with a free map, lock, helmet and service⁵.

Bike and Roll rents at Navy Pier (600 E. Grand Ave) and by Millennium Park (34 S. Michigan Ave)². You may rent at one location and drop off at the other for no extra fee⁶. A credit card, driver license or passport secures the deposit⁶. Our rental cost guide compares the options.

Five routes with distances

Bike and Roll publishes these rides with distance and time²:

Ride	Distance	Time
Museum Campus	2 miles	1 to 2 hours2
Lakefront Trail north	4 miles	2 hours2
Hyde Park and Japanese Garden	8.5 miles	2 to 4 hours2
The 606 Bloomingdale Trail	7 miles	3 hours2
Lakefront Trail south	10 miles	4 hours2

The Bloomingdale Trail has its own page: Bloomingdale Trail guide.

A downtown-to-Lincoln Park sequence

One published self-guided sequence runs south to north along the lake⁸. Start at Millennium Park, but leave the bike for the park itself, since riding is not allowed on parts of the grounds⁸. Walk the bike over the BP bridge into Maggie Daley Park⁸. From there:

• Museum Campus: ride to the tip of the peninsula for the view of the city to the west and the lake to the east⁸.
• Northerly Island, where a short loop circles the prairie preserve⁸.
• Back north to Navy Pier. Watch for signs and pedestrians, since the area fills with people on foot⁸.
• Oak Street Beach, which has a cafe⁸.
• Lincoln Park Zoo, one of the few remaining free zoos in America⁸.

The same source flags the longest stretch of path without a Divvy station, so be prepared⁸.

On the trail

The trail runs from Ardmore Avenue on the north to 71st Street on the south³. In 2018 the former combined path was divided into an 18-mile bike trail and an 18.5-mile pedestrian trail³. Keep to the bike trail.

Expect crowds. The paths are almost always heavily populated by walkers and rollerbladers, so do not count on speed, and use your bell⁹. The trail is open 24 hours a day, while the parks and beaches along it close at 11 PM¹⁰.

Repairs announced on September 14, 2026 are asphalt patching and seal-coating³. They begin at 63rd Street and moves north one section at a time to Foster Avenue³. Signs appear ahead of each work zone³.

Lights and helmets

After dark, Illinois requires a front lamp with a white light visible from at least 500 feet⁷. A red reflector goes on the rear; a steady or flashing red light visible from 500 feet may be used with or instead of it⁷. For riding after dark with a guide, read the night bike tour page.

Bike and Roll requires riders under 18 to wear a helmet⁶. Helmets and locks are free with its rentals⁶. The company also sells a damage and theft waiver at $5 per pedal bike per day⁶.