Fodor's Chicago

by Fodor's Travel Publications Inc.

Whether you want to eat deep-dish pizza, explore the The Field Museum of Natural History, or bike along the lakefront, the local Fodor’s travel experts in Chicago are here to help! Fodor’s Chicago guidebook is packed with maps, carefully curated recommendations, and everything else you need to simplify your trip-planning process and make the most of your time. This new edition has been fully-redesigned with an easy-to-read layout, fresh information, and beautiful color photos. Fodor’s Chicago Planning on visiting more of the USA’s great cities? Check out Fodor’s New York City . *Important note for digital The digital edition of this guide does not contain all the images or text included in the physical edition. ABOUT FODOR'S Each Fodor's Travel Guide is researched and written by local experts. Fodor’s has been offering expert advice for all tastes and budgets for over 80 years. For more travel inspiration, you can sign up for our travel newsletter at fodors.com/newsletter/signup , or follow us @FodorsTravel on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. We invite you to join our friendly community of travel experts at fodors.com/community to ask any other questions and share your experience with us!

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction

272 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1984

About the author

Fodor's Travel Publications is a United States-based producer of English-language travel guides and online tourism information. It was founded by Hungarian Eugene Fodor in 1936.
Fodor’s was acquired by Random House in 1986 and sold to Internet Brands in 2016.

Reviews

[Curlysue · Rating 4 out of 5]

.

[Steven Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fodor's provides dependable and trustworthy guides for various venues. This one is no different. I just attended a conference in Chicago; I purchased this later. I enjoyed revisiting sites that I had seen and was reminded of places that I might have gone.

The book begins with a general introduction to Chicago and some things to do (e.g., quick trips that one might take over a few hours and seeing as many cool places as possible, festivals, free things to do, and so on). Next is an area by area examination--the Loop, Near North Side and River North, Lakeview and the Far North Side, and Pilsen, Little Italy, and Chinatown, among others

Where to eat? Lots of good suggestions--including, for those who like dives, the Billy Goat Tavern, made famous on Saturday Night Live (think "Cheeseburger, cheeseburger, cheeseburger"), Morton's, the Parthenon (my favorite Greektown restaurant), Ditka's (da coaches' restaurant), Spiaggia, Harry Caray's, and so on. Many omissions--like Don Shula's steakhouse or Stetson (at the Hyatt along the Chicago River), but this will happen in a guide such as this.

Over time, I have stayed at a number of hotels in Chicago--from a Best Western to the Palmer House to the old Pick Congress to two Hyatt Regency hotels to the Intercontinental to. . . . Many hotels are described as recommended for consideration.

There are many useful maps, too. And much more is included.

A typically strong travel guide.

[Janet · Rating 3 out of 5]

I attempted to read this before a trip to Chicago and it was a bit overwhelming attempting to sort out all of the locations. However, I picked it up again after the trip and enjoyed reading about the places I had seen, much more enjoyable the second time around. However, the print is a bit small. Having seen a stat that said it is the 50-55 and over group that will have a map in their car, I suspect that may be true of guide books also.

[April Robertson-Ring · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bottomline: This guide had everything I needed for my weekend trip but seems a bit dated.

Being a few years since printing, the guide is a bit dated. However, I found this info I wanted for a weekend trip. What really makes this still a useful guide is the pictures. It has some lovely pics from the attractions and give me a better idea of what I wanted to see based on that.

Easy to flip through on a plane. And more organized than me just looking online only.

[Chrystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

We're going to Chicago in July so I bought this (months ago) to read and help plan for our trip. It was a little overwhelming but maybe that's because the city is so big with so much to do. I will re-review this book after the trip, after I have really evaluated how helpful this book is when taking a trip to America's greatest city.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

We're headed to Chi-Town for our honeymoon! Wahoo! And this combined with several Chicago blogs I subscribed to has given us a great itinerary. We're staying at a great place (incidentally not listed in Fodor's, as far as I could tell) called Ray's Bucktown B&B. Funky, hip and there's not a goose or a light blue wall border to be found! (why must all B&Bs tune to the country aesthetic?)

[Lori · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this book because I'm going to Chicago this spring after not having been in over a decade. It seems pretty current and includes helpful information. I like that it includes a space for notes and a tear away map. The only reason I gave it three stars instead of four is because it says nasty comments about NYC at least twice. Just talk about your own city, don't be mean about other cities!

[Denise Pratt · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading on kindle means all the links are live

Easy to read and use. I look forward to traveling to Chicago. I have always used Fodor guides but using the kindle version means all the links are live. Instant access makes this great guide even better.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This seems to be a very comprehensive book about Chicago. We bought our plane tickets and have reserved an Airbnb for mid-May, but sadly due to the coronavirus, we probably will have to cancel. I hope we can visit at a later and safer date. I look forward to seeing all that Chicago has to offer.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this in anticipation of my trip to Chicago this summer. Gave me a sense of the city and the things I want to put on my itinerary.

[Kristal Stidham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This copy's way outdated, quoting museum admission prices that have doubled -- but a good starting point for planning a nice trip.

[Beth Hartnett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this cover to cover on the flight to chicago...I always turn to Fodor for great local detail, augmented by friend recommendations. Make sure to dine at the Purple Pig if you go!

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Has some good info on traveling Chicago.
Got info on what transportation options work for what areas.
Things to see, walking tours, etc

[John Newsham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent

Been to Chicago many times and have some new places to visit this weekend - wonderful resource - can't wait to get there