Skydeck Chicago - Willis Tower
Skydeck Chicago - Willis Tower
4.5
Points of Interest & LandmarksArchitectural BuildingsObservation Decks & Towers
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 10:00 PM
About
Skydeck Chicago is the breathtaking, thrilling observatory atop the iconic Willis Tower. The highest observation deck in the United States, Skydeck provides views of the city spanning up to four states and 50 miles on a clear day. Skydeck features The Ledge; five glass floor balconies extending 4.3 feet from Willis Tower and made up of three layers of half-inch thick glass laminated into one seamless unit. After an extensive transformation, Skydeck offers a can’t miss, one-stop attraction to discover and see all that the city of Chicago offers from an incomparable vantage point. The revamped attraction features a brand-new, lower-level, museum-like interactive experience that celebrates the unique personality, history, neighborhoods, and sites of Chicago.
Duration: 1-2 hours
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Top ways to experience Skydeck Chicago - Willis Tower
The area
Address
Neighbourhood: Downtown / The Loop
Often visitors' first stop in Chicago, The Loop is a good starting point to sample the city's energy and flavor. This central business district boasts Michelin-rated restaurants, upscale hotels, premier shopping, and enough arresting architecture to keep your camera busy for hours. You won’t find too many photo galleries of downtown Chicago without a shot of Millennium Park and Cloud Gate (“The Bean”), one of the most iconic landmarks in the city. A stunning skyline coupled with cultural attractions like the Art Institute of Chicago present a Downtown where work and play peacefully coexist.
How to get there
- Quincy • 3 min walk
- Chicago Union Station • 5 min walk
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See what travellers are saying
- Paul G2 contributionsThrilling Views with a Glass EdgeSkydeck Chicago at Willis Tower offers breathtaking views of the city skyline. The iconic glass ledge is a thrilling experience. However, long wait times can be a downside. Overall, it's a must-visit for the stunning panoramas.Thank you for visiting Skydeck Chicago! It is terrific to hear that you found our panoramic views to be breathtaking. We encourage you to share your photos with us on Instagram and on our Facebook page! It is great that you were courageous enough to step out onto The Ledge and hover 1,353 feet above the streets of Chicago. We appreciate your review and thank you very much for visiting Skydeck Chicago.Written 1 April 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited January 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 21 March 2024
- Orlando Airport Transportation MCOOrlando, Florida26 contributionsChicagoThe Best City,Great Chicago Fire of October 8-10, 1871, on the original flag. The points of the star signify transportation, labor, commerce, finance, populousness and salubrity (health). World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, on the original flag. The points of the star signify religion, education, aesthetics, justice, beneficence and civic spirit. Century of Progress Exposition, added in 1933. The points of the star represent significant attributes of the city: world's third largest city (in 1933), Chicago’s motto "Urbs in Horto," the “I will" motto, Great Central Market, Wonder CityThank you for visiting Skydeck Chicago! It is terrific to hear that you found our one-stop Chicago experience to be great. We encourage you to share your photos with us on Instagram and on our Facebook page! We appreciate your review and thank you very much for visiting Skydeck Chicago.Written 18 April 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited December 2023Travelled with familyWritten 15 April 2024
- Pure_DiamondHelsinki, Finland173 contributionsChicago seen from the 103rd floorI'm afraid of heights and thought that I can't do this: stand on 103rd class floor and look down. We had 90 secs time to stand on that floor and I sneaked there and looked down. Wow... I did it👍👍👍. Very proud of myself.. What a view.... I recommend this experience👍We are happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit to Skydeck Chicago. It is great that you were courageous enough to step out onto The Ledge and hover 1,353 feet above the streets of Chicago! We appreciate that you took the time to write a review.Written 23 May 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited May 2024Travelled with friendsWritten 18 May 2024
- Melissa F16 contributionsGreat experience!We purchased our tickets before our trip to ensure that we did not miss out on this experience. The crowd was managed very well, the staff was friendly and efficient. We enjoyed exploring the museum before heading up to the Skydeck. The view was beautiful and The Ledge was a must do. We highly recommend this to others.We are so happy to hear that you found the panoramic view from the Skydeck to be beautiful and that you were brave enough to step out on The Ledge! Thank you very much for visiting Skydeck Chicago and for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.Written 9 July 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited July 2024Travelled with familyWritten 7 July 2024
- Cosmic Sand TravelsMiami, Florida61 contributionsGreat views of Chicago and amazing photos!Great experience. The staff was nice and welcoming. Stepping into the ledge for the first time was a little scary but you get comfortable quickly. Once it’s your turn, you have exactly 1 min to take pics so think ahead what poses you want and be ready. You can go back in line as many times as you want if you have time and patience to do the line again. We took lots of great photos! Highly recommended especially if it’s your first time in Chicago.Thank you very much for visiting Skydeck Chicago. We are glad you found the Skydeck to be great and that you enjoyed your experience. We appreciate the positive feedback on our team. We encourage you to share your photos with us on Instagram and on our Facebook page! We appreciate your kind review.Written 30 July 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited June 2024Travelled with familyWritten 28 July 2024
- Stefano MVigodarzere, Italy508 contributionsnot to be missedIt is advisable to book the visit in advance, as it is always crowded. Very strict entry controls. View nothing short of spectacular at over 400 meters high. Possibility to take pictures on the two glass blocks outdoorsWe are so happy to hear that you found the panoramic view from the Skydeck to be spectacular and that you were brave enough to step out on The Ledge! Thank you very much for visiting Skydeck Chicago and for taking the time to share your thoughts with us.Written 8 August 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited July 2024Travelled with familyWritten 4 August 2024
- Joyce SFalkirk, United Kingdom153 contributionsDo this !!When visiting the Skydeck, we took in the Ledge ... I couldn't really look down (until I was back inside the building), but I would definitely recommend doing this. You get a specific time to be inside the "ledge", so everyone has a fair chance of taking enough pictures - if you want to take more, you just re-join the queue!!We are happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit to Skydeck Chicago. It is great that you were courageous enough to step out onto The Ledge and hover 1,353 feet above the streets of Chicago! We appreciate that you took the time to write a review.Written 27 August 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited July 2024Travelled with familyWritten 22 August 2024
- GabrielaSeevetalSeevetal, Germany10,375 contributionsWillis Tower and The Ledge a super experienceWillis Tower has 110 floors and a height of 442 m. The tip of the antenna reaches a height of 527 m. Skydeck is located at 103rd Street. Floor. The entrance fee was 41 US incl. The Ledge, without a drink voucher. After a Spectacular Experience on the way to the lift, you reach the Skydeck. The views over the city and Lake Michigan are breathtaking. The windows were super clean for beautiful photos. To use “The Ledge” we had to wait about five minutes. Three glass boxes are available. Each user may stand/sit/lie in the glass box for 90 seconds for photographing. It takes some time to step into the glass box and look at 412 m below you – but a super experience. A Chicago-based company installed the 600 kg glass panes measuring three times 2.54 cm. The panes were laminated and hardened to form a seamless unit.We are so happy that your experience at Skydeck Chicago was great. Thank you very much for visiting us and for your rating!Written 25 October 2024This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.Visited September 2024Travelled as a coupleWritten 24 October 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
17,974 reviews
Excellent
9,916
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5,291
Average
1,865
Poor
499
Terrible
405
WillWork4Food
Chicago, IL245 contributions
Jan 2020 • Family
Took advantage of a slow holiday weekend to visit the Skydeck of the Sears tower. Barely any wait, making it for a fun experience.
If going during normal hours I would recommend getting tickets ahead of time and maybe even considering the fast pass (lines could get crazy long and personally don’t think that this is worth a 2 hour wait which it could be on a busy day.)
Expensive if you go with a larger group (gen admin cost us $70 for two adults and a kid)
If going during normal hours I would recommend getting tickets ahead of time and maybe even considering the fast pass (lines could get crazy long and personally don’t think that this is worth a 2 hour wait which it could be on a busy day.)
Expensive if you go with a larger group (gen admin cost us $70 for two adults and a kid)
Written 5 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting us at Skydeck Chicago! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the great panoramic views from our 103rd floor. For future reference, to experience a shorter wait time, we suggest visiting first thing in the morning when we open to the public at 10 AM October through February or at 9 AM March through September, and pre-purchasing your tickets on our website. Thank you for visiting the Skydeck.
Written 6 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Robert W
White Marsh, MD156 contributions
Jul 2021 • Couples
The Sears/Willis Tower Skydeck offers amazing views of the city. The best part of the experience is my opinion is the Ledge which is a clear box protruding from the side of the building. It's a great place to take pictures if you're not afraid of heights. If it is crowded I would recommend buying the Expedited Entry which allows you to skip the line to the observation deck and the line for the Ledge.
Written 7 July 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are happy to hear that you enjoyed your visit to Skydeck Chicago. It is great that you were courageous enough to step out onto The Ledge and hover 1,353 feet above the streets of Chicago! We appreciate that you took the time to write a review.
Written 20 July 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
jpete02
Lansing, MI989 contributions
Jul 2022 • Family
Went here on probably one of the busiest days of the year (sunny Saturday before the 4th of July) and had a great experience due to the expedited line.
The city pass includes the expedited line, which means almost no waiting for the elevator to the top and limited waiting for the ledge. Without city pass or buying the expedited ticket (which starts at $55), you will face waits boarding the elevator to the top and an even longer wait for the ledge on peak days and times.
The ledge is five glass boxes that extend outside the observation area. You get 60 seconds if you have a party of two or two minutes with a larger size party. There are timers in each ledge and an attendant that keeps track of the time in each ledge. The ledge is included in admission.
The entire experience took less than an hour due to expedited entry. Sky deck entrance is on the Jackson St side of the building and you actually go down two floors from the lobby to reach the entry. If you have city pass, you don’t need to stop at the ticket booth and can proceed to the expedited line entrance. This is a very well run experience and credit to the employees to making it run smoothly.
The city pass includes the expedited line, which means almost no waiting for the elevator to the top and limited waiting for the ledge. Without city pass or buying the expedited ticket (which starts at $55), you will face waits boarding the elevator to the top and an even longer wait for the ledge on peak days and times.
The ledge is five glass boxes that extend outside the observation area. You get 60 seconds if you have a party of two or two minutes with a larger size party. There are timers in each ledge and an attendant that keeps track of the time in each ledge. The ledge is included in admission.
The entire experience took less than an hour due to expedited entry. Sky deck entrance is on the Jackson St side of the building and you actually go down two floors from the lobby to reach the entry. If you have city pass, you don’t need to stop at the ticket booth and can proceed to the expedited line entrance. This is a very well run experience and credit to the employees to making it run smoothly.
Written 2 July 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
We are so happy that your experience at Skydeck Chicago was great. Thank you very much for visiting us and for your rating!
Written 8 December 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Aaron G
Naperville, IL7 contributions
Feb 2020
I am extremely disappointed with a recent visit to Skydeck Chicago. We arrived to a waiting room not long after opening and found the queue lines were already full. The waiting room had to be 80 Deg. F. due to so many people with heavy winter coats packed into the area, all waiting to go through security. We waited in line for 2 hours, making it half-way to the security check. At that point, if we waited another 2 hours before reaching the security check plus waiting time to get to the ledge, we would have wasted half the day.
So we decided to leave and return later, hoping for a shorter line. We returned later the same day and this time were rudely stopped by someone stating, "you are aware there is a 2.5 hour wait." The room where we waited earlier was completely empty, so we didn't understand why there is still a 2.5 hour wait. We tried to ask the unfriendly person at the door and they said "that's not the line" with no other explanation or assistance.
So we left again, having wasted two attempted trips to the Skydeck. Our out of town guests weren't able to experience the views and money was wasted due to the ridiculous long lines and Skydeck nonrefundable ticket policy.
Attempts to contact Skydeck by email were met with the same unfriendly canned response that tickets are not refundable and you can use them for 15 days. Overall this was a terrible experience. Skydeck should change their policy on refunds. In my opinion, Skydeck is not customer oriented.
So we decided to leave and return later, hoping for a shorter line. We returned later the same day and this time were rudely stopped by someone stating, "you are aware there is a 2.5 hour wait." The room where we waited earlier was completely empty, so we didn't understand why there is still a 2.5 hour wait. We tried to ask the unfriendly person at the door and they said "that's not the line" with no other explanation or assistance.
So we left again, having wasted two attempted trips to the Skydeck. Our out of town guests weren't able to experience the views and money was wasted due to the ridiculous long lines and Skydeck nonrefundable ticket policy.
Attempts to contact Skydeck by email were met with the same unfriendly canned response that tickets are not refundable and you can use them for 15 days. Overall this was a terrible experience. Skydeck should change their policy on refunds. In my opinion, Skydeck is not customer oriented.
Written 1 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TakenByTravel777
Kalamazoo, MI187 contributions
Feb 2020
We went to the Willis Tower as part of our long weekend in Chicago and there didn't seem to be many people waiting to go up. However, when we checked, there was a 60-90 minute wait on the lower floor and we were told there was nowhere to sit in the waiting line. Why not move the food court to the waiting area, or give out numbers to watch for?! We grabbed a great gluten free donut at Do-Rites and headed out.
Written 27 February 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting Skydeck Chicago and for writing a review. For future reference, to experience a shorter wait time, we suggest visiting first thing in the morning when we open to the public at 10 AM October through February or at 9 AM March through September, and pre-purchasing your tickets on our website. Thank you for visiting the Skydeck.
Written 5 March 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Keenomanjaro
Croydon, UK179 contributions
Aug 2019 • Couples
What better way to orientate yourself in a new city than from the 103rd floor of one of the tallest buildings in the world. We'd read about long queues for the elevators, so set our alarm early and arrived about ten minutes before the doors opened, which meant there were only a small handful of people in front of us and ensured we had unobstructed views once we made it to the Sky Deck. The viewing area is very good, with dramatic views over the city's other skyscrapers and out to Lake Michigan. The highlight was definitely The Ledge - a glass bottomed, enclosed balcony which I assumed would be a bit of a novelty but was in fact a real thrill. The staff ensure everyone has a fair amount of time on The Ledge, but I imagine queues can build up pretty quickly. They were also happy to take photos so you can prove how brave you were to all your friends! A great start to our time in Chicago, I'd recommend this to all first time visitors to the city.
Written 10 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting us at Skydeck Chicago! We are glad to hear that you enjoyed the amazing panoramic views from our 103rd floor. For future reference, to experience a shorter wait time, we suggest visiting first thing in the morning when we open to the public at 10 AM October through February or at 9 AM March through September, and pre-purchasing your tickets on our website. Thank you for visiting the Skydeck.
Written 13 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Debbie N
Clearwater, FL33 contributions
Dec 2019 • Couples
Worth the money even if you are leery of heights. But don't do the slanted over view of the city if you fear them. You can still enjoy magnificent vistas, and if you're brave, pay the extra fee to enter the skyview booth which slants you over the city so you can look straight down. Weird and wonderful
Written 6 November 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for reaching out, it appears your review is for the observation deck at the former John Hancock Center.
Written 14 June 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Rabz M
3 contributions
May 2021 • Friends
They should disclose when purchasing tickets that they only allow you 120 seconds in the ledge. For a group of 3 that was not enough time at all! We rushed to take pics which didn’t come out good bcuz we were rushing. We didn’t have a sec to even look and enjoy the view from the ledge before their timer went off! If there wasn’t such a short time limit it on the ledge it would have been amazing!
Written 25 May 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting Skydeck Chicago and for writing a review. Guests can spend 60-90 seconds on the Ledge depending on the group size. You are welcome to get back in line after you step out on the Ledge. For future reference, we suggest visiting first thing in the morning when we open to minimize your wait time—at 10 AM October through February or at 9 AM March through September. Thank you for visiting!
Written 14 June 2021
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
Benedict Hunjan
Coalville, UK482 contributions
Jan 2020 • Couples
Expensive, very tatty (no evidence of money spent since 90s at actual viewing level), unnecessarily authoritarian staff who are a combination of rude or half-assed with nothing in between as they boss you around the place. Feels very poor compared to almost every similar experience in the world’s largest cities. I’d not recommend it, and would actually have given it a miss if I’d read some of the poorer reviews on here first.
Written 27 January 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you very much for visiting us at Skydeck Chicago. We take customer service very seriously and would appreciate your feedback regarding our staff. If you would like to share your feedback with us please email Anita Vigil, our Director of Operations, at avigil@theskydeck.com.
Written 28 January 2020
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
307leven
Stroudsburg, PA307 contributions
Apr 2022
Visited the last Tuesday of April 2022. We arrived at the 9am opening, so there was no crowd to get in. We used CityPass for admission, which saved on the admission price, but by using CityPass, you also have to secure a separate admission pass (at no extra cost) for the Skydeck which required visitors to select a time of day for your visit. We quickly got in the elevator to the top which offered spectacular views of the city facing in all directions. We also stepped into the glass to get great views below the glass deck. After taking photos, we went to the first floor where they have a mini museum illustrating the history of the building and displays showing interesting facts about Chicago. It was well worth the visit and it didn't take that long - our entire visit lasted an hour. It was cloudy for us, but we still had good views. They did allow backpacks to carry water, snacks, umbrella, etc., but they check them for safety. Obviously, it's best to go on a clear day to get the best views.
Written 6 May 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Thank you for visiting Skydeck Chicago! It is terrific to hear that you found our one-stop Chicago experience to be great. We encourage you to share your photos with us on Instagram and on our Facebook page! We appreciate your review and thank you very much for visiting Skydeck Chicago.
Written 18 May 2022
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
The weather will be cloudy when we’ll be visiting Chicago. Will we be able to get any view from the sky deck?
Written 2 November 2024
I know there is a active duty discount, but is there a veteran or disabled veteran discount?
Written 21 September 2023
Hi! I don’t know. Have you checked on their web site?
Written 23 September 2023
I asked that question when I purchased our tickets from City pass because I was concerned about bad weather or fog obstructing our views during our timed visit. Not sure where you purchased your tickets from, but I was advised from staff at City pass that if we needed to change our time to call them to request a time change later in the week since we were only in town for 6 days. Fortunately, we had good weather during our visit and we didn't have to call them to reschedule.
Written 25 July 2022
Do you need to be vaccinated in order to go on the top of Willis tower. Thank you
Written 25 December 2021
We were not asked for any proof of vaccination or test status at the beginning of December. Masks required.
Written 27 December 2021
Does anyone know if there are any Covid restrictions for Willis tower. Thank you
Written 15 November 2021
They are requiring masks and social distancing but I don't think they are checking for vaccinations at this time. You can go to the sky deck website to keep up with changes. Also note if you are visiting the city there are other establishments that have modified hours and are checking for vaccinations. If you don't want to miss anything bring proof with you so as not to be turned away.
Written 26 December 2021
mattddchitown
Gary, Indiana
I'm getting the Co City Pass, will it be hard to get in SkyDeck in the evening on weekdays?
Written 30 June 2021
Our sky deck time is after check out at our hotel, is there a place to check our luggage before we do the sky walk?
Written 17 April 2021
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