Solo Female Travel in Chicago

Group travel experience

Did a quick weekend trip to Chicago with the girls for a bachelorette party. We had dinner at the Dearborn and Wakamono, both 5/5. We tried out The DISCO since it has 4 levels but it was pretty small and crowded so we ended up at Three Dots and A Dash and the vibe there was much more chill but fun! We mostly traveled by Uber but when we did walk around we felt safe.

Group travel experience

I felt very safe in Chicago, it is a wonderful city, although many people say it is a dangerous city, I felt safe. In Chicago, you must try their famous pizza, visit the beach and Skydeck. I can say that is the most beautiful city.

Solo travel experience

It has a lot of things to do even when you explore the city alone. I did not use public transport as it was fun and easy to walk around. There are many impressive theaters, bars etc. that are worth visiting especially in the night hours. A bit expensive but it was worth it.

Solo travel experience

I enjoyed this trip so much. The city is amazing, I highly recommend the ferry architecture trip, to avoid staying in the downtown!! The Getaway Chicago Hostel is a great option. Food in Chinatown is really cheap and delicious. People is friendly, I had an amazing time there.

Solo travel experience

Here are my recommendations: 1. Willis Tower Sky Deck - you can see the entire city from a glass box 2. Art Institute of Chicago Museum 3. Pizza - deep dish. There is a pizza tour in Chicago that is super fun, worth considering 4. Portillo's - Chicago-style hot dogs, Italian beef. Must try the cheese fries 5. River North - cool neighborhood for going out. Lots of clubs, bars, restaurants 6. Wrigley Field (where the Chicago Cubs play. It's a famous baseball stadium) and Wrigleyville - neighborhood next to Wrigley Field with lots of bars and restaurants 7. Chicago architecture tour - this is the coolest thing I've done in Chicago 8. Visit Lake Michigan

Family travel experience

Great city with a great vibe. Stunning architecture. Highlights of the trip were the architecture cruise, sunset river cruise and Art Institute. For food I loved London House (cocktails were also amazing here) and Broken English Taco Pub.

Solo travel experience

I embarked on a solo trip to Chicago and was thrilled. I visited the Art Institute (lots to see, definitely recommend), the Willis Tower (great views), the WNDR museum (super fun), a boat cruise of the city's architecture (a bit expensive, but worth it) plus tons of walks everywhere. I liked Yolk as a place for a casual breakfast and felt obliged to try Lou Malnati's pizza - strange, but I would eat it again. I also happily walked to the Navy Pier and the planetarium, mainly for the great views of the city.

Solo travel experience

I loved the boat tour of the architecture, I found a great deal for one of them on Groupon. The Art Institute was amazing, definitely a must-see. Girl & The Goat and Rose Mary were my favorite restaurants. Book your spots early.

Chicago gets a really bad rap. Media portrays the city as ridiculously dangerous and spreads this idea that you’ll get shot the moment you step foot in the city. That is SO not true. Like any city, there are parts that you might not want to go to, but even in those places as long as you have common sense and basic self preservation skills you will be fine. The public transportation is LOVELY, if you’re an especially anxious person, I’d recommend staying off of the red line. Nothing has happened to me personally, but it can be loud & crowded and they’re may be aggravated people and/or addicts riding(it is a major metropolitan city 🤷🏾‍♀️). Keep yourself alert, and have some sort of weapon or pepper spray (I’ve never had to use mine and I’ve lived in “dangerous areas” before) and you’ll be just fine. Don’t let fear (especially from propaganda and sometimes racism) keep you from enjoying such an incredible city!

Chicago is a big city. Beautiful and very interesting, specially in the summer time. Has a lot to offer. But unfortunately you always have to be aware of your surroundings in downtown in the evening and night time.

In the winter I highly recommend the Christkindlmarket! It’s a fun German-style Christmas marker with products from all over the world. If you are in the loop and looking for a nice place to relax (or maybe get some work done), check out the Drawing Room on the second floor of the Chicago Athletic Association Hotel. Great ambience, and fire places for warming up in the winter! Lou Malnati’s is the best place for authentic Chicago deep dish pizza! Great pizza but the Malnati Salad and the bruschetta are also great!

Born and raised in Chicago. It is a magical city with lots of fun things to do outside during the summer and many sporting events to take part in during all seasons. Travel with extra caution at night and avoid south side areas. Enjoy many restaurants and bars in all neighborhoods which have a different look and feel to them.

If you enjoy blues music, visit Kingston Mines one evening, the music is always good and you're sure to have a good time there. On warm days, it's worth checking out the architecture by boat. Also try the hot dog and cheese fries from Portillos, Italian beef from Johnny's, gyros from practically anywhere and Polish food (if you're there when it's cooler), Kumas (original location) or Lockdown for a really good burger (note, they play heavy metal loudly there) or Au Cheval for a more sophisticated option. Downtown is cool, but in my opinion, you need to go to the neighborhoods to truly get to know Chicago. The International Museum of Surgical Science is less known than many others (Chicago has undoubtedly many world-class museums), but if you are interested in the history of medicine, you can't miss it! Navy Pier is worth seeing as you pass by, but for me nothing more than that. Wrigley Field offers tours if you're a baseball fan, and there's a Tiki bar called 3 Dots and a Dash which is pretty cool. I think that Lincoln Park is probably the most beautiful neighborhood in Chicago and it's worth taking a walk there, seeing stunning homes on impressive tree-lined avenues.

Bars with a pleasant atmosphere, such as Utopian Tailgate, Happy Camper, The Up Room at the Robey, Violet Hour, Paradise Park, Hampton Social, Deuces, Whiskey Business, Recess, The J Parker & Cindy's. Activities: Take a city tour on a Segway! I recommend the sunset tour, as you can also see the city lights. If you can, go to a Bulls basketball game or a Blackhawks hockey game if they are still scheduled. The Museum of Science and Industry is a lot of fun, and the Shedd Aquarium is a nice place for a short walk. Be sure to visit Millennium Park to see the bean and take a walk through Maggie Daley Park. Also definitely go to the Navy Pier. If you have time, walk around the North River area/neighborhoods. You can also go along the lake. Food: Portillo's (American, but a Chicago classic), Chicago Pizza & Oven Grinder, Three Dots & a Dash, Lou Malnati's, Beatrix, Etta, Aba, Girl & The Goat, Velvet Taco, Carniva, Small Cheval, Topo Gigio.