Itinerary

Arrive in Chicago and take your private transfer to your hotel.

Included in your tour is admission to 360 Chicago Observation Deck on the 94th floor of the John Hancock Center for fantastic views over the city and Lake Michigan.

Explore some of Chicago’s many attractions. The city has fantastic museums and galleries, including The Art Institute of Chicago with the best Impressionist collection outside Paris, and the Field Museum, home to SUE, the largest and most complete T-Rex ever discovered.

Wander through Millennium Park and see The Cloud Gate sculpture, known as the Bean, while the 18-mile Lakefront Trail is one of the best walks in the city.

If you’re planning to visit many attractions, then consider getting the Chicago CityPass with up to five attractions included.

Continue exploring Chicago today. We recommend a cruise to see the city from the water. Head down the main branch of the Chicago River, up the north branch to the East Bank Club, and then south past Willis Tower (Sears Tower) to the old Post Office Building. Take in magnificent city skyline views of more than 40 notable buildings, including the John Hancock Center and the Wrigley Building. Alternatively, take a lunch cruise on Lake Michigan.

In the evening, explore Chicago’s renowned food and drink – from Deep-Dish Pizza and Italian Beef Sandwiches to breweries and cocktail bars. The Magnificent Mile of restaurants and shops through the heart of the city from the Chicago River to Oak Street is a good place to sample local and international cuisine.

Chicago’s nightlife is dominated by its rich musical heritage, particularly in jazz and blues. Catch some live music – from Buddy Guy’s Legends to Green Mill Jazz Club, a former Al Capone haunt.

Pick up your hire car and drive 1.5 hour’s north to Milwaukee. This under-rated city has some top-class museums, striking buildings and hosts the world’s largest music festival.

A highlight is Milwaukee Art Museum with nearly 25,000 works of European and American art on a 24-acre lakeside campus. The building, known as the Calatrava after its architect, is an award-winning work of art with ‘wings’ that fold out.

The Harley Davidson Museum is another must-see, documenting the history of the iconic company with more than 400 motorbikes on display.

Continue to explore Milwaukee today. Visit the Renaissance-style Pabst Mansion, dating from the 1890s Gilded Age. The Domes of Mitchell Park Horticultural Conservatory are another popular attraction with three huge domes containing different eco-systems, from desert oasis to tropical jungle and floral garden.

Milwaukee is home to Miller Brewing Company, so brewery tours are recommended. The local baseball team are named Milwaukee Brewers, so try to catch a game at the American Family Field stadium with its fan-shaped retractable roof.

It’s a longer drive today of about five hours west to Minneapolis.

Nicknamed the City of Lakes, Minneapolis is famous for its waterways and green spaces with more than 20 lakes and 180 parks. One of the most impressive green spaces is Minneapolis Sculpture Garden with more than 60 sculptures from the Walker collection, including the famous Spoonbridge and Cherry.

For some retail therapy, head to the Mall of America, one of the biggest shopping centres in the North America with 500 stores, 50 restaurants and an indoor theme park.

Continue exploring Minneapolis and St Paul today. Minneapolis has several excellent museums and galleries, including the Institute of Art with some 90,000 works, and Mill City Museum, built in the ruins of what was once the world’s largest flour mill. The nearby Stone Arch Bridge is the only bridge of its kind across the Mississippi with 23 arches stretching over 640 metres.

The best place to enjoy Minneapolis’s many waterways is The Chain of Lakes, five lakes including Calhoun, connected by 15 miles of paved shoreline paths, ideal for biking, hiking and kayaking. The 16-metre Minnehaha Falls are a highlight in the south of the city with a two-mile trail into the Mississippi River Valley.

Neighbouring St Paul boasts the second largest unsupported marble dome in the world at the majestic Minnesota State Capitol, as well as a Renaissance-style Cathedral, Minnesota Museum of American Art, and the huge hockey mural on the Treasure Island Center.

Head north today to the town of Grand Rapids, not to be confused with its namesake in Michigan.

Grand Rapids is a charming town, surrounded by fishing lakes, forest and trails ideal for hiking and cycling. Popular excursions from town include Chippewa National Forest and Leech Lake.

Head east taking a scenic drive along the shores of Lake Superior to Ashland, Wisconsin. It’s worth stopping in Duluth on the way, the town where iconic musician Bob Dylan hails from. The city is known for its remarkable Aerial Lift Bridge and the waterfront Canal Park.

Just south of Duluth, Pattison State Park is one of the most impressive in the region with Big Manitou Falls the highest waterfall in Wisconsin.

Arrive in the beautiful harbour town of Ashland on Lake Superior’s southern shore. Visit the town’s many murals and spend time unwinding in Prentice Park or at Maslowski Beach.

Half an hour’s drive south of town is Chequamegon Nicolet National Forest, which has Morgan Falls, one of the highest waterfalls in the region, or to Copper Falls State Park with hiking trails and Brownstone Falls.

Spend a tranquil evening at your hotel overlooking Chequamegon Bay.

This morning, cross into Michigan and head to Marquette on Lake Superior’s southern shore, one of the region’s most beautiful towns.

Marquette has six lighthouses and nine waterfalls in its vicinity, as well as wildlife including hundreds of bird species, deer and moose.

In the town itself, highlights include Presque Isle Park, a forested peninsular extending into Lake Superior, and the bright-red Marquette Harbor Lighthouse with adjacent Maritime Museum.

Just outside town, Sugarloaf Mountain commands fantastic views from its 150-metre summit. Other popular excursions include Big Bay Point Lighthouse, the trails, beaches and waterfalls of Pictured Rocks, and Lakenenland Sculpture Park with more than 100 sculptures made from scrap iron.

Head south-east today to St Ignace, a port on the peninsula dividing Lake Huron and Lake Michigan.

To the south of St Ignace is the huge Mackinac Bridge, which vies with San Francisco’s Golden Gate as the longest suspension bridge in the Western Hemisphere, best admired from Bridge View Park.

Visit the Museum of Ojibwa Culture and Marquette Mission Park to learn the history of the region from the original 17th century indigenous village to Father Marquette’s French Jesuit Mission.

Today, take the short ferry ride to tiny Mackinac Island (pronounced Mackin-aw). Cars are not permitted, so the island is a delightful step back in time with horse-drawn carriages and bikes.

Over 80% of Mackinak is protected in the state park with development restricted beyond the small harbour town. Explore beautiful landscapes of limestone bluffs, forests and beaches on foot, by bike, boat or kayak.

A geological highlight is Arch Rock, 45 metres high above the Straits of Mackinac, while Fort Holmes, constructed by the British during the American Revolution, is the historic highlight and oldest building in Michigan. The island is famous for its fudge, sold in shops in town, so be sure to sample some.

Head south today through Michigan to Detroit. The city has experienced an exciting regeneration in the past decade with an attractive waterfront and some fascinating museums.

The city’s musical history is best discovered in the expanded Motown Museum, and its motoring history at the Henry Ford Museum and Automotive Hall of Fame. Don’t miss the Detroit Institute of Arts, one of the USA’s top 10 museums with a renowned collection of more than 100 art galleries.

Another great option is a river cruise passing under the Ambassador Bridge, which links the US and Canada. Alternatively, take a bus over to Belle Isle, nearly 1,000 acres of parkland including forested wetlands, a beach, walking trails, conservatory and the Dossin Great Lakes Museum.

Enjoy Detroit’s busy nightlife in the evening, exploring Downtown bars and live music venues.

Head back west this morning to the shores of Lake Michigan and Holland, founded by Dutch Calvinists in the 1840s. The town retains much of its original charm with an authentic windmill, fields of tulips and Dutch-style architecture. Visit Holland Museum to learn more of the town’s history.

One of the best excursions from Holland is 1,000-acre Saugatuck Dunes State Park, a haven for birdwatching, hiking and sunbathing. The park contains coastal sand dunes over 60 metres tall and more than two miles of shoreline with long sandy beaches.

Saugatuck is a quieter alternative to the spectacular Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore a few hours’ further north, which extends over 35 miles with dunes up to 85 metres, overlooking Glen Lake.

Drive back to Chicago today for your last day of the tour. Drop off your hire car, then take in any galleries and museums you didn’t visit earlier in your trip.

Consider ascending Skydeck on the 103rd floor of the Willis Tower, formerly the Sears Tower, the highest observation deck in the USA.

Check into your hotel and enjoy one more night exploring Chicago’s restaurants and music bars.

Take your private transfer to the airport for your flight home.