Chicago, United States1-2 hoursAfternoon
Magnificent Mile
Ideal: Ideal for shopping, city walks, dining, architecture, and central Chicago atmosphere.
The 1.3-kilometer section of Michigan Avenue north of the river. The stone water tower on the avenue dates to 1869 and was one of the few structures to survive the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, which burned roughly nine square kilometers and left 100,000 homeless. Because the city had to rebuild fast from scratch, architects tested steel-frame high-rises here — Chicago's role as birthplace of the skyscraper flows directly from that fire.
Why go?
- To see Chicago's most famous shopping spine
- For architecture, window displays, and restaurants on one route
- Because it connects easily with the Riverwalk and lakefront routes
Travel tip
Do not treat it as shopping only — on foot it shows Chicago's urban fabric well.
