Willis Tower — Attraction in Chicago

The experience is worth 5 stars, however, the entirety was 4 stars for me. We had so many questions going into this. There should be some type of brochure to hand out with info on how the experience will go. Unless of course there were some and we just didn't see them. So here's the info I have for anyone with the types of questions we had!

You will purchase tickets on the bottom floor either from a kiosk or a ticket booth. Kiosk is faster but not the most user friendly. A lot of times selecting what you want it hard and you have to keep going back. The prices are a bit much. Especially the expedited passes. Which to be ho est is not worth getting after you have all this info. After purchasing tickets you will be able to browse a gift shop, with items and souvenirs that cost more than a nice dinner for two. We bought zero souvenirs. You will then wait in a large area for your time slot to go up. Once your time slot is on the screen you will get in a very fast moving line where someone scans your tickets. The biggest question we had was that the ticket booth said this is a timed experience. We didn't want to miss anything but had no idea how much time we would have before it all even started so we felt rushed. DON'T RUSH! There is no need to. We did rush because we were worried we wouldn't have enough time for everything. You can 100 percent take your time with everything, except for the actual skydeck. Which I will get to.

Once your ticket is scanned you will go for a lengthy walk through hallways and rooms covered in info about Chicago and it's history and the tower and some pretty cool facts. If you go fast it's about 10 minutes. If you go slow you can take all the time you need reading everything and learning. After you make it through the info section you will wait in a line to board the elevator. On a busy Saturday we waited about an hour. You will still wait even if you have expedited tickets but will get to pass the long line.

Once boarding the elevator, with a very uncomfortable amount of people that just doesn't seem safe, the elevator is covered wall to wall in screens that tells you how fast it travels and other info. It's a smooth ride that only lasts about a minute.

Once you reach the top its all windows. You can look out, take photos, take your time, take in the view. Buy more overpriced souvenirs, chill, and enjoy. You may be a bit disappointed by the guy that cleans the windows because when we went they looked awful. But I would assume it's very difficult to keep those windows clean on a regular base.

After this 360 view of the city you will then wait in another line for the actual skydeck. Since the elevator only holds so many, the line isn't all that long. We waited about 30 minutes. They will tell you to step onto the skydeck and they will take your photo so fast that you didn't even know where the camera was. And then they will place 4 people at a time In each sky deck, where they pick what corner you get (which sucks for a photographer because we know what lighting is best for which corner. You then have 90 seconds to take as many photos as you can while you're in the skydeck box. But don't worry, if you want more photos you are allowed to get back in line and do it again! This is the only timed part they refer to. Everything else is done at your own pace.

That's basically it, once you're done you get a little bit more viewing and then wait in a short line to hop back on the elevator to go down. It's a quick ride down and a quick walk out. No waiting.

Overall it's definitely a really cool experience and I'd suggest at least doing it once! The price could definitely be a little cheaper especially considering large families who are here as tourists, who have already paid for large hotel rooms and ridiculous...

TLDR; Nice views, but too many lights on causing lots of glare on photos, rude staff, pointless rules.

Views were nice, staff were not.

We went in the evening to see the city lights, and were told at the time of booking that we had a 30 minute time slot. We mistakenly thought we only had 30 minutes total from the time we scanned our tickets to spend on site. Ended up rushing through the pre-exhibits so we could get the elevator and maximize our time up top. It wasn’t until later we realized it was only a 30 minute cap on the time actually spent up top, not on your time spent downstairs. (Although we spent a bit longer than that upstairs and they didn’t appear to be checking).

Slight word tweaking on the booking website could fix this misconception.

Spent a while waiting for the elevator in a very hot hallway (middle of winter so everyone’s dressed warmly to begin with) and finally crammed into a pretty fast moving elevator which was neat.

The views of the city are really nice, but it can be extremely hard to get decent photos through the glass, as they have way too many lights turned on inside. (Photo attached)

I asked an employee why they needed so many lights on, as this was preventing decent photos from being taken. Was told that “people need to be able to see the gift shop items”.

There was a darker area to the left of all the ledges which offered much better glare-less photo taking, but those windows were behind a small rope for some reason. I watched another guest climb over to take photos, so I decided to follow suit. An employee quickly came over and asked us to move back onto the correct side of the rope. I asked what the point of the rope was, as this was the only area cordoned off for seemingly no apparent reason.

The worker said “we have a rope up to keep people back”.

I asked him: “But what’s the actual point of the rope? This is the only area dark enough to take decent pictures”.

Him: “We don’t want people touching the glass.”

Me: “But none of the other windows in here have ropes up - we can go right up to the glass and take photos through all but this particular window.”

He was not able to provide me with an answer.

We ended up walking back around to the other side of the tower as there was some moving clouds/fog which had cleared, and there was a bit more to be seen now.

When we finished, we were right near where we had entered, so walked around the corner to the elevator line. Another rude employee was working the elevator line, and told us “You can’t enter from here, you have to walk all the way back around and get into the exit line that way.”

I said “There are only three people in line, can’t I just slip in through here to go behind them?”

Employee: “No, that isn’t allowed, you have to walk around the tower.”

Me: “I can’t just get in line from here? There’s no point in walking around the tower to join a line with three people in it, when I can just join from here.”

She again told me no, so we grudgingly walked around the tower to the proper exit line, and joined the three people already in line.

I’m not a fan of giving employees a hard time, but I find it difficult to follow directions that don’t make any sense.

When you get down, the photos they’ve taken of you throughout your visit are already waiting for you at the elevator exit. I find it wasteful that they’ve already printed your photos, considering many people don’t even buy the hard copies. I can only imagine they are thrown out.

Ending off - the views can be nice, the employees not so much. Go in the daytime if you don’t want glare on your photos, and be prepared to follow rules that don’t make sense.

Same-day tickets were 42 each, but slightly less if...

A Thrilling Visit to the Top of Willis Tower: A Must-Do Chicago Experience

My recent trip to Willis Tower was an absolute highlight of my Chicago visit. Here’s a quick rundown of my experience—from booking to the breathtaking views—and a few tips for anyone planning a visit.

Quick Ticket Booking The online ticket booking experience was smooth and user-friendly. I highly recommend booking your tickets in advance, especially during weekends or peak hours to avoid long queues. I opted for the Skydeck experience, which gave access to the top along with “The Ledge” (the glass boxes hanging 103 floors above the city!).

Pro tip: If you’re short on time or visiting during a busy day, you can choose the Fast Track ticket, it lets you skip the main queue and head straight to the elevator, saving you a lot of waiting time.

The Journey Up From the moment you enter, the staff is efficient and courteous. The entrance has a museum-like walkthrough that gives you a brief history of Chicago and the tower itself, engaging and well done! The elevator ride is an experience in itself, with a dynamic display counting up the floors with fun facts. It takes less than a minute to reach the Skydeck on the 103rd floor!

At the Top I went during sunset time, which I’d absolutely recommend. It was slightly cloudy, so the sun was tucked behind a haze, but the visibility was still excellent. The city lit up beautifully, and the views were stunning in every direction. You could see the sweeping skyline, Lake Michigan, and even hints of neighboring states. The Ledge experience was thrilling, standing on a glass floor looking straight down is not for the faint-hearted but definitely a once-in-a-lifetime photo op.

✅ Dos: Book tickets online in advance to save time. Opt for the Fast Track ticket if you want to skip the queue. Go during sunset for the most magical views, even if it’s a bit cloudy! Carry minimal bags for faster security clearance. Take your time on The Ledge. You get about 60–90 seconds per group, so be photo-ready! Research the best poses to take photos on the ledge. Ask staff to take photos, they’re helpful and know the best angles.

❌ Don’ts: Avoid peak hours if you don’t like crowds (early morning or late evening is best). Don’t wear skirts or flowy dresses on The Ledge if you're shy, the glass boxes are transparent from all angles! Don’t skip the exhibits before the elevator, they add depth to your visit. Avoid going on a fully cloudy day, you want clear views for the full experience.

Overall, visiting Willis Tower is a must-do in Chicago. Whether you’re a local revisiting or a tourist ticking it off your bucket list, the experience delivers every single time. Just go prepared, time it right, and soak in the view both literally and...