Gold Coast & Old Town

A look around

What you’ll be living next to. Swipe through.

1/3

Where it sits

The circle is Gold Coast & Old Town and roughly a 10-minute walk around it.

How far is everything?

From the middle of this area to the city's headline sights — pick your own on the city page and these become your list.

• The Lakefront Trail & beaches8 min walk635 m
• The Magnificent Mile13 min walk1.1 km
• Deep-dish pizza17 min walk1.4 km
• The Architecture River Cruise22 min walk1.9 km
• Millennium Park & The Bean8 min taxi2.5 km
• The Art Institute of Chicago9 min taxi2.8 km
• Willis Tower Skydeck9 min taxi3.0 km
• The Field Museum13 min taxi4.4 km

On your doorstep

What you’re living next to if you stay here.

• 10.Comedy at Second City — Chicago is the birthplace of modern improv comedy, and there's no better place to laugh than The Second City — the legendary Old Town theatre where Bill Murray, Tina Fey, Steve Carell and countless other stars got their start. Catch a sharp, hilarious sketch-and-improv revue in the intimate club, and see comedy history in the making. It's a quintessential, only-in-Chicago night out and a joyous evening of laughs. Book ahead for the main-stage shows; a brilliant, uniquely Chicago experience. Great fun.
• 11.Old Town & the Gold Coast — Two of Chicago's loveliest historic neighbourhoods — Old Town, with its charming tree-lined streets of Victorian townhouses, cafés and the famous comedy clubs, and the elegant Gold Coast, all grand mansions and leafy avenues near the lake. Wander the pretty, atmospheric streets (they survived the Great Fire), admire the architecture, and enjoy the cafés and boutiques; it's a graceful, relaxed contrast to the downtown towers. A delightful area to stroll, especially on a fine day. A charming, genteel wander near the centre.
• 14.The city beaches — In summer, Chicago becomes a beach city — Lake Michigan's sandy shores fringe the whole lakefront, with popular central beaches like North Avenue Beach and Oak Street Beach offering sand, swimming, volleyball, kayaking and a buzzing scene, all with the skyline as a backdrop. Swim, sunbathe or grab a drink at a beachfront bar; it's a surprising, delightful slice of summer right in the city. Free and quintessentially Chicago in the warm months. A wonderful, only-in-summer highlight. Best June to September.