Holiday homes and rentals in Chicago

Boasting world-class museums, vibrant shopping districts and countless nightlife venues, Chicago is one of the world’s most fascinating cities, which we should all visit at least once! So, let’s look for a holiday home for your city break. You can get stuck in and stay right in the heart of downtown, a wonderful option for those looking to get a taste of Chicago’s 24/7 lifestyle. Holiday homes in the suburbs are also popular, especially for families and larger groups. Lakeside rentals both north (look around Edgewater Beach) and south of the centre (see Hyde Park) come highly recommended!

Downtown Chicago offers fortuitous visitors to the city myriad flats with fully-equipped gourmet kitchens, large balconies and amazing views. Out in the suburbs, spacious terraces and detached homes dominate with well-kept gardens, tons of natural light and parking.

Sprawling Chicago in the far north of the US is the country’s third largest city, boasting one of the world’s busiest airports. The city is a hodgepodge of diverse neighbourhoods to explore, each of which maintains its own personality and culture. Step into Andersonville and you will feel like you have teleported into a small town, with a laid-back vibe and colourful streets lined with beautiful homes and unique local businesses.

Pilsen is a predominantly Mexican-American community with an awesome food and art scene. West Loop is a former industrial zone transformed into a chic foodie paradise replete with contemporary upscale bars and restaurants. Boystown is the gay capital of the city, with a high street packed with queer-focused bars and businesses.

The Chicago Loop’s major museums are among the largest of their kind in the country, housing collections that are unique to the city. Whether you are in love with all things arty or hopelessly devoted to science, museum lovers are in for a massive treat in this most cultural of cities. The Art Institute of Chicago has been voted one of the top museums in the world by TripAdvisor. It features an enormous collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art, second only to the Louvre in Paris. Need we say more about the Art Institute of Chicago? Adler Planetarium on Chicago's Museum Campus is an out-of-this world attraction! Explore the origins of the universe through state-of-the-art exhibits, peer through ancient telescopes, and view the stars in the Western Hemisphere’s oldest planetarium.

Chicago is a cyclist's paradise with more than 160 kilometres of cycle lanes criss-crossing the city. Follow the path that runs along the shore of Lake Michigan, passing many of Chicago’s most popular attractions and providing sensational views of that awesome skyline. Or take the popular trail through woods, leafy suburbs and golf courses to Chicago Botanic Garden, a 32-kilometre route that follows the Chicago River. Don’t miss the unique park trail along Bloomingdale Avenue which was built on an old elevated train track!

The mirrored sculpture The Bean by the Indo-British artist Anish Kapoor, located in Millennium Park in the heart of Chicago, has become the city’s most renowned landmark. Get your photo taken at The Bean and participate in one of the most iconic activities in Chicago!

The Lakefront Trail is a 28-kilometre paved walk that runs along the shore of Lake Michigan. For an easy afternoon walk, start in the museum area and finish at the beach on North Avenue. Watching the urban panorama shift and unveil new treasures as you walk along the shore is highly gratifying!

Navy Pier is a rare delight. With immaculate parks and gardens, top-quality restaurants, wonderful shopping, an IMAX theatre, the Chicago Children's Museum, Chinese acrobats and myriad places to relax right in front of the lake, it is like an amusement park with the vertigo.

Millennium Park, also called the “Garden of the Arts”, is a recreational and artistic urban development that occupies ten hectares of the city centre. The park has won several awards, fusing works of art and architecture from international celebrated virtuosos. The most renowned work is the gorgeous Jay Pritzker Concert Pavilion, designed by Canadian architect Frank Gehry, which can accommodate seven thousand people.

Like any big North American city, Chicago has a Chinatown. As soon as you pass under the arch that leads into the neighbourhood on Wentworth Avenue, you will feel like you have entered another city, another country, with its corresponding exotic sights, sounds and smells. Don’t miss the mural that tells the story of Chinese immigration in the United States or the wall of the nine dragons, a typical element in Chinese imperial gardens and palaces.