Hotels near Millennium Park and Cloud Gate

Top of almost every list of things to do in Chicago, Millennium Park is the 24.5-acre showpiece of the downtown lakefront, and its centrepiece is Cloud Gate - the seamless, polished stainless-steel sculpture by Anish Kapoor that everyone calls The Bean. Its mirrored curve reflects the skyline and the crowds beneath it, and walking under the central arch to watch the reflections warp is a rite of passage for any first-time visitor.

The park packs in more than the sculpture. The Jay Pritzker Pavilion, a swooping Frank Gehry bandshell, stages free concerts in summer, while the Crown Fountain projects giant video faces that spout water onto a plaza full of paddling kids. It all sits steps from Michigan Avenue, making it a natural starting point before the Art Institute next door.

Pro Tip: Come at sunrise for crowd-free photos of Cloud Gate with warm light on the skyline, or after dark when the pavilion and fountains are lit. Summer weekends draw the biggest crowds, so weekday mornings are far calmer.