Flight from Chicago with a touch of Iceland

There's fine opportunity for lakeside downtime on the shores of Lake Michigan, and Navy Pier is a landmark that draws thousands of tourists to play among its amusement rides and restaurants. It goes off with a bang twice a week in summer, when fireworks brighten the sky.

Skyscrapers reach for the stars too: the 108-story Willis Tower was the tallest building in the world for 25 years. Step onto its glass-bottomed Skydeck, if you dare! At ground level, public art dazzles, especially at Millennium Park. Here, 'the Bean' (officially titled 'Cloud Gate') is a seamless, smooth and reflective sculpture that everyone wants to photograph. Don't stop there - the nearby Art Institute of Chicago is the second-largest art museum in the country, and is renowned for its impressionist collection.

Who can resist an area called the Magnificent Mile? This prestigious stretch of real estate lines Michigan Avenue, sprawling over 13 blocks between the Chicago River and Oak Street. It offers a smorgasbord of malls, boutiques, galleries, cafes and restaurants that fill the city with life – and style. Some show-off statistics to inspire your pre-trip budgeting: 460 stores live on the Magnificent Mile, plus 275 restaurants and 60 hotels. That is heavy-duty retail magnificence.

If the Mag Mile sounds a little too glossy for your tastes, there are more down-to-earth options in local markets and neighborhood strips. Make a beeline for the Randolph Street Market, modeled after London's Portobello Market, for vintage, antiques, and indie designers, and some top-notch people-watching.