My favourite U.S city, Seattle and surrounding areas of Washington State
*All work including photos, videos and writing on this page is my own, except the link to the Tourism video above and the one below freely which are freely available on Youtube.
I love this captivating city, the people are polite, intelligent and just happy to be themselves. They are northern European in their roots and nature, so not as overly friendly as some other states, they do like their privacy and space, but are very nice. I like this culture here a lot being from the UK. The focus is on good food, Local, natural, organic. The lifestyle is all about the outdoors, hiking, cycling, climbing, kayaking. There is a huge culture of caring for the environment and for the less well off. The best time to visit is certainly July!! The weather before June can rain and from August there can be wildfires. July is also concert and festival season, with every town and city hosting free festivals that you can join in. The Bite of Seattle is my favourite. t's just under the Space Needle and the food is amazing! If you are in Seattle for 4th july there are spectacular fireworks/drone events at the Space Needle and Lake Union as well. Definately go in July! It's the best time to visit the three nearby National Parks too. Some People here may have lots of money, but they are not flashy with it, they do help their fellow citizens, they are laid back, polite and tolerant. They drive well, keeping their distance and road rage is rare, certainly among locals, although there are tourists from other countries and other states that might be in hire cars with Washington State licence plates on that are not locals that may not drive as patiently. There is a world famous music scene here from the famous grunge era, to legends like Jimmi Hendrix, Nirvana and SoundGarden, Pearl Jam to more recent modern talent like the Foo Fighters and Macklemore. They love their music here, all kinds of music. Then there is the coffee, not just the home of Starbucks, but many good quality independents too such as Victrola's or Storyville Coffee. Seattle loves sport!!! The most famous team is the Seahawks American football team who won the Superbowl in 2014 and almost did it again in 2015. Good luck for next Season, Go Hawks!! Try and watch a match if you are there in the Autumn. The football (Soccer) team, the Sounders is also highly rated in the U.S. They just won the MLS cup in 2016 and 2019. The FIFA world cup is coming to Seattle in 2026 with six matches being played here at the Seahawks stadium in June and July. There is a baseball team called the Mariners, an ice hockey NHL team called the Kraken and a Cricket team called the Orcas. There are plans for a basketball team as well to compliment the very successful women's team, this is a sore subject though as they lost their team to another city several years ago. Seattle is surrounded by three National Parks, lots of lakes, a sea and 5 volcanoes. On a cloud free day there are spectacular views from wherever you look. I really love the scenery and nature here. The Waterfront area is undergoing a major revamp, which will take several years, so be patient with how it looks at the moment. Transport Seattle has recently been one of the fastest growing cities on and off for many years now, so traffic is a problem, but billions of dollars are being spent on public transport at the moment. To pay for this parking charges in Seattle have drastically increased as driving into and around the city is being discouraged. The public transport options, which are very affordable include a light rail link , which is constantly being expanded and now has a section on the Eastside between Redmond and Bellevue and this should join the main network lines soon. The light rail has a line from the airport to downtown Seattle that is very popular. Like any public transport system in any city, I would recommend wearing a money belt or dummy bag you can give to any thief, although I haven't ever experienced any problems on the trains or buses myself in Seattle even in the evening. Buses are frequent and affordable and ferries also play a big part of the public transport in the Puget Sound, connecting downtown Seattle with several islands. In Downtown Seattle you will not need a car, public transport is very good and parking is expensive. Taxis are also reasonably priced. Just hire a car when you want to go outside the city for a few days. Above is Carkeek Park beach and below is Pike Place Market.
FOOD The Food of the Pacific Northwest is delicious and of a very high standard. Seafood and Salmon are the popular dishes, but there is so much more than just that. My must eat recommendations to try are the local Dungeness crab and Rainier cherries. Most food is locally sourced, fresh and natural, mainly organic. Wash that down with local Washington wine (world renown), local beers and even local whisky. Pike Place market is the main tourist attraction with 18 million visitors a year, reflecting the importance Seattle places on good food! ^ Dungeness carb cake for lunch, delicious!!
The main restaurant area is Downtown, Bell Town, Capitol Hill, Pioneer Square and South Lake Union and Fremont. The Eastside towns of Bothell, Woodinville, Kirkland and Bellevue also have great restaurants and are nice places to visit, try and get to some of them. I particularly like Kirkland Marina. There are many more independent restaurants in this city, mostly small ones, than chain restaurants offering something different than what you get in other American cities. In fact it can be quite a challenge to find any chain restaurants or fast food in Seattle, particularly in the North and East side areas, which is great to see!! with a large choice of vegetarian, vegan and gluten free restaurants. Recently Trip Advisor did an article on how you can travel around the world, by eating at Seattle's diverse range of restaurants from all over the world. Here are a few restaurant and cafe recommendations: Use Google maps to get directions from where you are staying. For the best views: Palisade (Great views in Magnolia area.) Canlis (Seattle's most famous fine dining restaurant.) Ray's Boathouse (Seafood) Westward (Local and Seafood) Ascend Prime Steak and Sushi (Great views in Bellevue) The Aguaverde cafe on the lake with paddle boards etc for hire. (Mexican) For restaurants with a local feel try at least one of these: Herbfarm Fine dining experience in Woddinville. Voula's Offshore Cafe, american Diner in the University district. Eight Row in Green lake Eden Hill Queen Anne area Bin on the Lake Great location in Kirkland Goldfinch Tavern at the Four Seasons Hotel 2120 next to the Amazon spheres downtown Rider in downtown Lark in downtown The Lakehouse in Bellevue Art of the Table in Fremont 13 Coins, a Seattle Staple downtown Local Tide for an informal local lunch in Quirky Fremont. We enjoyed the food at Heritage in Woodinville (Woodinville has over 100 wineries too, so worth a visit!) Seabird, Bainbridge Island ( 30 mins on ferry from Seattle) International cuisine Archipelago Local food with a Filipino influence. I don't know this part of South Seattle though, it is a restaurant recommended to me. Amoro Italian restaurant in Bothell was really good when we went there as was Zeitoon Grill House in Kirkland for Persian food. Communion in Central District For Mexican try Fogan Cocina on Capital Hill, Pancita in University district or Cocina Oaxaca in beautiful Green Lake. For authentic Chinese food, we all enjoyed the Tai Tung in Chinatown (International District). Altura, is a fine dining Italian restaurant in Capitol Hill. Le Pichet French restaurant downtown Kedai Makon, Malaysian inspired food in Capitol Hill. Cortina, Downtown How to cook a wolf is a Mediterranean themed restaurant in Queen Anne area and this one in Madison Park. Cafe Juanita, Italian in Kirkland. Joule Korean in Fremont Seattle Sushi Kappo Tamura, Eastlake Seattle Kamonegi, Japanese, Fremont. Ba Bar, Vietnamese, University Village. For British treats, try these places: The crumpet shop at Pike Place Market and La Liath Bakery in Wallingford. There are great rooftop bars, the Nest,(on top of the Thompson Hotel, downtown) or the Mbar (Lebanese rooftop restaurant and bar in South Lake Union) The Graduate Mountaineering club Also Columbia Tower's new Sky View Cafe and bar Downtown. Also try Sawyer in Ballard Or for a casual small wine bar with a mediterranean feel try Esters Enoteca. They serve tapas/aperitivo too. This is in Fremont. FOB Poke bar, Hawaiin in Belltown. For Cocktails this bar is good Navy Strength. Also The Bottle and Bull in Kirkland For Burgers the local favourites are: Dick's Drive in Red Mill Burgers For the best Steak in Seattle, try The Metropolitan Grill. And for something very romantic take a 40 minute drive from Downtown Seattle out to the the beautiful Salish Lodge and Spa next to Snoqualmie falls. Or take a ferry to Bainbridge Island to Restaurant Marche and a ferry back at sunset. The Space needle has a restaurant too, although I haven't eaten there, but it is a nice venue. Check TripAdvisor for the current reviews on all these restaurants as they could have changed since I last visited them. What to See There is actually quite a lot to see and do in this city. I am not a nightclub person, but I hear Ora nightclub is good. Below is a statue from Pioneer Square's Occidental Park.
When in Seattle you should visit: 1) The Space Needle and nearby Olympic Sculpture Park (The sculpture Park is free) 2) Pike Place Market, get there early for Breakfast. Home of the original Starbucks!! Seattle is the only city allowed the original Starbucks logo. Although that Starbucks sells the same drinks as any other, for something really different go to the Starbucks Roastery in Capitol Hill. Pike Place Market has many other great coffee shops and cafes though. You must try some of the food there. 3) Pioneer Square A great place for dinner, drinks and for night life, but be careful at night. There can be crime here. It is a great place for lunch as well. This is the historic old town. Have a rest at the tiny, but pretty Waterfall Garden Park. (Photo below) and nearby Occidental park. Take the Underground Tour as well to see the old city of Seattle. A great history lesson too! Don't forget a photo with the statue of Chief Seattle. 4) For the best view of the city go to Kerry Park for a few minutes and take that picture postcard photo. (The one featured in the header at the top of this page!) Then walk along Queen Anne Avenue for lunch or dinner. 5) Near the Space Needle there are various museums : Museum of pop culture, Science Center, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the Chihuly Glass factory which is beautiful! There are free concerts here in mid July, Search online for Bite of Seattle, it is an event not to be missed if you are in Seattle in July. Then take the monorail from here to the main shopping district and modern part of Seattle.
6) Bruce Lee’s Grave in Volunteer Park, Capitol Hill. It is a nice park as well.
7) The beautiful University of Washington (especially in Spring when the cherry blossom is out.) It is on the Burke Gilman Trail (great for a long walk or cycle all the way from here to the Arboretum.) Go shopping at the nearby University Village shopping center too! 8) You must also visit one of the hundreds of city parks!! See my section on Hikes for this. Don't forget Alki Beach too. Alki Beach is Seattle's main beach, so it is worth avoiding the weekends in the summer. Photo below 9) The Fremont Troll and other attractions in Fremont. Fremont is a cute little place for a stroll and lunch and a treasure hunt to find the troll, the Lenin statue, the rocket etc. There are more trolls around the greater Seattle area if you want to take the kids on a treasure hunt to find them. Great for adults too ,This is due to Seattle's Scandinavian heritage. Here is a link to the new trolls! 10) The Amazon Spheres are now open for free tours on selected dates for members of the public that wish to visit Amazon's worldwide head office, rain forest style globes. Visit the spheres I took the photo below while they were still being built.
11) For the kids there is also Woodland Park Zoo at Green Lake and The Aquarium in the downtown waterfront area.
12) Whale watching!! (Summer only).This tour is the only one from downtown Seattle at the moment and is a whole day including a stop in The San Juan Islands. 13) Gas works park. This is a small park on the site of an old gas works, but has great views of Seattle and of the floating homes, from the Movie Sleepless in Seattle. Photo below. 15) Argosy sightseeing cruises or Pirate cruises for something fun for the kids! But DON'T just stay in Seattle, look around you at the islands and Mountains and go there too!! Seattle is not just about the city, but the places you can visit from here. Only spend a couple of days in the city itself. Featured above is Mount Rainier (Now called Tahoma by many locals which is the native American name.) It is huge active volcano well worth a day out to visit or longer if you really like to hike. Below is the Snoqualmie Falls another great day out. Some recommendations for day trips from Seattle 1) Visit Mount Rainier National Park, an active Volcano. Just under 2 hours drive. You do now need to purchase a timed entry pass to get to the main sites which are Paradise and Sunrise. My advice for a day trip to Mount Rainier would be: Drive to Ashford Base camp (café and toilets there), then drive to paradise (restaurant, toilets and hotel there,) stopping at viewing points on the way, then drive to Ohanapecosh, take a walk through the giant Red Cedar trees there then drive back to Seattle. If you plan on visiting more than one National Park then purchase the National Park yearly pass. There isn't an entrance fee to the North Cascades National Park though. You will have circled most of Mount Rainier. It is beautiful!! It will take a whole day though. Stop off for dinner on your way back to Seattle at a pretty little town called Issaquah. If you can stay a couple of nights there you can really enjoy the hikes and there is a scenic railway too. You now need to book a slot arrival time in the summer from 24th May. ^ Leavenworth
3) Take a boat trip whale watching. This is where Orcas live in the wild. Summertime only. 4) Snoqualmie Falls Take the hike down to the bottom of the falls. Also visit the cute town of Roslyn. 5) Tulalip Outlet Mall a 40 min drive from downtown Seattle. Tulalip Outlets 6) Boeing Factory at Everret and The Museum of Flight in Seattle. 7) Gig Harbor A pretty little harbor town on an island. You can drive there and take the ferry back to Seattle. 8) A Ferry ride of just 35 minutes for just under $10 to Bainbridge Island, just step off the boat, straight into the harbour for lunch or wine tasting! Far cheaper than harbour cruises from Seattle and it departs from downtown Seattle ferry terminal and if it's a clear sky, fantastic views of Mount Rainier, the Seattle Skyline and Bainbridge Island. One of the best value things to do from Seattle for a few hours. Or If you take a hire car with you on the ferry you can spend a whole day on the islands by a driving on from Bainbridge island to the lovely Norwegian themed town of Poulsbo, then on to Port Orchard and take the ferry back to Seattle from Bremerton. A great day trip in the winter when you can't get to the National Parks. 9) The small beautiful towns of Port Gamble, Port Townsend and Sequim by ferry. Take a walk to the Dungeness light house too. Below is the General Store in Port Gamble, great for ice cream!
10) The beautiful San Juan Islands. Where you can often view the Orca Whales from land. See photo below of Friday Harbor.
11) Mount Baker and the North Cascades National Park, don't miss Diablo lake, Ross Lake and nestled between two volcanoes is Baker Lake. This park is very wild though. You must take bear spray as it is home to both black and grizzly bears. 12) Drive North of Seattle for the day visiting La Conner, Anacortes and Deception Pass Park on Whidbey Island. A very scenic day out. If you have time you can explore Whidbey Island too such as Langley or stay overnight to give you more time. 13) The wineries of nearby Woodinville. My favourite is Chateau Ste Michelle. They hold concerts there in the summer as well. Photo below.
14) The tiny scenic town of Index, world famous for rock climbing, but great for hiking, kayaking or cycling too. It's miles from anywhere and just beautiful mountain scenery. There are a couple of nice coffee shops with lovely views if you just want a short stop there on your way to Leavenworth or Lake Chelan. |
Shopping
Westfield South Center is one of the biggest malls in the Seattle area. Great for a rainy day. This is close to the Airport. It is a great place if you love Chinese food! It isn't located in the safest neighbourhood though. City Centre Shopping : The Westlake Mall is In Downtown Seattle with a monorail link to the space needle. Outside of the small mall you can walk to many huge department stores including Nordstrom and Macy's. Don't miss the fantastic REI flagship store!! Patagonia have a store near here too. Seattle is a GREAT! place to shop for hiking clothes and equipment, you can even rent items. Bellevue has several good malls as well, including my favourite one right next to the Downtown Park in Bellevue called Bellevue Square I really like Bellevue Square as it isn't too big, has nice high street shops and feels a safe area, with other nice shops and restaurants just outside the mall and a small park to walk around. I recommend this one, it's worth a drive. Or for a small very upmarket mall in Bellevue go to The Braven The best Outlet Mall is 40 mins north of Seattle. It is not far from the Boeing Factory, so you could do both in a day trip. Tulalip Outlets These are The main neighbourhoods and what there is to see in each one:
The Salmon fish ladder at Ballard is well worth a view June-Sep. Freemont- Very liberal and wacky with a troll under the bridge and a statue of Lenin, only in Seattle! It is worth a stroll. It has lots of small independent shops and great little places for lunch! We all loved Fremont, a real must see little part of Seattle!! It also has a huge Organic shop that I loved!! They even have a naked cycle race around 21st June, if you are there then. Ballard- Nice for a stroll and dinner, lots of restaurants! It still has a Scandinavian feel, the first westerners to settle in this area were from Scandinavia. It has a Nordic museum too. It also has lots of small independent shops and restaurants. The Locks here are popular, we all loved seeing the Salmon climb the fish ladder here (A free attraction July-Sep!) Photo above. It is a good place to rent an airbnb place with buses to almost everywhere. Capitol Hill – The main student and LGBT area, with rainbow painted cross walks. It is a bit scruffy, not my favourite part, but lots of great bars and restaurants. It is a good place to stay as it is easy to get to anywhere from here. This is where the famous singer Macklemore grew up. Queen Anne- This is a my favourite neighbourhood. Take a walk to Kerry Park, it is a viewing point and you can take great photos of Seattle from here, A must see place!!!!! Warning- this area is very hilly!! It is a great place to stay in a rental home as it feels like a quiet residential area, but just 10 mins on the bus to the city centre! It has some good shops and restaurants along Queen Anne Avenue, so you can walk to these if you stay here. We just stayed in an AirBnB house in Upper Queen Anne, which was lovely. Madison Park- Nice residential area to rent a house as it is close to downtown, but feels leafier. The Washington Park Arboretum is here too for a nice walk. There are good transport links as well, a bus into the city centre takes only 10 mins, so this would be my favourite location to rent a house. South Lake Union - Up and coming area on Lake Union. It has a marina, cafes, good restaurants and the new Amazon H.Q with it’s Rain Forest style domed buildings is being built here. It is also where the floating homes in Sleepless in Seattle are. Green Lake This is a lovely residential area to stay or visit, to the north of the city centre, yet on the bus routes. Take a walk around the Lake (3 miles) and stop at one of the cafes and restaurants at one end and Woodland Park Zoo at the other end. Take a look at this video describing the main neighbourhoods of Seattle. Each neighbourhood is very different so try to see at least a couple.
Accommodation My view on the video above is to avoid staying in Pioneer Square, visit, but don't stay there due to crime. However the very safe city of Woodinville is a favourite of mine! I highly recommend that. In fact I now prefer to stay in the East side cities when visiting the Seattle area and just visit Seattle from there, due to the high cost of hotels and parking in Seattle and higher crime rate. (Again crime rate in Seattle is lower than Orlando and Phoenix, but even lower than the UK on the Eastside of Lake Washington!) If you wish to stay overnight in Seattle I would recommend a hotel in the location of the Hilton, (We stayed here and enjoyed it), Also these ones are good: Inn at the Market, The Edgewater Hotel, Hyatt Regency, The Paramount, Grand Hyatt, Sheraton Grand, Westin, The Fairmont Olympic and Thompson Hotels. (The Thompson was recently voted one of the best hotels in the US and has good views from the roof terrace.) See tripadvisor for something that suits you in this area. I would recommend downtown Seattle close to Pike Place Market rather than Seattle Center though. Seattle Center is not actually the city centre. We have also stayed in Airbnb's in Upper Queen Anne and Ballard areas of Seattle, nice residential areas! I do recommend Airbnb if there are more than two of you. The Best areas in Seattle for Airbnb are Upper Queen Anne, Ballard, Green Lake, Fremont, Windermere, Laurelhurst, North Beach/Blue Ridge and Briar Cliff, The Air Bnb website If you are on a budget OR want to be outside the city in a quiet and very safe town with FREE PARKING!! I recommend the Homewood Suites in Issaquah. It's a 30 min drive or slightly longer bus trip, but it's a lovely town!! To the north you could stay in the suburb of Bothell which is close to the wineries of Woodinville. I recommend the Holiday Inn Express in Bothell For somewhere cheap in a nice area. It's also around 30 mins drive to Seattle. Also the Hampton Inn and suites in Redmond is a great value option in a safe area, walking distance to shops and restaurants and is next to Target. The Hampton Inn in Redmond has a park and ride station just opposite it, where you can get a bus to downtown Seattle in 40-50 minutes. There is now a light rail link to Bellevue as well, so this location is very good. We have stayed in Redmond, Issaquah and Bothell over various years. I recommend all of these towns as well as Woodinville and Kirkland. Check Tripadvisor for current reviews on the hotels mentioned though. If you want a nicer hotel than Holiday Inn type hotels just outside Seattle in a nice safe city then Bellevue is a lovely place to stay with nice hotels such as the Westin, W Bellevue, Hilton Bellevue, The Woodmark (Nice Lakeside location in Kirkland) and Hyatt Regency Bellevue. These hotels in Bellevue/Kirkland do charge for parking though., but still cheaper than Seattle. If you want to rent a log cabin or tree house outside of Seattle, look at these. I haven't stayed in these though so do check reviews. You could stay here a few days in addition to staying in other areas. https://www.vacationhomerents.com/seattle-wa-cabins Mountain log cabins https://treelinerentals.com Treehouses https://www.vrbo.com/en-gb/holiday-rentals/log-cabins/united-states/washington https://www.seattlemet.com/travel-and-outdoors/best-cabin-rentals-washington-state Try to find time to visit some of these beautiful Eastside cities. Only a few miles from Seattle, but totally different, with great shops, restaurants and parks. I could easily live in one of these towns/cities!
These cities are very, very different to Seattle, so it is good to visit a couple to see the difference between Seattle and the Eastside. I love both, but love the differences too. You will need to hire a car to get to these cities at the moment, although there are light rail stations being introduced now to link you to Seattle and the other Eastside cities. - Bellevue (rated 4th best city to live in the USA recently), with 78 parks! A very modern, upmarket and immaculate city. In 2022 house prices soared to an average of $1.2 million, the most expensive place to live in Washington State. It has a crime rate 75% lower than the average US city. - Redmond (home of Microsoft) and a nice town. Redmond is a bike friendly town with so many beautiful cycle trails, including one into Seattle. There are bike hire companies you can rent from such as this one Edge and Spoke. Take a picnic as there are plenty picnic tables on the trails and facilities just in case you have too much to drink or eat, with drinking fountains throughout the routes. - Kirkland A lovely little Marina great for paddleboarding, with a view across the lake of Seattle, nice restaurants too. - Issaquah (home of Costco) a pretty town near the mountains. (great for a hot day with lots of ice cream and frozen yogurt cafes.) From here it is 20 mins to Snoqualmie falls. (Where the T.V show Twin Peaks is set and filmed.Visit the cafe in North Bend if you are a fan of this show.) Must see places in Issaquah include a stroll along Front Street and historical Gilman Villagge. We have stayed at the Holiday Inn in Issaquah a few times and I love this town. It has free parking, unlike the Seattle hotels and it's only a 30 min drive into Seattle or you can take a bus. It is also a couple of degrees warmer than Seattle in the summer, another reason that I like staying here! Woodinville Wine country is a beautiful town full of local wineries including famous ones such as Chateau Ste Michelle, pictured below. It also has great restaurants, A must see town whilst in Seattle. Well worth a visit! There are rumours it may move to Eastern Washington State though, where most of their vineyards are, so enjoy it now while you can! I hope that doesn't happen though. A typical Seattle lake front view
The other great pastime in Seattle is reading. There are many local independent bookshops in Seattle, such as Elliot Bay Bookstore, funny that they still survive in the home of Amazon. Seattle locals love to curl up in a coffee shop, another thing Seattle is famous for, with a good book. The public library is amazing too, a great piece of architecture and very well equipped. Pop in for a read sometime! Pictured below is the Chihuly Glass art gallery at the Space Needle.
Crime Seattle, despite an increase in violent crime recently, is still one of the safest US Cities of it’s size. Slightly less crime than Orlando and Phoenix for example. The main crime hotspots are some parts of West Seattle, South, particularly White Center, Rainier Beach, Beacon Hill, Othello, South West Seattle and even some areas of Downtown Seattle. (Basically the areas between Seatac Airport and Downtown Seattle, the first few stops on the light rail train have the highest crime.) The safest places are North Seattle, From Upper Queen Anne and north of there, (Avoiding Aurora Avenue) . The East Side cities such as Redmond, Kirkland, Bellevue, Woodinville, Issaquah are very safe! I like to stay in these Eastside cities, it's worth paying a bit more for an airbnb in these areas. The hotels also tell you to avoid the Space Needle area at night as Well as Pioneer Square and Belltown late at night. However most of the nightlife is in Pioneer square and Belltown and with Seattle’s vibrant music scene, with Jazz Bars, Rock bars etc. It would be a shame not to experience this atmosphere, just don't stay out too late, there are drugs and where there are drugs there is crime. The main crime in Seattle is theft from cars , so don’t leave belongings in an unattended car, much the same as any city in the UK. If you are visiting Seattle in the winter, there are some great (hush, hush, well kept secret) Ski Resorts within driving distance to Seattle. They are small ski resorts for day trips really. Such as Snoqualmie, Stevens Pass, Mission Ridge, White Pass, Crystal Mountain etc Or you can head up to Whistler, Canada for the weekend Wildlife
There aren't any deadly snakes or spiders. There is one snake similar to our Adder, but nothing really to worry about. You do need to be careful of Black Bears though. Bear spray can be bought from most stores. Watch a you tube clip how to use it though. There are also Cougars, but they aren't seen as much as Bears. If you are hiking away from towns and cities then do read up on how to stay safe from Bears. Above, The Space Needle at Seattle Center, Seattle.
DO NOT come to this area and not take a hike!!!
These are my favourite places to walk in the city: Click on each one for a short video of each place. 1) Green Lake Park ( An easy 2.8 mile walk all around the lake with a Starbucks half way around!) You can hire kayaks and paddle boards here too. You can get a bus from downtown to here. There are lots of cafes and restaurants at one end of this lake, just across the road. Woodland Park Zoo is here too. 2) Discovery Park (about 4.5 miles all around including a lighthouse and coastal views) It is Seattle's largest park at 534 acres. Go for a hike here and then lunch in Queen Anne Avenue. The trek down to the beach though is a very tough one though! 3) Alki Beach – A stroll along the beach as far as you want to go with views of Seattle across the water. A nice photo spot and cafes along the beach front. If it is hot and you don’t want to walk far this is the best place to be. There are lots of cafes and restaurants here too. 4) After visiting the above, you should also consider Carkeek Park especially if you are staying near there. There is a bus from downtown to Carkeek Park too! It takes a while, but is worth it. Below is a photo of my kids there in June 2017. There is a sewage works near the entrance but the hike down to the beach is really worth it. Take the slightly longer up hill hike the left fork on the trail. Above is a photo is of Green Lake in Seattle. I love this area!
For more hikes, check out these websites: Hiking
Hikes Hiking and camping equipment can be hired from the REI flagship store in Seattle. Above a longer hike at Mount Rainier (Tahoma)
Don't forget to take to the water if you have time. This city is all about the lakes and the Puget Sound (A sea). If you like you can hire paddle boards, kayaks, sailing boats or just take a ferry to one of the islands, but do at least one of these to experience the real Seattle lifestyle! My favourite places to hire paddle boards or kayaks are at Green Lake or Kirkland Marina. Below is Kirkland Marina.
Below is Chief Seattle in Pioneer Square
Longer Trips From Seattle, There is so much to see within a 3 hour drive!!!
1) Visit the Olympic National Park, I would recommend spending a night here at Miller Tree Inn, Forks. About a 3 hour drive from Seattle. (A must see place for any Twilight fans, but a good base to explore the Olympic National Park if you are not.) The beaches also contain bioluminescence and photographers can get a great shot at the beaches at night with the milky way and bioluminescence visible in the summer. You must visit the Hoh Rainforest in the Olympic National Park, one of the most northern rainforests in the world. 2) Mount St Helens and Portland , Oregon. Portland is a 3 hour drive from Seattle.
3) Drive to San Francisco. A 12 hour drive but you can stop for a couple of nights on the way. See my page on West Coast Road Trips. 4) Fly to Hawaii (5 hr flight) Or Cruise there. 5) Take an Alaskan Cruise from Seattle Cruise Port. May to September only. There are many other cruises from Seattle now, with new itineraries being added every year, such as down to Central and South America and to the Far East. So I would recommend a few days/week in Seattle before embarking on one of those. The Alaskan cruise specialist is Holland America. 6) Spend a few days in the beautiful, relaxing San Juan Islands. You can get here by ferry if you want to stay at least one night or by seaplane for a day trip to Friday Harbour. 7) Spend a couple of days in the peaceful Lake Chelan area and vineyards and visit the wild west town of Winthrop. It looks like it hasn't changed for many years! I intend to go here in 2023
^Benson winery, Lake Chelan
8) Hiking along the Columbia River Gorge and staying in the town of Stevenson, which would make a pretty little base and has restaurants etc. 9) Mount Vernon area (Especially for the Skagit Tulip Festival), If you are in the area in April. The town of La Conner and Anacortes are a nice weekend break distance about 1 1/2 hours from Seattle, situated on the Skagit river, close to the Puget Sound, with ferries across to the San Juan Islands. La Conner is also a good base to explore the North Cascades National park and the San Juan Islands as well as the city of Bellingham.
10) Go on a tour of some of Washington State's award winning wineries and vineyards. The wine is excellent in this state and the vineyards are in beautiful locations, many in rich volcanic soil with spectacular mountain scenery. The wineries are mostly in woodinville, with the vineyards mainly in the Walla Walla and Lake Chelan areas. Walla Walla has been voted the best vineyard town in the US for several years, beating Napa Valley! 11) North Cascades National Park. This is breathtakingly beautiful, a real wilderness. We stayed in La Conner to explore this area. Below is a photo I took there at Diablo Lake. Diablo Lake is the must see Lake here. It really is that green! I recommend staying in La Conner for a few nights as we did, to visit the North Cascades National Park and San Juan Islands! This is a nice hotel to use as a base La Conner Channel Lodge Or you can camp in camp grounds around the park. 12) Edmonds is a lovely small town just North of Seattle for lunch or dinner or take the ferry from here to the Olympic Peninsula.
13) Take a Road Trip around Washington State, featuring all 3 National Parks and some beautiful Islands. This is my suggestion for a spectacular Road trip, which I have done! 14) Take a Volcanoes road trip. Explore some of the most amazing volcanoes in the Cascade mountain range. Start at Mount Baker in North Washington State all the way down to Crater Lake in Southern Oregon.
Route Mount Baker, Mount Rainier, Mount St Helens, Mt Hood, Mount Bachelor, Crater Lake. (There are others too if you have time.) You can fly to Seattle and fly back from Portland or san Francisco for this road trip. 14) Take a road trip to Yellowstone National Park, ( A 12 hr drive) 15) Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Take a ferry across to this beautiful city on vancouver island. ^ Victoria, Vancouver Island.
16) Walla Walla, great for a short break. It's a world renown wine region. Wine and dine in this cute town.
17) Vancouver, Bristish Columbia, Canada, 2-3 hour drive. (See my page on Vancouver.) Or if you want to take a scenic drive, stop off at Anacortes on the way and take the ferry to Friday Harbor for a day or overnight. It is only a 4/5hr drive to Whistler from Seattle. You can drive to Vancouver or take the Amtrak train or a seaplane from Lake Union. |
Below Downtown Seattle at westlake
Below the viewpoint of the Seattle Skyline and Mount Rainier from Kerry Park.
Below is the Seattle Waterfront, taken from a ferry.
Below is one view from the Space Needle.
Entertainment
There is lots to do all day and night in Seattle.
You could take in a performance by the Grammy award winning Seattle Symphony Orchestra. We all enjoyed that! Other cultural attractions include the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Opera and many theatres such as the Paramount theatre and 5th Avenue theatre. You really must visit at least one of these venues one evening.
There are of course numerous bars, restaurants and nightclubs and all the sports teams to see!
There is lots to do all day and night in Seattle.
You could take in a performance by the Grammy award winning Seattle Symphony Orchestra. We all enjoyed that! Other cultural attractions include the Pacific Northwest Ballet, Seattle Opera and many theatres such as the Paramount theatre and 5th Avenue theatre. You really must visit at least one of these venues one evening.
There are of course numerous bars, restaurants and nightclubs and all the sports teams to see!
Most cities and towns in Washington State have free summer concerts with live entertainment and food trucks. There are lots of world class concerts held within the area too by famous pop stars and musicians as well, that you do have to pay for.
If you don't want to hire a car, here are some tours you can book.
If I haven’t already persuaded you to visit Seattle, this video will sum it all up nicely. I really like this one by Expedia who have their head office here, so they should know it well!!
Seattle
Or these:
New York Times article on Seattle
Lonely Planet
This site is a must see site for all about Washington State!!!!!!
Try to avoid visiting the National Parks at weekends in the summer as the whole of Seattle will be there with you!
Remember to bring some of these Seattle specialities home with you!