Seattle, WABy ArrivLast checked
Plan a trip to Seattle
A market, a waterfront, and two national parks within a few hours. Aim for August. July through September is the stretch when you can count on the mountains being out, and outside it you should plan as though you will never see Rainier.
- Weekend getaways
- Food trips
- Hiking
- Road trips
Free to run, and you keep editing after. Add who's coming or a pace like “slow mornings” to shape the result.
Seattle at a glance
3 to 5 days, four stops, three neighborhoods to choose a room in. That is the shape of a first trip to Seattle, and the notes below say which of them earn the time and which month makes the whole thing easier. Pike Place Market is the one to schedule first.
- How long
- 3–5 days
- When to go
- July to September is dry, mild, and the only stretch with dependable mountain views. Buy a rain shell. October through May is grey and wet, though rarely freezing, and the rain is mostly a steady drizzle that locals refuse to acknowledge with an umbrella.
- Getting around
- Link light rail runs from the airport through downtown to the University District. Walk within neighborhoods and take the ferries, since both beat driving here. Rent a car only for the national parks.
What to build the plan around
- 1
Pike Place Market
Go before 9am to watch it working, and head for the lower levels, which are the interesting part.
- 2
Chihuly Garden and Glass
Next to the Space Needle, and the better of the two if you only pick one.
- 3
Bainbridge Island ferry
Thirty-five minutes each way for the best skyline view in the city, which costs you a walk-on ticket and nothing else.
- 4
Mount Rainier National Park
Two hours south, and Paradise is the classic entry, though the wildflower window runs only from late July into August.
Where to stay in Seattle
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- Capitol Hill
- The best food and bars, walkable, with light rail downtown in five minutes when you want it. Browse stays in Capitol Hill
- Ballard
- Breweries, a Sunday farmers market, and the locks, so it is a quieter base with a bus ride into town. Browse stays in Ballard
- Belltown
- Closest to the market and the waterfront, and the most convenient base for a short trip, though it is the least interesting of the three. Browse stays in Belltown
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Itineraries close to Seattle
Seattle has no itinerary of its own yet. These are the nearest ones, and every stop is already mapped.
- Banff National Park Adventure Trip: 3-Day ItinerarySame kind of trip, planned in Banff National Park · 11 mapped places
- Moab Adventure Trip: 3-Day ItinerarySame kind of trip, planned in Moab · 10 mapped places
- San Diego Weekend Getaway: 3-Day ItinerarySame kind of trip, planned in San Diego · 9 mapped places
Seattle planning questions
- How many days do you need in Seattle?
- Most people take 3 to 5 days, and the extra one earns its keep if you dislike rushing. Three days covers the market, the waterfront, and Capitol Hill. Five makes room for Rainier or the Olympic Peninsula, and the Peninsula wants two full days, because one long drive out and back shortchanges the best of it.
- What is the best time to visit Seattle?
- July to September is dry, mild, and the only stretch with dependable mountain views. Buy a rain shell. October through May is grey and wet, though rarely freezing, and the rain is mostly a steady drizzle that locals refuse to acknowledge with an umbrella.
- Where should I stay in Seattle?
- Depends what you want to be able to reach on foot. Capitol Hill: The best food and bars, walkable, with light rail downtown in five minutes when you want it. Ballard: Breweries, a Sunday farmers market, and the locks, so it is a quieter base with a bus ride into town. Belltown: Closest to the market and the waterfront, and the most convenient base for a short trip, though it is the least interesting of the three. Nightly rate and walking distance pull against each other in all three, so you have to pick the version of that trade you mind least.
- How do you get around Seattle?
- Link light rail runs from the airport through downtown to the University District. Walk within neighborhoods and take the ferries, since both beat driving here. Rent a car only for the national parks.
- What should I see first in Seattle?
- Start with Pike Place Market, Chihuly Garden and Glass, Bainbridge Island ferry. Schedule the first of those before anything else, because it is the one that suffers most from a late start. Go before 9am to watch it working, and head for the lower levels, which are the interesting part.
- Can I build a Seattle itinerary automatically?
- Yes. Arriv takes the trip length, the pace you want, and the size of the group, then returns a mapped Seattle itinerary built from venues that exist. Editing it is the point, so nothing it hands you is fixed, and you sign in only when you want to save or share.