Cruise Port Essentials: Exploring Seattle

Trip Overview

Seattle, Washington is not just a starting port for an Alaskan cruise; it’s a vibrant city worth exploring in its own right. If you’re embarking on an Alaskan cruise, you should consider spending at least a day or night here. Seattle offers a mix of a dynamic urban city, breathtaking natural beauty, and scenic waterfronts. From Pike Place Market to quaint nearby islands, Seattle is a destination that you’ll want to include in your Alaskan vacation.

Weather / Best Time to Visit: The best time to visit is late spring, May–June or early fall, September–October. You’ll find milder weather (50–70) and fewer crowds. Summer, July–August, is peak tourist season with warmer weather (70–80), but tends to be busier. Winter tends to be rainy. Seattle has a reputation for being rainy, so it’s not a bad idea to bring some waterproof gear and a small umbrella, just in case.

Transportation:

• Public Transit: The Link Light Rail connects SeaTac airport and downtown

• Seattle Center Monorail: An easy way to travel from downtown and Seattle Center

• Car: You can rent a car, but be aware that downtown parking can be pricey.

• Walking: Downtown, Pike Place, and most attractions are within walking distance.

• Bike Rentals: Bike rentals are widely available.

• Puget Sound Ferries: Ferries are available from Seattle to Bainbridge Island (the busiest ferry), Bremerton, Kingston, Clinton, and the San Juan Islands. Check local travel times as they can vary from 15 mins to three hours depending on the route.

• The Link and ferries are ADA-compliant, and the monorail is accessible from an elevator on 5th Ave. All are service-dog friendly.

Local Cuisine:

Seattle is known for its delicious coffee and fresh seafood.

Here are a few top recommendations:

• Ivar’s Acres of Clams: Located at Pier 54, serving delicious fresh Pacific Northwest seafood.

• Elliot’s Oyster house: Fresh oysters and Pacific Northwest seafood with waterfront views.

• The Crab Pot, Seattle: A fun family-style dining adventure, including a “Seafeast” experience with waterfront views.

• Dick’s Drive-in: A Seattle classic that serves burgers, fries, and famous milkshakes.

Located in Pike Place Market:

• Place Pigalle: A romantic setting with French-American cuisine and stunning views.

• Pike Place Chowder: Award-winning chowder that you don’t want to miss.

• Le Panier: Delicious authentic French pastries.

Coffee

• Starbucks Reserve Roastery: The ultimate coffee experience for coffee enthusiasts. They offer an immersive experience that showcases “the art, science and theater of coffee craftmanship”. They offer coffee, signature drinks, flights, cocktails, food, and tours.

• Espresso Vivace: Experts in espresso drinks and smooth ristretto pulls.

• Ghost Alley Espresso: Located in Pike Place Market with strong and flavorful espresso.

• Zeitgeist Coffee: A cozy cafe with delicious coffee and a great atmosphere.

  

  Ghost Alley Espresso

Seattle has some great breweries and bars where you can feel like a local, have a drink, and relax.

Here are a few popular spots:

• Fremont Brewing: A favorite spot serving craft beers in a relaxed atmosphere.

• Elysian Capitol Hill Brewpub: A beer hall with plenty of beers, a full-service bar and restaurant.

• Queen Anne Beer Hall: A large European-style beer hall with a wide selection of beers, bar food, and multiple TVs for watching sporting events.

Queen Anne Beer Hall

• Pike Brewing Company: A historic brewery with great beer and food.

• Sluggers: A sports bar with a fun atmosphere.

• Unicorn: An arcade bar with fun drinks and atmosphere.

• Canon: A cocktail bar with a creative drink menu.

Space Needle

Things to do in Seattle:

• Space Needle: The iconic observation tower in Seattle. It’s 605 stories, with breathtaking views of the city, Puget Sound, and Mt. Ranier. An elevator takes you up 520 feet where there is an observation deck, Atmos Cafe & Wine Bar, and a rotating glass floor.

• Pike Place Market: You can’t visit Seattle without visiting Pike Place Market. It’s a historic market with 500 shops, restaurants, and bars. You can get seafood, local crafts, flowers, cheeses, antiques, collectibles, and you can see the famous fishmongers throwing fish through the air. The market also has beautiful views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains.

Pike Place Market

• Seattle Art Museum: If you love art, they have must-see global collections and exhibits.

• Museum of Pop Culture: This museum features interactive exhibits of music, pop culture, and sci-fi.

• Chihuly’s Garden and Glass: A beautiful collection of glass sculptures by Dale Chihuly.

• Seattle Aquarium: The aquarium has abundant marine life from the Pacific Northwest. It features an underwater dome, interactive tide pools, marine mammals, and an ocean pavilion.

• Woodland Zoo: The zoo is on 92 acres with over 900 animals.

• T-mobile Park: The home stadium of the Seattle Mariners. If you are a baseball fan, you might be fortunate and catch a game, or you can at least take a guided tour of the stadium and experience the breathtaking views of the skyline and Puget Sound from this fantastic location.

• Olympic Sculpture Park: A free outdoor park overlooking Puget Sound.

• Discovery Park: This is Seattle’s largest park that includes scenic trails and beautiful Puget Sound views.

• Kerry Park: This small park has the best panoramic views of the Seattle skyline.

Day Trips

Mountain views from the city

• Mount Rainier National Park: It takes about 2 hours to reach the park, where you will find numerous hiking trails, climbing, wildlife viewing, winter sports, waterfalls, and breathtaking views. It’s also home to volcanoes and a large amount of glacial ice. Make sure you check to see if reservations are needed for any of the areas you are planning on visiting.

• Snoqualmie Falls: A 270-foot waterfall with easy trails for hiking, and Salish Lodge. It’s about 45 minutes east of Seattle. You can add a stop at North Bend, which is a cute town where Twin Peaks was filmed.

• Leavenworth: A Bavarian style village with alpine scenery, two hours northeast of Seattle There are seasonal festivals, with the two most popular being Oktoberfest and the Christmas lights.

• Olympic National Park: A three-hour drive and ferry ride will take you to the Olympic Peninsula, the home of Olympic National Park. The park is a million acres and has forests, meadows, lakes, rainforests, waterfalls, and rugged Pacific coastlines.

• Deception Pass State Park: A two-hour drive that takes you to a stunning park with rugged cliffs, tide pools, coastal trails, beautiful beaches, lakes, and Deception Pass Bridge, which connects two islands and offers amazing panoramic views.

• Whidbey Island: 1.5 hours from Seattle by ferry. It has quaint towns, wineries, beaches, and beautiful coastal hikes.

• Bainbridge Island: A 35-minute scenic ferry ride to a relaxed island with wine tasting, a quaint downtown, museums, and shops.

Nearby Islands have a lot to discover

Available Tours:

• Tours Northwest: 3-hour Seattle City Tour, 7-hour Ultimate Seattle Day Tour, and trips to Mt. Rainier.

• Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour: A tour of Seattle’s hidden underground city.

• Show Me Seattle: Small-group tours of the city and Pike Place Market.

• Savor Seattle Food Tours: Insider food tours that give you a real taste of Pike Place Market’s best and most unique food vendors.

• Seattle Food Tours: A local neighborhood food tour.

• Shutter Tours: Snoqualmie Falls and city tours.

• Cheryl’s Northwest Tours: Tours to Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains.

• Ride the Ducks of Seattle: A water and land tour in a WWII amphibious vehicle.

• Seattle Harbor Cruise: A scenic cruise that showcases Seattle’s most famous landmarks.

• Kenmore Air Seaplane Tours: A flightseeing tour that offers breathtaking views of Seattle by Seaplane.

Check your cruise itinerary as they offer a variety of excursions sponsored by your cruise line before or after your cruise.

As you can see, Seattle has something to offer for everyone. This is just a sampling of the many activities and adventures that Seattle has to offer. You can have a wonderful day just strolling through the city and eating at local restaurants, visiting Pike Place Market, soaring over the city in a Seaplane, or visiting the nearby mountains and national parks.

For more inspiration and insider recommendations, visit our Seattle page.