Hello, world! I just got back from Seattle, Washington, a city that’s been on my travel bucket list for years.
I went with my boyfriend and we spent five days and four nights there, which felt like the perfect amount of time. We stayed in a really cozy and beautiful AirBnB studio apartment about 15 minutes from Seattle’s city center (or, I guess, what seems like the city center to me … where all of the attractions are).
Here is my ultimate Seattle travel guide, including the highs, lows, must-visits, must-eats, and all of my best travel tips and tricks for checking out this city.
Things you can’t miss:
Here are the places and things I loved the most and feel like you should definitely try to see and do, especially if you’re limited on time or embarking on a short trip.
– Pike Place Market is a fun place to walk around.
Clearly there’s a reason this place is famous. We ended up walking around here almost every day, most of the time not on purpose. It’s just in an area that’s quite easy to walk to, if you ignore the hills.
It’s cool, but it won’t take you long to walk through it. There are a bunch of touristy comic shops, magic stores, and food stands in the area.
In my opinion, you can skip the used bookstores in and around the market … way overpriced. My boyfriend and I both love to read and go to bookstores often, but we were disappointed that the used books in these Seattle shops cost around $8 or $10 instead of the $3 or so we’re used to seeing.
I loved seeing all of the beautiful flowers and little food stands in Pike Place, plus you get a really nice view of the water in this part of the city. The waterfront park sort of area that’s nearby is nice to stop and eat your Pike Place snacks in, but just be mindful of your surroundings as there were a lot of homeless folks in this area.
– Go to the top of the Space Needle.
Before we got to Seattle, I’d read a lot about how you wait a really long time to get to the top of this … but we probably waited about 10 minutes, tops. Plus, the elevator ride to the top takes under a minute, which blew my mind.
I definitely recommend going here on a weekday, as that’s probably why we didn’t wait very long (we went on a Monday around 11 a.m.). This is also part of the Seattle City Pass, which I can’t recommend enough (more on that later).
Generally, at the top, you can snap photos on the outside deck and enjoy the rotating glass floor, which is kind of scary but also really awesome. Keep in mind that getting back down might take a while since it gets sort of crowded at the top. We waited about 12 minutes fo an elevator back to the main, bottom floor.
– See a show at Comedy Underground, especially if you can see Unladylike.
From what I understand, Unladylike is the special show for the last Tuesday of every month, but Comedy Underground has shows just about every night. The place is a bit hidden (its entrance is in an alley and it’s across from a place that also has “Underground” in its name), but it’s quite a gem.
A ticket to the show we saw was just $8, and we got two hours of five different comedic acts. My boyfriend and I were laughing the entire time (and, luckily, it seems the place doesn’t enforce the two-drink purchase minimum you read about online, at least not when the place isn’t totally packed).
Sure, the place is underground (it gets a bit warm, so wear layers) and the menu didn’t seem all that appealing, but the comedy was hilarious and it was really affordable. I definitely recommend checking this out if you’re looking for something to do at night.
– Take an Argosy Harbor Cruise tour.
Basically, this is an hour-long boat ride that features a tour guide telling you about all of the best sights in the city and miscellaneous fun facts about Seattle.
We weren’t actually going to do this and we only did it because we were nearby and it came with our City Pass, but I’m so glad we did!
You can see some really amazing views of the city from here, including the Great Wheel and the Space Needle. Plus, we learned a ton of interesting trivia about the area and boats. We also saw a bunch of sealions! 
Fortunately, the weather was nice so we sat on the outdoor top deck (if you want a seat up here, get in line early! it got crowded really quickly), though there were two indoor floors. They serve drinks and some snacks on board, but we didn’t try any.
Keep in mind that to book these tickets (if you’re doing so through City Pass) you have to show up to the dock in person at least an hour before your cruise takes off.
– Visit the Starbucks Reserve and try something special.
Again, we didn’t actually have plans to go here, but one day we just felt like strolling around after a trip to Pike Place Market and we ended up deciding to walk for about 20 minutes (uphill!!! oof) to the Reserve.
We didn’t realize that every single thing served here is special and cannot be gotten at your average Starbucks, so it was even cooler than anticipated! The place had a giant copper roaster, plenty of wood decor, a fireplace, lots of seats, and super friendly staff members.
The coffee drinks aren’t cheap or particularly large (special ones seemed to cost around $6 or $8) but they are served in a beautiful way and you can also order special coffee-tasting flights or espresso-based cocktails.
We tried a chocolate bicerin (espresso, velvety crema, and chocolate sauce) and an undertow (espresso, chilled half-and-half, and vanilla-bean syrup). Both were pretty to look at and not bad, but I personally liked the chocolate bicerin best. It was thick and tasted like a dessert.
While we sat at the bar in the reserve, we got free samples of coffee and plenty of water. We ended up loitering with our drinks for quite a bit to just enjoy the place’s cozy, calm vibe. Definitely a cool spot, especially if you like coffee! We didn’t try any of the special pastries or foods (apparently they serve pizza!?), but they looked super tasty.
– Pop by the Seattle Aquarium if you’re willing to shell out the cash.
Truthfully, this might not be worth it unless you’re getting the City Pass deal, since the tickets would’ve cost us around $30 or $35 otherwise. To be honest, the main reason we looked into the City Pass in the first place was because we wanted to check out the aquarium and were kind of stressed about the ticket price.
The aquarium isn’t too huge, but it is quite cool. I think I’m biased because they had the cutest seals and otters, my favorite animal ever. One of the otters has otter asthma which is sad but also the cutest because she’s trained to use an inhaler. Amazing.
We probably spent about an hour here because, as I said, there isn’t toooo much to see, but it is a fun thing to do if the weather isn’t so great and you want to see some aquatic creatures. As a note, I think we spent about 30 minutes out of that hour looking at the sea otters and river otters because I love them so freaking much and they are wonderful little guys.
We also saw an octopus get fed, which was pretty neat. I recommend visiting this place later in the day (around 4 p.m., which is about two hours before the place officially closes) because it’s quite empty, which is nice.
– The Museum of Pop Culture is pretty cool if you like music or movies.
Again, this was part of the City Pass (which I talk more about later), and it is right near the Space Needle. The museum is pretty cool and has exhibits for fantasy movies and games, horror films, music, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, and more.
Definitely a place to check out if you enjoy, well, pop culture. We spent about an hour or hour and a half here. It’s definitely a great place to check out on a rainy day.
– If you just happen to be in Seattle during the autumnal equinox, head to the Luminata festival in Freemont.
I know, this is oddly specific, but I was so glad we happened to be in the area while this was happening! Apparently, this special festival in Green Lake Park has been happening for about 20 years and it was so much cooler than we anticipated.
I think mostly local folks were there, but so many people went all-out with light-up outfits and impressive lantern designs. Plus, there were artists twirling light-up hula hoops and there was a fire-throwing show at the end that was a mix of pros and amateurs (it was horrifying yet kind of funny to watch some of the fire throwers and jugglers drop the flaming torches and whips).
All in all, it was a fun way to spend an evening and we enjoyed the live music, cool performances, and illuminated art pieces.
What you’ve gotta eat:
I have to say, I didn’t really have any expectations about food before coming here. As far as I know, Seattle isn’t widely known for a certain type of cuisine. But boy oh boy, Seattle’s food was AMAZING. Of all of the places I’ve traveled to, I think Seattle’s served me some of the best dishes (Sorry New Orleans and Austin!)
– Go. To. Biscuit Bitch.
This was the eatery I was hands-down most excited to visit. We went to two different locations and I really wanted to go to a third. The location in Pioneer Square was quite calm and the one in Belltown was very tiny and quite bustling. Fortunately, we were able to snag seats in both locations.
That said, be prepared to wait for your order, about 7 to 15 minutes depending on how crowded the place is and what you got. Trust me, though, the wait is worth it.
I had the Bitchwitch with spam (a delicious creation that’s a biscuit, special sauce, cheese, and spam) one day and it was one of the best things I’ve ever eaten and another day I had a simple buttered biscuit with honey, and it was also magical.
This place is just an absolute delight that you can’t find anywhere else. Plus, it always made me laugh when the people at the counter would call out orders (“Which bitch ordered a buttered biscuit?”) or orders no one has picked up (“Some bitch is missing their small orange juice!”).
This place’ll cost you about $6.50 – $11 depending on how intricate of a biscuit dish you order. They also serve coffee drinks, orange juice, and Arnold Palmer, in case you were curious.
– Get the macaroni and cheese at Beecher’s near Pike Place.
There’s a reason this stuff is famous, and this is coming from someone who doesn’t even like mac and cheese that much. Spring for a large cup of this and share it … and then come back two days later and get another cup like we did.
The pasta is coated in this creamy, smooth cheese sauce that has a bit of a peppery kick and it’s one of the tastiest things we had on this trip. We also tried the place’s “breadzel,” which is basically just a slightly spicy bread twist covered in cheese, garlic, and spices, but it’s not nearly as special compared to the macaroni and cheese!
A large cup of the macaroni and cheese I believe was about $12 and it’s about enough for two people to split as a hearty snack. The one pictured is a small cup, though, which is about $5 or $6.
That said, we later realized that Beecher’s has a location in New York City (my homebase!) so I’m sure we’ll be back to get more of this dish on the East Coast.
– Pick up some pastries at Piroshky Piroshky bakery.
There is often a line in front of this place, but the line always moves so fast. Sure, the pastries will cost you about $6 or $7 a pop, but they’re really large and are great for sharing.
Plus, they’re great for picking up and saving for later since they come in a cute and iconic bright-yellow box and they seem to stay quite well if you pop them in the fridge.
We tried Oscar’s Star, a buttery pastry topped with sweet cream cheese, chocolate, and chopped hazelnuts the first time we went and it was pretty tasty. It was definitely large enough for two or even three people to share.
We also tried the Marionberry Vatrushka (pictured), which was sort of like a buttery dough topped with a sweet, cream-cheese frosting sort of thing and tasty berries. It was our favorite for sure and it made for a great breakfast (it held up really well even after we refrigerated it for two days).
– If you take the ferry to Bainbridge Island, you have to visit Hitchcock Deli.
Admittedly, my expectations were low for this place since it didn’t seem like much from the outside … but holy crap. This place had the best pulled-pork sandwich I’ve ever eaten and it was served with a side of crispy kettle chips.
A sandwich will run you about $13 or $17, which isn’t bad considering the meats are cured in-house and the sandwiches are super satisfying. The mural pictured above is not from Hitchcock deli, but it is just a few blocks away from the eatery.
– If you’re in Freemont, visit the Freemont Coffee Company for gorgeous lattes and yummy pastries.
While on our way to the Freemont Sunday Market, we stopped here for some fun lattes and a quick, sugary breakfast. This place had plenty of seating and felt like a cozy house. They also had a nice range of pastries to choose from, whether you wanted a croissant or some brioche.
The latte art was amazing (I was delighted to have gotten a little creature, which we could not tell if it was a bunny or a cat or a dog, but loved nonetheless) and the pastries were really good, we split a brioche sort of thing and a chocolate croissant, which was very filling.
Things that were kind of just OK:
Ultimately, these things weren’t bad, but they are the things I would not necessarily recommend to anyone who only has a day or two or three in Seattle. These are the things I enjoyed, but didn’t love.
– Visiting Bainbridge Island was nice, but I wouldn’t recommend it if you don’t have much time to spend in Seattle.
The ferry ride to Bainbridge wasn’t super expensive (it’s also free going back to Seattle), but it is about 35 minutes each way. Yes, the views are pretty, but it does still eat up some time. Travel alone is a little over an hour … on the ride back we actually ended up falling asleep.
That said, the island itself is pretty and really quiet and quaint, but within walking distance to the ferry terminal is a “nature walk” that was quite underwhelming and shorter than we thought it’d be, pricey thrift shops, pricey book stores, and a few small businesses.
Sure, I didn’t know what to expect. And yes, Bainbridge is gorgeous. But, if we hadn’t gotten to this island I wouldn’t have been too upset. That said, the ferry ride does come with some really pretty views.
– The century ballroom has pretty cool dance lessons, but keep in mind they’re filled with a lot of regulars.
One night, my boyfriend headed over to this ballroom to try swing dancing. The lesson was just $10 a person and followed by a dance with a DJ, who played old-timey music. The venue was gorgeous but the lesson was a bit quick and it seemed like most of the people there were regulars who already knew how to dance, which was quite intimidating and unexpected.
Ultimately, my boyfriend and I sucked at swing dancing but we did have a good time improvising our moves and doing our very best. That said, if you’re not super experienced and don’t learn quickly, you might struggle with this one as we did.
The instructor wasn’t as clear or as helpful as I might’ve liked … that said, I’m comparing this to learning the two-step in Texas where our instructor wasn’t afraid to correct us or call us out on our missteps. The two-step was definitely easier to master, even though the swing-dance moves were seemingly simple, too.
– The Chihuly Garden and Glass museum was really impressive, but it wasn’t that big.
This is like a few feet away from the Pop Culture Museum and the Space Needle, so it’s worth stopping by (especially if you have the City Pass, which this is included in), but I guess I was a liiiittle bit surprised at how quickly this museum went by.
There were a lot of giant glass sculptures and smaller ones throughout the museum, and they were all carefully lit … but once you look at it, that’s kind of it.
Don’t get me wrong, the art and glass installations are absolutely breathtaking and beautiful, but I felt like the museum was a bit on the small side and we didn’t spend much time in here since there weren’t too many pieces to look at.
I’m glad we went, but a part of me doesn’t feel the cost of admission was worth it, so I’m glad we didn’t pay full price (Thank you, City Pass! They didn’t sponsor me in this post, I just love it).
I think it’s worth checking out, but if you’re tight on cash and time, it’s not an absolute must-see stop. Even if you don’t stop in, you should check out the exterior of the building as you can still see some gorgeous sculptures from there.
What you can skip:
Of course, do what you want! These are just my opinions based on my experience in Seattle. Not everything is always worth it and I always enjoy reading lists like this as they often help me plan future trips. Hopefully, this is helpful to you!
– You don’t have to go inside the first-ever Starbucks.
The line for this place was always down the block and ultimately, the coolest part about this spot is its old-school exterior. It’s more or less just your average Starbucks inside and I’m glad we didn’t end up waiting to check out the interior.
Take a photo in front of it and carry on. Seattle has so many Starbucks … if you really want a pink drink, get it somewhere else. And, if you’re a Starbucks fan, spend your time at the Starbucks Reserve instead for a more unique and immersive experience.
– You don’t have to buy the pretty flowers that are sold on every corner in and around Pike Place.
It’s so tempting when you can buy a stunning, photo-worthy bouquet of flowers for $5 or $15, but what are you actually going to do with them?
Throughout the trip, we noticed so many tourists had bought these flowers … but a lot of them seemed uncomfortable carrying them around or were struggling as water dripped from the bottom of the stems.
I’m not telling you how to spend your cash, but you might want to hold off on buying these if you plan to walk around a lot. That said, if you’re staying in the area for a while a bouquet could certainly be a nice addition to your BnB.
– If you’re going around the time of Freemont’s Oktoberfest, you can probably skip it.
We purchased our tickets in advance and went … it was incredibly underwhelming and definitely one of the most disappointing parts of the trip. The ticket was pricey and then you also have to pay quite a bit to sample beers (or, in our case, mostly hard ciders). You can’t buy full-sized versions of the beers or ciders, either, which we thought was a bit confusing.
There were hardly any food vendors (there was a New-York bagel truck, um, and a place selling $9 corn dogs) and there weren’t really any exciting events or games here. Yes, we went on the day where dogs were welcome and the dogs were SO cute, but they couldn’t even redeem this kind of meh festival.
It wasn’t much of a festival at all and it seemed like a lot of fellow attendees were also sort of disappointed, too. We overheard quite a few people saying that this Oktoberfest “wasn’t what they were expecting” and we’d agree.
That said, if you do go or are even in Freemont, stop by the nearby Brouwer’s Cafe! Their pretzel appetizer was incredibly tasty and our entrees were quite delicious as well, though we didn’t try any of its famous beer selection. Note, you have to be 21 or older to get into the cafe (even if you’re just eating), which was surprising to us.
– Dick’s Drive-In is affordable … but it’s not very good.
Look, I know. Fast food is fast food, but we were hungry, it was late, and we couldn’t resist trying a new fast-food chain that we can’t find on the East Coast or outside of Washington.
But this place just had mediocre fast food that, although it was affordable (under $5 per menu item, basically), it wasn’t very good. Plus, when I asked if the chocolate milkshake was made with real chocolate ice cream, the cashier told me: “We use a flavorless ice-cream sort of base and just add flavoring, so no” and it really disappointed me and turned me off.
Anyone who knows me IRL knows I hate chocolate milkshakes that are just vanilla (or, um “flavorless”??) ice cream with syrup added in … it’s just not the same. And although the shake was also cheap (about $3 from what I recall), even my boyfriend (who isn’t as picky about flavors) wasn’t a huge fan. I wasn’t expecting much for such a cheap shake, fries, and a burger, but I wish we’d gone to In-N-Out or something instead.
– The Chewing Gum Wall is neat if you happen upon it, but don’t go out of your way to look for it.
It’s exactly what it sounds like. It’s a cave-like area that is covered in chewed gum. The smell of it is kind of disgusting (smells like fruit, mint, and um spit?) and it’s just…dark and unimpressive.
Sure, we stuck some of our chewed gum to the wall as one does. But we only went here because we happened to pass it while walking around Pike Place Market. It’s fine.
Biggest tips:
– Get the Seattle City Pass.
This ended up being a huge money-saver for us, especially since many of the things we planned on visiting anyway were included in the deal. It costs $100, but it lasts you nine days from when you first activate it and it gets you over $100 worth of tickets to five different attractions. Plus, you can have it right on your phone.
Just note that for places like the Space Needle and Glass Museum, you have to scan the pass at a machine and get your tickets before entering the venues, you can’t just present the pass. It’s really easy, but good to know so you don’t waste time.
– Put aside a pretty big budget for Uber rides.
There are so many huge hills in Seattle, which means walking isn’t always a practical option, especially on days when it is a bit rainy. Plus, a lot of places we visited didn’t have parking or had pricey paid lots and gas prices are high, so getting a rental car didn’t make sense for us, either.
That said, we probably spent about $200 to $250 on Ubers between the two of us for a five-day, four-night trip, even though we also did a lot of walking and never went on a ride longer than 25 minutes. Part of the high cost could also have to do with Washington’s wildly high gas prices.
It was truly soul-crushing to spend that much on rides. That said, Seattle does have quite a few buses, but our AirBnB’s closest bus stop was up a HUGE hill and we decided to pay more and spend 15 minutes getting to our destination in an Uber instead of saving cash and spending 45 minutes to get to a place using public transit.
We did take the monorail at one point (which was cool! and affordable), but it only made one stop so it didn’t get us too far. Also, this is kind of irrelevant, but it was pretty wild that almost every Uber we took was a Toyota Prius; It seems those are quite popular in Seattle.
– Bring a waterproof jacket if you’re traveling during the end of September/early October.
Some days were really warm and sunny, but rain happened somewhat frequently and unexpectedly (unexpectedly based on the weather app, which was totally useless for this trip). The rain was often heavy enough to warrant having a raincoat but not heavy enough for an umbrella, so pack a good jacket!
For some reason, I couldn’t find any helpful packing tips for end-of-peak season travel to Seattle, so I hope this tip is helpful to you. It gets kind of chilly, but not wildly cold. Long sleeves, light sweaters, waterproof mid-weight jacket, jeans or leggings, and waterproof boots. You’re set.
Have you ever been to Seattle? Where do you want to visit next?
