1-Day Seattle Itinerary
Visit downtown Seattle first. Start at Pike Place Market; the Gum Wall, get a coffee from the Original Starbucks (recognizable by the big line in front). While waiting, watch as the crowd swarms and the fish begin to fly.
Explore Pike Place Market, the Herb Garden and the new Market Expansion, and enjoy an early lunch maybe at Uli’s Famous Sausage (the city’s only currywurst). From downtown, head south along the waterfront toward Pioneer Square.
Ride the Great Wheel and enjoy fish and chips from Ivar’s if you haven’t eaten yet. The Seattle Aquarium and Miner’s Landing are also worth visiting. Take a peek inside the 120-year-old Ye Olde Curiosity Shop.
From here you can continue strolling along the pier to the Olympic Sculpture Park. The huge statues are great for photos. Enjoy views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains along the Elliott Bay Trail towards Pier 91 (about 4 km where Princess, Holland America and a few other cruise lines dock). It’s also just a short hop to the Space Needle. Not far from there you will find the International Fountain, the Pacific Science Museum, the IMP (Museum of Popculture), the Chihuly Garden and Glass and the Mono Rail Station. You can take the monorail back to downtown Seattle.
Don’t miss Pioneer Square, the historic heart of downtown, get tickets to the Underground Tour where you’ll literally descend beneath the city streets to see the remnants of historic Seattle. The Waterfall Garden Park in the area is a great place to take a break.
Pioneer Square borders the SODO neighborhood, where you can watch some of Seattle’s best sports teams. The Mariners play at T-Mobile Park and the Seahawks and Sounders both play at Lumen Field.
History buffs should visit the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, which tells tales of prospectors who set out from Seattle to search for riches further north in Canada.
Walk to Capitol Hill from downtown, take a bus to Ballard or Freemont, the Gas Works Park is nearby, or take the water taxi to Alki Beach.
Watch or ride the Washington State Ferry to Bainbridge Island or Bremerton on the Olympic Peninsula for spectacular views or even a whale sighting.
More to see or do
- The Seattle Art Museum and MOHAI are cool museums, and that’s coming from someone who isn’t usually a “museum person.”
- Even more fun is a cruise from Seattle to Alaska or, like us, from Alaska to Vancouver, Canada
- Hikes around Seattle, my favorites are the Discovery Park Loop in Seattle and the Bridal Veil Falls near Gold Bar
- Day Trip to Mt. Rainier National Park
- Skiing or snowshoeing at Snoqualmie or Stevens Pass
Seattle Sights at a glance
- Pikeplace Market
- Piroshky Piroshky, a Russian bakery located in Pike Place
- Starbucks Coffee
- Gum Wall
- Pirates Plunder!
- Miner’s Landing Pier 57
- Seattle Great Wheel- Riesenrad
- Monorail
- Seattle Fountain
- Tours; Seattle Boat Tours & Undergroundtour
- Seattle Library –
- Pioneer Square, historic heart south-west of Seattle
- Seattle Symphony
For a good view:
- Spaceneedle, SmithTower, Columbia Tower, Kerry Park known for its view (sunsets & sunrises)
Museen
- Museum of Flight and Boeing Future of Flight
- Museum of Pop Culture
- Seattle Glass Museum – Glas Kunst von Dave Chihuly’s
- Gates Discovery Center – Free entrance shows how the foundation supports the fight against poverty, disease and inequity around the world.
- Seattle Art Museum – houses over 25,000 paintings, sculptures, and other works of art, a wide range of styles and periods. Great for art lovers!
- Olympic Sculpture Park – numorous Sculptures spread over 9 ar
- Museum of History & Industry (MOHAI)
- Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience
Parcs for hiking, relaxing and swimming
Discovery Park , Alki Beach Park Gas Works Park, Seattle Japanese Garden, Bellevue Botanical Garden
Excursions in the Seattle area
- Snoqualmiefalls
- Cherry Creek Falls
- Wallace Falls
- Lake Serene Bridal Veil Falls
- Cottage Lake
- McCormick Park
- Juanita Beach Park
- Idylwood Beach Park
- Marymoor Park
- Chateau Ste. Michelle Vineyards
- Cottage Lake Park
- Adventura Aerial Adventure Park
Day Trips
- Mt.-Rainier-Nationalpark (distance 2 hours – 111 miles)
- Skifahren oder Wandern am Stevens Pass (Entfernung 80 miles, ca 90 min)
- Wandern, Skifahren oder Schneeschuhwandern am Snoqualmie Pass (distance 35 min, 16 miles)
- Whidbey Island und Bainbride Island by ferry
- Fort Nisqually Living History Museum (distance 40 min, 40 miles)
- Boing in Everett (distance 30 miles, ca. 40 min)
- Olympic National Park (distance ca. 2,5 hours & 110 miles)
- Leavenworth (distance 125 miles ca. 2,5 hours)
Seattle Impressions
Pike Place Market
Pike Place – Herb garden
Gums
Great Wheel
totem pole Seattle pier
Space Needle
International Fountain
Chihuly -Glaspalme
IMP- Seattle
Smith Tower
SmithTower lift
SmithTower Desk
SmithTower Bar
Waterfall Garden
Underground Toilette
Underground Lights
Zoo – lion
Zoo – Statue
play ground
pier
Old Skyline
Mono Rail
Basketball – Arena
Century Link
Century Link Station
Flower Garden
Waterfront Panorama
Alki beach view
Alki beach
Space Needle new look
Seattle Space Needle Orange Top
Skyline Seattle
Skyline-Seattle
Seattle Map
How to get the most out of the interactive map:
Option 1: Click on the rectangle at the top right and save the complete map with the highlights & tips in Google Maps. With a click on the star the map is saved as a favourite.
Option 2: Click on individual sights, then a drop-down menu opens on the left. You can use this to “open in Google Maps” the sight and save it there as a favorite.