シアトルのツアー&観光アクティビティ

Ranked by traveller reviews: 1) Pike Place Market and a food tour, 2) the Space Needle, 3) Chihuly Garden and Glass, 4) an Elliott Bay harbor cruise, 5) the Underground tour in Pioneer Square, 6) a Mount Rainier day trip, 7) Snoqualmie Falls, 8) the Museum of Pop Culture, 9) Olympic National Park and the Hoh Rainforest, 10) whale watching in the San Juan Islands.

Two days for the city: Pike Place, the Space Needle, the waterfront and a cruise on day one, Fremont, Ballard Locks and a museum on day two. Add a day each for Mount Rainier and Olympic National Park. Most visitors are happy with three to five days.

Pike Place Market, Kerry Park’s postcard skyline view, the Olympic Sculpture Park, the Ballard Locks and salmon ladder, Discovery Park, Gas Works Park, the Fremont Troll and the Central Library. A Washington State Ferry ride to Bainbridge Island costs a few dollars and is the best-value cruise in the city.

Mount Rainier (about 2.5 hours, full day, wildflowers July–September), Snoqualmie Falls (30 minutes, half day, often combined with Woodinville wineries), Olympic National Park with the Hoh Rainforest and the coast (full day via ferry), Leavenworth’s Bavarian village (2.5 hours), whale watching from Anacortes or the San Juan Islands, and the Boeing Factory tour in Everett.

The market, the Space Needle, Chihuly, MoPOP and the Underground tour are all indoor and quieter in winter. Snoqualmie Falls is at its thundering fullest, Leavenworth runs its Christmas lights from late November, and skiing at Snoqualmie Pass and Crystal Mountain is an hour away. Rainier and Olympic tours pause on the high roads until spring.

A sunset sail on Elliott Bay, the Space Needle after dark (tickets are valid for a day and night visit), live music in Capitol Hill and Ballard, a ghost tour of Pike Place Market or the Underground, and the view from Kerry Park once the lights come on.

The Space Needle’s glass floor, the Seattle Aquarium on the waterfront, the Museum of Pop Culture, the Pacific Science Center, watching the fish fly at Pike Place, the Great Wheel, the Ballard Locks and a whale-watching cruise. The Underground tour suits kids from about age eight.

July to September is dry and warm, with mountain roads open and wildflowers on Rainier. Late spring and early autumn are quieter and still good for the city. Winter is grey and wet but cheap.

Yes for a first visit — the open-air deck and rotating glass floor give the classic view of the city, Puget Sound and, on a clear day, Mount Rainier. Combine it with Chihuly Garden and Glass next door and go on a clear day or at sunset.