The essential guide to visiting Seattle

Travelers visiting Seattle for the first time often think it will be all coffee and rain. Both are bountiful in this Pacific Northwest city tucked between Puget Sound and Lake Washingtonbut the Emerald City dazzles year-round with world-class museums and attractionsfestivals galoreand countless ways to experience nature on water and on land.  

Best time to visit Seattle 

Spring: Laugh off the rain at Moisture Festivala four week-long showcase of aerialistsacrobatsand odd surprises starting mid-March. In Maypreview independent films during the two-week Seattle International Film Festival. Over Memorial Day weekendthe Northwest Folklife Festival convenes at Seattle Center for a free celebration of artscultureand heritage.  

Summer: In June, Seafair begins a 10 week-long city-wide party with fireworksparadeshydroplane racesan air showand other events. In Julythe Seattle Art Fair fills Lumen Field with modern and contemporary art. Over Labor Day weekendSeattle Center hosts Bumbershoota joyous end-of-summer music and arts festival.

Fall: In September and Octoberharvests are insummer crowds are out and it’s the ideal time to visit the farmerscrafters and other vendors at the historic Pike Place Market. Seattle celebrates the glass arts in October during Refract: The Seattle Glass Experience. 

Winter: Head to Seattle’s Chinatown-International District for Lunar New Year celebrations. February’s Northwest Flower & Garden Show offers previews of spring. February is also Museum Monthwhen downtown hotel bookings include passes for half-off admission at many museums. In mid-Marchjoin the ‘bloom watch’ for peak viewing of Yoshino cherry trees on the University of Washington quad.

(10 must-do experiences for your next trip to Seattle)

Key areas to explore in Seattle

Downtown waterfront: Seattle’s revitalized waterfront is a 20-acre walkable experience with artparksand viewing spots out to Elliot Bay and the surrounding mountain ranges. The Seattle Aquarium, Ye Olde Curiosity Shopand the Great Wheel are among of the attractions herebut visitor can also go sightseeing on a ferry or an Argosy Cruise or head up to Pike Place Market on the terraced Overlook Walk. 

Seattle Center: The 1962 World’s Fair site is now a 74-acre urban park that’s home to the 605-foot Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glassthe Museum of Pop Culture (MOPOP)a dancing fountain with its own DJand Seattle Center Festála rolling series of 25 free festivals celebrating the city’s many cultural communities. 

The parks: Seattle has hundreds of parks in the city limits, including Volunteer Park in the Capitol Hill neighborhoodwhich is home to Volunteer Park Conservatory and the Seattle Asian Art Museumand 300-acre Seward Parkwhich has both beaches and 120-acres of old growth forest. 

At Lake Union Park you’ll find the Center for Wooden Boatsthe Museum of History and Industryand the NW Seaport’s floating fleet of historic vessels. 

The water: On Lake Union, kayaks and paddleboards, electric boats, donut boatsand hot tub boats are available to rent. The Center for Wooden Boats rents sailboats and offers free one-hour rowboat rentals and free monthly public sails with volunteer skippers.  

Where to stay in Seattle 

The Edgewater Hotel:  Seattle’s only over-the water hotel is not only right on the downtown waterfrontit’s also where The Beatles stayed during their 1964 U.S. tourfamously fishing from their hotel window. Poles and bait are no longer sold in the giftshopbut the views remain notable and the hotel is steps from the free Olympic Sculpture Park and a short walk to the Seattle Aquarium and other waterfront activities.

Hotel Sorrento: Built in 1909this hotel in Seattle’s First Hill neighborhood take inspiration from the storied Hotel Excelsior Vittoria in SorrentoItalyand is rumored to be haunted by Alice B. Toklasof hash brownie-recipe fame. The hotel’s Fireside Room hosts Silent Reading Parties during which patrons read silentlybut togetherwhile listening to live music.

Inn at the Market: A boutique charmer tucked inside historic Pike Place Marketthis hideaway hotel is well-loved for its restaurantsincluding Café Campagneits proximity to the waterfront and to the market’s offerings and for its rooftop deck offering panoramic views of Elliott Bay.  

(The 9 best hotels in Seattle for every kind of traveler)

Taste of Seattle

Seafood reigns supreme in Seattlewith fresh salmonoysterscraband halibut among the options to look for on local menus. Reliable places to indulge include Walrus and Carpenter in Ballard, Taylor Shellfish Oyster Bar(Pioneer SquareCapitol HillQueen Anne), Oyster Cellar (Pioneer Square), Half Shell (north end of Pike Place Market) and Local Tide in the Fremont neighborhood.  

(7 of the best coffee shops in Seattle)

Getting around Seattle

By public transportation: It’s easy to get around buslight railand streetcar. Plan your trip using King County Metro’s Trip Planner tool and pay for single rides or day passes with the Transit Go app.            

By car: Traffic can be challenging in the urban core. But if you’ve got a rentalthe city’s map of street parking locations and parking facilities will be useful. Rideshare services and taxis are plentiful.  

Here’s what you should know about visiting Seattle 

Weather: Don’t let Seattle’s bad weather rep scare you. Late fall and winter can be gray and rainybut you’re more likely to encounter a day of misty rain than one filled with downpours. Pack waterproof shoes and a light raincoat and you’ll blend in with the locals. 

Summer may start latebut stretches from mid-June through Octoberwith average temperatures ranging from the mid-60s to the mid-70s Fahrenheit in July and August.

How to visit Seattle sustainably

Seattle is serious about sustainability. You’ll spot recycling and composting bins in restaurants and attractions. Compostable take-out containers and utensils are standard. The city banned plastic bags back in 2012so tuck a tote into your suitcase.

Transportation: Downtown is hillybut very walkable. Sound Transit’s Link light rail is electric powered. King Couty Metro’s fleet is almost entirely hybrid or zero-emission vehicles. And there are plenty of e-scooters and e-bikes available for rent.

Shopping: Explore neighborhoods via vintage and secondhand stores by shopping at Barn Owl Vintage Goods in Georgetown, Lucky Vintage outlets in FremontBallard and the University Districtand Two Big Blondesthe country’s largest plus size consignment storein the Central District.