A few months ago, my best friend and I embarked on our second annual summer trip for just over a week. This year we headed to the Pacific Northwest to visit Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver (BC). Today I’ve put together a quick Seattle travel guide for anyone who’s planning to visit anytime soon!
We only stayed two nights, but I think we were able to see quite a bit of what the city has to offer! Much like Portland, Seattle deserves more than just two nights…
Where we stayed
Another Aibnb success. We stayed in a private room of our host’s apartment in Capitol Hill, with a great view of the Space Needle from our window. The apartment was located just above the cutest corner cafe called Harry’s Fine Foods (run by the Airbnb host).
To be honest, I couldn’t have been happier that we chose to stay in the Capitol Hill neighborhood because it had a friendly and lively vibe from the residents, and was only about a 15-20 minute walk from downtown and Pike Place Market. From there, it was also just a short and inexpensive Uber ride to the Space Needle, which was nice too!
As I previously mentioned in my post about our stay in the Dominican Republic, I highly recommend Airbnb accommodations because you get to experience living with locals in some of the cutest spaces at great prices (cheaper than you’d find for most decent hotels).
Things to do in Seattle
Visit the Space Needle
This one may be a bit obvious, but you can’t go to Seattle and not see a 360º view of the city from 520ft high. What’s nice is that you have the option to see the city from above during the day or at night. We decided to go at night (around dinner time), because we figured it’d be a different experience and not as hot or crowded! Now since it’s still a tourist attraction, there were still a lot of people… however, it wasn’t too crowded to where we couldn’t move around comfortably or get up to the railing and appreciate the view!
One downfall of going at night is that you don’t get the clearest view of the outlined Cascades or Mt. Rainier.
Explore Pike Place Market
One of Seattle’s most iconic attractions is the Pike Place Market, which has been operating since 1907, making it one of the oldest public farmer’s markets in the U.S. It’s definitely easy to spend more than half of the day here exploring all of the different vendors ranging from fresh fish to fruits & vegetables to handmade and locally sourced goods (and more).
The market sits on a steep hill overlooking Elliott Bay, and is a must on everyone’s Seattle travel guide!
While you’re there, if you go at a good time and manage to get a table, stop for a delicious brunch at Lowell’s Restaurant located in the market.
Here, you’ll also find the original Starbucks and the Gum Wall.
Leave your mark on the Gum Wall
Alas, the Gum Wall! Literally. It’s a wall of gum. Well, walls. If you have the chance to explore Pike Place Market, you might as well stop and see this because even though it’s kinda gross, it’s quite a sight to see! It’s located in an alleyway under the market—don’t miss it!
The tradition of sticking used gum on this wall is over 20-years-old, so why not be a part of that?! Just two best friends leaving our mark on the Gum Wall. 🙂
Catch a ferry to West Seattle
For less than $10, you can take a short water taxi ride across Elliott Bay to Seacrest Marina Park where you can take a free shuttle to Alki Beach. Skip the traffic and take the scenic route—the views are well worth it! Plus, you’ll want to stop and have lunch at Marination Mai Kai for the fish n’ chips or beef tacos. The restaurant is a Korean/Hawaiian fusion spot that you don’t want to pass up.
If you take the water taxi back from West Seattle, you’ll end up in Pioneer Square which is the perfect spot to stop and have a glass of wine at a cute street cafe to people watch.
Wander around Downtown Seattle
Spend a couple hours shopping downtown at stores like Nordstrom, LOFT, All Saints, Nordstrom Rack, GAP, Macy’s, and more for some retail therapy… and for the sake of saying you went shopping in downtown Seattle 😉
And, while you’re in the area, if you’re a Belgian waffle lover (like me) then you’ve gotta stop and have breakfast at this counter-serve breakfast spot where you can have sweet and savory Liege-style waffles with your choice of toppings. SO good!
We had such a fun time exploring the Emerald City and its charming character. I hope this guide helps you plan your trip to Seattle and have as much fun as we did!