Seattle Travel Guide

Travel in Seattle

Let’s be real. Most people who come to Seattle know what to expect. The Space Needle towering over the skyline, the flying fish at Pike Place Market, and maybe a rainy day or two. But after living there for a year, we realized this city has so many layers you don’t see at first glance.

Best Time to Visit Seattle

We recommend visiting Seattle in June, July, August, or September. These seasons have the best weather for exploring the city, with mild temperatures. Summer has the most stable weather in the city, and the clearest days with little chance of rain. High temperatures range in the mid to high 70s Fahrenheit during this time.

Alternatively, you can also visit Seattle during the shoulder seasons of May and October. May is springtime in Seattle, with flowers blooming all over the city. October is when the peak fall foliage comes out, turning the trees of the Emerald City into vivid layers of yellows and reds.

Where to Stay in Seattle

If this is your first trip to Seattle, you are probably wondering where to stay! Seattle isn’t huge, and public transport is pretty good. Here are a few options below:

DOWNTOWN SEATTLE

If it's your first visit to Seattle, I recommend staying in Downtown Seattle. This is the main tourist area of Seattle and will be closer to most of the city's main attractions. Most tours will also be based out of Downtown Seattle. The con of staying in downtown is that some areas are dodgier than others.

SOUTH LAKE UNION

South Lake Union is a newly developed area and the hub of the city's tech industry. The restaurants are overpriced, but compared to Downtown Seattle, South Lake Union is cleaner and safer. It is the next neighborhood over from downtown, so it still has a central location.

QUEEN ANNE / UPTOWN

If you are looking for a neighborhood vibe, then look no further than Queen Anne. It's the area just north of the Space Needle and is a 30-minute walk from Downtown Seattle.

Queen Anne is much quieter and has curb appeal, but still has enough bars and restaurants to give the area some life. It's much safer than downtown and is just a nice neighborhood to walk around and watch the seasons change.

CAPITOL HILL

Capitol Hill is the heart of youth culture in Seattle. The neighborhood has vibey restaurants and the best nightlife scene in Seattle.

The biggest drawback of Capitol Hill is the lack of parking, dirty streets, and being farther from most of the city's main attractions. But it is along the light rail line, so it won’t be hard to get around. The crowd in Capitol Hill is much younger, so if that is your vibe, you’ll have plenty of fun staying there!

Day trips from Seattle

Besides all the tons of things to do in Seattle, you can also escape the city for the day to nearby destinations.

Bainbridge Island is one of our favorite quick getaways. It’s just a short 30-minute ferry ride from Seattle, and watching the city’s skyline drift into the distance makes the trip there a moment in itself.

Mount Rainier is the easiest National Park to get to from Seattle. It has some of the most incredible landscapes in North America. You can hike through wildflower meadows, alpine lakes, massive waterfalls, and glacier-covered peaks. Sometimes all within the same day.

If you don’t have a car, your best option is to book a Mount Rainier day tour from Seattle. The tour includes round-trip transportation and stops at a few of the park’s best sightseeing spots, including Paradise, and gives you time to explore at your own pace.