Seattle Travel Guide

You probably know all about the rain and the coffee, but there is a lot more to Seattle than that. The largest city in the Pacific Northwest has been attracting entrepreneurs, artists, and others in search of a pleasant lifestyle for several decades now and Seattle is now a major destination with a vibrant music and arts scene and plenty to do and see for everyone.

WHAT TO DO

Rather hilly and sandwiched between the Puget Sound and Lake Washington, Seattle offers gorgeous citywide views that might remind you of San Francisco. The Space Needle tower is instantly recognizable and the large complex at its base has the new, Frank Gehry-designed Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum among other things.

The downtown area is both pleasant and walkable, although much of it is covered by a free public transportation zone that comes in handy when it's raining. The Pike Place Market is touristy, but certainly worth a visit. Once you've seen the one guy throw a couple of fish to the other guy for no good reason, move on and check out the rest of the maze-like complex full of restaurants and unique shopping.

Pioneer Square is the oldest part of downtown Seattle and its pedestrian-friendly streets are lined with galleries, restaurants and interesting bars. The hipster and gay-friendly Capitol Hill district is one of the most visually fascinating in the city, and the bohemian Fremont district is also a tourist destination unto itself.

GETTING THERE

You'll be booking your flight into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). Once there you can get a city bus downtown for around $2. You can actually arrive in Seattle by train if you are coming from California or Oregon to the south or from Vancouver, BC from the north and the train station is conveniently located downtown.

If you come to the airport by car you can save both time and money by booking your Seattle airport parking online. Another good option is to to book a Seattle airport shuttle which can take you from home to the airport and back.

WHERE TO STAY

Like many other American cities there aren't enough hostels in Seattle, but there are some good ones in great locations. Of course there are loads of Seattle hotels from which to choose, but the city is fairly spread out so make sure you choose your neighborhood carefully.

You can get around within Seattle on their good public transportation system, but if you want to get out of town you'll want to rent a car. Be warned, however, that all that water and those bridges are lovely to look at, but they tend to choke the traffic down to a standstill very often.