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Seattle Travel & Sightseeing Guide

January 10, 2008 |

A trip to Seattle
Home to three of the world’s ten richest men, Seattle is clearly an enviable place to live. Hemmed in by wilderness and astounding natural beauty, the city sits on the Puget Sound, in plain view of an immense mountain range and quite near two major lakes. For this reason, it’s a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts and nature lovers from all over North America and abroad.

Flights to Seattle
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport is the primary hub in the Northwest Pacific region, offering regular international connections to Asia and Europe in addition to its many domestic routes. Commuter routes to Vancouver and Portland are also popular. An airport shuttle takes passengers to and from the city centre for slightly less than a taxi. Ferries to and from British Columbia and a number of smaller ports up and down the Washington coastline are also available. If you are looking for a cheap flight to Seattle try Expedia.

Seattle

The Greyhound bus terminal books regular routes to California and Oregon, and two railroad lines—one to Chicago and the other to Southern California—end in Seattle. Many times, travel by either of these modes in the US is more novel than it is affordable. Travel times are unbearably long and in many cases a discount airline can match the prices offered by long-haul land transport.

Sightseeing in Seattle
Seattle’s most well-known landmark, the Space Needle, towers above the city skyline. A high-speed elevator rockets spectators to the top of the structure where they’re rewarded with fantastic panoramas of the city and distant mountains. While perched here in the heights of the city, many visitors justify a high-brow dining experience in one of the world’s highest restaurants.

Pike Place Market is an exciting centre of commerce. First opened in 1907, this farmers’ market features shops selling produce and handicrafts along with a few boutiques, restaurants and occasional street performers. The oldest architecture in the city (19th century) sits on Pioneer Square. A couple of museums in Seattle focus on the 19th century Gold Rush craze and the exhibits offer a window into the tools and implements of that era.

Fun by night – eating drinking and partying
The University District is home to some of Seattle’s wildest party scenes. The Village and The Ave are the two main strips here, with a spread of sports bars, nightclubs, cafés, old-style theatres and loads of boutique shopping venues. This is one of Seattle’s oldest areas, so a lot of the architecture harks back a couple centuries.

Pioneer Square is a hotspot for late-night revelry, but you’ll also find plenty of mild-mannered cafés and trendy hangouts where patrons while away the afternoon hours. Starbucks was born in this neighbourhood, and beyond carefully crafted coffees, Pioneer Square is home to several art galleries (free tours on the 1st Thursday of every month) and bookshops that occasionally host book signings by prominent authors. When it’s all said and done, you’ll find seven nightclubs that all fall under the umbrella of a single cover charge.

Fun by day - shopping and activities
As with all major US cities, Seattle has more shopping outlets than you’d care to count. Many of the ritzy, upscale neighbourhoods host designer outlets and trendy boutiques dealing in every type and brand of good imaginable. Pioneer Square, The University District and Queen Anne’s neighbourhood are all great places to peruse the local selection. Just keep in mind that some the world’s wealthiest people make their home in Seattle, and there’s truly no limit to the amount of money you can spend here.


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