seattle bus tour

Join us for Seattle Food Tours, Walking Tours, and More!

• Hour Glass 4.5 hours

Boeing Everett Factory Tour from Seattle

Experience the modern marvel of commercial jet production on this one-of-a-kind tour.  Includes admission to the Boeing Future of Flight factory tour and guided transport to and from downtown Seattle.

• Walking Tour
• Hour Glass 2 hours

Pike Place Market Food & Culture Tour

Join us on an intimate guided food tour of the world-famous Pike Place Market as we explore the back alleys, narrow corridors, and tiny storefronts in search of our favorite places.

Early-Bird Food Tour of Pike Place Market

Early birds are rewarded with this food and culture tour of Seattle’s most famous attraction!  This intimate and tasty tour gives you a valuable a head start on the crowd of 30,000 people who visit the Market each day.

2 Hour Seattle Snapshots Tour

Designed to help you create the ultimate Seattle photo album – 7+ iconic photos of the best spots, all in 2 hours!

• Hour Glass 3 hours

3 Hour Sightseeing Seattle Tour

Experience the best of the city with a small group of no more than 14 guests! Great way to get to know all of Seattle in a short amount of time, we’ll explore all the major attractions and give you a glimpse into the charming neighborhoods that make Seattle unique.

Post-Cruise City Tour

End your cruise vacation with our award-winning 3 hour Show Me Seattle City Highlights Tour. Cruise pickup and airport dropoff included. Got time to kill before your flight? Add on a Blast Pass to The Space Needle and shopping at Pike Place Market!

• Private Tour

Build Your Own

Let us create an unforgettable Seattle experience for you, we’ll help you design an itinerary customized around your interests and our expertise.  Local hotspots, best-kept secrets, and charming neighborhoods make for a truly Epic day.

Why Book Seattle Tours with Show Me Seattle?

Small-group seattle food tours.

Our small group food and city tours are limited to 14 passengers or fewer, so you get a more intimate experience, greater access to local landmarks, and more personalized attention.

Amazing Seattle Tours by Locals

We have one goal: to exceed your expectations. We go out of our way to attract the best tour guides Seattle has to offer. Each guide brings unmatched passion to every tour they lead.

Unique Seattle Food Tours

We offer unique experiences that showcase Seattle’s cultural history, dynamic food scene, innovative businesses, and beautiful geography.

Join Our Highly Rated Seattle Food Tours!

We made several stops where we got out of the van, including a lengthy tour of the Ballard Locks led by our guide. Our tour guide, Lucky, was extremely knowledgeable and made the tour exceptional. The tour gave us a great overview of the history of Seattle, its culture and its many interesting sites. I would highly recommend the tour.

Truly the best part of our trip to Seattle. Seattle Food Tour was yummy and the information was great, Marcia has so much energy and definitely knows her way around the market. I look forward to doing another tour in the future.

The Pike Place Market food tour was fantastic. And Lucky Lane, our tour guide, was super entertaining and helpful, providing us with additional tips for visiting Seattle and dropping us near places of interest, e.g. space needle, on the way back.

We only had a couple of days in Seattle and this tour gave us a comprehensive overview of all of the major sights of the city. Our guide Dave (Elvis) was brilliant. Friendly, funny and wonderfully informative about the city. Thank you for a lovely tour and great value for money.

Dave (Elvis) picked us up on time in a nice comfortable mid-sized coach. When we arrived at Boeing a Dreamlifter was just about to take off and he made sure we got to the roof to see it and video it. He made sure we understood the processes and procedures involved in the tour. The factory is engineering on a huge scale and we saw the production lines for 747, 777 and Dreamliner. An excellent trip all round.

Simply AMAZING!!!!!! Great food tour! Had such a fantastic time! The walking is very doable and the scenery of the market is amazing!

Use code SUMMER10 for 10% on Seattle City Tours!

• Most Popular

PREMIER SEATTLE CITY TOUR BUS

SPACIOUS COACH BUS TOURS OF SEATTLE CITY

Quick Details

• Users Ages: Ages 3+
• Hour Glass Duration: 3 hours
• Tag Schedule: January 1 - December 31

Seattle City Tour By Bus

Seattle is so much more than just the Space Needle and Starbucks, but you might never discover what makes this city so unique without one of our expert local guides giving you an insider’s perspective on a Seattle tour.

As you ride in comfort up and down the steep downtown hills in a specialized minibus built specifically for sightseeing tours, you’ll be thankful not to be climbing the hills on foot.

Uncover Seattle’s secrets, such as why there’s an underground city beneath the Pioneer Square neighborhood and how the price of onions created the iconic Pike Place Market.

Our nearly 50-mile Seattle tour route will also take you far outside the city center to explore unique neighborhoods such as eccentric Fremont, the self-described “center of the universe” where you can meet its most famous resident, the 18-foot-tall Fremont Troll.  You’ll also witness the bustling maritime activity of the Fisherman’s Terminal and Ballard Locks , which carry more boat traffic than any other lock in the U.S.

Our friendly and knowledgeable licensed guides are the reason we’ve received TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence for 11 years running and over 2,000 5-star reviews.

If you’ve just arrived, this is the perfect introduction to Seattle’s must-see landmarks, helping you learn what’s worth your time and how to navigate the city, but even lifelong residents are surprised to discover hidden gems and fascinating stories they never knew.

If you are looking for a 3-hour Seattle City Tour with hotel pickup, please see:

Seattle City Tour PLUS Hotel Pickup

• Chevron down Potential Sites Seen on Tour Route

Seattle bus tours!  Sit back and relax in spacious coaches as our knowledgeable guides present Seattle’s neighborhoods and attractions.

• Pike Place Market
• Olympic & Cascade mountain views
• Seattle waterfront
• Historic Pioneer Square
• Waterfall Garden Park
• Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park
• T-Mobile Park & Lumen Field
• Chinatown and International District
• Starbucks Headquarters
• Lake Washington
• I-90 Floating Bridge
• Mercer Island
• Puget Sound views
• Panoramic Seattle city views
• Fremont neighborhood & Troll
• Lake Union & Ship Canal
• Fishermen’s Terminal
• Ballard Locks/salmon ladder
• Discovery Park
• Space Needle
• Seattle Center & MoPOP
• Chevron down Transportation Details & Considerations

Transportation Details

• Meeting location pick-ups commence prior to the tour’s departure time. You should receive an updated email confirmation that includes your meeting location’s pick-up time in the Pickup Location section. If your confirmation doesn’t include your pick up information, contact our office immediately to confirm your pick-up time.
• Please allow up to 5 minutes for your driver to pick you up from your scheduled pickup time. As well, allow extra time for  return.
• Please note that traffic and weather conditions can affect the routes for this tour. Traffic can be a challenge in Seattle, especially from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. Please allow for additional time for drop-off during these hours.

Considerations

• Gratuities are optional and not included in the price of your tour. If you feel your tour guide has provided an exceptional experience, gratuities are encouraged — and welcomed — at the end of the trip.
• Seattle City Tour Bus itineraries are subject to change depending on conditions and group dynamics, but rest assured that your guide’s expertise will maximize what you can see, learn, and experience with limited time.

Seattle Bus Tour Booking Instructions

When you’re ready to book, select your date and tour you have in mind to the right. After selecting the number of guests in your party, your pickup options will appear.

The first dropdown menu will ask which hotel you’re staying with; if you don’t see your hotel listed, you’ll select “Not Staying at Listed Hotel”.

A second dropdown menu will then appear. This is where you choose your meeting location:

• Seattle Public Library: 1000 4th Ave Seattle, WA (Pickup is 25 minutes before tour start time)
• Midtown: 1900 4th Ave Seattle, WA (Pickup is 15 minutes before tour start time)
• MoPop Pickup: 325 5th Ave N Seattle, WA (Pickup is 5 minutes before tour start time)

Plan to arrive to your meeting location 5 minutes ahead of the scheduled pickup time. You’ll want to be on the lookout for a white mini coach that says Tours Northwest. Give our office a call if you haven’t been picked up 5 minutes past your scheduled pickup time: 206-768-1234

Seattle City Tour FAQ

• Chevron down What hotels do you pick up at?

We have 2 tours that offer hotel pickup from most downtown Seattle hotels: Seattle City Tour PLUS Hotel Pickup and our Seattle City Tour & Cruise Transportation .

Our Premier 3-hour City Tour and our Mt. Rainier Tour offer 3 meeting locations within a short walk of most downtown hotels:

• Midtown: 1900 4th Ave Seattle, WA in front of the Urban Coffeehouse (Pickup is 15 minutes before tour start time)

Plan to arrive at your meeting location 5 minutes before the scheduled pickup time. You’ll want to be on the lookout for a white mini-coach that says Tours Northwest.

• Chevron down Why don’t you pick up directly at my hotel?

Downtown Seattle has such unpredictable and dynamic traffic conditions that offering hotel pickups on our standard tours (with up to 20 people who could all be staying at different hotels) would take valuable time away from the time we have for the tour.  We have 4 departure points, each very centrally located and very simple to get to, which makes it easier for everyone and means that we don’t waste any precious tour time doing multiple pickups around Seattle, one of which is likely just a few minutes walk from your hotel.  Feel free to contact us directly if you need further guidance on which pickup location is best for you, and if you haven’t yet chosen your accommodations, you can always let us know later.

In addition, if you do need door-to-door service, we offer a Premium City Tour and Pre-Cruise Tour for an additional fee which includes this service – the smaller group size of these tours allows us to pick up at hotels without anyone needing to be on the bus for an unreasonably long time.

• Chevron down What is the best way to get from SeaTac to downtown Seattle?

The easiest option is to take an Uber, Lyft, or taxi to your pickup location (Our Seattle Public Library picku p option is the closest to SeaTac).

Another less expensive option is to take the Link light rail from the Airport or Angle Lake station towards the University of Washington Station and exit at the Westlake Stop. When you exit, take the escalator upstairs to get to the street level.  Head north on 4th Avenue to our Midtown pickup at 1900 4th Ave Seattle, WA in front of the Urban Yoga Spa (Pickup is 10 minutes before tour start time)

• Chevron down Where can I park my vehicle in downtown Seattle?

If you’re driving into town to meet up with a tour, we recommend meeting us at our MoPOP pickup location and parking near here.  Next to this pickup location is the Republic Parking (Memorial Stadium Lot) located on 401 5th Ave N, Seattle WA 9109 is right next to our MoPop pickup (they offer a $10 all-day rate if you’re in before 9am)

Other options include:

Pacific Place Garage located at 600 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101 is two blocks from our Midtown pickup at 1900 4th Ave Seattle, WA, and has lower hourly rates than most downtown garages

On weekends (and after 4pm weekdays), take advantage of FREE Parking in the Amazon Doppler Building Garage located at 2021 7th Ave (7am – 2am) – this is about a 5 minute walk from our Midtown pickup at 1900 4th Ave Seattle, WA

• Chevron down Why should I book directly through your website?

All availability on our website is live and up to date – you’ll get instant confirmation after booking.  Booking on our website also opens a direct line of communication so we can let you know about any important information or changes regarding your tour.  Booking direct cuts out the middle man, which means we can spend more money on making your experience perfect while keeping our prices as low as possible for you. We guarantee to offer the lowest prices directly – if you find a tour operated by us anywhere else advertised for cheaper – we will refund the difference.

• Chevron down How do I know which bus is yours?

All of our tour buses are white and marked with Tours Northwest on the front or side.  Our drivers should be wearing a yellow shirt or jacket that says Tours Northwest and will be looking for you by name.

• Chevron down Do I need to bring a printed voucher or copy of my confirmation?

If you book directly on our website or over the phone, a printed voucher or confirmation will not be needed. Our tour guides will check you in by name prior to boarding the bus.

• Chevron down Is there a bathroom on the bus?

None of our mini-coaches are equipped with bathrooms, but our guides make every effort to provide opportunities for a public restroom every 60-90 minutes during our tours.

• Chevron down Can I bring a wheelchair/stroller/luggage?

It may be possible to accommodate a folding wheelchair/stroller/some luggage, but we have limited storage space, so please get in touch with your requirements before booking so that we can advise accordingly.

• Chevron down Do you have wheelchair-accessible buses?

We have a 12-passenger wheelchair-accessible bus that requires a minimum 7 days’ notice to reserve and is based on the availability of tours. We can only accommodate the wheelchair lift bus on our Seattle City Tour PLUS Hotel Pickup. If you will only have a folding wheelchair, it can be stored on any of our buses with advanced notice.

• Chevron down What should I do if I'm running late to my pickup?

Unfortunately, we cannot wait for more than a minute or two past the pickup time at any of our pickup locations. Please contact our office at 206-768-1234 as soon as you are aware you’ll be running late to discuss your options. There are no refunds available if you are not at your designated pickup location at the pickup time.

• Chevron down What is your cancellation policy?

We understand that sometimes plans change or things come up. We offer full refunds on all tours canceled at least 24 hours in advance of the tour’s start time.  There are no refunds in the 24 hours leading up to the tour. For private tours, we ask for a minimum of 48 hours notice for a full refund.

RELATED ACTIVITIES

• January 1 - December 31
• Hour Glass 3 hours
• Users All ages

Seattle City Tour Package PLUS Hotel Pickup

Combine our 3-hour Seattle City Tour with luxury hotel pickup and drop off!

• April 1 - October 31
• Users Ages 3+

Pre-Alaska Cruise Transportation and City Tour

Make the most of your time and money by combining tour and transportation with our Pre-Cruise City Tour! It also includes a 3-hour tour of Seattle. Consider this tour your Seattle hotel cruise port shuttle, with local culture added on top.

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Hop On Hop Off Seattle - Bus Tours

Seattle sightseeing bus tours.

Top Customer Reviews

Stacey stewart.

Worth the money! A great way to see Seattle.

Barbara Hoerner

Easy to order tickets on line.

Elena Febles

We liked being able to spend more time at a stop than on most tours. The buses run regularly. Some pick up points were a little hard to see but the drivers were very accommodating.

Experience Seattle in Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours

Home to remarkable architecture, sprawling parks, unparalleled cityscapes, and shopping options, Seattle is a major tourist hotspot. It is the largest city in Washington and has been inhabited for 4,000 years. The city is one of the fastest-growing metropolitans in the US and is rightly nicknamed the Emerald City.

The name Seattle is derived from the word ‘Sealth’ which was the language of the first settlers. The first ever gas station in the US was opened in Seattle in 1907.

When in Seattle, don’t forget to check out the world’s first revolving restaurant named Space Needle. It was built in 1961. Seattle has some of the world’s amazing glass studios which are worth checking.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: what is the best time to book the seattle hop-on hop-off tour.

June to September is the best time to plan a visit to Seattle and explore its neighbouroods. However, it is the peak tourist season so expect it to be crowded. Make sure to book your tickets in advance to avoid the last-minute rush.

Q: How many days are enough to explore Seattle?

We recommend spending 3 to 5 days in Seattle and exploring the popular attractions of the city. You can also venture for a day trip from Seattle if you plan to spend a week or so.

Q: Where do I exchange my Seattle bus tour voucher or paper ticket?

You will receive the bus tour vouchers on your smartphone. Since it is an E-voucher, you can show it at the time of arrival.

Q: What is the validity of the ticket?

There are several ticket options available to you, depending on your length of stay. Each Seattle bus tour will have validity from 24, 36, 48 to 72 hours. And the great thing is you can plan ahead as the vouchers are valid anywhere between 6 months to 1 year and can be used at any point during that period. Check the product page or bus tour operator for complete details.

Other Hop On Hop Off Destinations

• New York City
• San Francisco
• Washington DC
• Los Angeles
• Johannesburg
• San Antonio
• Reykjavik Iceland
• St-Petersburg
• Benalmadena
• Thessaloniki
• Kristiansand
• BUENOS AIRES
• Hop On Hop Off Bus Offers and Deals

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8 of the best day trips from Seattle

Dec 11, 2023 • 11 min read

Explore Washington State and beyond with these great day trips from Seattle © Thomas Barwick / Getty Images

With everything Seattle has to offer, it can be hard to imagine wanting to get out of the city for even just an hour or two.

Museums can be saved for rainy days, and it would be a shame to spend sunshine hours in craft breweries when there’s such gorgeous scenery to enjoy beyond the city limits. 

Whether you need a break from the tourist crowds and bustle of downtown , are looking for a serious hike , or have a pup threatening all the zoomies after being dragged to yet another farmers market, there are plenty of opportunities to get out of Seattle for the day.  In fact, some of the most breathtaking scenery, charming towns and picturesque back roads in Washington state lie within an easy drive or ferry ride out of the city. Here are some of our favorite day trips from Seattle.

1. Mt Rainier National Park

Travel time: 2 hours

The drive – about two hours, depending on the route and traffic conditions – makes this a bit of an investment for a day trip, but you can’t be this close to one of the most impressive mountains in the United S tates and not go see it.

The views are spectacular, whether it's a sunny spring day with wildflowers in bloom, a moody, cloudy afternoon, or a snowy winter’s day. 

You could easily spend weeks hiking in the Mt Rainier area (permits permitting), but you can develop a healthy appreciation for the place through any of the several day hikes from Paradise , which is home to the relaxing Paradise Inn and a visitor center. 

Paradise also makes for a fun Seattle day trip during the winter because it's one of the most popular areas in the park for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and snowboarding. It's also the only area in the park that allows sledding. Bring good shoes, warm clothes and a camera. Try to visit midweek to avoid crowds.

How to get to Mt Rainier National Park from Seattle:  The park has year-round access via the Nisqually Entrance, just under 90 miles and an almost two-hour drive from Seattle along SR-706. If you use GPS, use the address 39000 State Route 706 E, Ashford, WA 98304, or you’ll otherwise be taken to the park headquarters in Ashford.

From the Nisqually Entrance, it’s another 29 miles via Longmire to the Henry M Jackson Visitor Center in Paradise, where you can find parking and several trailheads. Note that in winter, the road between Longmire and Paradise is closed at night.

If your idea of a successful day trip to Mt Rainier involves hiking and biking, the Carbon River Entrance is a little over 60 miles – nearly 1½ hours – along SR-165. No cars are allowed beyond this entrance, only pedestrians and cyclists. 

You can also enter the park on its east side during the summer. It’s just under 82 miles – 1¾ hours – from Seattle to the White River Entrance via SR-167 and SR-410. From there, it’s about 18 miles, or half an hour’s drive, via SR-123 to Ohanapecosh . There are no public transit connections from Seattle to the park.

2. Leavenworth

Travel time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Adorable and unashamedly touristy Leavenworth has oodles of charm all by itself, but the imitation-Bavarian town’s idyllic wilderness setting is what really puts it over the top. Grab a beer and some brats at München Haus , then choose your adventure: the hiking, rafting and rock climbing here are all fantastic. 

Leavenworth is the gateway to the Wenatchee River and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness , where you’ll find some of the best hiking in the state, including several easily accessible day hikes.

How to get to Leavenworth from Seattle:  The 117-mile drive east along US Hwy 2 via Monroe, through the Cascades and over Stevens Pass, is truly spectacular. It takes under 2½ hours, but you’ll want to stop often for photo ops.

The route via the Snoqualmie Pass along the I-90 takes about the same time, even though it stretches over 135 miles. Several bus companies serve the route between Seattle and Leavenworth, or you can take the Amtrak train, although the three to four-hour bus journey makes it less feasible for a day trip.

3. Bainbridge Island

Travel time: 1 hour

Bainbridge Island is a favorite vacation destination for Seattleites and visitors from further afield, but the island is close enough to the city that it contains a healthy full-time population, many of whom commute to Seattle by ferry.

It’s the quickest and easiest way to get out on the water from the big city, and the ride over provides stunning views of both Seattle and the Sound. Lazily stroll around, tour some waterfront taverns like Doc’s Marina Grill , taste wines and maybe rent a bike and cycle around the invitingly flat countryside.

As far as family day trips from Seattle go, it doesn’t get much easier than this; the ferry ride is short enough that kids won’t get bored, and once they’re on the island, they’ll love exploring the Kids Discovery Museum .

Lively pubs and great Washington wines are the order of the day on Bainbridge. The island doesn’t stay up very late, but you won’t go thirsty when it comes to happy hour or leisurely cocktails in the evening.  Bainbridge Vineyards is a quaint and certified organic winemaker about 5 miles from the Bainbridge ferry terminal off Hwy 305 – perfect for a bike ride on a sunny day.

How to get to Bainbridge Island from Seattle:  Washington State Ferries run several times a day from Pier 52 in Seattle. The crossing takes about 35 minutes.

4. Bellingham

Travel time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Bellingham is underrated as a fun town for nightlife, especially if you’re into craft beer. Try the Kölsch at Chuckanut Brewery , a Bellingham Blonde ale at Boundary Bay and a Cosmic Dreams IPA at Aslan Depot , a historic bus and streetcar station renovated to look and feel like a cozy old English parlor.

If you like your adult beverages with a side of culture, start with a visit to the Whatcom Museum , a three-building collection of local and regional art, culture and history.

You can also wander the well-preserved Fairhaven neighborhood with its shops, restaurants and lovely bookstore, Village Books . Alternatively, drive 15 miles north to the traditionally Dutch town of Lynden, which has a pioneer history museum , bakery and historic hotel .

To stretch this day trip a little, opt for scenic Chuckanut Drive on the way there or back. This byway hugs the coastline between Bellingham and Mt Vernon, with opportunities to stop for hiking in Larrabee State Park and oyster-eating at the Oyster Bar in Bow along the way.

How to get to Bellingham from Seattle:  Head north on I-5 for about 90 miles (1½ hours) to Bellingham. For the more scenic Chuckanut Drive (SR-11) option, take exit 231 off I-5 just north of Mt Vernon. This route is about the same distance but adds around 15 minutes to the drive – if you don’t stop to admire the scenery.

5. Victoria, Canada

Travel time: 3 hours

At around a 2¾-hour ride on the fast ferry, Victoria stretches the definition of a "day trip," but the British Columbia provincial capital is worth the effort if you remember to bring your valid passport and meet the requirements for entry into Canada . 

With double-decker buses, afternoon tea, homes that look like castles and pubs with names such as the Sticky Wicket and the Penny Farthing , Victoria has long traded on its British affiliations. 

But while the fish and chips remain first class, and summer cricket games still enliven Beacon Hill Park , the days when Victoria was more British than Britain are long gone. In Victoria 2.0, the food culture embraces fusion, the beer leans toward craft brews and the abundance of bicycles resembles  the Netherlands  more than England .

Compared to the glassy skyscrapers of Seattle, Victoria is more laid-back and low-rise. On balmy summer days, a distinct holiday atmosphere takes over as people pile off the ferries to escape the mayhem of the mainland and forget their work. Sure, Victoria might have become trendier and more sophisticated in recent years, but in pace and essence it remains comfortingly old-fashioned.

How to get to Victoria from Seattle:  Victoria Clipper runs a passenger-only, high-speed catamaran from Pier 69 in downtown Seattle to Victoria’s Inner Harbor. There’s one round-trip a day; check the website for departure times as these may vary according to season.

6. Whidbey Island

Travel time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Whidbey Island is an idyllic emerald escape beloved by stressed-out Seattleites. At 41 miles, Whidbey is the longest island on the US West Coast. While it’s not as detached or nonconformist as the San Juans (a bridge connects it to adjacent Fidalgo Island at its northernmost point), life is certainly slower, quieter and more pastoral here. 

Having six state parks is a bonus. There is also a plethora of B&Bs, two historic fishing villages (Langley and Coupeville), famously tasty mussels and a thriving community of artists and artisans. Also on the island is the US Naval Air Station that dominates Oak Harbor. 

Whidbey is a particularly desirable day trip during the fall harvest: grapes, apples and pumpkins abound, as do cider and pumpkin beer. The season also brings wild mushroom foraging tours, which, unless you’re an expert, are best to join if you want to pick some. In the words of Terry Pratchett, “All fungi are edible. Some fungi are only edible once.”

Emerging from Fidalgo Island's flat pastures, the precipitous Deception Pass cliffs are overlooked by a famous bridge made all the more dramatic by the churning, angry water below. The bridge has two steel arches spanning Canoe Pass and Deception Pass, joined by a central support on Pass Island. Built during the 1930s by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC), it was considered an engineering feat in its day. The 5.5-sq-mile park also spans the channel, with facilities on the north and south flanks of the passage.

How to get to Whidbey Island from Seattle: You'll need a car and to take a ferry ride. Take I-5 north and SR-525 from Seattle to Mukilteo; depending on the route and traffic conditions, this trip will be around 40 to 50 minutes. Washington State Ferries run 20-minute trips between Mukilteo and Clinton throughout the day. The Sound Transit train on the Sounder North N-line isn’t a good choice for a day trip since it departs from Seattle twice in the late afternoon and returns from Everett twice in the early morning.

7. La Conner

Travel time: 1 hour 15 minutes

A small town with a surprising number of things to see and do, La Conner is practically made for a day trip. It has a compact, walkable center lined with shops, pubs and restaurants, a spring tulip festival that shows off its pastoral surroundings and a top-notch art museum in the heart of town. 

Its position alongside the lazy Swinomish Channel adds a cool maritime feel. And at around a 1¼-hour drive, it’s one of those short trips from Seattle that you can do without spending most of your day on the road.

Arguably the best time to visit La Conner is in April when the tulip fields around town paint themselves in bands of vivid purples, reds and yellows. Weekend traffic can be discouraging at this time, but the blooms are worth it.

Once you’ve had your fill of flowers, wander downtown toward the tiny marina. Stop in and browse at Handmade La Conner , where artisans in a back-room workshop make all the coffee mugs, textiles, fancy soaps and letterpress cards on offer. Be sure to save time for an exploration of the Museum of Northwest Art , which has an outstanding collection of regional paintings and sculptures and mounts several temporary exhibits each year.

How to get to La Conner from Seattle: From Seattle, take I-5 north about 55 miles to exit 221, then follow signs another 10 miles west along Fir Island Rd to La Conner. There are no bus or train services to La Conner.

8. San Juan Islands

Travel time: 3 to 4 hours

The sleepy San Juans exist in striking contrast with Seattle’s sensory overload, and they’re easier to reach than you might think (though if you can spare the time, an overnight stay is even better than a day trip). 

It may be nearly a four-hour ferry ride from Seattle to Friday Harbor on San Juan Island, but the voyage itself is one of the highlights – you can make the trip as part of a whale-watching tour, but it’s a gorgeous ride even without the whale element. 

On arrival, your entertainment options include mellow bicycling, paddling around in a kayak, eating decadent, locally sourced meals from restaurants like Doe Bay Café , and just hanging out. This day trip is also fantastic to make with your dog; there are several off-leash dog parks, including San Juan Islands Sculpture Park .

How to get to the San Juan Islands from Seattle:  From mid-April to mid-October, the scenic San Juan Clipper goes directly to Friday Harbor from the Seattle waterfront’s Pier 69 in 3¾ hours.

Or you can drive the 85 miles or so to Anacortes – it should take a maximum of two hours, depending on the route and traffic conditions – and hop a Washington State Ferry to Lopez Island (45 minutes), Shaw Island (55 minutes), Orcas Island (a little over an hour) or San Juan Island (an hour). Schedules vary by season, so check the WSF website for the latest. 

Note that for the San Juan Clipper, any pets need to be in a carrier, and you will need to book the trip in advance. For the Washington State Ferry, passengers can bring their leashed dogs into the exterior passenger areas, including the shelter decks.

This article was first published Jul 16, 2019 and updated Dec 11, 2023.

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• Climate Lab
• Pacific NW Magazine
• Traffic Lab

Here’s why we’re doing a Seattle DRIVING tour and not a mass transit tour

WHEN I PHONED Paula Cunningham, I didn’t know how the conversation would go. Things can get heated in Seattle when certain topics are brought up.

She was one of many readers who responded to my request for suggestions for this week’s cover story: taking visitors on a half-day driving tour of Seattle.

There was no mincing in her email.

She began: “Having just read two Climate Lab articles above yours on Seattle Times’ Top Stories, I find your article tone-deaf to the challenges of climate change and threats to the health of our beautiful city/state, as you cavalierly ask for suggestions on how to show friends and family around in a gas-guzzling minivan.”

Hers wasn’t the only response along those lines. We have a pugnacious anti-car sentiment .

The responses included:

● “I would do a driving tour if I secretly disliked that friend.”

● “It would be irresponsible to publish a ‘driving tour’ of Seattle.”

● “It’s comical you would suggest people drive their friends around to see the city that’s well served by transit.”

I told Paula — I like to think we ended on a first-name basis in our friendly conversation — that the math I did in making it a driving tour was simple.

But I also perfectly well understood her sentiments.

One of the most memorable trips my wife and I took was a Washington State ferry from Anacortes to Sidney on Vancouver Island (now canceled until at least 2030 ; “vessel availability constraints”). You can park your car at the ferry terminal and walk on with your bikes.

From Sidney, you connected to the Lockside Trail , a former railroad line, for the 16 or so miles to Victoria. It was flat and great for a lazy ride past farmland and woods.

Victoria, on its tourism website , touts itself as “one of the most bike-friendly cities in North America.”

Seattle is not flat terrain. Seattle is spread out.

How long would it take by bus, not to mention by bike, to get from the Ballard Locks to Capitol Hill, for example? Hours? This week’s sightseeing tour is six hours. That’s a big chunk of it gone.

You wouldn’t cover very much, and this story is about seeing lots of parts of Seattle.

Why try to do so much? Paula asked.

“If your out-of-town visitors are here for a very short amount of time, the main thing is to spend time with them,” she said. “I think what I’m trying to say is, maybe lower your expectations.”

Well, in a minivan, you ARE spending time with guests. It’s comfortable, and if someone needs a rest stop, you can find someplace convenient. You can drive to a specific place for lunch.

Paula suggested, “Out-of-town family and friends know to bring rain gear, so how about a walk or bus ride to visit an indoor attraction or a local bookstore?”

Waiting for a bus in the rain, or cruising in a dry, comfortable minivan?

I’m thinking: That’s an easy choice.

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The opinions expressed in reader comments are those of the author only and do not reflect the opinions of The Seattle Times.

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