Top things to do when visiting Seattle

Seattle is a really fun city to visit in the USA. In the North West of the country on the Pacific ocean, Seattle is great for a long weekend. Here are the top things to do when visiting Seattle.

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How long should I spend in Seattle?

There are some really fun things to do in Seattle, and some great options for day trips as well. You could probably see most of the main sights in the city and the top things to do when visiting Seattle in 2-3 days. However, I’d recommend staying a bit longer so you can take some time to take a day trip or two outside of the city. There’s some beautiful scenery in this part of the world that’s just waiting for you to explore.

You can visit Seattle as part of a trip to the USA by train – check out the best Amtrak train routes here to start planning your trip.

When is the best time of year to visit Seattle?

The North West of the USA can have cold, wet winters with short daylight hours and possible snow. If you’re planning to visit at this time of the year, it’s worth planning your trip to take into account the weather. Make sure you’ve got plenty of options of indoor activities if the weather is bad, and pack some warm and waterproof clothes. You’ll still be able to enjoy some outdoor activities, as long as you’ve got the appropriate clothing.

I enjoy visiting Seattle in the spring or autumn. The weather is a bit warmer than the winter, but there are fewer crowds and less heat than in the summer months. The shoulder seasons can also be great for getting good deals on some of the nicer hotels in the area, so you can enjoy the luxury of a nice hotel without the high prices.

Top things to do when visiting Seattle

If you’re looking for a great travel guide to take with you on your trip to Seattle, I’d recommend this travel guide to Seattle (affiliate). There are some great recommendations of places to stay and restaurants, and also some helpful maps of the main sights.

1. Pike Place Market

One of the top things to do when visiting Seattle is to visit the Pike Place Market. There are a huge variety of stalls in the market – the ones selling fresh fish are particularly impressive. There are also lots of restaurants, where you can eat looking out over the bay. And don’t forget to say hello to Rachel the Pig as well, one of the famous things in the market.

2. Space Needle

No trip to Seattle is complete without visiting one of Seattle’s most famous sights, the Space Needle. At over 600 feet tall, the views from the top of the observation deck are just amazing.

If you’re lucky to visit on a clear day, you might be able to see across the city to Mount Rainier in the distance. It’s often too cloudy in Seattle to see it, but you might get lucky.

Visiting the Space Needle at sunset can also give amazing views. Check the opening times and prices of the Space Needle here.

3. Original Starbucks

One of the most famous coffee shops around the world originated in the city of Seattle. The original Starbucks coffee shop was here, just outside of the Pike Place Market. You can buy a coffee here and marvel at how this chain has managed to spread around the whole world.

4. Seattle Aquarium

Seattle Aquarium is another of the top things to do when visiting Seattle. There are some amazing displays here – the otters were some of my favourite. The touching pool was great as well, where you could interact with starfish. The aquarium was really educational as well, with lots of information about the sea lie in the area.

5. Boat trip

The best way to appreciate the beautiful city skyline of Seattle is to take a boat trip around the harbour. Argosy Cruises offer great sightseeing boat cruises. It’s best to do this on a sunny day if possible, so you can sit outside on the boat and enjoy the views. The view of the Space Needle from the water is just amazing, and you really get a sense of just how vast this city is. Check out the times and prices of the boat trips here.

6. Seattle Waterfront attractions

The Seattle Waterfront is a great area to spend a couple of hours for a fun afternoon. The Seattle Great Wheel gives great views across the Seattle harbour and Puget Sound. There are some fun shops here as well across the piers, and some stalls selling food as well.

7. Enjoy the seafood at Elliott’s Oyster House

Seattle has some of the best fresh seafood of any city I’ve visited. You can really get the sense that the fish was caught in the pacific ocean just earlier that day. One of my favourite restaurants in Seattle was Elliott’s Oyster House, which was just along the Seattle Waterfront. The food was just amazing, with a range of options of other fish if you don’t want oysters. It’s in a great location for a beautiful after-dinner walk along the waterfront as well.

8. Bubble Gum wall

One of the more unusual attractions in Seattle is the Market Theater Gum Wall, situated in an alley just underneath Pike Place Market. It’s just a colourful mass of bubble gum stuck over the wall. It’s probably a bit unhygienic, but it’s kind of cool as well.

9. Museum of Pop Culture

The Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle is a great museum if you like films and music. It’s organised into different genres, with sections on things like fantasy or science-fiction. There are some displays of props from films in each of the sections. Ones from the Terminator film and Lord of the Rings trilogies really stood out for me, but there were loads more. It was a really fun museum and definitely worth visiting.

10. Pacific Science Center

Another museum in Seattle that’s worth visiting is the Pacific Science Center. This museum starts with a great display about dinosaurs, with some great models, fossils and skeletons. There’s also a great section on space and the planets, and a butterfly garden as well with exotic butterflies from around the world.

11. Take a day trip to Discovery Park

The North West pacific coast and Puget Sound has some amazing scenery, and it’s worth taking some time when you’re in Seattle to explore outside the city centre a bit. I’d recommend visiting Discovery Park, just outside the city of Seattle. There are beautiful walks through the forest, where you can see some of the wildlife this area has. I was lucky to see an American Robin, a Hummingbird and also a young Bald Eagle.

There are also beaches, where you can see across the water to the Olympic Mountains. Take some time to explore the beaches, as you never know what you might find. I found a skeleton washed up which was fascinating.

There’s also a lighthouse here as well. Access to the West Point Lighthouse is restritced, but you can still get a good view of it. Just make sure you take a warm coat if you’re exploring around here – it can be a lot colder than the city, especially on the exposed rocks around the lighthouse. The views across to the mountains were still beautiful despite the cold.

12. Explore the Olympic Mountains and Mount St Helens

If you’ve got a bit more time for your trip, I’d recommend taking some time to explore more of Washington state. Hire a car and drive into the Olympic Mountains, or visit the famous Mount St Helens. Road trips into the mountains are just amazing in this state. Check out my blog here for more details about exploring Washington’s mountains.

Enjoy the top things to do when visiting Seattle! Remember to check out this great travel guide to Seattle (affiliate). The USA has so many more amazing places to visit. For some beautiful scenery near Seattle, visit the Olympic Mountains or Juneau, Alaska. Or why not head down the coast to enjoy the best experiences in California, including San Francisco, Santa Barbara and Los Angeles.