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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Kingston
Kingston, Washington
Give Kingston one night as a ferry-and-bed stop on the way to the Olympic Peninsula — or a half-day if you are already on the Kitsap Peninsula.
Kingston is a small Puget Sound town (population about 1,600) at the north end of the Kitsap Peninsula, reached by a 30-minute Washington State Ferries crossing from Edmonds. The ferry is the reason most travellers pass through; the town itself is a compact waterfront with a marina, a few cafés and a Saturday market in summer. It works as a first or last night on an Olympic Peninsula loop, not as a multi-day base.
- Country
- United States
- Local name
- Kingston, Washington
- Best months
- May–Oct; July–August is warmest but the busiest for ferry queues
- Avoid
- November–February (wet, grey, some seasonal businesses closed)
- Stay
- 1 night
Checked 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change; anything marked (check) is not confirmed.
Essentials
- Currency
- USD
- Money
- Currency is the US dollar (USD, $). Cards and phone payments work almost everywhere; carry a little cash for tips and small vendors.
- Daily spend
- Budget $70–110 excl. bed · Mid $120–200 excl. bed · High $220+ excl. bed (estimate; check)
- SIM and data
- AT&T, Verizon and T-Mobile cover the country; prepaid SIMs at their stores and Walmart/Target (passport required), or an eSIM before you fly.
- Emergency
- Police, fire, ambulance 911
- Plugs
- Types A, B · 120 V · 60 Hz · Chargers are dual-voltage; hair dryers and straighteners from 230 V countries need a converter.
- Tipping
- Sit-down restaurant: 18–22% of the pre-tax bill.; Bar: US$1–2 per drink or 20% of the tab.; Taxi / ride-hailing: 15–20%, in the app.; Hotel housekeeping: US$3–5 a night.; Porter / valet: US$2–5 per bag or car.; Tour guide: US$10–20 per person for a day tour.; Counter service / tablet prompts: Optional; 0–15%.
- Water
- Tap water is drinkable nearly everywhere; boil or treat water from streams in parks.
- Toilets
- Free public toilets are scarce in big cities; use cafés, department stores, libraries, stations. Rest areas on highways are free.
What things cost
| Item | Price |
|---|---|
| Coffee | $4–6 |
| Breakfast or crêpe | $10–18 |
| Burger and fries | $15–22 |
| Draught beer at a brewery | $7–9 |
| Casual dinner, per person | $20–35 |
| Kitsap Transit local fare | $2 |
| Marina guest slip | $1 per foot per day |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SEA · Seattle–Tacoma International
- About 1 h 15 min–1 h 45 min by road to Edmonds or Kingston, depending on traffic; the Dungeness Line bus connects SeaTac to Kingston via the ferry (check current times).
- PAE · Snohomish County Airport (Paine Field)
- Smaller Seattle-area airport north of Edmonds; check which airlines currently serve it.
Typical fares
- Edmonds → Kingston ferry, car and driver
- about $27 one way
- Edmonds → Kingston ferry, walk-on adult
- about $11.35 one way; free from Kingston
- Kitsap Transit local bus
- $2, ORCA network
Show 7 more sections and the pocket cardHideGet around, See and do, Sleep, Phrase card, Etiquette, safety and scams, One and two days, Sources, Pocket card
Get around
Downtown Kingston is small enough to walk from the ferry to the marina, parks and cafés. Kitsap Transit runs local buses (full fare $2, part of the ORCA regional system) and the Kingston Ride shuttle links downtown, the ferry terminal and The Point Casino; service is limited, so check times before relying on it. A car makes the peninsula and Olympic National Park far easier.
See and do
Known for
- Edmonds–Kingston ferry crossing
- Port of Kingston Marina and Appletree Cove
- Gateway to the Olympic Peninsula via the Hood Canal Bridge
- Kingston Farmers Market (May–Oct)
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Hansville and Point No Point | Drive about 20–25 min north on SR 104 and local roads | About 40 min |
| Poulsbo | Kitsap Transit route 307 to North Viking, or about 20 min by car | 30–40 min |
| Bainbridge Island | Drive via SR 305 and the Agate Pass Bridge, about 30 min | About 40 min |
| Port Gamble | Drive east on SR 104, about 10 min | About 15 min |
| Bremerton | Drive via SR 3, about 35–45 min | About 1 h |
| Port Townsend | Jefferson Transit route 14 from the ferry terminal, or drive via SR 104 and SR 19 | About 1 h |
Sleep
- Downtown Kingston / waterfront
- Walkable to the ferry terminal, marina and cafés; the obvious choice for one night without a car.
- Highway 104 corridor
- Motels and the casino hotel a short drive from the terminal; better if you arrive late by car.
- Port Gamble and Poulsbo
- 15–30 min away by car; more rooms and restaurants if Kingston is full or you want a longer stay.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Where is the ferry terminal? | Where is the ferry terminal? |
| One ticket, please | One ticket, please |
| How long is the wait? | How long is the wait? |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card? |
| Is this seat taken? | Is this seat taken? |
| Thank you | Thank you |
Etiquette, safety and scams
Etiquette
- Greeting: Handshake and 'hi, how are you?' — reply 'good, thanks'; avoid: Treating the question as a real health enquiry
- Restaurants: Tip 18–22% and wait for the check; avoid: Leaving without tipping
- Personal space: Keep an arm's length in queues; avoid: Standing close to strangers
- Politics and religion: Listen more than you speak; avoid: Opening with hot-button topics
- Smoking: Smoke only in marked areas; avoid: Smoking near doors or in parks where banned
Scams and watch-outs
- Vehicle ferry lines back up for hours on summer weekends — arrive early or walk on.
- Ferry fares are one-way for vehicles and round-trip for passengers; walk-ons pay from Edmonds but ride free from Kingston.
- Local buses are infrequent and some routes stop in the early evening; do not plan a late arrival around them.
- Winter is wet and windy, and some seasonal businesses and market stalls close.
Kingston is a low-crime small town and feels safe day and night. The real risks are ferry queues, cold Puget Sound water, fast-changing coastal weather and limited late-night transport.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Kingston yet. Suggested stay: 1 night. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Edmonds–Kingston ferry crossing
- Port of Kingston Marina and Appletree Cove
- Gateway to the Olympic Peninsula via the Hood Canal Bridge
- Kingston Farmers Market (May–Oct)
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Kingston Chamber of Commerce: kingstonchamber.com/
- Washington State Ferries — Kingston terminal: wsdot.com/ferries/vesselwatch/TerminalDetail.aspx?terminalid=12
- Port of Kingston Marina: portofkingston.org/
- Kitsap Transit: www.kitsaptransit.com/
- Kitsap County Parks: www.kitsap.gov/parks/
- Wikivoyage: Kingston (Washington), revision 5276328 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5276328
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
KingstonKingston, Washington
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire, ambulance911
No embassies in Kingston; consulates are in Seattle. US travellers: your own country's services are in Seattle or Washington, DC.
Ferry fares and schedules change by season and sailing time — confirm on the Washington State Ferries site before you drive.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/kingston-washington). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.