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Voykit pocket guide · United States
Seattle
Give Seattle 3 nights: 2 for Downtown, Pike Place and the waterfront, 1 for Capitol Hill or Ballard. Go June–September; skip the grey months if you can.
Seattle sits on an isthmus between Puget Sound and Lake Washington, with 4 million people in the metro area and a downtown core you can cross on foot in about 30 minutes. Three nights covers Pike Place Market, the waterfront, the Space Needle and one neighbourhood; add a night for a Mount Rainier or ferry day trip. Summer is dry and bright, winter is grey and drizzly, and the city is generally safe for tourists.
- Country
- United States
- Best months
- Jun–Sep
- Avoid
- Nov–Feb (grey, wet, short daylight)
- Stay
- 3 nights
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 $90–140 excl. bed · Mid $150–250 excl. bed · High $300+ 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 and 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 (drip or latte) | $3–6 |
| Lunch (sandwich or bowl) | $12–20 |
| Dinner, mid-range restaurant | $25–45 |
| Craft beer, pint | $7–10 |
| Rideshare, Downtown to Capitol Hill | $12–20 |
Desk estimates, checked 2026-09; check locally.
Get in
By air
- SEA · Seattle-Tacoma International (Sea-Tac)
- 14 mi / 23 km south of downtown; Link light rail 1 Line to Westlake, about 40 min14 mi / 14 mi south of downtown; Link light rail 1 Line to Westlake, about 40 min
- PAE · Paine Field
- About 30 mi / 48 km north in Everett; limited routes, check before bookingAbout 30 mi / 30 mi north in Everett; limited routes, check before booking
Typical fares
- Sea-Tac to Downtown, Link 1 Line
- about $3, 40 min (check)
- Downtown to Capitol Hill, rideshare
- $12–20
Get around
Link light rail 1 Line links Sea-Tac, Downtown, Capitol Hill and the University of Washington; buses and the Seattle Center Monorail fill the gaps. A car is a liability Downtown — use it only for day trips.
See and do
Known for
- Pike Place Market
- Space Needle and Seattle Center
- Coffee culture and the original Starbucks
- Grunge music and the Museum of Pop Culture
- Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing headquarters
- Ferries across Puget Sound
Day trips
| Where | How | Time |
|---|---|---|
| Bainbridge Island | Washington State Ferries from Colman Dock, about 35 min | About 1 h |
| Mount Rainier National Park | Car via SR-706 to Paradise, about 2 h 30 min | 2.5–3 h |
| Bellevue | Link light rail 2 Line or I-90 bus, about 30 min | About 45 min |
| Leavenworth | Car via US-2, about 2 h 30 min | About 3 h |
Sleep
- Downtown and Belltown
- Walk to Pike Place, the waterfront and the monorail; best for a first trip with 2–3 nights.
- Capitol Hill
- Nightlife, bars and the LGBTQ+ core; 10 min by Link light rail from Downtown.
- Queen Anne and South Lake Union
- Quieter, near the Space Needle and Seattle Center; good for families.
- Pioneer Square and International District
- Oldest districts, cheaper beds, close to the stadiums and the light rail.
- Ballard
- North of the ship canal; locks, breweries and a slower pace, 20–30 min by bus from Downtown.
Phrase card
| English | Say or show |
|---|---|
| Excuse me / Sorry | Excuse meexcuse me |
| Thank you | Thank youthank you |
| This one, please | This one, pleasethis one, please |
| How much is it? | How much is it?how much is it |
| Can I pay by card? | Can I pay by card?can I pay by card |
| Where is the toilet? | Where is the restroom?where is the restroom |
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
- Car break-ins are common: leave nothing visible in a parked car, including in hotel garages.
- Downtown and Third Avenue have visible street drug use and petty theft; keep walking after dark and stay on lit streets.
- Ferry and light-rail queues peak on summer weekends and around cruise-ship days: buy tickets ahead or travel early.
- Rain is light but constant from October to March; a hooded jacket beats an umbrella.
Seattle is safe for tourists by US big-city standards. The real risks are car break-ins, Third Avenue and Downtown street drug use after dark, and summer ferry queues: keep bags zipped and walk lit streets.
One and two days
No timed day plan for Seattle yet. Suggested stay: 3 nights. Build a day from the list below, mornings for the big sight.
- Pike Place Market
- Space Needle and Seattle Center
- Coffee culture and the original Starbucks
- Grunge music and the Museum of Pop Culture
- Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing headquarters
- Ferries across Puget Sound
Sources
Written by Voykit; facts cross-checked against these sources, last desk check 2026-09. Prices, hours and rules change: check on the day.
- Visit Seattle: visitseattle.org
- City of Seattle: seattle.gov
- Port of Seattle — Sea-Tac Airport: www.portseattle.org/sea-tac
- Sound Transit: www.soundtransit.org
- Washington State Ferries: wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries
- Wikivoyage: Seattle, revision 5370655 (CC BY-SA 4.0): en.wikivoyage.org/w/index.php?oldid=5370655
Pocket card
Cut along the border and keep it in your wallet. Show the local-script lines to a driver.
Seattle
To this address, please
To this address, please
My hotel (write the name and address in the local script)
- Police, fire and ambulance911
Most countries have consulates in Seattle (check the address); the nearest embassies are in Washington, DC.
Voykit · checked 2026-09
Printed from Voykit (/seattle). Written by Voykit; checked 2026-09. Estimates only: confirm prices, hours and entry rules on the day.