Seattle in 4 Days: a guidebook for getting the most out of your visit

Choosing between things to see and do in Seattle can seem complicated if you have to manage your activities on a relatively short visit, just like one that spans only 4 days.

However, you may be surprised to realise that this is more than enough time to take home a number of memories of some of the city's most iconic sites.

The Seattle Center is an area of the city that was created in 1962 for the World's Fair that same year. It covers a geographic area of approximately 30 hectares and contains many of the city's most important cultural establishments.

With that in mind, I can say that touring this neighbourhood and its surroundings on the first day of your trip is a very good decision. You should also consider that Seattle' s tour buses take this route as part of their regular route.

Ride the Seattle Monorail

The first monorail in the United States was created in Seattle because of the need to connect Downtown Seattle with the Seattle Center, which had been renovated for the 1962 World's Fair.

Over the years, it has become an emblematic means of transport in this community, despite the fact that it only runs between two stations.

Its aesthetics, which are clearly inspired by 1960s trends, and the minimal power consumption that makes it an environmentally friendly mode of transport, have also contributed to the appreciation of the locals for this striking suspension train.

You can catch it from the Westlake Center station or the one at Seattle Center, just outside the Space Needle. It runs daily from 7:30 or 8:30 am to 11 pm.

Tickets for a one-way trip are 3.25 euros per adult and approximately 1.50 euros for children and senior admission.

Visit the Chihuly Garden and Glass

The Chihuly Garden is a space that combines a variety of plants in the style of a botanical garden, along with another excellent collection of abstract glass sculptures.

All these elements are displayed together to create a rather magical and unreal impression.

This sort of natural gallery spans across 8 permanent exhibitions and the real star of the show is a glass greenhouse that features a 100 foot long sculpture inside in a palette of colours ranging from orange to amber.

The site is named after the visual artist to whom so many of the glass sculptures pay homage, Dale Chihuly. It is open every day of the week and regular admission for adults usually costs around 30 to 35 euros per person, children between 5 and 12 pay between 19 and 21 euros and seniors pay around 29 euros per admission ticket.

The Seattle City Pass is a sightseeing pass that you should look into before you start paying for tickets for this and the rest of your travel days, as it is a one-off expense that offers you a lot of discounts for the purchase of tickets to major attractions like this one.

Have family entertainment at the Pacific Science Center

Very close to the previous site, a mere 3-minute walk away, is the next point on this day's tour.

If you and your family like things to do with science, then you have to visit the Pacific Science Center. It is a non-profit organisation that was created with the intention of making science more accessible to a much more diverse public through a fun approach to science.

In this modern museum you will find a planetarium, a tropical butterfly house, technological and intuitive exhibits. There are a couple of activities that incorporate virtual reality and overall it's quite an educational experience.

It is open every day of the week from 10 am to 5 pm. Tickets start at 23 euros for adults and around 18 euros for children between 17 and 3 years old.

This is definitely one of the things to see or do with children in Seattle during your visit.

Take in the sunset at the top of the Space Needle

Closing your first day's itinerary in Seattle with a visit to the most iconic landmark in the entire city makes sense if you've been wandering around Seattle Center.

I'm talking about the Space Needle, because this tower with its peculiar structure offers a 360-degree panorama of the city and its surroundings.

When you visit it, you'll find yourself in a lift that takes you up to the circular observation deck in less than a minute. Which is impressive considering that this is a 184-metre high tower.

Up there you can learn a little about the creative and conceptual process that led the architects to design something so impressive. It is open every day of the week from 9 am to 11 pm and tickets are 39 US dollars for adults and about 29 US dollars for children between 5 and 12 years old.

If you feel like it, you can also have a drink at the world's only revolving glass-floored bar, located up there on the tower's observation deck.

After recharging your batteries to continue your discovery of the city, it is advisable to choose Downtown as the epicentre of your sightseeing for the second day of your trip.

This is the business and cultural heart of the city, as these streets are home to most of Seattle's skyscrapers and many of the most important institutions when it comes to the identity of this progressive and modern community.

Note that many of Seattle' s boat tours depart from the docks located in this neighbourhood of the city. It's geographically in a prime location.

Enjoy panoramic views of the bay at the Seattle Great Wheel

If you're still in the mood to enjoy the Seattle skyline in the morning light, then you should start your second day of the trip with a visit to the Seattle Great Wheel.

This 175-foot-tall Ferris wheel is among the tallest in North America and although it was built in 2012, it has quickly become a staple of the city's skyline.

There are 42 climate-controlled cabins that keep you cool in the summer and warm in the winter, allowing you to focus on enjoying the once-in-a-lifetime urban views.

Adults pay approximately 16 euros for a ticket and children between the ages of 11 and 3 pay1. A VIP cabin with glass floors, stereo sound and leather seats is available for €50 tickets and is favourable if you're looking for a luxury experience.

Tour the Seattle Aquarium

Right next to the Ferris wheel at Pier 59 is the Seattle Aquarium. This is one of the most important aquariums on the entire West Coast and certainly the most institutionally respected in the northwestern part of the country.

It has an extensive repertoire of preserved and protected marine creatures from the Pacific Ocean, including sharks, otters, giant clams, seals and sea lions.

Ticket prices depend on the season and the day of the week chosen, but adults almost always pay between $25 and $35 per ticket.

It's open every day of the week, so it's a good way to fill the mid-afternoon on the second day of your trip.

Visit the city's public library and art museum

Two of Seattle Downtown's most important public buildings are the Public Library and the Seattle Art Museum. The former is a site worthy of your visit for its architectural beauty, a modernist building with enough glass on its façade to cover about 5 football stadiums.

The art museum is the oldest in the city and has an art curatorship that seeks out the points where past and present meet through the visual arts.

Access to the bookshop is completely free, and you can check at the admission desk to see if there are guided tours of the museum on the same day.

On the other hand, ticket prices for the museum are around 23 dollars for adults and 16 dollars for teenagers between 15 and 18 years of age. Children under these ages are free.

See Lumen Field and T Mobile Park

A short walk around the Downtown area following a route that would take you to the corner where Lumen Field and T Mobile Park are located is a good way to end your second day's itinerary in Seattle.

Both are the city's big stadiums and the former hosts all kinds of concerts and is home to the Seattle Seahawks and Sounders FC.

T Mobile Park, the second stadium, is considered one of the most beautiful baseball fields in the country and is historically an important part of the city's identity.

Depending on the time of year you visit, you can enjoy them in two different ways. One might be to buy tickets to a game if it's the middle of the football, football or MLB season. The other is by requesting a guided tour of the facility, but these are given when no other activities are scheduled.

Booking a transfer to Seattle airport is also a good idea for the end of your day, as it is preferable that you have secured a car that will get you to your next day's flight on time.

By the third day of your trip it is logical that you will be interested in taking a much more intimate look at the city, because it is in the places that are far from the typical mass tourism that you will find the true essence of a community.

Booking some of the best food tours in Seattle may be an excellent idea, but the following activities are also other complementary plans that may surprise you in a pleasant way.

The Chinatown District

At the allegorical gates of the Chinatown District you will find yourself entering one of the most authentic and interesting neighbourhoods in all of Seattle. This is only logical, as this city is home to one of the largest Asian communities in the entire United States.

For that reason, its streets offer great food for breakfast and you can also learn about the history behind the migrant communities from the Asian Pacific to the far northwest of the United States.

South Lake Union waterfront

A little further north is the neighbourhood of South Lake Union. Over the past few decades it has become home to all sorts of tech corporations just like Amazon, which was born here.

Getting to know this area can be an excellent opportunity if you are interested in the field of technological innovation, as this neighbourhood is known as the Silicon Valley of Seattle and is generally a pretty nice area to spend your mid-afternoon.

There is a dock called the Center For Wooden Boats where you can rent a kayak to sail along the shores of the small lake on which this part of the city lies.

In fact, a simple stroll along the shores of this lake is a sight to see and do in Seattle in summer because of the amount of tourist traffic.

Capitol Hill's nightlife

Capitol Hill is Seattle's quintessential LGBT neighbourhood and over the decades it has evolved into a commercial and residential area that offers the best of Seattle's nightlife when it comes to partying in the city.

The area is quite beautiful and the range of restaurants and bars can be just as entertaining for those looking for a quieter, more family-friendly plan.

In fact, it's a fairly gentrified neighbourhood, so you shouldn't be surprised by the sheer number of luxury flats that line its streets, especially those closest to South Lake Union and Seattle Downtown.

Clearly, walking Capitol Hill is one of the best things to see or do in Seattle at night , no matter how long you stay.

Tour Volunter Park

An alternative plan in the Capitol Hill neighbourhood that has less to do with partying is Volunter Park. It is located at the northern end of this area of the city and has a pond and a greenhouse that make for a beautiful setting during the spring, summer and autumn seasons.

The park is also home to the Seattle Asian Art Museum and just a couple of metres away is the Water Tower Observation Deck, an ancient water tower with a spiral staircase that gives you access to a panoramic viewer.

There are other activities that are worthwhile, but have not been able to fit into the itinerary of the other days due to lack of time. It is therefore an excellent idea to finish them in your last moments in the city.

Some are among the best things to do in Seattle in spring while others may be more of a winter Seattle activity.

So it's up to you to decide whether an outdoor plan is something viable for your resistance to the cold or the heat.

Join a hike to Mount Rainier

Mount Rainier is one of the most beautiful national parks in the United States and at the same time one of the most studied volcanoes by the scientific community worldwide.

A trip to Mount Rainier on the last day of your 4-day trip to Seattle is an excellent idea if you want to get up close and personal with one of the most important natural wonders in the entire region.

These tours can last a full 10 or 11 hours and include a professional guide to accompany you on the hiking trails in the national park, as well as entrance fees to the visitor centre and the entrance fee to a protected area such as this.

The trip takes place in an air-conditioned minibus, which can be extremely comfortable for resting on the way back. Please note that children under 5 years of age are not allowed to join the tour.

In terms of prices, the most common rate for such a trip is around 150 euros per person and with meals you have the benefit of a fridge in the minibus in case you want to take something with you. You can have lunch either in the cafeteria at the visitor centre or at one of the other stops along the route.

In Seattle there are multiple public transport options that can help you get around the city quickly and easily. The light rail is one of them and it crosses the city from south to north and downtown Seattle is one of the sections that benefit from it.

In turn, the King County Metro is a network of buses with very diverse routes that mobilise the largest number of passengers within Seattle's most urbanised area.

Note that most routes operate 24 hours a day and that the cost of a trip on both alternatives is usually $3 per adult and $1.5 for children. Children under five are free, and you can buy a rechargeable ORCA card if you want to avoid paying cash.