Seattle in 5 Days: everything you need to know

The Emerald City is the name assigned to the beautiful and idyllic city of Seattle. Home to a thriving arts scene, plenty of history and American culture, activities to see and enjoy in Seattle abound even with its particular weather conditions.

With this itinerary of activities get ready for a spectacular holiday that includes outdoor activities, museum evenings, delicious food and everything else you can imagine.

This itinerary includes 5 full days in Seattle leaving out the day of arrival and the day of departure from the city. If you want to see shorter itineraries I recommend looking at the itineraries of What to see and do in Seattle in 3 days or What to see and do in Seattle in 4 days.

Spend your first day in the city of Seattle exploring some of the highlights of the metropolitan area, as well as some of the city's most iconic landmarks. Don't forget your camera!

See the best of Seattle with a city tour.

Perhaps the best way to start your Seattle adventure is to hire the services of an expert guide for a quick tour of the best of Seattle. This type of tour allows you to get a quick glimpse of monuments, sights, parks and museums that you can see in detail over the next few days of exploration.

Numerous local companies offer this type of service, so the choice of one or the other will depend largely on your budget but also on your particular preferences. You'll find walking tour alternatives , bike or segway tours and other bus tour options.

The itinerary may change depending on the company you choose, however, many of them include a quick look at Pioneer Square, Lake Union, Fremont Troll and China Town.

Information of interest

• Hours: Offered at different times, I recommend taking the first tour in the morning to make the best use of your time.
• Price: This type of adventure can cost around €75 on average, but varies depending on the type of tour you choose and the format.
• Duration: You will need to set aside 2-3 hours for this tour.

Go to the Seattle MoPoP.

You can take advantage of your first day to visit the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle, which is considered a unique museum and a must-see for anyone interested in the POP culture of recent years.

Seattle is famous for its contribution of prominent artists, figures such as Jimi Hendrix and iconic rock bands such as Nirvana hail from this city. The best part about visiting Seattle's MoPoP is that the exhibitions change on a regular basis, so no matter if you've been to the city before, you'll always find something unique.

Interesting facts

• Hours: From 10am to 5pm.
• Price: Tickets to MoPoP cost around €28 per person.
• Duration of the visit: I recommend spending 2 hours touring the museum; if you are a real fan you could take a little longer.

See the city's most iconic landmark

No first trip to the city of Seattle would be complete without seeing its most iconic landmark: the Space Needle, a 184-metre-high tower with a flying saucer-shaped observation deck. From your location at MoPop, Seattle's Big Needle is right next door.

The monument was built in 1962 for the Seattle World's Fair and quickly became the quintessential symbol of the city. Climb the Space Needle for the most perfect views of the city; on clear days such as summer in Seattle it is possible to see Mount Rainer (the highest mountain in all of Washington).

Information of interest

• Hours: Varies depending on the season, I recommend checking the website a few days before your arrival in the city.
• Price: €34 for adults and approximately €25 for children aged 5 to 12.
• Duration of the visit: One hour is usually enough time to go up to the Space Needle, take photos and come back down.

The Chihuly Garden and Glass is just minutes away.

Get ready to discover some unique art by visiting the Chihuly Garden and Glass; located right next to the Space Needle, I recommend this as your next visit due to the proximity and uniqueness of the artwork.

In this space you will find the creative works in blown glass created by renowned Pacific Northwest artist Dale Chihuly. The exhibition opened in 2012 and has since attracted the admiration of Seattleites as well as thousands of tourists each year.

Interesting facts

• Opening hours: Open to the public from Sunday to Thursday from 9am to 6pm; Fridays and Saturdays from 9am to 7pm.
• Price: Approximately €30 for adults and €19 for children aged 5-12.
• Duration of visit: I recommend booking at least 1 hour to explore Chihuly Garden.

Watch the sunset at Olympic Sculpture Park

From your location at Chihuly Garden, Olympic Sculpture Park is only a 10-minute walk along one of the most important avenues in downtown Seattle: Broad Street.

Visiting this gigantic park is one of the best things to do in the city because of the fabulous sculpture art you can enjoy here. The park is located on the shores of Elliott Bay, which offers fabulous views of the sunset over the water.

Enjoy dinner and a stroll in Belltown

Famous for its trendy shops, bars, art galleries and restaurants, Belltown is one of Seattle's trendiest areas and is located right next to Olympic Sculpture Park. Take a leisurely stroll and enjoy fine dining; some of the suggested places include:

• Some Random Bar A bar and eatery whose food offerings feature a variety of American dishes and a wide collection of craft cocktails.

• The 5 Point Cafe A traditional American restaurant nearly 100 years old, specialising in fresh American sandwiches served throughout the day.

• Taqueria Cantina A bar-restaurant offering Mexican dishes and drinks.

On the second day of exploring the city, I recommend going a little further south to get a deeper insight into Seattle's cuisine and the spaces where locals hang out.

Spend a few hours exploring Pioneer Square

Wake up early in the morning to make the most of the day and get to know one of Seattle's most interesting areas: Seattle's Pioneer Square, the neighbourhood is famous for its historical background and for being one of the first settlements in the northwest of the USA.

If your budget allows, in Pioneer Square I highly recommend taking part in the Beneath the Streets, considered one of the best tours in Seattle, a tour that takes you through underground passageways dating back to the 18990s.

Information of interest

• Hours: Always open to the public.
• Price: Free of charge. The underground tour costs about €30 per person.
• Length of visit: Allow about 3 hours to explore this area of Seattle.

Enjoy the Seattle Art Museum

From your location in Pioneer Square, the Seattle Museum of the Arts is just a 9-minute walk along Seattle's 1st Avenue. This space houses one of the most important art collections in the United States.

The staggering collection includes some 25,000 pieces ranging from European masterpieces to contemporary sculptures; the Olympic Sculpture Park and the Asian Art Museum are part of this gigantic collection.

Interesting facts

• Opening hours: Open to the public Wednesday to Sunday from 10am to 5pm.
• Price: The adult ticket costs approximately €20 while young people from 15 to 18 will have to pay €13.
• Duration of the visit: Depending on your taste in art, you can book a 1 to 2 hour tour of the museum.

Take a food tour at Pike Place Market

To all of my traveller friends visiting Seattle for the first time, I recommend not leaving the city without doing one of the most fun things to do: a foodie tour of Pike Place Market.

You'll find numerous local companies in the city offering this experience, and they all follow a similar format: a guide who is an expert in local history and food takes the group of travellers through the famous Pike Place Market. A gigantic, bustling, two-level market near the waterfront and located in the heart of Seattle. The sights are truly breathtaking.

The Pike Place Market is also a reference point for shopping for local produce as well as art pieces.

Interesting information

• Opening hours: Open to the public all week from 9am to 6pm.
• Price: Free, tour with a guide costs about €60 and includes food tasting.
• Duration of tour: You should reserve at least 2 hours of your itinerary.

See the city from the sea on a cruise on Seattle's waters.

At the end of your second day I recommend taking a boat ride on the waters of Elliot Bay on a fabulous sunset cruise in Seattle. This guided tour will take you through the history of the city, while taking in spectacular views of Seattle's cityscape and the distinctive mountains of Washington State.

Useful information

• Hours: This tour is offered at various times, I recommend taking the end of the day tour.
• Price: You will have to pay approximately €35 per passenger.
• Duration of the tour: The tour lasts approximately 1 hour and you should be at the port about 20 minutes before boarding.

For your third day in Seattle, spend your itinerary touring some areas of the city away from the city centre, so you can see parts of the city that you wouldn't be able to enjoy on a shorter trip.

Wake up early to head to Discovery Park

Located in north Seattle, Discovery Park is the city's largest green space where you'll find all sorts of interesting adventures including hiking trails, mountain scenery, beaches and sand dunes by the sea.

For friends who are only visiting the city for a few days, 2 days in Seattle or less, I always recommend visiting Discovery Park so you can explore a bit of Washington's nature without leaving Seattle.

On your tour, be sure to visit West Point Lighthouse, one of 18 active lighthouses in Washington State. The views are spectacular.

Interesting information

• Opening hours: From 04h in the morning until 23:30h.
• Price: Free for the general public.
• Duration of the visit: As long as you want, I recommend booking 2 to 3 hours for this tour.

See the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks

Head to the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks to enjoy the locks operated by Seattle's Army Corps of Engineers. Here you'll watch large ships pass through the canal between Washington Lake Channel and Puget Sound, tour botanical gardens and watch sea lions hunt for food in the water.

Considered by many travellers to be one of the best things to do in the city, if you're going to Seattle with children this is a visit you won't want to miss and one that the little ones will enjoy immensely. Although the attraction is very close to Discovery Park, public transport can be difficult in this area of the city so I recommend taking a taxi from the Discovery Park visitor centre and you'll reach the Hiram in a 5 minute ride.

Interesting information

• Opening hours: Open to the public daily from 07h to 21h.
• Price: Free for the general public.
• Duration of visit: Spend at least 1 hour exploring the area and enjoying the views.

Go shopping on Seattle's Pine Street

Take advantage of the late afternoon to have lunch and stroll along Pine Street, which is one of the busiest shopping streets in downtown Seattle.

From your location at the Hiram M, you will need to make your way back to downtown Seattle. The best way to get there is to take the Seattle Metro D line, you'll find a stop just 3 minutes away from Pine Street.

One of the most important shopping centres in the area is the Pacific Place Mall; with numerous shops it is ideal for your travel gift shopping.

Take the Seattle Ghost Tour at dusk.

Many American cities offer ghost tours at dusk, an experience that focuses on the mysteries and secret histories of the most popular cities. Seattle is not far behind and numerous local companies offer this type of experience to its citizens, this adventure is considered one of the best tours in Seattle by travellers visiting the city for the first time.

A ghost tour is one of the best things to do in Seattle at night, wandering the streets on a fun tour with other adventurous travellers like yourself; some versions of ghost tours include a pub crawl, or a tour of downtown's best bars for a night of fun.

Interesting facts

• Hours: Nightly tours start at 7pm.
• Price: You will have to pay around €25 per passenger, some experiences can be a little more expensive.
• Duration of the visit: From 1 to 3 hours depending on the company you hire for the experience.

You already know a bit of the best of Seattle, so I recommend setting aside your fourth day to explore the areas beyond the city limits and dedicate this day to exploring the nature and wildlife of the northern United States. A visit to Mount Rainer from Seattle is a local favourite and you'll soon find out why.

Organised tours from Seattle include a professional local guide, transportation to and from the city as well as the necessary orientations for a day of adventure and outdoor fun.

The best time to experience the mountain scenery and trails of Mount Rainier is if you go to Seattle in August or September; this time of year is characterised by low rainfall which keeps the hiking trails dry and the meadows full of flowers and green vegetation. I recommend booking in advance as the demand for this type of adventure increases considerably at this time of year.

Useful information

• Schedule: This type of adventure starts early in the morning to make the most of the day. Departure time varies between 07h and 09h.
• Price: Approximately €165 per traveller.
• Duration of tour: Approximately 10 hours; due to its location on the outskirts of Seattle and the length of the tour you should reserve a full day for this adventure.

For a day of adventure in the wilderness, spend your last day in the city exploring Snoqualmie Falls, considered one of the most impressive natural attractions in the vicinity of the city and a favourite adventure for locals and travellers visiting the city for a holiday.

Snoqualmie Falls is especially impressive in the summer, and if you're in Seattle in July, the Snoqualmie Falls adventure is considered one of the best trips to take from Seattle.

However, bear in mind that these months coincide with the peak tourist season so the smartest decision is to book in advance.

Useful information

• Time: Departure time varies depending on the company you hire for this experience.
• Price: From €80 per passenger.
• Duration of the visit: From 4 to 8 hours depending on the company you hire and the itinerary of activities.