If You Only Have Three Days in Seattle
If you only have three days in Seattle, here’s how to make the most of it. Day 1: Visit the Seattle Art Museum and Pike Place Market. Stroll the waterfront, grab some fish and chips, and watch the sunset at the Olympic Sculpture Park. Day 2: Head to the Seattle Center for the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden & Glass, and EMP/Sci-fi Museum. Day 3: Take Pioneer Square’s Underground Tour, admire the view at Smith Tower, then chill in Capitol Hill for shopping, drinks, and dinner.
1300 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
Guarded by the Hammering Man sculpture outside, this superb museum collection romps from native tribal art to African masks to carvings from Oceania. Highlights include the 16th-century wood-paneled Italian Room and The Studio, a portrait of...
85 Pike St #500, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
Walk, cycle or people-watch along the shores of Elliott Bay, a downtown stretch known for its circusy flair and spectacular vistas. You can ride the Great Wheel or visit the beloved Seattle Aquarium, home to wolf eels, sea otters, and the world's...
1428 Post Alley, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
Taking just the 'right' wrong turn on a visit to Pike Place Market can land you in Post Alley, where spearmint, wild cherry, and tropical punch bubble gum drizzles down the window panes and grape, peppermint, and lemon ice gum-cicles form from...
108 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
Seattle has become a cupcake town; you can (and I have) had entire conversations debating the merits of various cupcake shops. Cupcake Royale is one of the best, and definitely worth a visit. They have rotating monthly flavors (pictured is the...
1301 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98101, USA
Built in 2012, the 175-foot-tall Seattle Great Wheel is the newest, and most romantic, addition to Seattle’s waterfront skyline. (As you might imagine, the first midair marriage proposal happened almost immediately.) Rain or shine, you can take a...
1001 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Yes, you read that right... "Keep clam" is the motto at Ivar's famous Seattle seafood restaurants. Ivar's has plenty of locations around town, from the casual fish-and-chip stands to the fancier waterfront Acres of Clams and Salmon House, but all...
2901 Western Ave, Seattle, WA 98121, USA
Here's a bold claim: the Olympic Sculpture Park might just have something for everyone. Located on the waterfront, not far from Pike Place Market, it features great views of Puget Sound (well, on clear days) and the ferries going back and forth....
370 Thomas St, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
400 Broad St, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
This "U.F.O. saucer on a stick" is an atomic age baby, dating back to the 1962 World's Fair. If you're lucky enough to catch the city's iconic symbol on a sunny day, take the 41-second elevator ride to the observation deck and behold the sweeping...
305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
I didn't expect to like the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit, because it seemed like yet another overpriced Seattle attraction. But I was pleasantly surprised by this colorful, photography-friendly collection of the one-eyed glass artist's work....
325 5th Ave N, Seattle, WA 98109, USA
This sheet-metal fever dream of architect Frank Gehry is like a rock ’n’ roll Guggenheim, home to interactive and innovative exhibits that span music, sci-fi and fantasy, animation, video games and other scrambled bits of pop culture. A hands-on...
Pioneer Square, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
One of Seattle's most postcard-friendly areas, Pioneer Square is a beautiful, historical neighborhood with plenty to do. The galleries come alive for First Thursday art walks, not to mention the delicious lunch spots, quirky boutiques, and vibrant...
102 Cherry St, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
Seattle has plenty of history — and if you believe the ghost hunters, it’s had its fair share of grisly deaths and eerie spirits, too. Based in Pioneer Square, Spooked in Seattle’s lively (and occasionally corny) 90-minute walking tour takes you...
614 1st Ave, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
The Underground Tour is one of Seattle's most iconic attractions and a definite must-do for visitors. Sure, the tour guides tell corny jokes, but the history really is fascinating: in the late 1800s, after a devastating fire and chronic flooding...
309 3rd Ave S, Seattle, WA 98104, USA
If you see a line stretching around the block and think, "No way," then Salumi isn't for you. But if you see a long line and think, "I want what they're waiting for!" bring a book and get ready for one of the messiest, meatiest, richest sandwiches...
1521 10th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, USA
The Elliott Bay Book Company is the Seattle bookstore and, thankfully, survived its move from Pioneer Square to Capitol Hill with soul and towering cedar bookcases intact. Elliott Bay lost a significant chunk of square footage during the move...
1622.5 N 45th St, Seattle, WA 98103, USA
Another food-truck-made-good in a permanent location, Molly Moon’s now has five locations around town, but still sends out its iconic baby-blue truck for special events — just follow your nose to the heavenly scent of their freshly made waffle...
1635 11th Ave, Seattle, WA 98122, USA
Cal Anderson Park (named after Washington's first openly gay legislator) is located at the Pike/Pine nexus of gay-friendly, hipster-filled Capitol Hill. With plenty of grassy lawns for picnics, reading, or playing bocce ball, it's no surprise that...
