The Best Seattle Excursions

 

Seattle, Washington, is a wonderful city to visit before or after an Alaska cruise. A vibrant Pacific Northwest city known for its beautiful waterfront, stunning mountain scenery, iconic landmarks, rich culture, and outstanding food and coffee. Surrounded by Puget Sound, Lake Washington, and evergreen forests, Seattle offers a wonderful combination of city attractions and natural beauty.

One of the city's most popular destinations is Pike Place Market.  This historic public market is filled with fresh flowers, seafood, local crafts, bakeries, and specialty shops. Visitors can watch the famous fishmongers throw fish, sample local foods, and enjoy views of Elliott Bay. The nearby waterfront features scenic walking paths, restaurants, shops, and opportunities for harbor cruises.

The Space Needle is another Seattle landmark and offers panoramic views of the city and surrounding landscape. Nearby attractions include Chihuly Garden and Glass, with its colorful glass artwork. One of my personal favorites is the Museum of Pop Culture.

Seattle is particularly well known for its seafood. Local specialties include fresh salmon, Dungeness crab, oysters, and clam chowder. One of my favorite restaurants is Elliot’s Oyster House. They sometimes have an oyster happy hour.  For a relaxing excursion, a ferry ride across Puget Sound to Bainbridge Island offers beautiful views of the Seattle skyline and a chance to explore a charming island community.

Seattle's weather can be unpredictable, so comfortable walking shoes, layers, and a light rain jacket are recommended, even during summer. Popular attractions and hotels can be busy during Alaska cruise season, making advance reservations worthwhile.

Overall, Seattle is an excellent addition to an Alaska cruise vacation. Two or three nights in the city provide a wonderful balance of sightseeing, relaxation, and local experiences. Here are some excursions we think you might like.

Click here for a full list of all of these excursions. Or click the title of the excursion below. This will give you more information about the excursion. If you book through this link, Trips with Angie will get a small commission and a copy of your booking. If you’ve booked your cruise through Trips with Angie, we can double check the timing and add it to your itinerary.

Experience the food and culture at one of Seattle’s most famous landmarks, Pike Place Market, on this 2-hour, chef-guided food tour. See where chefs shop and locals hang out and enjoy diverse tastings at several different stops — places such as Beecher's ‘World's Best’ Mac and Cheese, Pike Place Chowder, local artisan chocolate shops and more. The meeting spot for this tour is Simply Seattle.

Discover Seattle’s original neighborhood, Pioneer Square, on this guided walking tour that is great for locals and tourists alike who want to learn more about this city with this Beneath The Streets Underground History Tour. Explore the underground pathways that were built in the southwest corner of the Emerald City more than 120 years ago. The meeting spot for this tour is 102 Cherry St.

Seattle is famous for its bustling waterfront, numerous green spaces, and historic neighborhoods. Ideal for first-time visitors, the Seattle City Highlights Tour provides an overview of top attractions such as Pioneer Square, the Space Needle, and Pike Place market. Sit back and relax while your guide provides historical and cultural background for each destination, and enjoy stops to walk and take photos. There are multiple meet up spots to join the tour from.

Gather your coffee crew and meet a local guide for a Seattle Coffee Tour of the popular Capitol Hill neighborhood. Enjoy the convenience of a mini-sightseeing tour with a tasty tour of the neighborhood’s cafes. Meet your guide at the Jimi Hendrix Statue then walk Capitol Hill’s streets where counterculture influenced global pop culture. Sample three different coffees, getting a literal taste of Seattle’s (coffee) counterculture.

Enjoy both types of spirit during a ghost tour that takes place across three of Seattle's best bars with a Haunted Seattle Booze and Boos Ghost Walking Tour. A costumed guide helps to inject some theater into this after dark spooky experience. Plus, you'll hear lesser-know tales of haunting and horror that you're unlikely to find in the guide book and receive personalized attention in a small group. The meeting spot for this tour is The Taproom at Pike Place.

Enjoy the sights and sounds of Seattle from Elliott Bay on Seattle’s Original Guided Harbor Cruise.  Learn about Seattle’s historic waterfront and get an up-close look at one of the world's largest shipping terminals. Take in the view of the city’s skyline with a spectacular panoramic background of the Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, including majestic Mt. Rainier. Food and beverages are available for purchase onboard the ship. The meeting spot for this tour is Argosy Cruises main marina on Pier 55 on the Seattle waterfront.

Been to Seattle before?  Take the Leavenworth Exclusive Tour from Seattle to explore  beautiful scenery, a vibrant town and the ambiance of Bavaria. Leavenworth is the most popular tourist destination in Washington after Seattle. Come and see it for yourself! On your way to Leavenworth, take pictures with Bigfoot and stretch your legs on a woodsy trail. Explore Leavenworth and choose a lunch spot on your own. Heading back, you’ll visit Deception Falls for a full Northwestern day to remember. Pick-up is available from many hotels, terminals, and ferries around Seattle.

Visit Snoqualmie and Hike to Twin Falls (Transportation included) is a half-day, small group tour combining visits to both Snoqualmie Falls and Twin Falls in Washington. A morning tour helps you connect with nature and appreciate the natural beauty of the area. The meeting point for this tour is Zeitgeist Coffee on Jackson Street.

Experience the natural beauty of Mt. Rainier on the Mt Rainier National Park Highlights Tour  as a guides leads the way on this full-day group tour from Seattle. Enjoy a scenic, narrated journey past lakes, waterfalls, historic towns, and Mt. Rainier. Take in spectacular views from Narada Falls, considered the most popular waterfall in Mt. Rainier National Park.  Includes pickup and drop-off from select downtown Seattle and airport hotels for your convenience.

Thirsty? Take the Bon Vivant Woodinville Wine Tasting Tour. Woodinville is famous for its wineries.  On this group tour, you'll visit a flagship winery followed by boutique wineries selected based on your preferences. Your local guide will pick you up from your lodging location in Seattle, Bellevue, or Kirkland.  Then you will head to Woodinville for a day of tastings, including a stop for lunch along the way, with return around 5:30 p.m.

Trying to visit all the national parks? Explore Olympic National Park with a naturalist guide on the Best of Olympic National Park All Inclusive Small Group Day Tour.  Joining a group tour makes your sightseeing logistics smooth and hassle-free. With round-trip transit from your downtown hotel, getting to the UNESCO–listed park is made simple. From beaches to mountains to forests and beyond, experience the best of this spectacular landscape, seeing and doing more with your guide than you could alone. Pick-up is available from most Downtown hotels and Airbnb’s.

We’ve done our best to select excursions that could be fun for your family. As with all excursions, please do your own due diligence with the excursion provider, review physical requirements for the tour, and read the liability waiver carefully before signing.