How to get to Seattle
The Many Ways to Get to and from SeattleSeattle shows off to new arrivals, no matter the mode of transportation. Planes pass snow-capped peaks on the descent into Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (or SeaTac, as locals call it), shimmering waterways welcome drivers crossing the bridges into town, trains wind along coastal cliffs on their way Downtown, and tiny seaplanes skitter across Lake Union.
Like most American cities, Seattle’s major international airport (Seattle-Tacoma International Airport/Sea-Tac Airport - SEA) serves as the entry point for most overseas visitors, with major interstate highways bringing significant domestic crowds. But Seattle’s unique water-logged geography and location in the upper-lefthand corner of the U.S. gives it the chance to welcome people by a number of other modes of transportation, from a small, efficient secondary airport to large-scale cruise ships. If Seattle is your only destination from anywhere other than a neighboring state, plan to transit through SeaTac Airport. But if you come from (or plan to go on to) anywhere nearby, options include the glass-roofed trains that chug into King Street Station toting romantics, the high-speed private ferries whisking adventurers away from the waterfront, and many more ways to get to or from Seattle.
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Getting to Seattle by Plane
Planes land at SeaTac’s snazzy new international terminal from 28 destinations, while domestic terminals field flights from more than 90 U.S. cities. It serves as a hub for Alaska Airlines, connecting Alaska and Seattle to the rest of the country, and also as a major transfer point from Asia with direct flights to Tokyo, Taipei, Shanghai, Seoul, and Singapore. The airport sits just south of the city, so it takes about 20 minutes by car to Downtown, or 30 minutes by light rail, which leaves directly from the parking garage.
My phone is full of photos I’ve taken of Mt. Rainier through airplane windows. It never gets less breathtaking, and when I see it, I know I’m home.
30 minutes north of the city, the much smaller Paine Field Passenger Terminal (PAE) offers only a few flights a day, all run by Alaska Airlines, to destinations around the West (California, Nevada, Arizona, and Alaska). It makes for an utterly easy airport experience, but only if you happen to luck into a convenient flight.
Tip: Splashdown into Seattle
If your plans take you to or from the San Juan Islands or the cities of Victoria or Vancouver in British Columbia, you can travel by seaplane, which take off spectacularly from (and land on) the aquatic runway of Lake Union, right in the center of the city.
Getting to Seattle by Car
Seattle sits at the intersection of two of the country’s most important interstate highways: I-5, which runs from the Canadian border straight south to Mexico, and I-90, which draws a 3200-mile line all the way to Boston, Massachusetts. I-90 brings travelers across Snoqualmie Pass, which gets snowy and dangerous in winter, then across the floating bridge on Lake Washington, before it ends near the city’s two main stadiums, Lumen Field and T-Mobile Park. I-5 makes for a less scenic route, but other than its unfortunate predilection for slow traffic, tends to be far more predictable.
Getting to Seattle by Train
When King Street Station was first built in 1906, the clocktower was modeled after Venice’s San Marco bell tower. Today, the restored version retains much of that ambitious spirit and the same central location in the heart of the Chinatown-International District, though it serves only three Amtrak train routes. The Empire Builder arrives daily from Seattle to Chicago, a two-day journey that costs $160. Multiple times a day, the Cascades chugs in from Vancouver, British Columbia (four hours, $40) in the north, and Portland (three hours, $37) and Eugene, Oregon (six to seven hours, $65) in the south. But the gleaming jewel of Seattle trains is the Coast Starlight, which winds north for 35 hours from Los Angeles along the Pacific Coast and into Seattle ($218). The floor-to-ceiling windows of the Sightseer Lounge on the upper deck give passengers panoramic views of the dramatic scenery.
Getting to Seattle by Bus
Seattle’s intercity bus connections lack the speed of planes or the glamour of trains, but tend to be the most affordable option, with trips from Portland around $25 for the three-and-a-half-hour trip. Flixbus operates those without stations, instead stopping at SeaTac Airport, on the side of streets in the Chinatown-International District, and near the University of Washington. Parent company Greyhound costs slightly more ($30) and stops at the Seattle Bus Station, just south of the Chinatown-International District. Both brands also run similar routes to Vancouver, British Columbia. A patchwork of lines supported by the state connects smaller towns around Washington to Seattle, mostly arriving at the Seattle Bus Station.
Getting to Seattle by Boat
Throughout the summer, enormous cruise ships from eight major brands make their way into Seattle’s Elliott Bay, usually on their way to or from Alaskan adventures. Ships park at one of the city’s two cruise terminals: Bell Street Pier 66, at the northern edge of Downtown, and Smith Cove Pier 91, in the residential neighborhood of Magnolia. From Smith Cove, it’s about a 15-minute drive to Downtown.
Washington State’s famous ferry system pulls into two Seattle ports (Downtown and West Seattle) and more in the nearby suburbs, but mostly serves local islands and peninsulas, so the only transportation boat directly into town is the Victoria Clipper, a passenger-only fast ferry between the British Columbia capital and Seattle’s Pier 69.
Visa and Passport Policies for Seattle
A passport is not required to visit Seattle from anywhere in the United States. Visitors to the U.S. from most countries require a visa to visit, with Canada and Bermuda the notable exceptions. Citizens of another 40 countries – including Australia, France, Japan, Malta, Taiwan, and South Korea – can apply for a visa waiver to skip the requirement. Visitors from elsewhere should consult the specific requirements for tourism visas from their country and be sure to leave plenty of time to navigate the application process.