Best Seattle Sights to See in 6 Hours

[msjazzymiss]

Sailing in the Ovation September 20th & the ship will make it’s first stop in Seattle till approximately 4 pm.   We have not booked any of the ships excursions but would like to see a few of the local sights.  I’ve never been to this fabulous city, but have heard only good things.  Need advice on public transportation, docking location, possible tour vendors.  Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

[princeton123211]

Seattle highlights are pretty easy to cover in a short amount of time if you hit the ground running. I would suggest maybe booking a private tour with a driver in the morning when you arrive. Most of these last about 3-4 hours so you'll be done just about at or just past lunch. I would avoid things like going to the top of the Space Needle that take up large amounts of time and focus on seeing as much as you can. A private tour will give you a chance to cover a lot more than using public transportation will. You can fill in any gaps using Uber/Lyft to get back to the pier. 

 

Then it will give you a chance to explore a bit on your own in the afternoon-- hit a fun restaurant, hang out at a bar, or go back and see something you liked on the tour in more depth. 

[Gardyloo]

First you should find out which of Seattle's two cruise terminals you'll be using.  Ordinarily RCC uses the more distant Pier 91 (Smith Cove) terminal, roughly 3 miles from downtown Seattle, but sometimes transient ships use the Pier 66 (Bell Street) terminal, which is located right on the central waterfront, within walking distance of attractions like the Pike Place market, Pioneer Square, etc.  The difference will be significant with a short port call time.

 

Generally, my recommendation would be to visit the Pike Place market in the morning, as early as you can get there, maybe for a late breakfast.  If you want to visit the Space Needle or the Chihuly exhibit at Seattle Center, you can walk from the Pike Place market to Westlake Center, from which you can ride a monorail to the base of the Space Needle, in around 10 minutes.  

 

Other options for you to google include the West Seattle water taxi, ferry to Bainbridge Island, walking tour of Pioneer Square, a harbor cruise on Argosy cruises, maybe a visit to the very fun Uwajimaya supermarket/department store in the International District, a walk past the Amazon spheres, or a visit to funky Fremont, home of the Fremont Troll.  

 

But find out which pier you're using (might need to phone your cruise line or travel agent) and we can go from there.

 

 

[szubieta]

Thought:  Where will you store your luggage?

[fastpitchdad]

For that amount of time, I think including an Argosy cruise is a great idea because it is part scenic cruise and part guided tour.

[Gardyloo]

2 hours ago, szubieta said:

Thought:  Where will you store your luggage?

It will be on the ship, this is only a port call.

[msjazzymiss]

Thank you all for all the great suggestions.  

[fla gang]

Across the street from Pike Place market is a shop called Beechers. They have incredible Mac n cheese and we also had very good crab chowder at Lowell's at Pike Place. We enjoyed the space needle also. If you like Starbucks you are in luck. They are on every street corner downtown! literally. We did two days pre cruise in Seattle before boarding the Ovation, which was docked at pier 91. Sad to see so many homeless in downtown.

[ParrotRob]

On 8/28/2019 at 6:20 AM, fla gang said:

Across the street from Pike Place market is a shop called Beechers. They have incredible Mac n cheese and we also had very good crab chowder at Lowell's at Pike Place. We enjoyed the space needle also. If you like Starbucks you are in luck. They are on every street corner downtown! literally. We did two days pre cruise in Seattle before boarding the Ovation, which was docked at pier 91. Sad to see so many homeless in downtown.

 

Homeless are a major problem in the downtown area, Pioneer Square and around Seattle Center.  Basically all the touristy areas.  The ones in Pioneer Square, particularly, can be aggressive and intimidating.