Seattle
The West - Washington
Hard Rock Café: 116 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
Our visits: So far 1 visit in June 1998 and June 2015
Kerry Park
Description: Kerry Park is a small public park on a hill north of downtown Seattle. Here you have a wonderful view of the city and, with a little luck, Mount Rainier in the distance. Especially at sunset the park is very popular.
A little advice. The park is located in the middle of a residential area. There are only a few parking spaces along the road. So if you plan to be here for sunset, you should come in time.
For the GPS: 211 W Highland Dr, Seattle, WA 98119
Our rating: For our opinion, this is one of the best viewpoints of the city. If the view is good, you can also see Mount Rainier in the background. Absolutely recommended if you are in Seattle.
Another very worth seeing viewpoint of the city can be found at the Alki Point, at Harbor Av.
Space Needle
Description: The Space Needle is the city's iconic landmark. The tower was built in 1962 on the occasion of the World's Fair and is today THE Tourist attraction. There is an observation deck and a rotating restaurant. If you want to take one of the elevators to the top, you should take care of tickets beforehand, because the rush is often enormous. It is not uncommon to have to wait in line for several hours. With the tickets you get a time at which you can go up the tower.
Entrance fees and opening hours
- Depending on the time of day 32.50$ - 42.50$/person
- Daily from 10 am to 7 pm. Fri/Sat/Sun open from 9 am.
Everything you need to know about visiting the Space Needles can be found on the official webpage.
For the GPS: 400 Broad St, Seattle, WA 98109
Our rating: Of course, this is a must see when you are in Seattle. We liked it here very much, because you have a wonderful 360 degree view over the entire city and the bays around Seattle. Even the ride to the top, with the glass elevator, is an experience.
Chihuly Garden and Glas
Description: Opened in 2012, the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum is located directly below the Space Needle. It is home to the works of the important American glass artist Dale Chihuly. The exhibits are displayed in several indoor rooms, in a glass house and in a large garden.
Entrance fees and opening hours
- Depending on the time of day 35$ - 39$/person
- Open daily from 10 am to 8 pm, Tuesdays until 7 pm.
Everything you need to know about visiting Chihuly Garden and Glas can be found on the official webpage.
For the GPS: 305 Harrison St, Seattle, WA 98109
Our rating: The museum was one of our highlights during our visit to Seattle in June 2015. Here you can revel in shapes and colors. It's hard to believe what great works of art you can create from glass. We can definitely recommend a visit here, it was a lot of fun to walk through the exhibition.
Public Market Center
Description: The Public Market Center is a huge market hall with stands selling all kinds of fresh goods. There are also a lot of small stores under the roof, with souvenirs and other useful and useless things.
For the GPS: 85 Pike St, Seattle, WA 98101
Our rating: Walking through the huge indoor market is always an experience. This should not be missed during a visit to Seattle. In addition, the first Starbucks store in the world is located here. However, if you like coffee, you should probably look for another branch of the chain, because here you wait hours until it's your turn.
Seattle Aquarium
Description: The Aquarium opened in 1977 and is located at Pier 59 on Elliott Bay. It deals mainly with the marine life in the San Juan Islands.
Entrance fees and opening hours
- 49.95$/person
- Open daily from 9:30 am to 5 pm.
Everything you need to know about visiting the Seattle Aquarium can be found at the official webpage.
For the GPS: 1483 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA 98101
Our rating: We can not give a proper evaluation, because our visit was more than 20 years ago. Surely the exhibitions have changed since then, but we enjoyed the visit and we can also imagine to return again.
West Point Lighthouse
Description: The West Point respectively Discovery Park Lighthouse stands at the northern tip of Elliot Bay. It provides an aid to navigation on Seattle as it also juts out into Puget Sound. It has been in operation since 1881.
Our rating: We were here because the lighthouse looked quite pretty in photos and we wanted to see it up close. We also liked it on site, especially with the surrounding landscape.
Only the parking situation was a bit difficult, because there was only one tiny parking lot. If this is occupied, you can not park anywhere in the area.