How to Spend 3 Days in Seattle

This summer, we took a week-long trip to the Pacific North West. Since it was our first time in the area, we packed as much sight-seeing as possible into 3 full days!

Our daily itinerary is below.

Day 1

After a morning flight, we arrived at Seattle Tacoma International Airport and got our rental car. From there, we drove north into Seattle. Our first stop was Alki Beach, where we admired the city skyline from across the water.

Continuing into the Seattle downtown area, our first stop was the world-famous Pike Place Market. We strolled through the aisles inside the marketplace, passing right by the seafood market where plenty of fresh fish was displayed.

We made our way back outside and found Pike Place Chowder. Although the line was long, it moved quickly. Upon ordering at the counter, we immediately received our food and went to the outside picnic area to enjoy! We shared the chowder sampler and a crab roll. Mmmmmm….delicious!

After lunch, we took a 25-minute walk to the Space Needle. Ticket kiosks are located directly outside the Space Needle, and staff members are available to assist with your purchase. We had a selected time when we made our ticket purchase, so we ventured inside to the gift shop. Once the ticket time arrived, we made our way to the line entrance. The line was about an hour until we arrived at the elevator to go to the top. There was a photo gallery along the way, which included the timeline and historic moments of the Space Needle. It was very interesting!

Once the elevator made it’s way to the top, we were free to look around either inside, or outside on the glassed-in deck. We grabbed a beverage and made our way outside. The view was amazing!

After admiring the different areas of Seattle below, we made our way back inside and took the stairway down to the glass bottom floor level, which is just one level below the top deck. This level was just as amazing! It was neat to see the view below as the glass floor slowly rotated.

Taking the elevator back down, we exited the building and took the short concrete path over to Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum. After perusing the museum, we walked back to the parking garage near Pikes Place Market. We passed many hotels, shops, and restaurants as well as the Seattle Fire Department Headquarters.

Since it was late afternoon, it was time to head to our B&B to check-in. We chose the Greenlake Guesthouse Bed and Breakfast for our accommodations during our time in the Seattle area. We loved the peaceful neighborhood surrounding the inn, as well as the beautiful view of the lake directly across the street. Not to mention the innkeepers were wonderful! We were definitely spoiled during our stay, from being treated to a snack basket and wine upon arrival to the delicious gourmet breakfast each morning.

After getting settled into our room, and relaxing for a bit, we got ready for dinner. We chose to eat at the Bizzarro Italian Cafe since it was not too far from the inn. We didn’t realize what a treat we were in for though – this place is GOOD!

After a brief wait outside the restaurant, our name was called, and we were seated inside this cozy establishment. A waitress came by with fresh bread and waters. Then, we ordered cocktails and browsed the menu. Each entree comes with a salad, and you can choose to upgrade the salad to one of their specialties such as the Sun-Kissed Caprese. (Yes, please!)

And the entrees…oh the entrees. Golden Crunch Pesto for me and Jalepeno Popper Gnocchi for the hubs. The hubs also chose a Caesar salad instead of the fancy caprese I had.

Day 2

After breakfast, we drove to the Starbucks Reserve Roastery to purchase their specialty coffee to take back home. Then we had to make our way to the dock for our tour.

We did the two-hour Locks Tour with Argosy Cruises. It’s called the Locks Cruise because during the tour, the boat has to stop in the Ballard Locks to cross over from lake waters into the Puget Sound.

The tour began in the Lake Union area, passing by Gasworks Park, continuing on through historical bridges, passing different areas of Seattle, before going into the Puget Sound and ending in Elliott Bay. Throughout the tour, we learned about the history of Seattle, including iconic neighborhoods, and even Seattle’s rules for houseboats and floating homes. So neat!

At the end of the tour, we arrived at Pier 54, near the Seattle Wheel.

We got back to our car and drove to Japantown for an early dinner at one of Seattle’s oldest restaurants, Maneki. Since 1904, Maneki has been serving Japanese food. We enjoyed several sushi rolls!

This evening, we had tickets to the Seattle Mariners MLB game. So, we ventured down to T Mobile Park.

And just next to T Mobile Park is Lumen Field, home of the Seattle Seahawks NFL team. On this evening, there was a soccer event taking place there.

Day 3

We started our third day with a long walk through the south beach trail at Discovery Park. This trail took us down to the West Point Lighthouse, which is one of the 18 lighthouses in the state of Washington.

We enjoyed the ocean breeze and coastal views before making our way back.

Then we drove downtown to see the Amazon Spheres and visit the Smith Tower.

Just down the street from Smith Tower is a restaurant and lounge, McCoy’s Firehouse. It’s unique in that the interior is decorated with firefighter apparel and gear along with a wall of fire department patches. Here we shared a bbq sandwich and watched a few innings of the Seattle Mariners daytime game.

After a busy day, we drove back to our bed and breakfast to relax.

In the evening, we ventured over to Kerry Park located on Queen Anne Hill. The park’s popularity is due to it’s panoramic view of downtown Seatle and Elliott bay. And, wow! WHAT A VIEW!

Since the sun was beginning to set, it was the perfect time for dinner. We chose the well-known, local waterfront restaurant, Ray’s Boathouse. With clear sunny skies, it was the perfect place for sunset dining on the outdoor deck. From the ahi tuna appetizer to our seafood entrees – the food at Ray’s was top notch! We even spotted a seal out in the water!

Near Seattle is Snoqualmie Valley and Woodinville, and across the state of Washington is the city of Spokane. We have enjoyed visiting each of these areas!