How to Spend One Day in Seattle (for First Timers)

“It’s so green!” exclaimed Alysha, as we made our way from the airport into downtown Seattle, passing through neighborhoods surrounded by greenery on all sides.

It’s one of my favorite things about Seattle. Sure, it rains. A lot, some might say.

But you know what that rain means? It’s basically always beautifully green and lush (and also, we don’t have as many water issues as, say, California). 

And besides, the rain is usually just a fine mist, not a torrential downpour – I never once used an umbrella in my 15+ years of living in Seattle.

Alysha makes fun of me for my refusal to use an umbrella. “I’m from Seattle” I say proudly “we don’t do umbrellas.” 

Now, Fremont and Ballard are two of our favorite places to visit, and we find ourselves up there basically every time we’re in town. However, it’s a long way to go if you only have a day (especially with the inevitable traffic to get there).

You’ll find them in the “with more time” section below the main itinerary, though it would be relatively simple to swap one of them in for Capitol Hill (which we also love). 

Unfortunately, we don’t think you have enough time to hop on a ferry (or take one of the many other great day trips from Seattle) or do an urban hike to a lighthouse at Discovery Park, which you’ll also find in the “with more time” section. 

You can save those further out areas for your next trip (and by the end of the day, you’re already going to be planning said trip). 

A Picture-Perfect One Day Seattle Itinerary (for First Timers)

And now, let’s get into the detailed guide. 

If you follow this itinerary, you’ll see Seattle Center, walk the waterfront (including Olympic Sculpture Park), explore Pike Place Market (and stuff your face), and experience the food and drink scene in Capitol Hill.

You’ll work your way from the southern end of downtown near Pioneer Square, where Seattle was founded, and north through the downtown core to Seattle Center, and then cross I-5 to the west to end in Capitol Hill. 

We’ve done our best to avoid any doubling back to maximize your time. 

Two notes before we dive in. 

We do not recommend going to the top of the Space Needle. It’s a nice view of the city, I guess, but it’s crazy expensive these days ($49 for an adult is an insane price).

Instead, we’re going to take you to our favorite view in Seattle, which is from a free public park. Which includes the Space Needle in the view!

For similar reasons, we don’t recommend the Seattle Great Wheel. We’ve done it. On a rainy winter evening. And you literally could not see anything. We still laugh about it, because it was so incredibly ridiculous.

Matt was so mad that we’d spent nearly $20 each to go on that stupid thing. Save your money and spend it elsewhere (plus, there’s a better view that we’ll cover below). 

We’ve done both of these things, and don’t think they’re worth your time (or money). Especially if you’re limited to just a day. 

But First, Coffee

For whatever reason (probably the fact that Starbucks was born here), Seattle is associated with good coffee almost as often as it’s associated with grunge or rain (though not quite). 

And it’s true, Seattleites drink a lot of coffee. 

Speaking from experience, it takes a truckload of caffeine to get out of bed when it’s your 47th drizzly and grey day in a row in the depths of winter (seriously it rained for something like 90 straight days one year when I was growing up). 

Now, Matt is a full blown coffee nerd, and he is very particular about his coffee. 

While most of our favorite coffee spots in the city tend to be outside of downtown (here are our favorite coffee shops in Seattle), the morning portion of this itinerary has you starting in the city center, so we’re going to give you three great coffee options that are also convenient for where you’re starting your day. 

Day Made Kaffe: Straight out of Copenhagen, this is a tiny shop down near the stadiums that serves a simple, coffee-forward menu using coffee from Coffee Collective from Copenhagen (where the owner worked before coming back to Seattle and eventually deciding to open their own shop).

This is probably my top pick for coffee if you’re downtown (it’s a short walk from Pioneer Square). 

Slow Day: A delightfully cozy little space in the heart of Belltown (not much seating, so don’t plan on lingering), they’re serving some of my favorite roasters from around North America (including September and Prodigal). 

Caffe Vita at KEXP: Located at Seattle Center, this is a place to come if you want to linger a while because it’s in a lovely space, the home of Seattle’s famous alternative radio station KEXP (the recording studio IS literally inside the same space).

The space is lovely. High ceilings, local art, and a small record shop in addition to the live radio recording.

There are plenty of comfortable couches and more practical tables to sit at, though it does get full on weekend mornings.

Learn About Seattle’s History in Pioneer Square

After that most recent trip to Seattle where I (Matt here!) spent a few days playing tourist, the biggest revelation came after spending some time exploring Pioneer Square, Seattle’s “Old Town” where the city was founded several centuries ago. 

In the original version of this itinerary (that I have almost completely reworked after that trip), I was hesitant to send people to Pioneer Square because it is a little rough around the edges, with the highest concentration of services for Seattle’s homeless population and is where that population is most visible. 

This can be a bit uncomfortable even for me, someone who has exclusively lived in cities on the west coast with similar challenges around cost of living and affordable housing, much less someone who isn’t from a big city. 

However, I do think that Pioneer Square is worth exploring because it is where Seattle’s history as a major city as part of the United States began. 

This is the oldest part of the city, and was designated a historic neighborhood in 1970, which means that the historic facades that have been replaced by glass-paneled skyscrapers in other parts of the city are still standing here.  

This is where the first European settlers showed up and set up shop.

Well, sort of.

They actually showed up at Alki Point in West Seattle, where they spent a few miserable months in the middle of winter before their wooden structures succumbed to the wind and rain and they moved further into the bay. 

Turns out, those enterprising midwesterners who jumped at the opportunity to head west weren’t super familiar with ocean patterns, because they also set up the city at sea level in a tide flat, so the streets flooded with 6-12 inches of water every day at high tide. 

Lucky for them (sort of?), the entire early settlement burned down in a fire in 1889 and they got to start over. 

Long story short, they raised the street level by a story over the course of a decade, and there are actually a series of tunnels under modern-day Pioneer Square at the original street level. 

Shortly after that, a major event happened that would catapult the city into the national spotlight; the Klondike Gold Rush. Gold was discovered up in Alaska. 

Ever the optimistic entrepreneurs, the Seattlites sprang into action to execute a marketing campaign for the ages, promoting Seattle as the ideal jumping off point for the journey north and selling the hopefuls all the gear they needed to take with them (and then capturing all of their hard-won gold winnings on their way back through Seattle through brothels and gambling). 

That wealth that came in during that period led to significant expansion in Seattle, and several of the most famous entrepreneurs in Seattle history made it big during the gold rush and started their businesses. 

For example, John W. Nordstrom used his money to start a department store in Seattle that would eventually become the one of the most famous fashion retailers in the country. 

Anyway, the point is that Pioneer Square is the proverbial room where it happened, and it’s worth spending some time learning that story as a foundation for your visit. 

There are two major things in Pioneer Square that I wouldn’t miss and that will give you that foundation; the Beneath the Streets Tour and the Klondike Gold Rush Museum (which is run by the National Park Service). 

I generally try to do some sort of introductory walking tour in every city that I visit as a foundation for diving deeper into the city’s history and culture over the course of my trip. 

I revisited the Beneath the Streets Tour on my recent trip and, despite having done it multiple times years ago, it blew me away and I think it’s the best version of an overview of Seattle’s history you can get.  

It’s almost more of a comedy tour than a dry history tour, but it does center around the underground tunnels that exist below Seattle and how they tell a story about the city as a whole. 

It’s focused on the area around Pioneer Square, which is a historic part of the city and is what you might call “Old Town” or “the Historic Center” if it was in Europe. 

The other thing I’d consider doing is poking your head into the Klondike Gold Rush Museum, which is an informative look at how the Klondike Gold Rush shaped the city of Seattle as we know it today.

It’s free, and you can pretty easily make it through the exhibits in 30 minutes or so. 

From Pioneer Square, walk north to your next destination, Pike Place Market. 

Pike Place Market for Lunch

I, Matt, the former Seattleite (my family still lives in the Seattle area), unironically love going to Pike Place Market, especially when I’m with people who have never been and I can bring them to all of the fun food spots in the market. 

Pike Place Market is an institution for a reason. 

Is it packed full of tourists? Absolutely, yes. Especially when there’s a cruise ship docked, which feels more and more frequent these days. 

Is it hit-and-miss in terms of the quality of food nearby? Like all big tourist attractions around the world, yes (but there are some gems!). 

Is it worth visiting on your trip to Seattle? Absolutely, yes.

Especially if you know the spots to hit and which ones to skip (looking at you, “original” Starbucks – more on that in a second). 

First of all, note that it is “Pike Place,” not “Pike’s Place.” And you should probably be at least a little skeptical of anyone who calls it Pike’s Place and offers you advice on anything Seattle related. 

Second of all, time for my favorite Seattle rant. And it’s about the “original” Starbucks at Pike Place Market, where you will find lines of up to an hour in the peak summer months. 

Do NOT wait in that line, or go to the “original” Starbucks at all. 

It’s not actually the original location (just good branding of a relatively old location) and there are several better places to get coffee within a few blocks (Victrola, Anchorhead, or Ghost Alley Espresso, which is right under the market). 

If you absolutely must have Starbucks (boo), go to one of the other 17 locations within a few blocks of the Market, which are almost exactly the same and will not have nearly the same line.

The only difference is that the mermaid logo has a top on at those other locations and you’ll get your coffee in a more timely manner.

If you’re interested in diving deeper into the market and its food scene, we’d do this guided food tour, which will take you to some spots we mentioned above, and some other ones on a two hour culinary journey with plenty of tastings along the way. 

You’ll get a dose of history, a dose of food, and an opportunity to ask a local food expert where you should eat for the rest of your time in Seattle (which is also a valuable opportunity!).  

They also have an early morning version of that tour, which is our favorite time to be at the market when it’s significantly less crowded. 

With all that out of the way, here are some spots at the Market that we love and think are worth stopping by. 

The Flying Fish: A Pike Place classic – hang out around the fish area right under the main Pike Place sign (here on Google Maps) to see the fish throwing in action.

For one of my friend’s birthdays recently, we actually bought fish and other seafood here, which was a fun experience and was definitely my first time doing anything other than watching the fish fly. 

Piroshky Piroshky: A cult classic, this place has been serving up Russian pastries since the early 90’s, way before Seattle was “cool.” Various fillings are wrapped in a buttery, flaky puff pastry (I think that’s what it is, anyway) and served out of a literal hole in the wall. They have vegan and vegetarian options, but no gluten free options. 

Beecher’s Cheese: Is Beecher’s my favorite PNW cheese company? Maybe (there are too many good ones to choose from!), but their flagship cheddar is absolutely in the conversation and is nearly always present on cheese plates around the holidays.

Their shop at Pike Place sells their retail cheese along with ready-to-eat items like Mac & Cheese or a grilled cheese sandwich (neither are safe for Celiacs, but the cheese itself is!).

Biscuit Bitch: Southern style biscuits and gravy with a bunch of different varieties to choose from. Follow your nose and the long lines to get here.

IMPORTANT: The gluten free biscuits are made in the same area and on the same equipment as the rest, and are NOT SAFE FOR CELIACS. Everyone else, go crazy.

Pike Place Chowder: One thing you need to know about Seattle is that seafood is serious business, particularly salmon. For chowder made with fresh seafood, head here. Pro-tip: get the salmon chowder, and get it in a bread bowl. 

Rachel’s Ginger Beer makes, you guessed it, ginger beer! You can get it straight or as part of a cocktail. They have some really fun flavors, like Caramelized Pineapple and Blood Orange, and they are constantly churning out new ones. Everything they make is gluten free and dairy free.

Indi Chocolate: I mean, high-quality, small batch, single origin dark chocolate. Need I say more? We particularly like their drinking chocolate, and there’s a fantastic view out over Seattle and the Puget Sound from the patio area right outside.  

Walk the (Brand New) Waterfront 

After Pioneer Square and the underground tour, the second biggest revelation I had on that latest trip to Seattle was the fact that the redevelopment of Seattle’s waterfront is amazing. 

A slight detour here to talk about Seattle’s urban planning history, one of the topics that I’ve become fascinated by in recent years. 

Until a few years ago, there was a double decker freeway – the Alaskan Way Viaduct – running right through the center of Seattle above the waterfront, essentially separating the waterfront from the rest of the city. Gross. 

But it was deemed unsafe and, instead of repairing or rebuilding it, they (thankfully) landed on rerouting it.

The removal of that viaduct took years of planning and countless ballot measures, but it finally got done in 2019. 

From there, Seattle put in both dollars and work to make the waterfront a pedestrian friendly, walkable place.

Apparently I had not been here in years because I was absolutely flabbergasted at the great infrastructure that has been put here to connect Pike Place Market (which is up on the hill) with the waterfront (which is at sea level). 

If you’re curious, here’s a before and after photo of the area before and after the removal of the viaduct. 

It is hard to overstate how much more pleasant it is to be able to walk along the water without the roaring of hundreds of cars overhead. 

Urban planning detour over.

The point is that you should definitely head down here from the market and walk to your next destination along the water. 

The tourist attractions down here (including the Great Wheel and the rest of Miners Landing) aren’t really worth your time or energy, but there is a great view from the top of the cruise ship terminal at Bell Harbor Observation Deck (here on Google Maps) that is worth visiting. 

If it’s nice, it’s worth taking a short detour to the north. Continue straight along the water to the string of beaches – our favorite is Pocket Beach (here on Google Maps).

Continue north to Olympic Sculpture Park, which is a permanent art installation furnished by the Seattle Art Museum down on the water.

On a clear day, you’ll find the huge red sculptures backed by the snow capped Olympic Mountains.

Here’s a map of the route we’d take from Pike Place Market along the waterfront to Seattle Center, your next stop. 

Seattle Center: Choose Your Own Adventure

Of the two main hubs for tourists in Seattle (the other being Pike Place Market), Seattle Center is more of an art and culture hub with a couple of music and theater venues, two outstanding museums, and the arena for the city’s NHL team, the Seattle Kraken. 

And, of course, the Space Needle. 

But as we’ve already covered, we don’t think that it’s worth the money to go to the top of the Space Needle, which is a nice view, but not our favorite view in the city (more on that in the next section). 

With just a day, our recommendation is to pick one of the main attractions here (we’ll give you three options) and focus on that, plus a trip to the International Fountain (for the view of the Space Needle) and Vita at KEXP for coffee. 

KEXP + Caffe Vita, while it’s not quite our favorite place to get coffee in Seattle in terms of the actual coffee itself, is arguably the best vibe of any in Seattle. 

We already covered this place in the “But First, Coffee” section above, but we like going here and if you’re in need of a midday caffeine boost, it’s worth a stop!

The International Fountain (pictured above) is really just a fountain with a nice view of the Space Needle behind it that sits right outside of Climate Pledge Arena. 

Now let’s talk about the three main attractions at Seattle Center that we referenced above. 

For us, they are the Museum of Pop Culture, Chihuly Gardens and Glass, and the Pacific Science Center, and which you choose largely depends on who you’re traveling with and what you’re interested in. 

If you’re interested in music and the musical history of Seattle, the Museum of Pop Culture is the choice for you.

Seattle is one of the more influential cities in modern music, and this museum tells parts of that story. 

Of the attractions at Seattle Center, this is BY FAR our favorite of the bunch. 

It used to be the Experience Music Project, a funky looking multicolored building that seems to swallow up the Seattle Monorail as it passes by, but has since broadened its purview to include all things pop culture. 

Fun fact: Matt had his high school prom here!

They have a range of permanent exhibits, including a few focused on Seattle icons like Pearl Jam and Nirvana, along with a set of rotating exhibits (we went when there was an exhibit about the rise of hip hop in the 90’s and 2000’s and it was FANTASTIC) and some more experiential exhibits. 

The only downside is that it’s a little bit expensive, starting at $26.75 per adult (they do dynamic pricing, so it’s generally a few dollars cheaper the further out you book), but we absolutely think it’s worth it if you want to learn about some of the cultural icons that have shaped Seattle over the past few decades (like grunge music). 

It’s also worth checking out their current exhibitions to see if there are any interesting temporary things happening while you’re in town. 

If you’re more into fine art and people making things with their hands, Chihuly Garden and Glass across the street is a worthy alternative to MoPop. 

I would actually consider doing them both if you have the time and budget, because both tell pieces of the story of Seattle’s entrepreneurial, optimistic, creative story. 

It’s focused on the work of legendary glass artist Dale Chihuly, who spent his life in the Seattle area creating incredibly intricate glass sculptures.

If you visit, I can almost guarantee that you’ll say something to the effect of “how did he do THAT” at least once.

I did it for the first time on my latest visit (somehow I’d never done it before?) and I was blown away at both the work and the way it’s displayed.

There are also live demonstrations throughout the day where you can see how the glass is made, which was arguably my favorite part.

I would also prioritize sitting down and watching whatever video they’re showing in the theater area, which will give you some insight into the process behind the art. 

There are multiple exhibitions and things to see here, including the glass gardens (think a botanical garden, but the installations are made of glass and are integrated with the natural world).  

Tickets here start at $29, and fluctuate based on time of day and other factors. It’s kind of expensive, which is part of why I had never done it before, but I loved it. More information here. 

If you have kids, the Pacific Science Center is a good option (especially on a rainy day, which there are a lot of in Seattle!). 

It’s a very interactive, hand-on museum focused on the world of science, and they have some fun rotating exhibitions that come through.

There’s an iMax theater here too, and they actually do some fun adult themed nights like laser shows to Jimi Hendrix music. 

The Best View in Seattle at Kerry Park

As we promised when we said that we didn’t recommend the Space Needle, we have an alternative spot with a great – we would say even better – view of Seattle that actually includes the most iconic element of the skyline, the Space Needle. 

And it’s a public park a short walk up the hill from Seattle Center. The only entry price you’ll pay is the sweat and oxygen it will require to get up the hill. 

Kerry Park (here on Google Maps) is not a secret, but from here you’ll have a sweeping view of the Space Needle, with Downtown Seattle’s towering skyscrapers, Mount Rainier (on a clear day), and the Puget Sound as a stunning backdrop.

At least on a sunny day. It’s one of the postcard views of Seattle, and it’s worth elbowing your way through the swarms of people to get a few pictures of Seattle at its best. 

We love this view around sunset, when the glow of the setting sun bathes the city in a warm golden light, but it’s a little out of the way from your afternoon activities if you don’t have a car. The view is still excellent midday. 

For what it’s worth, we bring just about everyone that comes to Seattle up here for the view. 

An Evening in Capitol Hill 

There are many places that we considered for the place to round out your day in Seattle with great food and drinks, including Belltown, Ballard, and Fremont, but we eventually landed on Capitol Hill. 

Capitol Hill is probably tied with Ballard for the place that we spend the most time when we come back to Seattle these days. It’s full of great places to eat, coffee, and fun shops to browse (including the best bookstore in the city, we think).

In terms of organizing your time, we’d split it into walking the Pike/Pine corridor to get a feel for the neighborhood (with plenty of shops to poke your head into along the way) and then eating and drinking. 

In terms of walking, we’d go from the base of Capitol Hill on Pike Street (here on Google Maps) and walk straight up Pike to get to Elliott Bay Books, the best independent bookstore in Seattle (well worth a visit, and support them!). 

After that walk, time for dinner!

You’re in a top-tier food neighborhood, here are some good options for dinner in Capitol Hill.

We picked some restaurants that we (mostly Alysha, who doesn’t need to eat gluten free like Matt) have on our list with a bias for things that are unique to Seattle that you might not have at home (like local shellfish and great Asian food). 

We’d also suggest reading Seattle Met’s guide to eating in Seattle, which has 50 restaurants (and a big chunk of them are in Capitol Hill). 

Taylor Shellfish Farm: In Melrose Market, they serve a menu focused mainly on local shellfish, with a wide variety of Washington oysters available. If you’re into seafood, this would be a good spot to come to explore Washington’s veritable bounty of seafood.  

Taurus Ox: A bit further into the residential part of Capitol Hill towards Volunteer Park, this place serves Laotian food AND most of the menu is gluten free (though they do have a shared fryer, so the menu isn’t quite correctly marked for Celiacs like Matt).

Laotian food is something you don’t find terribly often outside of Seattle (and other big cities), which is why we think it deserves your time. 

Ramie: In a world where Vietnamese food has kind of been pigeonholed a little bit, I love places that are pushing the boundaries and expectations that we have.

For example, we absolutely love Berlu, a Vietnamese bakery in Portland run by a James Beard nominated chef that, at one point, had a fine dining experience that was mindblowing.

Ramie is a similar idea, taking flavor profiles and techniques of traditional Vietnamese food and trying something new. 

Dick’s Drive-in: A Seattle classic! Dicks is Seattle’s answer to In-N-Out, but unlike California’s resident burger chain, where substitutions are unlimited and part of the game, there are no substitutions here.

Very basic menu – burger (with cheese, without cheese, one patty, two patties), fries, shakes and ice cream. About as affordable as it gets in modern-day Seattle.  

For dessert, there are two top-tier ice cream spots in Capitol Hill. 

Molly Moons: A lot of people, for some reason, will send you to Salt & Straw, which is fine, but they’re from Portland, and I’m not sure why you would recommend them when the Seattle original, Molly Moons, is also right there!  

Frankie and Jo’s: If you’re looking for gluten free, plant-based ice cream, this is a good option in Cap Hill (though they do use gluten free oats in basically everything, if you’re someone who’s gluten free and can’t have oats). 

For drinks, here are a few good options.  

For cocktails, head to Tavern Law (great cocktails) or Canon (excellent whiskey list).

Alternatively, book a seating at Inside Passage, a fun reservations-only tropical-themed cocktail bar inside of Rumba (my family goes here for special occasions). 

For beer, either head to the Pine Box to try a range of beers from breweries all over the city (and beyond), or head to Stoup’s location for one of the best local breweries that tends to show up on every Seattle beer lover’s list of favorite breweries. 

What To Do with More Time in Seattle

If you happen to have more time to spend in Seattle, there are PLENTY of things to add to your itinerary (here are all of our favorite things to do in Seattle). 

Rather than listing everything here, we’re going to direct you to our other Seattle guides. 

We have an entire guide dedicated to spending 3 days in Seattle, and if you have more than a day we’d head straight over there. We’re not going to rehash everything we say in that guide here. 

We also have a guide to spending two days in Seattle, which is a good middle ground between this guide and our three day itinerary.

At a high level, if you have more than one day in town, your options start to really open up and you can afford to spend the time exploring the further out neighborhoods that we really love, like Ballard (the Sunday Farmers Market is an experience!) and Fremont.

Don’t miss Gasworks Park near Fremont and its commanding view of the skyline, and consider a day trip to Bainbridge Island (which includes a picturesque ferry ride to get there). 

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