Perfect Seattle Itinerary

Perfect Seattle Itinerary

I’m back with another itinerary for you! This time, I’ll be sharing my Perfect Seattle Itinerary!

My trip to Washington was one of the best that I’ve ever had, and I wanted to share my experiences with you! I met some friends who lived there but also experienced the city for the first time, so I got the perfect mix of discovering local spots while doing tourist musts.

I’ve broken my trip up into two itineraries, one for Seattle and one for Gig Harbor. You can also find a “What to Pack: Seattle” blog to help you with all of your clothing questions. 

As always, drop suggestions below!

Things to Do

If this is your first time in Seattle, doing the touristy things might not be a bad idea. I did a mixture of tourist attractions and hidden gems only locals would know. 

Pike Place Market

Would it even be a Seattle itinerary without Pike Place Market on there? If you’re staying a few days in Seattle, I would recommend looking here legitimately for food. There’s endless options – it’s huge – and tons of fresh seafood (yum). You can always send some of the fish you find home, but be ready to pay a price for it. And don’t forget to watch the fish getting tossed around!

But if food isn’t what you’re looking for, the market is full of unique gifts like shirts soaked in coffee and bleached (actually made a super cool design). There’s a lot of creatives here so you can find a gift for everyone. 

Karaoke at Ozzies

After grabbing some grub at Toulouse Petit in Queen Anne, sing and dance your food off at Ozzie’s bar, just a block away. This two-story bar has options for everyone with trivia, poker, and pool. Keep in mind, the later you stay, the younger the crowd gets. 

Space Needle 

This won’t be the cheapest thing you do in Seattle, especially if you’re taking a family, but it’s 100% worth it. I’m someone who loves views and could sit and stare for hours, and a lot of people up in the Space Needle have the same idea. We went at night so you couldn’t see as much as you could during the day, but it was magical overlooking the city while it rained. Also, whoever updated the Space Needle knew what they were doing. One of the floors rotates while music plays softly in the background, so you can pick a spot to sit for a while and enjoy some special time with someone you love! 

Seattle Aquarium

Stuck inside on a rainy day but still want to see animals? That’s what happened to us, too so we decided to check out the aquarium. You’ll find a lot of the animals here are native to the Seattle area and they have quite a few instructional events around aquarium.

Whale Watching 

Unfortunately, we weren’t able to go whale watching because it wasn’t the time of season (yes, there are times of year for whale watching) but I would say if you’re trying to decide when to visit and can make it work, this is not something to miss. I would make a trip back just to do this.  

Where to Eat

Restaurants with a view

We only stopped at Lowell’s Restaurant at Pikes Place Market for cocktails, but I mention this spot because of its location and view. Lowell’s is located in the market overlooking Elliott Bay and the Great Wheel. We stopped right when the sun was setting, so it truly was a magical view. 

And of course, you can’t go to Seattle without getting some seafood. For our last meal, we stopped at Elliott’s Oyster House on the pier. We were actually in a hurry when we stopped here because I had to catch a flight home 🙁 so we ordered the For the Table Ultimate that came with Chilled Dungeness crab, oysters, mussels, scallops, prawns, snow crab and a range of sauces. It unexpectedly all came chilled but was clearly quality seafood. Our waitress also warned us that the horseradish would be one of the hottest we’ve ever had and she wasn’t kidding (although the men didn’t seem to think so, so maybe that says something about my ability to handle heat). 

Cozy, intimate restaurant 

Escape the rain at Toulouse Petit in Queen Anne. It is one of the most beautiful, intimate restaurants that I’ve ever been. The entire place is filled with candles, which covers the majority of the lighting for the place. Toulouse describes itself as “Bringing the Big Easy to Seattle” and they definitely live up to the name, with ENDLESS options (it was practically impossible to choose), which is maybe why we ordered quite a few things off the menu! For the main course, I got the Seafood Gumbo that had prawns, fish, crawfish and andouille sausage that was so good, I probably would get the same thing if I ever go back. 

If you only have one place to go while you’re there, I would seriously consider going here. 

Brunch French style

For brunch, we found Boat Street Cafe, a French cafe tucked away in a complex. This restaurant is very true to French cuisine, decor and overall ambience. It’s a simple place, with cement flooring and a petit outdoor patio. The only disappointment I had here was that you couldn’t actually see the water from it. 

Where to stay 

Again, the options are endless in Seattle, so it really depends on what vibe and price point you’re looking at. We chose The Maxwell Hotel by StayPinneapple which checked a lot of the boxes of the Seattle adventure. The hotel had bands come in to play live which added a nice touch when we were sitting by the bar. There were puzzles in the elevator and around the hotel and they offered free coffee and cookies, and beach cruisers to take around town. The best part is that they’re puppy friendly and who doesn’t want that?

Overall, my trip to Washington was a memorable, fun filled one. There are plenty of things I want to go back and do (like whale watching and going to Mt Rainier) that couldn’t all fit into one trip. I don’t think you’ll go bored no matter what you do, so search around and figure out what works best for you and your family! And as always, if you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them below or contact me! 

Xo,
Gina

© Gina Johnson Spoden 2020

Gina

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