How to Have the Best Weekend in Seattle, WA
Updated: May 16, 2022
The best weekend in Seattle is spent eating great food, exploring incredible views, and visiting the coolest museums and coffee shops around town. You’ll find it easy to have plenty to do while here.
If you have to choose a time to go – summer is it! It was 75 and sunny almost the whole time we were there. It was great weather for walking around and seeing the city. Plus everything is a little better when it’s sunny!
I got to visit the Pacific Northwest for the very first time in the summer for a long weekend (we took a weekend trip from Seattle to hike Snoqualmie Pass too)! It was just as beautiful as I imagined and I’m so glad I got to see some of the best of what the region as to offer. Since it was my first time visiting, I researched the best things to do and was able to create this awesome itinerary for a weekend in Seattle.
Special thank you to Visit Seattle and CityPASS for the awesome suggestions, passes, and help planning our trip. As always, all thoughts are my own.
Notes:
Almost everything we did was included on the Seattle CityPASS. It’s just $99 and includes entry to a ton of major Seattle attractions. I highly recommend getting this pass if you plan on doing a lot of the major sites.
We stayed at a great AirBnB right in Capitol Hill that offered keyless entry, a private bathroom, and easy access to everything we wanted to do. I highly recommend staying here. New to AirBnB? Here’s $40 off your next trip.
We spent two days after our weekend in Seattle hiking in Snoqualmie Pass just an hour away by car. It was incredible and getting out of the city, into the mountains is an awesome way to explore even more of this area.
Another great option for a day trip or add on is going from Seattle to San Juan Islands, famous for the Orcas that live there year round!
Weekend in Seattle Day 1
Brunch at Elysian Brewery
We started off day one with a delicious brunch with beer at Elysian Brewery. It was chill and a great way to start off the weekend trip. We grabbed some burgers with some tasty fries and sipped some awesome beers.
Seattle actually has so many breweries to choose from! We ended up visiting quite a few, but Elysian was our favorite. It’s had some award-winning beers that are not too easy to find on the East Coast so it was definitely a treat for us.
Explore Seattle Center
No trip to Seattle is complete without visiting Seattle Center. Seattle Center is an area of Seattle originally designed for the World’s Fair in 1962. It is home to the Space Needle, Chihuly Gardens and Glass, Museum of Pop Culture, Science Center, and more. We loved walking around and seeing the different street performers here too. It was a spot you can’t miss.
We chose to do quite a few things while here. Everything I list below is included on the CityPASS! Each one individually will run you about $30 or so – the pass is so worth it!!! Here is what you need to know about the Seattle Center attractions.
Space Needle
It’s totally worth going up and walking along the glass floor as you take in the views! There will be a line (with the pass or without). You’ll want to make a stop at the kiosks here first to secure your timed entry so you can go and enjoy the rest of the spots in the area while you wait. You don’t need to go up to a live agent whether you’ve got the pass or not, the kiosk will work for your ticket.
We ended up having to pick a time that was 3 hours later because it was sold out until then! Once you are at your timed entry, you will end up waiting in line again just to go into the elevator. We waited about 30-45 minutes in the line at our ticketed time. Up at the top, you’ll enjoy the views and have the chance to walk on the glass revolving floor. It’s pretty crazy to look straight down!
Museum of Pop Culture
This was a fun museum to walk through if you like movies and music! We saw props from all kinds of movies and TV shows as well as the instruments, artifacts, and more of famous musicians. Plus, the building is so cool!
Chihuly Gardens and Glass
I love Chihuly glass! If you are a fan of unique art pieces, then you’ll love visiting this museum. Chihuly is a famous glassblower who is from Washington. His pieces are colorful and whimsical, bringing a truly unique form of art to life. The museum is not large, but honestly was my favorite!
Seattle Science Center
This is one spot that is geared more toward families and so we chose to skip it. However, it does have awesome reviews and if you are a science nerd, would be a ton of fun to visit!
Visit Starbucks Reserve
Seattle is the original home of Starbucks. You can’t visit Seattle and not go to all the famous Starbucks locations… Yes, there is the original Starbucks next to Pike’s Place Market (you can make a visit here when you go to Pike Place Market), but I loved Starbucks Reserve. It’s a truly unique coffee experience with drinks, roasts, pastries, and coffee supplies you can’t get anywhere else but in Seattle. We loved sitting at the bar enjoying a drink and sampling some rare coffees!
We got a delicious espresso, vanilla creme drink, and a cinnamon roll. It was a unique experience and another great food stop on our way around town during our weekend in Seattle.
Take in Some Views at Kerry Park
Chances are if you’ve seen a famous picture of the Seattle skyline, you’ve seen the view from Kerry Park. In my opinion, this is the best view of downtown Seattle. We were extremely lucky and were in Seattle when it was completely clear blue skies. We got to see Mt. Rainier so clearly with the gorgeous Seattle skyline.
Dinner in Chinatown
Seattle is known as a great spot for Asian food of all different kinds and we knew we wanted to try out some while we were there. We ended up at a Korean BBQ spot right near Chinatown that was delicious! If you want to do a dinner like this, get there early. We left around 6:30 and the line was long.
Weekend in Seattle Day 2
Stop by General Porpoises Doughnuts
We stayed in Capitol Hill and one place that came highly recommended by a friend was a doughnut spot that ended up being incredible! The doughnuts were not like most cream doughnuts… the filling wasn’t too sweet or too creamy, it was juuuuust right (call me Goldilocks I guess). I seriously LOVED this doughnut and am still dreaming about it a month later. They have a few locations around town and it was a great first stop of the day.
Eat Biscuit Bitch for Breakfast
I had heard about this place from a friend and wanted to check it out since it was right by Pike Place Market. It was a great spot for a delicious breakfast sandwich. The biscuits were melt in your mouth delicious and the cheese on my biscuit melted perfectly into the sandwich. Is your mouth watering yet because mine is!
Walk Pike Place Market
This is one of the most recognizable places in Seattle. Pike Place Market is a staple in Seattle and way bigger than I originally realized. It’s 4 stories and you can walk there for hours. A few highlights are listed below:
Pike Place Fish Market: The home of the famous fish throwing. You never know when it will happen so wait patiently!
The Gum Wall: People have been placing their used chewed gum on the wall right outside Pike Place Market. The gum was all removed just a few years ago and the alley is now completely covered again. It’s kind of gross but it’s also really fun!
Shops and more shops: Inside the market, you’ll find more shops than you can imagine. The main floor on the street is covered in flower vendors that are just so pretty to walk past.
The first Starbucks: It’s true! Right across the street from Pike Place Market is the very first Starbucks. The line gets extremely long and personally, since it’s basically the same, we chose not to go in. There are two Starbucks stores within two blocks.
Piroshky Piroshky: What is a Piroshky? They are Russian, handheld pies filled with a variety of things. It’s been a staple of the market for two decades and is delicious!
Take a Cruise of the Harbor with Argosy Cruises
Everything I read about Seattle said to take a boat cruise to see the city from the water. We were so glad we did! Argosy Cruises are a short walk from Pike Place Market and will sell out. Go early and get your ticket reserved for a time later in the day, then go explore other spots nearby until it’s time for your cruise.
This is another activity included on the pass and we enjoyed our one hour cruise taking in awesome views. There was commentary the whole time explaining things about Seattle and its history as well as food and drink for purchase.
Visit the Seattle Aquarium
This is one spot we had not originally planned on going to, but honestly, we didn’t think about getting our tickets for the cruise in time. It ended up being awesome because we got to experience the important work this aquarium is doing. They are working hard to save animals that can’t be released back into the wild.
Bike to the Freemont Troll, Freemont Brewing Company, and Gas Works Park
Biking around Seattle is a great way to see the city. We wanted to get another cool view of the city and see it from a different perspective so we biked over to Gas Works Park with a few stops along the way.
Freemont Troll: If you love fairy tales, then this stop is a must! The “troll” that lives under the Freemont Bridge inspired the author of the Three Billy Goats Gruff. The troll has been sighted for over a hundred years and now there’s a statue you can go and see to commemorate this famous spot. A good urban legend is always fun to take part in.
Freemont Brewing Company: This brewery has an awesome outdoor space right by the water and tons of room for people to hang out. It was crowded on a Sunday afternoon and a really great place to stop for a drink.
Gas Works Park: This was a former coal gasification plant that they turned into a park in the 1960s. It’s the last equipment of it’s kind still in the United States and has great views of Seattle. It’s a very popular park where people picnic and kayak regularly. If you want to sit on the grass, bring chairs or a blanket because there’s a lot of goose poop everywhere!
Explore Capitol Hill for the Evening
As mentioned, our Airbnb was located in one of Seattle’s coolest neighborhoods Capitol Hill. There are a ton of awesome spots in this neighborhood worth checking out. We chose to spend the evening walking around and trying different places in the neighborhood. Below are the spots we checked out during our weekend in Seattle.
Osteria la Spiga: Great Italian food with a really chic environment.
Rachel’s Ginger Beer: Awesome variety of ginger beers and drinks. Stop by during happy hour for a good deal! They also have all their ginger beers available without alcohol.
Unicorn: Carnival-themed bar with fun decor.
Elliot Bay Book Company: Really fun book store with local flare.
Honestly, a weekend in Seattle was such a fun trip and I know that no matter what you do, you’ll have a great time. I hope this post helps you plan your weekend in Seattle!