Seattle is one of the best cities to visit in the Pacific Northwest. The city has a lively, pulsating energy. That atmosphere, combined with the surrounding striking and rugged landscape, makes it a city that should not be missed!
That said, the city is full of fascinating places worthy of a stop. But with only three days at your disposal, you will have to have a game plan to ensure you’re able to experience all the splendor the city has to offer.
With so much to do and see, a travel itinerary will provide a framework as to how best to use your time in Seattle. Take a look at our 3-day breakdown, covering all the highlights The Emerald City has to offer!
Where to Stay in Seattle
Budget – Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Seattle Center
Four Points by Sheraton Downtown Seattle Center is a wonderful hotel if you’re looking for accommodations on a strict budget. The hotel rooms are clean and comfortable, and it’s just a ten-minute walk to the Space Needle and a short drive to Pike Place Market.
Mid-Range – Hotel Theodore
Hotel Theodore is a 4-star boutique hotel in downtown Seattle and a fun place to stay if you’re feeling fancy. There’s a gorgeous bar, a coffee shop, and a tasty restaurant all on-site.
Luxury – Four Seasons Hotel Seattle
The Four Seasons Hotel Seattle is one of the most luxurious places to stay in Seattle. The property is beautiful and features an impressive 24-hour gym, a full-service spa, and an amazing outdoor pool to enjoy!
Booking.com
Seattle Itinerary Day 1
Breakfast: Geraldine’s Counter
Located in the Columbia City area of town, this comfortable diner-style restaurant has the best French toast around! Specializing in all your favorite morning comfort meals, you can also enjoy biscuits and gravy as well as omelets and other delicious breakfast fare.
With a no-fuss atmosphere, this is the perfect place for families to come and enjoy breakfast together. Even parents of young children can feel at ease bringing their family here, as the kids will be free to enjoy their meal in a comfortable and playful atmosphere.
Morning Activity: Harbor Cruise
Seattle boat tours are one of the most fun and unique ways to see and learn about the city. A morning harbor cruise around Seattle is the perfect way to start your first day in the city.
There are a variety of boat tour options to choose from, whether you’re looking for a family-friendly experience or a cocktail cruise to enjoy with a special someone.
Whichever tour you choose, you’re sure to enjoy views of some of Seattle’s more iconic landmarks, including The Space Needle, The Great Wheel, and sometimes even Mount Rainier.
Boat tours are also a wonderful way to spot and enjoy the wildlife that call Seattle home. Kids will love spotting seals and a variety of different bird species while on board a fun tour of Seattle’s harbor.
Lunch: Pike Place Chowder
With the freshest seafood within reach, it would be a crime to miss out on a bowl of chowder while spending time in Seattle.
Pike Place Chowder is an excellent lunch choice, with a variety of chowders on the menu, including New England Clam Chowder, Smoked Salmon Chowder, and Manhattan Style Chowder, as well as a few others.
You can enjoy your chowder in a cup or take it to the next level in a delicious bread bowl. The restaurant also offers a delectable line of lobster, crab, and shrimp seafood rolls.
Afternoon Activity: Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market is the heart of Seattle. A visit here will introduce travelers to some of the most vibrant and wonderful staples of the city. The lively market showcases such a wide variety of items; there’s bound to be something that engages each person in your group.
From the fragrant and beautiful fresh flowers to the impressive craftsmanship on display through unique items and artwork, there are so many treasures to be discovered here. Not to mention the entertaining fish tossers, too; they are a sight to see!
There are also so many international influences and flavors at play within the market. Those interested in tasting their way through Pike Place should jump on a food tour of the market. It’s a fun and educational way to experience this special part of Seattle.
Dinner: The Pink Door
The Pink Door is a wonderful place to enjoy dinner after exploring Pike Place Market. This restaurant offers Italian-American-inspired dishes, primarily salads, seafood, and pasta, in a fine dining setting.
Entertainment is a fun aspect of the dining experience at The Pink Door. From live music to trapeze artists or tarot card readers, you never know who or what you might see!
Seattle Itinerary Day 2
Breakfast: The Station
A trip to Seattle wouldn’t be complete without visiting a local coffee shop. The Station is a wonderful place to fuel up for the day with a breakfast sandwich and a flavored mocha.
The breakfast food and beverages knock it out of the park here, but the artsy atmosphere must be noted as well. Not over the top, but the local art, short story dispensing machine, and groovy pop tunes make this a stellar place to start your day.
Morning Activity: Space Needle
The Space Needle is one of the most popular tourist attractions in Seattle. Some visitors may be satisfied with seeing the iconic structure from the ground outside, but for those looking for a stellar view of Puget Sound and Mount Rainier, a trip up to the top might be in order.
The Space Needle’s Observation Deck is 520 feet off the ground, offering an incredible view of downtown Seattle, Lake Union, and the Cascade Mountains. Nighttime visitors can expect a breathtaking view of city lights.
Lunch: Darkalino’s
Darkalino’s is the best spot to visit when hanging out in Pioneer Square and a craving for Italian food hits. Featuring indoor and outdoor seating, it’s easy to snag a table and enjoy the likes of fresh salads, tasty deli-style sandwiches, or, of course, a long list of delectable pastas.
Afternoon Activity: Underground Tour
Seattle Underground Tours provides a magical and memorable way to explore a lesser-known realm of the city.
You won’t regret taking an afternoon to explore historic Pioneer Square, where residents used to work and live before the city was built over it as a response to The Great Fire in 1889.
Different than all the other tourist attractions in Seattle, an underground tour is a great way to learn about the history of the city up close. It’s an adventure you can enjoy alongside your family that you all will be talking about for ages.
Dinner: All Water Seafood & Oyster Bar
All Water Seafood & Oyster Bar is a classy and contemporary restaurant located inside Hotel 1000 in Seattle. If you’re an oyster fan, this is the place to go, as the oysters here are fresh, of decent size, and shucked very well.
You’d be hard-pressed to find a better oyster experience in Seattle! Fish and chips, as well as American fare like burgers and fries, are also available, so the whole family can leave happy and well-fed.
Seattle Itinerary Day 3
Breakfast: Glo’s
Glo’s offers a modern spin on diner classics. The restaurant itself is modeled similarly to diners of yesteryear but with clean and sleek contemporary touches.
Eggs Benedict is the favorite here, but other breakfast staples like biscuits and coffee cake are all beautifully plated and presented here.
Morning Activity: Discovery Park Loop Trail
There are so many exciting and interesting attractions throughout Seattle’s downtown areas, but that’s not all this city has to offer. Before your time in Seattle runs out, spend some time exploring the serene nature surrounding the city.
A hike of the Discovery Park Loop Trail is an amazing way to enjoy the lush landscape Seattle has to offer. At 2.8 miles, with only slight elevation gains, this is a wonderful, family-friendly way to explore Washington’s great outdoors.
If your family is willing and equipped to hike a bit longer, extend your walk out to the lighthouse. It’s not often that you have the chance to visit a lighthouse, so it’s a wonderful and interesting place to explore.
If you plan ahead, you can even pack a picnic to enjoy on the beach as you take a moment to sit in nature, admiring the lighthouse and surrounding area. You might even catch a glimpse of some wildlife, like herons or even a bald eagle, while resting.
Lunch: The Boat
If you find yourself exploring the International District and are seeking a culinary adventure, hop on over to The Boat, a phenomenal Vietnamese restaurant in this part of town.
The restaurant looks like a pirate ship upon arrival, so that alone should guarantee a fun lunch experience. The fried cornish hens and chrysanthemum greens shouldn’t be passed up at this delicious lunch spot!
Afternoon Activity: Waterfront Park
Seattle’s waterfront is such a special part of the city and definitely should not be overlooked during your 3-day stay. Waterfront Park is a developing 20-acre public park in downtown Seattle, nestled right along the waterfront, hence the name.
This park is a wonderful place to take a walk and decompress during your busy trip to Seattle. Kids and adults alike will welcome the chance to leisurely walk and enjoy the scenery as well as the breeze off the water.
Once completed, this area will have a massive playground, but as of now, it features pier areas, great for sitting along the water’s edge and enjoying the afternoon. This area is also just a short walk away from The Great Wheel, the Seattle Aquarium, and Pike Place Market.
Dinner: Chan Seattle
Another hotel restaurant, you can find Chan Seattle inside The Paramount Hotel. This Korean restaurant not only offers top-notch and flavorful dishes but an experience to remember as well.
This spot features beef and pork sliders, Alaskan Black Cod, Noodle, and Rice Cakes, among many other delightful entrees. Some of the dishes, like Duck Sop Bap, are even prepared table-side, making for an entertaining as well as delicious experience.
FAQ: 3 Day Seattle Itinerary
Is 3 Days Enough to See Seattle?
Three days is an appropriate amount of time to see some of Seattle’s best highlights. The city is full of exciting and interesting places to visit, so it’s likely you won’t cover them all in three days, but you could definitely make a dent in the city’s must-visit hot spots.
Is a Weekend Enough in Seattle?
A weekend in Seattle is a great way to get a taste of what the city is all about, but you likely won’t have enough time to visit all the must-see attractions. A weekend trip is a great way to see if you enjoy the city’s atmosphere, and if you do, you can always plan for a more extended trip sometime down the road.
How Many Days is Recommended for Seattle?
The amount of time anyone should spend in Seattle will depend on the overall vision for the trip as well as the individual’s or family’s overall interests.
Three or four days is often a good length of time to spend in Seattle for those interested in exploring the city itself. Those looking to check out the touristy attractions and eat at a few restaurants will find this an appropriate amount of time.
That said, some travelers may be interested in experiencing downtown Seattle in the same way but also want to take advantage of the surrounding landscape with day trips to Ocean Shores or North Cascades National Park. Or even a ferry trip to British Columbia!
For those looking for more than just a city experience, a week would be a more comfortable period of time to experience both the urban and natural aspects of Seattle and its surrounding areas.
Conclusion: 3 Day Seattle Itinerary
Seattle is an amazing city, full of history, culture, and fun! With such a wide variety of attractions and outdoor adventures to be had, it’s a wonderful place to consider vacationing to as a family, for a romantic getaway, or even as a solo traveler.
Maybe you will decide to explore Seattle’s waterfront on a boat tour and a walk through Pike Place Market. Or maybe you will spend time downtown at The Space Needle and relish some of the best food ever.
Or maybe you will decide to spend time outside the city, taking in the beauty of the Pacific Northwest wilderness. No matter which route you decide to take, there’s no wrong way to soak up the splendor that is Seattle.
We hope this 3-day Seattle itinerary will help guide you on a memorable trip of a lifetime!
This is a post by Guest Contributor Candice
Author’s Bio: Candice and Coltin, the creative minds behind Exploring The Gulf, are a dynamic duo with a shared passion for adventure. As a published author and travel enthusiast, Candice’s love for exploration and cultural immersion is evident in her storytelling. Coltin’s photography skills and real estate background complement their journey to capture the essence of diverse destinations, while their family of five brings a sense of wonder to their journey of discovery and captivating storytelling.
