One day in Seattle under $60: 5 Stops you Need to Make

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Wondering how to spend one day in Seattle? I’ve got you covered!

Whether you’re exploring Seattle during a layover, have a day during a business trip, or just aren’t much of a city person, like me, this Seattle itinerary is for you.

It covers some of the most iconic views and cultural landmarks in this awesome city, along with a few local recommendations.

When I visited Seattle, I was able to explore the city with a local friend.

I’ve found that my favorite city tours have always been this way – a local friend gives me a tour of the must-see destinations, as well as their take on the city. It’s been the case in NYC, Austin, Portland and San Diego, and I’ve written itineraries for all of them.

Being shown around by a local is always super fulfilling. The best part is I don’t have to think about anything – not even looking at a map to make sure I’m going the right way.

Now, if you don’t have a friend to give you a tour, you’ve got me! Read this one day in Seattle itinerary – from my local friend, through me… for you!

This guide to one day in Seattle covers:

• The Space Needle
• Downtown and Pike Place Market
• The Library (yes, I’m a nerd)
• Pioneer Square
• Bainbridge Island

Do this itinerary on foot and public transportation – I’ll give you all the details.

Plus, you can expect it to be cheap. I only spent money on food, the ferry and transportation. I ended up spending under $60 (most of it was the food).

But I’ll also give you several alternative tours or activities that may be worth the money.

Let’s get straight to it!

Where to Stay in Seattle

I stayed with my friend in his one-bedroom apartment. That made me think Seattle had to have affordable lodging.

So, to give you, the reader, my recommendation on where to stay, I searched for a similar place to stay online.

I couldn’t find anything under $90.

That’s just the reality of a US city. Traveling in the US is expensive, especially (and sometimes only) because of the lodging.

Free or Cheap Lodging Tips

Here are some ways to get free lodging in cities, including Seattle:

• Take care of pets as part of Trusted HouseSitters. It’s how I traveled up the west coast for a whole year, pretty much for free! You pay a fee to get on their platform and then you can apply to different sits. It’s like an Airbnb with the responsibility of a pet. Cities have LOTS of house sits available all the time.

• Try out couch surfing. I’ve never done it because I’m not very extroverted, but I’ve heard amazing success stories. Plus, you get to know locals. But it’s a little sketchier than Trusted HouseSitters.
• Stay with a friend. If you don’t want to be intrusive, keep your stay to a max of 2 nights, offer to cook for them and be respectful of their space! People are often more willing to host than you think. I, for one, am always embarrassed to ask, but I’m always down to have someone over… maybe other people are the same way?

Budget Hotels in Downtown Seattle

If, alas, you have to book a hotel or apartment, here are two affordable but highly rated options:

📍Johnny Suite in Seattle

This 1-bedroom, 1-bathroom apartment is perfect for budget travelers in Seattle. Plus, it’s less than a mile from the Capitol Hill station, 2 miles from the Space Needle and 1.5 miles from the ferry.

📍Green Tortoise Hostel

Staying in this hostel means you won’t have much privacy, but it also means you’ll be RIGHT in the middle of all the hustle and bustle of downtown. It’s 4 minutes (walking) from Pike Place Market and 400 feet from the famous gum wall, 3 blocks from the water!

Check out this map with other potential stays… both hotels and rentals!

One Day in Seattle MAP

I’ve put together a custom Google Map of my one day in Seattle itinerary with all the stops, viewpoints, and lodging options in this post.

This interactive map is perfect for visualizing your route through Seattle. Whether you’re walking to the Space Needle, getting lost in alleys around Pike Place Market, or navigating the Light Rail, it’s all pinned and ready.

👉 Open the full map in Google Maps or see it embedded below. Tap the icon on the top left of the map to see the whole menu.

One Day in Seattle Itinerary

I stayed in Capitol Hill, close to downtown Seattle. That’s why this itinerary (Space Needle → Pike Place Market → Library → Pioneer Square → Bainbridge Island) worked perfectly.

Of course, feel free to use this itinerary as a suggestion and mix it up however you want!

How to Get Around Seattle

Seattle has a great public transportation system.

It can get you anywhere (check out this map of the whole Light Rail network), but I’ll make it real simple just for this itinerary. Plus, I’m no expert – I just know what worked for my one day in Seattle.

First of all, you can take the light rail from the Seattle Airport Station (fourth floor of the airport parking garage) straight to Westlake Station, in the middle of downtown.

Apart from that, here are some things to know for this itinerary:

• The best thing to do is buy an ORCA Day Pass. It costs $6 and you can use the light rail and the monorail, which is all you’ll use.
• The easiest way to get the ORCA Day Pass is to buy one at a kiosk at the first station where you arrive. I tried getting it on the app and, though you’re supposed to be able to, it says you can only order one or buy a physical one.
• The Monorail is separate from the Light Rail. It goes from the Seattle Center station near the Space Needle to Westlake Station. Meanwhile, the Light Rail doesn’t go to the Space Needle but has a much bigger network around the city.

• You CAN’T get a Day Pass at the Monorail. So, if you follow this itinerary, you’ll have to pay $4 at the Seattle Center Station for a one-way ticket. Then, you can get the Day Pass for $6 or pay $3 per one-way ride. It’s just best to get one beforehand.
• Getting on the ferry to Bainbridge Island costs $10.25 per adult but its FREE for minors. Then, it’s free for everyone on the way back to Seattle. The ORCA Pass doesn’t apply for ferry rides.

I only used public transportation three times during my day in Seattle. $4 to get from the Space Needle to Westlake Station (near Pike Place Market), $10.25 for the ferry, and $3 to get back home.

1. Space Needle, Museums and the City Pass

No visit to Seattle is complete without a visit to the Space Needle.

You can get there by taking the Monorail from Westlake Station to Seattle Center Station. However, I walked from the Capitol Hill area, and it was awesome.

You start off by walking down Broadway. It’s full of restaurants (a lot of them Asian, which I love) and quirky shops. Lot’s to see!

Then, you walk down Denny Way. And I mean DOWN.

Seattle is very hilly, but it’s thankfully downhill when you’re walking towards the waterfront. It’s also why I took the Light Rail back to where I was staying instead of doing the uphill trek.

Eventually, you get to Denny Park, cut through it, and you get the first glimpse of the Space Needle.

After Denny Park, you’re 4 blocks away from the Space Needle. The whole walk takes 30-40 minutes.

The Space Needle is amazing. There used to be a rotating restaurant at the top, but now it’s just a place to go get a good view (there is a café up there). The windows are leaning out, so you can lean into thin air and see downtown Seattle in all its glory.

Plus, the Space Needle has a bunch of cool things to do and see around it. It’s surrounded by works of art, which you see a lot in Seattle, and places like the Pacific Science Center, Museum of Pop Culture, and Chihuly Garden and Glass.

Is the Space Needle worth it?

Going up the Space Needle costs $49 from 10 am to 10 pm, $37.50 before 10 am and $42.50 after 10 pm.

That’s crazy expensive for a view!

And it’s why I didn’t go up. But I think it’s worth walking under it because it’s iconic. I also love cool architecture.

Even so, the best view of the Space Needle isn’t under it, but from far away  as part of the cityscape. But, hey, now I can say I’ve been there!

But there is a way to go up the Space Needle that might make more sense. Well, kinda.

That’s where the City Pass comes in.

Should you get the Seattle City Pass?

The Seattle City Pass costs $129, and it gives you access to 5 touristy things in Seattle:

• Two of them are fixed, you can’t change them: the Space Needle and Seattle Aquarium.
• For the other activities, you can pick 3 of these: Chihuly Garden and Glass, Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour, Museum of Pop Culture, Woodland Park Zoo, and the Pacific Science Center.

The idea is that, if you’re going to be doing these things anyway, the cost adds up a ton and the City Pass is a way to pay less.

But don’t be fooled! If you’re only going to the Space Needle and Aquarium, go early, and plan ahead, it’ll cost $77.50. Even with the most expensive prices for both, they cost about $100.

So, the City Pass is only worth it if you’re REALLY going to 3 or more of their activities. It’s a great idea if you have kids and need to keep them entertained.

I honestly don’t think it’s worth it and, if you’re like me, it’s time to head over to Pike Place Market.

Get on the Monorail 200 feet from the Space Needle for a gorgeous ride.

2. Pike Market Place – Best Part of the Day!

I LOVED the hustle and bustle of Pike Place Market.

There’s so much going on, the people-watching is first-class, shops and restaurants are super cool and great to look into, and the colors and movement everywhere are a total sensory overload.

I say that as a GREAT thing. I love sensory overload while touring a city.

I’m just going to list everything I enjoyed while walking around Pike Place Market:

The Wet Market and Donuts

Walking down Pike Place between Virginia Ave. and Pike Street will have you turning your head on a swivel.

It’s incredible.

Especially the people-watching. There are meandering tourists to watch, locals trying to get through their days, and people working in all the shops, either hating it or putting on a show for the tourists.

My favorite thing was going into the farmers market. It’s a network of narrow passages with hundreds of shops on all sides.

Get lost in the maze that is the market. You can wander into different levels, follow your nose to different smells, and you’ll randomly bump into incredible views of the waterfront.

The point of convergence of all this craziness is the corner of Pike Place and Pike Street, right where the “Public Market Center” sign is.

This was my destination in Pike Place Market, because I had heard about it from everybody who had given me advice about touring Seattle: “Go to the Wet Market where they throw fish.”

I’ll be honest, I didn’t see any fish being thrown around, but the energy in the area was awesome.

Make sure you check out the narrow alley under the market that would look really sketchy anywhere else. It’s where you’ll find the Gum Wall – the graffiti on the wall is amazing and the whole alley is covered with thousands of people’s chewing gum.

It’s a great quirky symbol of Seattle’s culture.

To finish off, a local whose dog we took care of in Olympia had given me a GREAT local tip: fresh donuts right next to the wet market.

So, we had some spectacular donuts at The Daily Dozen.

Suckers at Starbucks

The First Starbucks is on Pike Place.

You could get a coffee there, but the line is extremely long. It’s just fun to say you’ve seen it.

It’s also fun to see all the suckers waiting in line for Starbucks coffee (sorry if you’re a fan).

The Boardwalk and Best Cityscape

After spending a long time in Pike Place Market, we made it down to the waterfront.

What used to be a port is now a 1.5-mile-long promenade full of shops and entertainment. You can walk from Pier 50 to Pier 70 and it’s all actually built on top of the water.

But it’s not just a flat boardwalk… it has multiple layers, seating areas, small amphitheaters.

And there’s so much to do on the Seattle waterfront, I can’t even begin to describe it in this post. If you’d like to browse for things to do, the Seattle Waterfront website has actually made a list of everything.

What I did was simple and cheap, but super fun.

I walked down to the waterfront through Victor Steinbrueck Park and got some ridiculously expensive mango with tajin (it was SO good though).

Then, I walked all the way out onto the water on Pier 62… but the amazing view was actually looking back towards the city.

During my entire one day in Seattle, this was my favorite view of the skyline. The buildings look dense, and they’re so many different shapes and colors, but somehow they work well together.

And the skyline is so long – from the Space Needle all the way to the Great Wheel.

And, finally, I walked towards the aquarium, where they actually give you a glimpse of what’s inside.

There’s a cool little window into a huge tank right at the aquariums entrance, and you can see lots of fish, sharks and manta rays.

That was the end of my experience on the waterfront, but you might like to ride Seattle’s iconic Great Wheel.

The Seattle Great Wheel

I didn’t go on the Seattle Great Wheel because it costs $23.

But if you’re up to it, you’ll love it. It’s on Pier 57, and it’s one of the iconic features of the Seattle skyline, second only to the Space Needle.

I got great views of it from Pier 62 and the random gorgeous views from inside Pike Place Market.

3. Seattle Public Library (for the nerds out there)

Throughout my 2-year road trip across the USA, I went to a TON of libraries to work.

I love libraries, and I think it’s one of the best things about the US – places where people can go work and learn. It’s amazing.

My favorites were the libraries in Austin, Texas and Moab, Utah… until I came to Seattle.

The Seattle Central Library is an architectural wonder – 11 floors of it!

It’s one of those buildings with cool geometries and colors where you look at it and, for no reason at all, you feel elated.

Anyone else feel that or is it just me?

Apart from the building itself, the library’s coolest feature is the Book Spiral, which is a 4-story spiral of non-fiction books that just keeps going up. Oh, and it has some floating platforms that look beautiful.

It’s worth visiting, especially since it’s right on the way to Pioneer Square.

The library is about a 15-minute walk from the waterfront.

4. Pioneer Square and its Crazy History

Another 12-minute walk takes you to Pioneer Square.

It’s one of Seattle’s oldest neighborhoods, and there’s a bunch to do. From art galleries and restaurants to the best nightlife, it’s the place to be.

And, whereas the Space Needle and Waterfront have a modern, newer vibe, wandering around Pioneer Square is a walk through history. It feels old… and it looks vintage (‘cause it is).

But all the best things in life have a cool story, and the story behind (or should I say, below) Pioneer Square is crazy.

Beneath a big portion of Pioneer Square is one and sometimes two stories of the old Seattle.

There was a fire called the Great Seattle Fire in 1889 that destroyed pretty much the entire business district.

When the time came to rebuild, they decided to take advantage of the opportunity and build on top of the old city to improve flooding hazards and the sewage system. But what’s amazing is that they left the city that’s now underground largely intact!

You can read more about the history of Pioneer Square on it’s website.

As you walk through Pioneer Square, you’ll see a bunch of sidewalks with glass prisms.

These prisms provide light to the city underground.

I LOVE stories like that, and walking through Pioneer Square was fun just knowing what was right beneath me.

That was satisfying enough for me, but you can book a tour and go underground yourself.

5. Onto the Ferry to Bainbridge Island

To finish off an incredible day in Seattle, it’s time to leave the city.

Walk 10 minutes from Pioneer Square to the Ferry to Bainbridge Island.

Taking the ferry to Bainbridge costs $10.25 for adults, $5.10 for seniors and is FREE for minors. The return trip to Seattle is FREE. Check out the Bainbridge island ferry schedules on the Washington State Department of Transportation’s website.

Now, for me, the ferry ride itself is the coolest thing about going to Bainbridge Island. The Seattle skyline is absolutely gorgeous and it feels great to be gliding quickly over the water.

As the skyline got smaller, I started looking around and saw something better than the skyline: Mount Rainier in all its splendor.

Mount Rainier has to be the most photogenic mountain. It’s enormous, and there’s nothing even comparable anywhere near it!

This ferry ride is an absolute treat.

The town where you arrive is Winslow. Walking around, there are great restaurants, cafés and shops.

But the coolest things to do on Bainbridge Island are driving distance away… a problem for this one-day walking tour in Seattle.

To get around Bainbridge Island and experience it without a car, you have three options:

• A historical and nature tour across Bainbridge Island.
• A similar tour, but add a wine tour to the mix.
• Rent a bike at Bike Barn Rentals right by the ferry terminal, choose a bike route, and go explore the island!

What I would do is rent a kayak at Exotic Aquatics Scuba and Kayaking, right by the ferry terminal, and go kayaking right there, with the Seattle skyline and Mt. Rainier in the distance.

What I ACTUALLY did was kayak at the house I was taking care of as part of Trusted HouseSitters. I had a crazy view of the ocean in the backyard (with bald eagles), views of Olympic National Park and kayaks to get on the water whenever I wanted.

Seriously, I can’t recommend Trusted HouseSitters enough. If you’re actually interested, sign up with this link and use the code BLZ32HFE5B for 25% off.

And that was the end of my one day in Seattle.

All that’s left for you is the free ferry ride back to the city, a walk to Symphony Station and the ride back to your hotel, friend’s house or Trusted HouseSit!

Final Thoughts on my One Day in Seattle

I’m not much of a city person, but when I have a good experience touring a city, it’s AWESOME!

And that happened in Seattle.

Much like in Portland, Oregon and Austin Texas, I got great local recommendations that made my day there a total spectacle. Good food, awesome people-watching and LOTS of walking make for a good day in the city.

I visited Seattle as part of my 2-year road trip across the US, and I was road tripping the entire Pacific Northwest when I spent one day in Seattle. My favorite stops were spending 2 days in Olympic National Park, finding secret hikes on the Washington Coast and finally getting to know Mt. Rainier.

I hope you enjoy Seattle as much as I did, and this guide helps you do it!