World City Guide

Tours of the City

Walking Tours
See Seattle Walking Tours (tel: (425) 226 7641; website: www.see-seattle.com) offers half- or full-day tours of the city’s main sights, all year round from Monday to Saturday. Walkers meet at the outdoor seating area of Westlake Plaza, Fourth Avenue and Pine Street, at 0955 for 1000. Tours cost approximately US$20. Underground Seattle (tel: (206) 682 4646; website: www.undergroundtour.com), discovered by chance in the 1960s, is a street of subterranean storefronts dating from the late 19th century, before the Pioneer Square area was elevated above the tide flats. Guides give a racy, three-block walk every day, departing from 608 First Avenue. Tours cost US$11 and take an hour and a half. For US$9.79 there is a Gray Line of Seattle (tel: (206) 626 5208 or (800) 426 7505/32; website: www.graylineseattle.com) walking tour of Pioneer Square, the Waterfront and Pike Place Market every morning at 0900.

Bus Tours
Gray Line (tel: (206) 626 5208 or (800) 426 7505/32; website: www.graylineseattle.com) offers many different day tours within Seattle. A full-day (approximately six hours) Grand City Tour costs US$58.31, while various three-hour tours start at US$31.55 (web special). Gray Line also offers multi-day tours to the San Juan Islands and Victoria, BC. Seattle City Tours (tel: (206) 768 1234 or (888) 293 1404; website: www.seattlecitytours.com) offers are variety of city tours (US$35.85) and a full-day tour to Mt Rainier (US$67.10).

Other Tours
Argosy Tours (tel: (206) 623 1445 or (800) 642 7816; website: www.argosycruises.com), at Pier 55, does sightseeing cruises around the harbour, as well as brunch, lunch and dinner cruises. A one-hour narrated tour of Seattle’s harbour costs US$13.25 (Oct-Mar) to US$17.25 (Apr-Sep) while the two-hour Lake Washington Cruise costs US$21 (Oct-Mar), to US$25.75 and the two-and-one-half hour lock cruises are US$25 (Oct-Mar) and US$32 (Apr-Sep).

Show Me Seattle (tel: (206) 633 2489; website: www.showmeseattle.com) does a funky tour that includes the regular ‘must see’ stuff, the Sleepless in Seattle floating home, quirky neighbourhoods like Fremont, the Ballard Locks and Chinatown for US$38. BeeLine Tours (tel: (206) 632 5162 or (800) 959 8387; website: www.beelinetours.com) do custom tours.

Seattle Seaplanes (tel: (206) 329 9638 or (800) 637 5553; website: www.seattleseaplanes.com) offers 20-minute flights over the city, focusing on its main landmarks and wealthiest homes. Flights cost US$67.50 and depart from 1324 Fairview Avenue East, Lake Union.

Ride the Ducks of Seattle explores city sites on both land and water. The newest sightseeing craze, a WWII amphibious duck, is a bit silly (visitors get whistles that make quacking sounds) but it covers land attractions and then takes a splash into Lake Union (tel: (800) 817 1116 or (206) 441 3825 (DUCK); website: www.ridetheducksofseattle.com), cost: US$23.