SeaTac Airport, home of Alaska Airlines, Seattle Transportation

SeaTac Airport, the home of Alaska Airlines; credit Minnaert/Wiki

Seattle Transportation

Airport

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) has Hub Airport status and boasts the longest non-stop in America — Seattle to Miami. Locals call it “Sea-Tac” but the airport is officially “SEA” for booking flights and checking flight status. June-August is the busiest timeframe for SEA Airport with 100,000 daily passengers.

After a confusing history of additions, the master plan for SEA Airport finally makes sense for residents and travelers. Runways were upgraded to handle more flights across North America and Asia while mitigating noise over nearby homes. The Central Terminal features a business conference center and a massive window to view flights while anchoring 4 concourses. Each concourse features more dining & retail options, faster WiFi, and stations with electrical outlets for mobile device charging.

Over 3200 parking garage spaces became available when car rentals were moved north of the terminal. Wayfinding signage is better for the Parking Garage and other Ground Transportation options. SEA Airport Terminal Map

Airport Transit: Many travelers take the Central Link light rail from SEA Airport Station for an inexpensive and reasonably quick ride to the train station and Downtown Seattle.

Taxis: All taxis charge a Flat Rate for trips from the Downtown Seattle Hotel District to SEA Airport. Call Yellow Cab (206-622-6500), Orange Cab (206-522-8800), or Farwest Taxi (206-622-1717) to schedule a pick-up.

Shuttles: Another popular option is Shuttle Express from SEA Airport garage to downtown for about $35 or Airport Express (800-544-0739) for $10 to downtown hotels. Both shuttles depart SEA Airport every 20 minutes from 4:30a-11:10p. Reservations are not required.

Car Rentals: A shuttle bus transports you to the offsite car rental facility for Alamo, Avis, Budget, Hertz, Dollar, Enterprise, and National. Though SEA Airport is only 11 miles from downtown, trips there via I-5 Freeway take 25-50 minutes, depending on commute hours. The drive to Downtown Seattle is easy for first-time visitors to navigate. Just go north to the skyscrapers.

The interior of Seattle King Street Station

The remarkable interior of Seattle King Street Station; credit ZhengZhou

Train Station

In Seattle, people go to King Street Station at 303 Jackson Street, Seattle for Sounder commuter rail and these three Amtrak routes:

Cascades: Eugene-Portland-Tacoma-Seattle-Vancouver
Coast Starlight: Los Angeles-Santa Barbara-Oakland-Sacramento-Portland-Seattle
Empire Builder: Seattle-Spokane-Fargo-Minneapolis-Milwaukee-Chicago

Amtrak Cascades is a popular travel option for students and others on a budget between Eugene, Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver BC. Cascades feature modern European-style trains that have WiFi, wide seats, electrical outlets at each seat, and bicycle & ski racks. They also serve regional food and beverages onboard.

Vancouver-Seattle-Portland-Eugene is a 466-mile Canadian and U.S. High-Speed Rail Corridor designated for higher federal & state funding. Each year, more miles of track are being upgraded for faster speed. For more context on this important subject, see Interstate High-Speed Rail.

As you see, Coast Starlight and Empire Builder are Amtrak Long-Distance routes. Amtrak operates them as once daily roundtrip featuring land cruise experiences with fine dining and other passenger amenities. Do not expect a fast ride. Instead, enjoy the unparalleled views. In the near term, Amtrak plans to increase these Long-Distance routes to twice daily.

Seattle Link train at Angle Lake Station

Light rail train at Link Angle Lake Station just south of SEA Airport; credit Sound Transit

Rapid Transit

Sound Transit operates Link light rail system. It currently runs north-south and operates every 7-15 minutes on Weekdays and 10-15 minutes on Weekends from 5a-Midnight. The Link has several tunnels and viaducts that enable speeds as fast or faster than Rush Hour driving from SEA Airport to the Stadium District, King Street Station, Downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill, University of Washington, U District, and Northgate.

Multi-Day fares and reduced fares for youths & seniors are available. Kids under 6 ride Free. Purchase a ticket from the vending machine before boarding — don’t risk a ticketless fine.

King County residents voted to fund a massive expansion of Seattle Transportation that yields benefits every 3-4 years. In 2024, the Link system expands north to Lynnwood, east to Mercer Island, Bellevue & Redmond, and south to Federal Way. See the Link System Map. More Link system expansion is coming in 2030.

Sounder commuter rail also uses King Street Station and benefits from track upgrades to the Amtrak Cascades route. Sounder operates in the lengthy Everett-Seattle-Tacoma corridor is a modest alternative to traffic on I-5 Freeway. with additional state & federal funding, perhaps Sounder will run more frequently to become a good all-day option in the near future.

Fares are relatively low for their mileage but, as expected, vary by length of trip. Newer Sounder trains feature WiFi, restrooms, bike racks, and more comfortable seats than Central Link trains. See Sounder System Map

Seattle Monorail at Westlake Center, Seattle Transportation

Seattle Monorail at Westlake Center; (c) Soul Of America

Seattle Center Monorail
Built like Disneyland Monorail on a long string of concrete posts, this 1.2-mile monorail gives “urban scenic” views over its short route. The 90-second ride has only two stops — Westlake Center in downtown and Seattle Center. On warm days count on long lines to board. Rides depart every 15 minutes MAP and Seattle Center MAP
ADMISSION: see pricing on their website
DAYS & HOURS: daily
WEBSITE: http://www.seattlemonorail.com

Seattle Streetcars
The South Lake Union Streetcar starts on the north side of Westlake Center, which also has a Central Link Light rail station and a Seattle Monorail Station. South Lake Union Streetcar proceeds north on a 1.5-mile route past Amazon HQ to South Lake Union. The First Hill Streetcar line connects Capitol Hill, Seattle University, First Hill, Tessler Terrace, Chinatown, Japantown, Seattle Union Station, and Occidental Mall. With future funding, the two streetcar lines will connect via 1st Avenue and Stewart Avenue to complete a valuable tourist option.
WEBSITE: https://www.seattle.gov/transportation/getting-around/transit/streetcar

Tacoma Link is a separate short light rail that provides a great way for tourists to get around downtown Tacoma — it’s Free. Daily service runs every 12-24 minutes, 5:30a-9a. Tacoma Link System Map

Tours

For the best experience of Black history and culture, check out Africatown Black Seattle Tours. This short video gives you a sample of why Africatown, the Central District, remains the heart of Black Seattle and a must-visit. The tour is an outgrowth of Africatown Land & Trust’s efforts to celebrate Black historic sites and enhance Black Culture in the district.
WEBSITE: https://www.africatownlandtrust.org/

Seattle also features a number of walkable and short-ride tours that include Premier 3-Hour Seattle City Tour, Chef Guided Food Tour of Pike Place Market, Beneath The Streets Underground History Tour, and Best of Olympic National Park from Seattle Small-Group Day Tour. The range of experiences expands to match your travel budget.

A Norwegian cruise ship leaving Seattle

A Norwegian cruise ship departing the Port of Seattle; credit Port of Seattle

Cruiseport

Seattle Transportation options are well known for multi-day cruises to Alaska from Smith Cove on Pier 91 at 2001 West Garfield Street, Seattle, WA. The city is a host port for Carnival, Celebrity, Holland America, Princess, and Royal Caribbean cruise lines.

Car Rentals: Alamo, National, and Enterprise agencies are nearby at 1601 3rd Avenue. The main Cruise Terminal is only 10 minutes from Downtown Seattle, the Space Needle, and a 30-40 minute ride to SEA Airport.

Even closer to downtown, one finds Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66. It is the home port for Norwegian and Oceania cruise lines.

Seattle Waterfront
Seattle’s waterfront overlooks the deep-water harbor, Elliott Bay. The bay teems with trade, ferry boats, cruise liners, sightseeing tour boats, and pleasure craft – the views are astounding from all; you can overlook the harbor from the Pike Place Market. Bell Street Cruise Terminal is also a homeport for scenic day cruises to Tillicum Village on nearby Blake Island for a Northwest Coast Native American stage show. The Seattle Waterfront also features souvenir and gift shops and an array of Northwest seafood.
ADDRESS: Alaskan Way stretching from Pier 70 on the north and Pier 48 on the south

Elliott Bay Water Taxi
In the summer months, catch a water taxi from Piers 54 and 66 to Seacrest Park; the ride gives a spectacular view of the downtown skyline and West Seattle; for a small fee. It runs daily in the warm months.
WEBSITE: https://kingcounty.gov/depts/transportation/water-taxi.aspx

Washington State Ferry
The nation’s largest and finest ferry system is so well used, it is often overtaxed on weekends and fair-weather days. In addition to ferries running throughout Puget Sound, this ferry system is known for delightful and relatively inexpensive trips to Victoria and Vancouver, Canada. If you take a car with you, the wait to board may take longer to board the vessel than the trip time. Knowledgeable passengers remember their passports and board the ferry by foot. Use other ground transportation when you arrive in Vancouver. Schedules are less frequent in the winter and fees vary by distance – cash only.
ADDRESS: Piers 52 and 48 adjacent to Downtown and Pioneer Square
PHONE: 800-843-3779
WEBSITE: https://wsdot.wa.gov/travel/washington-state-ferries

Argosy siteseeing ships in Seattle

Argosy siteseeing ships in Seattle; (c) Soul Of America

Argosy Cruises
Argosy has provided scenic cruises for more than 50 years in Elliott Bay; cruises include Harbor Tour (1-hour narrated cruise of Elliott Bay and Seattle Harbor), The Lakes (2-hour cruise with a view of Lake Washington and luxurious waterfront homes), The Locks (two-hour narrated cruise through the Locks, Lake Union, Puget Sound, Lake Washington Ship Canal), Tillicum Village (four-hour cruise to Blake Island for Northwest Indian culture dinner and dance show); Cruises depart from Pier 55 on Alaskan Way.
PHONE: 206-623-4252
WEBSITE: https://www.argosycruises.com

Freeways

Seattle-Tacoma Freeway System serves every major community west of Puget Sound and it shows. I-5 Freeway from Sea-Tac Airport to the University of Washington is one of the nation’s most congested commutes. Carpool lanes and metered entrances have been added to help traffic flow in this growing region. State Route 520 bridge across Lake Washington features automated toll collection. Rental cars may be assessed a steep service fee by the rental company, in addition to the automated toll, so be sure to ask first or avoid this bridge.

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