Last Updated on March 22, 2024 by snaphappytravel
One day in, Seattle will just scratch the surface of what this cool city has to offer! The city is jam-packed with awesome attractions like the iconic Space Needle, Pike Place Market (easily one of the most famous markets in the world), and the quirky, lesser-known Chewing Gum Wall. That definitely needs to be seen to be believed!
It will be hard to fit everything into just one day, which is why I recommend allowing at least 3 days in Seattle if possible. But, in saying that one day in Seattle is just enough time to get a feel for the city and tick a couple of must-visit attractions and tours off your list!
I’ve done the research so you don’t have to and included a mix of super-popular sights and awesome tours so that your only day in Seattle will be a bucket-list-worthy experience!
Your one-day Seattle itinerary should look like this:
Morning: First Starbucks in the world & Pike Place Market
Afternoon: Seattle Space Needle & Museum of Pop Culture
Evening: Beneath the Streets Tour, Chewing Gum Wall & dinner in Pioneer Square
Can You Do Seattle in One Day?
You can see a lot of Seattle in one day, but you’ll need to be efficient with your time. As one of the most-visited cities in the U.S., as you can imagine, there are lots of memorable things to do in Seattle, as well as plenty of great restaurants, cafes, and hotels. So, deciding what to see and not see in 24 hours is a challenging task!
That’s where I come in—one day in Seattle will allow you to tick off the city’s big-hitter attractions like the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, and Pioneer Square. If you manage your time correctly, you’ll also be able to do an awesome beneath the streets tour and visit the Museum of Pop Culture.
Morning – The First Starbucks in the World & Pike Place Market
Have coffee at the first Starbucks in the world
Where it all began – the very first Starbucks store is located right here in Seattle, it’s been opened for over 50 years and is surprising small at just 1,000 square feet – I don’t know but I was expecting it to be much bigger. Nonetheless if you’re a coffee fan you just have to visit the starting point of the most famous coffee brand in the world! Would you believe there are now over 20,000 Starbucks stores in the world!
Not much has changed in the store since it first opened its doors; the floors, the fixtures, the counters, and the Starbucks sign out front are over 50 years old. You can get everything you’d expect from a Starbucks here from normal coffee and espresso to chai tea lattes and caramel Frappuccinos!
Be sure to snap a photo out front!
The first Starbucks store is located at 1912 Pike Place, opposite the famous Pike Place Market. It will be hard to miss because there’s likely a queue of lots of people snaking down the street!
Related Read: Check out my guide to spending 3 days in Seattle!
Pike Place Market
Pike Place Market sure is a Seattle icon, it’s all hustle and bustle and noise. But, that’s why I love it – here, fish mongers throw large fish to each other and to tourists in an almost staged performance that sure is a lot of fun to watch! The market area is a whopping 9 acres and is filled with some of Seattle’s best restaurants, Cafes and some unique gift stores.
The market is best explored with a local – someone who can tell you where to go and where to avoid. So, this Pike Place Market Tasting Tour is ideal and lets you sample the very best of this world-famous market, including Indian samosas, Italian gelato, Greek Yogurt, Pacific Northwest Native American style smoked salmon, America’s best-rated clam chowder, Italian truffles, the best wild salmon burger in Seattle, and more. Your guide will tell you all about the colorful characters who work here, some of whom have been here since it first opened in 1971.
The tour is 2 hours in length and costs just $62 USD per person! You can book the Market Tour here What’s handy is that you can book it now and pay later, and it also offers free cancellation up to 24 hours in advance.
Afternoon – Seattle Space Needle & Museum of Pop Culture
Seattle Space Needle
At 605 feet tall, Seattle’s Space Needle is easily the most recognizable sight in Seattle skyline. It is in fact, one of the most photographed buildings in the world.
From the top of the Space Needle, you can enjoy 360-degree views of downtown Seattle, Puget Sound, and the Olympic Mountains. There’s an all-glass floor on The Loupe, which is the first and only rotating glass floor in the world! Downtown Seattle is literally underneath your feet, so if you get a little queasy at heights, then this may not be the case for you! Higher up in the Space Needle is the upper level, which has floor-to-ceiling glass and is great for photos!
Pretty cool is that you can watch the views from the Space Needle from the comfort of your own home, via their webcam!
You can visit the Space Needle on the CityPass which gives you access to 5 of Seattle’s top sights including Seattle Aquarium, the Museum of Pop Culture, Woodland Park Zoo, Chihuly Gardens and Glass, and Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour all for a discounted price. The CityPass costs from $109 USD per adult.
Museum of Pop Culture
The Museum of Pop Culture is a must-visit for all music fans and is housed within a Frank Gehry-designed building. The Museum showcases the best moments in popular culture from throughout the years, and there are cool exhibits and interactive installations on hand to tell their stories.
Exhibitions currently on display her include a Visual History of Hip Hop; The Art of the Disney Costume and a Nirvana exhibition.
There’s an on-site Cafe operated by famous Chef Wolfgang Puck, which serves grab-and-go items like pastries, snacks, and coffee.
You can visit MoPop on the CityPass, which gives you access to 5 of Seattle’s top sights, including the Seattle Aquarium, the Space Needle, Woodland Park Zoo, Chihuly Gardens and Glass, and Argosy Cruises Harbor Tour all for a discounted price. The CityPass costs from $109 USD per adult.
Evening – Beneath the Streets Tour, Chewing Gum Wall & Dinner in Pioneer Square
Beneath the Streets Tour
Seattle’s reputation as the rainiest city in the U.S means that indoor activity options are always a good-shout. And this underground tour, which explores eerie subterranean passages is a must-do in Seattle.
This short one-hour tour takes you back in time to explore over 4 historic blocks of Pioneer Square and underground pathways built way back in the 1890s. Your guide will tell you all about the history of Seattle, most notably the decision to bring the city’s streets above the swampy ground. Essentially, on this tour, you are exploring what should have been Seattle CBD.
The tour costs from $29 USD per person. You can book the tour here. There are various tour start times throughout the day, including one at 4:30 pm, which is the one I recommend booking if you’re following this one-day Seattle itinerary!
Chewing gum wall
The Seattle Chewing Gum Wall is hidden away in Post Alley, an alleyway off Pike Place in downtown Seattle. The gum wall has been accumulating gum since the early 90s, and it now stretches 50 feet. It is filled with all different colors of gum and even some caricatures and names written on the gum wall. It’s a popular backdrop for photos, and you’ll see hundreds of tourists snapping selfies of themselves as you walk the length of the wall. It’s definitely one of the weirdest and grossest sights in Seattle!
Would you believe it – the wall was only cleaned once in 2015?
Dinner in Pioneer Square
This evening, I recommend heading to Pioneer Square, aka the oldest part of the city. Yep, it’s here that the city’s founding fathers first settled way back in 1852. And you can see remnants of its fascinating past in the brick buildings that line the streets. Be sure to also check out the huge totem pole and the iron pergola.
Today, it’s a popular shopping and nightlife destination, and it’s also where you’ll find some of the best restaurants in Seattle, like Nirmal’s, one of the best Indian restaurants in the state, and 84 Yesler, a modern upscale eatery that specializes in Italian and Japanese fusion.
Where to stay in Seattle
Fairmont Olympic Seattle – a 5-star hotel on University Avenue, in fact, the building itself is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Rooms offer city views with French-inspired furnishings. There are numerous on-site restaurants. Rooms cost from $250 per night.
The Arctic Club Seattle – is a Hilton DoubleTree 4-star hotel on 3rd Avenue. The hotel has a lot of dark-wood and moody lighting all adding to the overall cozy feel. It’s just a 5 minute walk from here to Pike Place. Rooms costs from $300 per night.
Seattle Marriott Waterfront – this waterfront hotel, located in Eliott Bay is just a 5 minute walk from the Seattle Aquarium. Many of the rooms here have a balcony with either ocean or mountain views. One of the biggest pluses for this hotel in the indoor/outdoor connecting swimming pool. Rooms here cost from $132 per night.
Inn at the Market – the only hotel located inside the famous Pike Place Market, the rooms are bright and spacious and some have water views. My top tip for this hotel is to gave a drink at the rooftop bar for fabulous views of the city and sea. Rooms here cost from $240 per night.
Green Tortoise Hostel – a great budget-friendly option, this hostel is located on Pike Street, just opposite Pike Place. It has a fully-equipped kitchen games room and offers private rooms up to 8-bed dorms. Prices start from $34 per night.
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed this blog post, I also have lots of other blog posts on some of my favorite places in North America including the best towns near San Francisco, best things to do in Whistler and the drive from Whistler to Banff.