Day Trips from Seattle

You will find a wide range of activities to do in Seattle that will allow you to know in depth its most emblematic places, its history, traditions and main attractions. But you will also have unmissable excursions that will take you to explore the surrounding area and make you fall in love with Seattle even more.

On day trips, you can visit Woodinville Wine Country and taste the best wines in the area, be dazzled by Snoqualmie Falls and its fairytale sites, and get to know the Boeing Factory and Olympic National Park in depth. **I'll tell you the best excursions you can do from Seattle so you don't miss anything.
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Snoqualmie Falls is the most impressive waterfall in the United States and you can find it only 40 kilometers from the city of Seattle. Besides being an excellent place to take a day trip from Seattle, it is recognized for being one of the main sources of hydroelectric power in the region.

From a lookout with a 180 degree view you will have a privileged place to enjoy the waterfalls and also there you can go down a nature trail to the power plant and have the best views from below. You will surely recognize its picturesque surrounding areas that were the scene of well-known film productions such as Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure and The Vanishing.

In addition to the best views, you can taste delicious wines at Chateau Ste. Michelle and other renowned wineries.

Interesting details

• Price: You can enjoy this excursion for a price starting at 85 € per person.
• Duration: 6 hours.
• Schedule: Starts at 10:30 a.m.
• Maximum number of travelers: This tour has a capacity of up to 24 people.
• Advantages of this tour: You will visit one of the best places around Seattle, but you will also discover the most exclusive flavors of the city's wineries, which will make this a unique experience.
• Disadvantages of this tour: It does not include meals, but you have the possibility of buying a lunch pack. If you prefer something else, here are some options.

Where to eat in Snoqualmie

At the falls, you can buy some basic things like snacks and water. But nearby you will have other options in case you want to eat something more elaborate, I recommend some places.

• The Salish Lodge Hotel: offers some fine dining options you may want to consider.
• Got Rice Chinese: it is only a few minutes away from the falls and offers exclusive dishes of traditional Chinese cuisine.
• Gianfranco Italian Restaurant: you will find the best Italian cuisine in the area.

In addition, you will have a variety of outdoor dining options in Snoqualmie and enjoy a picnic in the middle of nature.

You can visit Woodinville Wine Country just 30 minutes from downtown Seattle. It is located in western Washington, located around the city of Woodinville and is the epicenter of wine. You will have the opportunity to experience the most varied wine offerings in the area and taste the best wines from family-owned and operated boutique wineries.

In addition, this experience will allow you to learn a bit about the history of the area and you will have access to William Grassie Wine Estates - Events Only and Patterson Cellars.

Details of interest

• Price: You can enjoy this experience for a price starting at 197 € per person.
• Duration: 8 hours.
• Schedule: Starts at 10 a.m.
• Maximum number of travelers: This excursion is very exclusive, it has a capacity of up to 10 people.
• Advantages of this excursion: It is not just any excursion, but the most exclusive and complete of all. You will have lunch, wine tastings included and entrance to unique sites. You will tour Woodinville Wine Country and Sonqualmie Falls on the same tour.
• Disadvantages of this tour: It is an ideal experience to do if you plan to spend more than one day in Seattle because it will take you the whole day.

Just minutes from Seattle you'll find a modern marvel in commercial aircraft production at Boeing's Future of Flight Aviation Center. This is the home of legendary aircraft such as the 747, 777 and the world's most advanced jetliner, the 787 Dreamliner.

On this incredible tour you will learn about the long history of Boeing airplanes, seeing one of the largest buildings in the world that houses airplanes in various stages of assembly. You'll have plenty of places to take pictures and shop for unique Boeing branded gifts.

This tour includes admission to the factory and a 90-minute tour with a Boeing expert who will tell you all about the site.

Details of interest

• Duration: 4 hours and 30 minutes.
• Maximum number of passengers: This tour has a capacity of up to 34 people.
• Benefits of this tour: You will take away a wealth of information about the Future of Flight Aviation Center. Includes round-trip air-conditioned bus transportation from Seattle.
• Disadvantages of this tour: The experience does not include meals.

Olympic National Park is a natural wonder that has been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. You will arrive there by ferry, through Puget Sound to the Olympic Peninsula and you will find a great ecological diversity and extensive trails full of vegetation.

It is undoubtedly a place you will love to visit and you will have a lot to learn from an expert guide. You will be able to explore the forests, you will pass by blue water lakes and some of glacial origin and you will have the best views of the mountains that make this area unique. In addition, this excursion will allow you to visit Hurricane Ridge, Crescent Lake and Marymere Falls, among many other breathtaking landscapes.

Details of interest

• Price: You can enjoy this experience for a price starting at 281 €.
• Duration: 12 hours.
• Maximum number of travelers: This tour has a capacity of up to 10 people.
• Pros of this tour: The tour includes breakfast, lunch and snacks, plus entrance fees to the following sites: Olympic National Park, Bainbridge Island Ferry, Hurricane Ridge Visitors Center, Elwha Dam Removal Site, Lake Crescent, Marymere Falls and Salt Creek Recreation Area.
• Disadvantages of this tour: Due to its duration, you will have to spend a whole day, so it is not recommended if you plan to be in Seattle for a short time.

Most of these tours do not include meals, but that's not a problem in Seattle. Before you go on the tour of your choice, or the return trip, you'll have plenty of options to choose from. You can even combine some of these excursions with a food tour of Seattle. Here is a list of some places where you can try some of Seattle's most popular delicacies.

• The Walrus And The Carpenter: here you will taste oysters obtained directly from the waters of Seattle. Here you will have good dishes and at a good price.
• Jackson's Catfish Corner: welcome to the place with the most delicious fried food in town. Their star dish is the American catfish, but you will also have shrimp, chicken, onion rings, battered mozzarella and much more.
• Pike Place Chowder: you will find the best clam chowder in Seattle in its different versions and varieties.
• RockCreek: you will have a wide variety of fresh fish and seafood characteristic of Seattle.
• General Porpoise: donuts are the specialty of this place. They are exquisite and have a wide variety of fillings such as vanilla cream, lemon, chocolate and many more.
• Molly Moon's: this is the most popular and famous ice cream parlor in Seattle and you must try their more eccentric flavors such as Earl Grey tea and lavender honey, in addition to the classics such as chocolate, strawberries and salted caramel.

You can purchase any of these excursions online: and you will receive confirmation of your reservation immediately upon purchase. Remember that you must choose an exact date when you want to do the excursion. In case your plans change for any reason, there will be no problem, you can cancel the tour for free.

To do some of these tours from Seattle, you will need a minimum of 4 and a maximum of 12 hours.

You should also consider that if you choose a tour longer than 5 hours, you may not have much time to do anything else that day. However, if you choose an excursion of less than 5 hours, you will have the afternoon free to make other plans. Even if you plan to spend only a few days in the city, you will have the possibility to organize two short excursions in the same day.

You will be able to enjoy these excursions for very varied prices that remain between 85 and 281 euros and choose the one that best suits everything you want to know and even combine them. Consider that the main variables in relation to the price will be in what you want to know, the duration of the tour, the number of passengers and what is included in each excursion.

Seattle is a city full of contrasts and attractions that make it seem futuristic and modern and at the same time, it is surrounded by vegetation, nature, lakes and outdoor life. From the buses that will take you to the surrounding sites on these excursions, you will be able to observe how the huge skyscrapers blend with the green horizons. In addition, you will take with you unique, pure and very particular flavors, colors, sights and smells.

• Snoqualmie Falls: you will have the best views of the falls from the lookout point and you can hike a short trail to its base to appreciate them from other strategic points. You will learn about the flora and fauna along the wooded trail and discover the history of the falls.
• Woodinville: one of the most charming places you will visit, full of nature and wineries. Woodinville developed in the 1880s as a farming and logging community along the Sammamish River. You will visit the best boutique wineries in the area and taste the most indigenous flavors.
• Olympic National Park: you will get lost in trails full of vegetation, after enjoying a ferry ride. You will get to know unique landscapes that make this national park a world heritage site.
• Boeing Factory: one of the largest aircraft assembly plants in the world, where Boeing's most famous models are assembled. In addition, you will learn about the history of the place and curious facts about airplanes that will fascinate you.

I recommend that you wear comfortable clothing and walking shoes for these excursions. Although you will be traveling to the destinations by bus or ferry, there will be a lot to explore on foot in these places. In some cases, the excursions will last several hours and you will be touring several sites, so you don't want to be uncomfortable and have a hard time.

Some time before the excursion, it will be essential that you check the weather so that you can dress accordingly and not seem either hot or cold, taking into account the temperature of the day and the date you are going to do it.

Keep in mind that all excursions to Snoqualmie Falls, Woodinville and Olympic National Park are conditioned by the weather, since good weather is necessary for them to take place, otherwise they will have to be rescheduled. Although it is not possible to guess the exact weather, I will tell you which are the best months to visit Seattle and do these types of excursions.

Fortunately, Seattle is a city that tends to have good weather almost all year round. The best months are May, June, July, August and September. July and August are the mildest. And the coldest, most unstable and rainy months are January, November and December.

In case you want to combine any of these excursions with other activities, I share with you an itinerary of things to see and do in Seattle in summer.

I'll tell you the main reason why you should take these tours: you can't miss the chance to get to know the most eccentric and aesthetically impressive natural wonders near Seattle. With these tours, you can live a unique experience, knowing the most impressive surrounding places, along with the experience of an expert guide who will accompany your tour and telling you unique details of each place.

Seattle is considered one of the most cosmopolitan cities in the United States. However, its huge skyscrapers and its technological and modern style, blend with the lively nature and flavors of its border areas. You will have all these options so you won't miss a thing: see the best views of Snoqualmie Falls, taste the best wines of Woodinville Wine Country, visit the Boeing Factory, tour the Olympic National Park, and much more.

Now I will tell you when NOT to go: if you are traveling to Seattle for a short time. It is a city with a great variety of attractions to see and history to learn about, so you probably won't have time to dedicate a full day to any of these excursions.

In this case, I advise you to make a list of the attractions you want to see and make the excursion that best suits your wish list. Also, find out beforehand if the Seattle City Pass is worth it to optimize time and save on the main attractions.