Is it hard to get around in Seattle?

While a car is a great option for exploring most places, downtown Seattle is not one of them. Traffic downtown gets extremely congested because of one-way streets and bus-only hours. Plus, parking is expensive. The quickest way to get around downtown is by foot, metro buses, or other public transportation.



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You can easily get around Seattle without a car. Places like Pike Place Market, the Seattle Center, the waterfront, and a lot of neighborhoods are walkable.

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With 3 to 4 days in the city, it's easy to experience the best of Seattle: you focus first on the city's core, and then venture out onto the water or to one of the city's parks. Stay in a hotel in the downtown core, like Hotel Max, for the easiest travel around the city.

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The majority of the neighborhoods in Seattle are safe for tourists to explore, particularly in the daytime. West Seattle, Magnolia, Fremont, Phinney Ridge, and Columbia City are some of the safest neighborhoods with lower overall crime rates.

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But with aptly placed staircases, amenities and employment opportunities on every corner, and bus routes linking most neighborhoods, Seattle is actually a very walkable city. In fact, it's No. 8 among the most walkable cities in the country.

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Uber released rankings of the best and worst cities for the ride-hailing company's drivers to pick up passengers and Seattle was second worst in the U.S., trailing only New York City. That means a lot of you aren't getting the 5-star rating you think you are every time you catch a ride.

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Discover the 10 most walkable neighborhoods in Seattle: If you love walking to your favorite destinations and nearby amenities, these neighborhoods are for you!
  • International District. 98 / 100. ...
  • Downtown Seattle. 98 / 100. ...
  • Belltown. 98 / 100. ...
  • First Hill. ...
  • Pioneer Square. ...
  • South Lake Union. ...
  • Yesler Terrace. ...
  • University District.


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Downtown Seattle is the most walkable part of the city with a Walk Score of 98. You can run most of your errands on foot. While you're out and about, enjoy the stunning waterfront scenery, the shopping, and one of the hundreds of restaurants in the community.

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Many neighborhoods are walkable, particularly those with large commercial areas. You can easily walk around some of Seattle's best neighborhoods like downtown Seattle, Capitol Hill, and Fremont. Walking is a great option if you want to check out all the city's nooks and crannies and find hidden gems.

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With over a dozen convenient stops, a City Sightseeing Hop-On, Hop-Off Seattle Tour drops you off at all of Seattle's most popular attractions. Explore Seattle at your own pace with your 24 & 48 hours ticket, complemented by strategically located stops to help you get around the city in a jiffy.

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Nowadays with light rail and Uber, rental cars are more expensive if you only stay in the city. The times of expensive and unreliable taxis are long gone. A car isn't needed for downtown.

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Seattle is famous for Starbucks and overall coffee culture, grunge music scene, the Seahawks, the Space Needle, Pike Place Market, headquarters of a lot of the tech industry (including both Amazon and Microsoft), hiking, kayaking, and general outdoors lifestyle (think REI).

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A University of Washington study of Seattle public transit in response to concerns about potential health risks to operators and riders found methamphetamine and fentanyl use is rampant on the city's trains and buses but transit agencies say the results show it is safe to ride with “drug levels detected on public ...

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You cannot do the tour on your own. Each underground is locked, and the tour companies pay rent to the property owners to go through their tour route under each property. Helpful?

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