June 18, 2026 — 4:05pmThis American city is damp and chilly from October to April, but never mind the weather – you’ll find other good reasons to visit.Who goes thereSeattle is a busy port thanks to the popularity of Alaska cruises, though some ships also sail itineraries to Hawaii, America’s west coast and Mexico, or head across the Pacific on repositioning cruises. This year 2.1 million passengers are expected off 21 ships belonging to 15 cruise lines. The season runs from May to October.The skyline of Seattle.Sail on inGiven the cruise ship habit of early arrival, you might miss much of the spectacle before the sun rises, but you can soak it up for a couple of hours when departing. Your ship sails through a channel between Canada’s Vancouver Island and Washington state, past the San Juan archipelago and into Puget Sound, which forks deep into the landscape before you arrive in Seattle with its distinctive Space Needle tower.Sign up for the Traveller Deals newsletterGet exclusive travel deals delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up now.Berth ritesSome cruise lines use Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66, located in downtown Seattle near key attractions such as Pike Place Market, Seattle Aquarium and the Space Needle. Others use Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91, a 15-minute drive from downtown. The airport is a 35-minute drive.Before and afterSeattle is a home port for Alaska cruises, so you might stay a day or two before or after your cruise. For contemporary chic, you can’t go wrong with the well-located Four Seasons Hotel Seattle or suave downtown Hotel 1000 Seattle. More moderately priced options are Palihotel Seattle or Graduate by Hilton Seattle.Going ashoreTaking a stroll in one of Seattle’s many gardens.Pike Place Market, packed with eateries and craft stalls, is the city’s biggest, if touristy, attraction. Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour is quirkier and more entertaining, taking you to buried parts of the city. Seattle has numerous fine museums, but if you can’t decide, visit the Seattle Art Museum for Northwest Coast Native American art and a wide range of other world art. Also outstanding are the city’s gardens, of which the best are Bellevue Botanical Garden, Seattle Japanese Garden and the Olympic Sculpture Park.Don’t missJimi Hendrix’s guitar at Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture.American cities such as Detroit, New Orleans and Nashville are the ones we associate with music, but local Seattle bands such as Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Alice in Chains produced 1990s grunge. You can tour various grunge venues, but anyone interested in the wider music scene shouldn’t miss the interactive Museum of Pop Culture, which includes a gallery dedicated to Seattle native Jimi Hendrix.Get activeDespite often being damp, Seattle is an active and outdoorsy city. You probably won’t want to swim in the sound, although locals do, but you could sea kayak or paddleboard at Moss Bay. If you prefer to stay dry, run along the waterfront path in either direction from the cruise terminals. The city has three municipal golf courses.Best bitesYou will find warming chowder out and about in Seattle.Seafood should be your go-to in the Pacific Northwest: salmon, trout, crab, shellfish and variations on chowder. The dining scene is lively and multicultural, although the best of it is found in inconvenient suburbs (Queen Anne is your closest bet). Still, in the downtown area try Lola for Greek, Shiro’s Sushi or the upmarket Shuckers Oyster Bar (also a seafood restaurant) at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel.Further afieldMost excursions won’t take you outside Seattle. A few cruise lines might offer a trip to wineries around Woodinville, a half-hour’s drive north-east. The top choice, however, is the Future of Flight and Boeing Factory Tour an hour north of the city centre, where you can see the factory floor, inspect giant engines and see wacky proposals for future aircraft.Brian Johnston seemed destined to become a travel writer: he is an Irishman born in Nigeria and raised in Switzerland, who has lived in Britain and China and now calls Australia home.From our partners