Bus tours

The Emerald City Trolley runs hop-on, hop-off tours on old-fashioned trolleybuses from May to September. Tours cover three different routes and take in all the major downtown and Seattle Center sights as well as venturing further afield. You can buy a one- or two-day pass and the main pick-up is by the EMP Museum. Alternatively, bus tours are on offer year-round with Let’s Tour Seattle and encompass most of the city’s major attractions.

Emerald City Trolley
Telephone: +1 855 313 3456
Website: www.emeraldcitytrolley.com

Let’s Tour Seattle
Telephone: +1 206 632 1447
Website: www.letstourseattle.com

Walking tours

Themed walking tours are a fun way to get beneath Seattle’s skin. One of the most interesting and entertaining ways to learn the history of the city is to take the underground tour that weaves above and below Pioneer Square. Alternatively, give your tastebuds a treat on a foodie stroll with Savor Seattle. The options on offer include a guided walk through Pike Place Market and a tantalisingly tasty ‘Chocolate Indulgence’ tour.

Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour
Telephone: +1 206 682 4646
Website: www.undergroundtour.com

Savor Seattle Tours
Telephone: +1 206 209 5485
Website: www.savorseattletours.com

Foodie walking tours

Savor Seattle runs several mouthwateringly tempting tours, including a guided stroll through Pike Place Market and a tantalisingly tasty 'Chocolate Indulgence' tour (Seattle is home to over 50 chocolatiers). It's over-21s only on the two-hour 'Booze n' Bites' walk, which introduces you to Seattle's cocktail scene and gives you a flavour of some of Seattle's best restaurants with top-notch food and wine pairing. You must buy tickets in advance.

Underground tours

One of the most interesting and entertaining ways to learn the history of Seattle is to take the walk that weaves above and below Pioneer Square. The entertaining, 90-minute tour is filled with tales of corruption, get-rich quick-schemes, plus the 1889 Great Seattle Fire and how the area, which was once the street level, became the underground. It begins at the 1880s restored saloon, Doc Maynard's, and ends at Rogues Gallery, which displays pictures of historic Seattle colourful characters.

Bainbridge Island

A 35-minute ferry ride away, Bainbridge Island, 16km (10 miles) west of downtown Seattle, has several artisan wineries and is a great place for biking and kayaking. You can shop at the Saturday farmers market, browse antique shops and galleries, and slurp on ice-creams in the historic town of Winslow.

Olympic National Park

A two-hour drive west from Seattle, the Olympic National Park is a UNESCO-listed natural wonder of glacier-draped mountain peaks, ancient rainforest and coastal wilderness. You can spot an astonishing array of wildlife, hike alpine trails at Hurricane Ridge, gaze at centuries-old forest giants, or spy colourful sea urchins in Pacific tidepools.

Olympic National Park

A two-hour drive west from Seattle, the Olympic National Park is a UNESCO-listed natural wonder of glacier-draped mountain peaks, ancient rainforest and coastal wilderness. You can spot an astonishing array of wildlife, hike alpine trails at Hurricane Ridge, gaze at centuries-old forest giants, or spy colourful sea urchins in Pacific tidepools.