First time in Seattle — what locals actually recommend
If it's your first weekend in Seattle, this is the locals' shortlist — the sights worth the queue, the food you can't skip, and the neighbourhood walks that show you the place.
Top spots in Seattle
Discovery Park
OutdoorsMagnolia
534 acres of bluffs, beach and a Puget Sound lighthouse hike.
Mount Rainier Day Trip
OutdoorsCascades
Paradise wildflowers in summer, sledding in winter — 2 hr south.
Pike Place Market
Food & DrinkDowntown
Flying fish, fresh donuts and the original Starbucks — open since 1907.
Where to eat
Salare
$$$Pan-American · Ravenna
Edouardo Jordan's plates — refined Caribbean + Southern roots.
Sushi Kashiba
$$$$Sushi · Pike Place
Sit at Chef Shiro's omakase counter — Seattle's sushi pinnacle.
Biscuit Bitch
$Brunch · Pike Place
Hangover-curing biscuits and gravy with attitude.
Canlis
$$$$Pacific Northwest tasting · Queen Anne
75-year-old midcentury icon with Lake Union views.
Paseo
$Cuban sandwiches · Fremont
The Caribbean roast pork sandwich worth the line.
Frequently asked
- Standouts right now: Pike Place Market, Discovery Park, Mount Rainier Day Trip. The shortlist is curated by people who live in Seattle and refreshed regularly so it reflects what's actually open and worth your time.