Customized Tours · Downtown Seattle
Customized Tours collects you from your downtown or airport hotel and drives a narrated loop through Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market, Queen Anne, Fremont and the Ballard Locks. Pick it for the door-to-door pickup, and plan for about four hours, not three.
The name stuck; the length didn't. The tour still sells under the old "3 Hour" web address, but the listing now says about 4 hours, and the operator adds that it "could extend beyond the estimated time" because of pickup locations, traffic and road works. Guests report it running up to an hour over. Got a dinner booking or a show that evening? Leave a wide margin.
For that time you get the widest route of the four city bus tours on this site. A guide-driver picks you up at your hotel in a mini bus, then works through Pioneer Square, Waterfall Garden Park and the Klondike Gold Rush visitor center, a Pike Place Market break, Queen Anne Hill and Kerry Park, the Lake Union houseboats, Gas Works Park, the University of Washington and Fremont. The longest stop is the Ballard Locks at 30 minutes, where guests report sea lions going after salmon. Fishermen's Terminal closes the loop.
Three caveats. The Space Needle is a drive-by: you see it from the bus, and tickets ($35 to $55 on the official site) are on you. The guide sets the day's route, so stop times move around; several guests got an hour at Pike Place instead of the listed 20 minutes. And confirmation can take up to 48 hours, with a minimum group size. Want to keep it to three hours? Tours Northwest's mini coach tour costs less, but you walk to a meeting point.
Pickups start at 9:25 AM for the 10:00 AM tour. Contact Customized Tours first to check your hotel is inside the pickup zone and to get your exact time.
Short walks around Seattle's oldest neighborhood: Waterfall Garden Park, the Klondike Gold Rush park and the square itself. Then a drive past the stadiums, Chinatown-International District and the Central Library.
Listed at 20 minutes. Guests report up to an hour, enough for a sandwich but not for the long lines at the famous counters.
Up Queen Anne Hill to the Kerry Park lookout for the skyline photo. The Space Needle and the Amazon Spheres go by the window.
Quick stops at the houseboats, Gas Works Park, the University of Washington and Fremont. The Fremont Troll is a drive-by.
30 minutes at the locks and the fish ladder, 10 at Fishermen's Terminal, then back past the waterfront to your hotel.
★★★★★Strong recommend! A very comprehensive tour of the city if you are looking to see as many neighborhoods as possible in a one day tour. [...] There were a few stops to get out and walk and we had an hour for lunch at Pike Place. The visit to the Ballard Locks was a special treat.
★★★★★He picked us up at our hotel in a comfortable van and we had five other guests with us. Highlights included the Space Needle (from the outside), the Fremont Troll, Queen Anne Hill, Chittenden Locks (our favorite) and the famous Pike Place Market.
★★★★★Joe was so knowledgeable and had a very dry sense of humour he had us all laughing and lightened the mood. We enjoyed the history of Seattle and all the sights especially the seals at the lock.
★★★★★It is a great tour but can overrun by 1 hour so please be aware if on a tight schedule Our driver/guide Joe was excellent.very knowledgeable and was very helpful. Tour was not rushed.
Read next:
No. The listing now says about 4 hours, and the operator warns it can run longer because of pickups, traffic and road works. Guests report overruns of up to an hour. Our tour-length guide has the details.
No. The Space Needle is a pass-by, seen from the bus. Observation deck tickets cost $35 to $55 on the official site and are not included. More in our Space Needle guide.
Select downtown Seattle and airport (SeaTac) hotels. The listing asks you to contact Customized Tours to confirm your hotel is inside the pickup zone and to get your exact time. Pickups start at 9:25 AM.
No, meals are excluded. The group gets time at Pike Place Market: 20 minutes on the listing, up to an hour in guest reports, enough to grab something quick.
Ready to book
Hotel pickup from select downtown and airport hotels, a Pike Place Market stop and the Ballard Locks, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Premier 3-Hour Seattle City Tour by Mini CoachThree downtown start points and a 3-hour loop to the Locks and Kerry Park, ending in front of the Space Needle.★ 4.8 · 3 hours · from $88
Seattle Bus Tour with Space Needle & Fremont TrollAn afternoon 3-hour loop from the Hyatt Regency with Kerry Park and the Locks, and a drop-off at Pike Place.★ 4.9 · 3 hours · from $89
Small-Group City Tour with Hotel PickupHotel pickup from most downtown hotels, 14 guests at most, and the only city tour here listed as wheelchair accessible.★ 4.8 · 3 hours · from $115