Tours Northwest · Downtown Seattle
Tours Northwest's mini coach collects you at one of three downtown meeting points and covers nearly 50 miles of Seattle in three hours, from Pioneer Square to the Ballard Locks and Kerry Park. Pick it if you want a tour that really lasts three hours, at the lowest bus-tour price here.
Tours Northwest has the most-reviewed city bus tour on this site, and the reason is simple: it does what the name says. The listing gives 3 hours, the company's own page describes a route of nearly 50 miles, and there are several start times a day. You board at one of three stops: the Central Library (1000 4th Ave, 25 minutes before the start), Midtown at 1900 4th Ave (15 minutes before) or MoPOP at Seattle Center (5 minutes before). Look for a white mini coach that says Tours Northwest.
Out of the coach, you get 15 minutes in Pioneer Square, short stops at Waterfall Garden Park and the Klondike Gold Rush park, 15 minutes at the Ballard Locks and 10 at Kerry Park. Much of the rest goes by the window: Pike Place Market, the waterfront, the stadiums, Fishermen's Terminal, Lake Union and the Fremont Troll. The tour ends in front of the Space Needle, where you can get off, or rides back downtown.
Two things to know. Pike Place Market is a drive-by here, so plan your market visit separately. And the meeting points run on pickup times, not tour times: one guest who turned up at the library for a 1 PM tour learned the coach had come at 12:35. There's no hotel pickup and no room for luggage. For door-to-door service, the same company runs a small-group tour with hotel pickup for $115.
Central Library at 25 minutes before the start, 1900 4th Ave at 15, MoPOP at 5. Arrive 5 minutes before your pickup time.
15 minutes in the square, then Waterfall Garden Park and the Klondike Gold Rush visitor center, 5 minutes each.
Drive-bys of the stadiums, Chinatown-International District, Lake Union, Fishermen's Terminal and the Fremont Troll, narrated by the guide-driver.
15 minutes at the locks, then 10 at the Kerry Park lookout over the skyline.
The tour ends in front of the Space Needle. Stay for tickets or MoPOP, or ride back downtown.
★★★★★Great sightseeing tour of Seattle! It was very convenient, and I really appreciated that we drove to the different sights instead of having to walk everywhere. [...] Perfect if you want to explore Seattle without doing a ton of walking.
★★★★★We got a good selection d look at downtown but we also got to see a lot of things away from downtown. We were even in time to see a lowering of the boats in the lock at Lake Union. Our tour guide, Bryan, was informative and engaging.
★★★★★This is a leisurely tour of Seattle. Minimal walking required and you will enter/exit the small bus several times to participate in specific experiences. [...] Maybe a troll under a bridge?
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Seattle Central Library (1000 4th Ave), Midtown at 1900 4th Ave and MoPOP (325 5th Ave N). Pickups are 25, 15 and 5 minutes before the tour start, in that order.
No. Tours Northwest's small-group tour with hotel pickup collects from most downtown hotels for $115.
No, it's a pass-by. You stop at Pioneer Square, Waterfall Garden Park, the Klondike Gold Rush park, the Ballard Locks and Kerry Park.
No. The tour ends in front of it. Tickets are separate, $35 to $55, so you can go up afterwards. More in our Space Needle guide.
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A 3-hour narrated loop from three downtown meeting points that can end in front of the Space Needle.
3 Hour Seattle City Tour with Hotel PickupThe classic narrated loop with hotel pickup, a Pike Place stop and the Ballard Locks. Listed at about 4 hours.★ 4.8 · About 4 hours · from $111
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