24 Hours in Seattle- After spending some time in this Washington State National Parks, I had one day in Seattle until it was time to catch my flight. I wanted to see and do the best things that the city had to offer in such a short time. Our one day in Seattle was fast paced but we got a great highlight tour in our 24 hours there. Here you will find what to do, see eat and drink in Seattle, Washington.

Before heading to the Seattle area we spent some time exploring the National Parks via campervan (See our complete 10 day Schedule in Washington here). We rented with Campervan North America getting the chance to see Washington’s incredible National Parks, such as the North Cascades, Mt. Rainier and Olympic. I would do it again in a heart beat. But we wanted to make sure we got to see downtown Seattle as we hear great things about the city.

Check out my post on What To Pack For Washington State in the Summer.

Where To Stay

After talking with some local friends we decided to stay in the Fremont area of Seattle. Although it is a little outside of the city, 19 minutes by car to get to the heart of downtown, we felt like there was a lot in that area that peaked our interest more than other areas. First we looked for AirBnBs ($55 off your first use of AirBnB) and hotels but wasn’t having the best of luck within our budget, until we found Hotel Hotel.

Hotel Hotel is advertised as a hostel with dorm style rooms, but they do have rooms for rent, anywhere from 2 person private rooms to up to 4 person family rooms rooms. And the price was great, they even offered a small breakfast in the morning and held our luggage since we had a late flight. You can choose a hostel room or a private room at Hotel Hotel. Search here to find other stays in Seattle.

Booking.com

Our Itinerary

Since spending the night in Fremont we decided to spend the remainder of our evening in this area of town.

Royal Grinders

We were starving from our long drive so we first stopped at Royal Grinders for a quick sandwich to hold us over. We choose here because of the good reviews and fast service.

At this location you can go ahead a view the well known Statue of Lenin as it sits right outside their shop on the patio. They have tables and chairs here where you can enjoy your beer and meal.

Fremont Brewing & the Fremont Troll

After getting cleaned up our next stop was for some brews at Fremont Brewing. From our hotel we took a detour to visit the oddly famous Fremont Troll. The Fremont Troll was created in 1989 when the city asked the Fremont Arts Council to launch an art competition to rehabilitate the area under the bridge, which was becoming a dumping ground and haven for drug dealers. Sculptor Steve Badanes won the competition and was inspired by the folktale Billy Goat’s Gruff to create the Fremont Troll.

Fremont Brewing was recommended to us by many. I loved the set up at Fremont Brewing at is gives off a fish market vibe. They have indoor and outdoor seating, you can order food to bring in, a large menu of beers to choose from and dog friendly 🙂 We split a flight here and moved on.

Triangle Spirits

Stopping to see the Bridgetender Rapunzel bridge on the way, our next stop for dinner and cocktails was at Triangle Spirits. Triangle Spirits has a small menu but we found so much we wanted to try we had a hard time choosing. Everything that came out of the kitchen looked delicious. They are known for their fried chicken and cocktails so we got the fried chicken sandwich and the poutine to share. The poutine caught our eye because it was made with the famous Seattle Beecher’s cheese, and it ended up being delicious and very filling! Their cocktails were great, and they even let me create my own mule. I would go back here for sure if I found myself back in Fremont.

Pike Place Market Area

Le Pichet and Biscuit Bitch

We woke up early to explore as much as the city as we could before our 10:00pm flight. In the morning we got an Uber ($2 off your first rides with Uber) to head into town. Our first stop was going to be Biscuit Bitch, but it seemed as we arrived too late. There was a line out the door, but I would suggest if going here, get something to split. The meals are huge and if you want to sample more in Seattle this meal might leave you too full.

Since Biscuit Bitch was swamped we went just down the street to another recommendation that was given to us, Le Pichet. This French spot has tons of options for food but wanting something little I went for a croissant and coffee. This fresh pastry and delicious coffee brought me right back to Europe where their coffee and pastries is always amazing.

These locations are right by the ever so famous Pike’s Place Market. Head just a block down the road and start exploring the market. There are so many hidden options with the market and blocks around it. There are areas that you can sit down for a full meal, grab and go snacks, artists markets and of course the fish, meat and produce as well.

Beecher’s Cheese Shop

Our first stop was stumbling on to Beecher’s Cheese Shop right outside the market. Here they had a few samples of cheeses in the back. You can also order, mac and cheese, grilled cheese, hot paninis and soups. We got the mac and cheese to enjoy while we walked around.

Starbucks

Right next to here in the original Starbucks, I get the appeal but I couldn’t justify standing in the long line for a coffee when I know there are better coffees around in the area.

Pike Brewing Company

After walking through most of the market we stopped and Pike Brewing Company to rest our feet and enjoy some brews. You can order casual bar food here but we opted for just the beers and get more tastes of the Market later.

Mee Sum Pastry

Our next stop was at Mee Sum Pastry we must of got it right before the rush because we walked right up, by the time we got our food there was a long line. Mee Sum Pastry is known for their steamed buns, baked buns and dumplings. We decided on one baked and one steamed. The steamed bun had a beautiful fluffy exterior and the baked one was perfectly browned and crispy. They both had a sweet and mildly spicy stuffing inside. Our favorite was the baked one, I think just because it was easier to eat while we walked.

Rachel’s Ginger Beer

There were too many options to check out all of them in one morning but we felt like we hit a lot of great and well known places in the Pike’s Market. Their were plenty of other’s I would of liked to have tried such as Pike Place Chowder for their famous chowder (but the line was wrapped around the building), or Piroshky Bakery for their Russian pastries.

But our last as final stop was for one of my favorite types of drinks, Ginger Beer! Rachel’s Ginger Beer serves craft ginger beers. As soon as I heard about this shop I knew I had to try it. And I am glad I did. Although I wish they had more options of flavors I still loved mine. I ordered the original ginger beer to go to sip on our walk. It was the perfect refreshing drink on our warm day in Seattle.

Olympic Sculpture Park

With my Ginger Beer in hand our next stop was to walk the water front to see the Olympic Sculpture Park. Here you can walk to see a variety of sculptures. A lot of locals were running in the park as well.

Space Needle Area

From the Olympic Sculpture Park we headed to the Space Needle. Here if tight on time or energy you could always catch an Uber. But the walk only takes about 11 minutes, there is an up hill part of the walk but it is fairly easy and we saw a lot of tourists walking this route as well.

At the Space Needle Park you have a few options from here to decide what you want to do with your time and budget. You can easily still have a great time exploring the park, sculptures and admiring the needle for free, which is what we did. Or you have a few options of ticketed entertainment.

Space Needle

The Space Needle is iconic to Seattle. Many tourists find their way there to observe the tower to even take a ride up to the top. We opted not to go up but to walk around the park.

Ticket Prices

Chihuly Gardens

Ticket Prices

Pacific Science Center

Ticket Prices

Museum of Pop Culture

Ticket Prices

Artists At Play Playground

Free!

International Fountain

Free!

If visiting more than one attraction there are are special discounts if you purchase the tickets together.

Kerry Park

From this main tourist area of Seattle we decided to head to Kerry Park. This park was recommended to us by our hostel front desk. This very small park gives you that iconic view of the Seattle skyline. The city buildings, waterfront, Space Needle and on a clear day even Mt. Rainier itself. We were unfortunate, and could not see Mt. Rainier on the day that we went, but it was still an impressive view of the city. To get to the park from the we walked, it took us about 20 minutes to walk from the Space Needle Park. You could also Uber or use a taxi.

The next area we wanted to explore was a little outside of the city. We wanted to try more local breweries and food joints. So we hopped in an Uber and headed to West Woodland and Old Ballard area of Seattle. This area is filled with brewery options and trendy food spots.

If looking to hit up a brewery closer to Kerry Park I would suggest Holy Mountain Brewery. But we decided on this area as it would put us closer to our hostel to pick up our bags before our flight.

Stoup Brewing

Stoup Brewing was our destination of choice due to the reviews and options of beers that they had our tap. We loved the outdoor area of this brewery, they had a great shaded spot and plenty of seats. A food truck was also parked outside. We got a flight and beer to split.

From here you could walk more towards Old Ballard for dinner. There are tons of options, I had my eye set on the Walrus and the Carpenter for some fresh caught oysters with a cocktail next door at Barnacle. But due to time we decided to head more towards Fremont to be closer to our luggage to get to the airport on time.

Brouwer’s Cafe

Our dining spot choice close to Fremont was Brouwer’s Cafe. I was super excited to try the food at Brouwer’s. It had great reviews and it sounded just like the food that we typically love to eat. This Belgium style pub serves hundreds or beers, over 50 types of scotch and has delish plates of food. I was wanting to try everything because it all sounded so good, so we opted to share a few plates. Ordering the Pomme Fites, fresh oyster appetizer, Rockfish, and the Lamb Burger. All were completely delicious! I really loved the Rockfish and my husband loved the Lamb Burger. I would go back here for sure. Brouwer’s had plenty of local and international beers to choose from, so we tried a few before getting our luggage at Hotel Hotel and heading the the airport via Uber.

We loved every bit of Seattle, I would love to go back to explore more of their local food joints and breweries. But with our short time there I think we hit all great spots, and got to see a lot of the city.