Quick Details
Seattle is so much more than just the Space Needle and Starbucks, but you might never discover what makes this city so unique without one of our expert local guides giving you an insider’s perspective.
As you ride in comfort up and down the steep downtown hills in a specialized minibus built specifically for sightseeing tours, you’ll be thankful not to be climbing the hills on foot.
Uncover Seattle’s secrets, such as why there’s an underground city beneath the Pioneer Square neighborhood and how the price of onions created the iconic Pike Place Market.
Our nearly 50-mile tour route will also take you far outside the city center to explore unique neighborhoods such as eccentric Fremont, the self-described “center of the universe” where you can meet its most famous resident, the 18-foot-tall Fremont Troll. You’ll also witness the bustling maritime activity of the Fisherman’s Terminal and Ballard Locks, which carry more boat traffic than any other lock in the U.S.
Our friendly and knowledgeable licensed guides are the reason we’ve received TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence for 11 years running and over 2,000 5-star reviews.
If you’ve just arrived, this is the perfect introduction to Seattle’s must-see landmarks, helping you learn what’s worth your time and how to navigate the city, but even lifelong residents are surprised to discover hidden gems and fascinating stories they never knew.
Seattle City Tour Bus itineraries are subject to change depending on conditions and group dynamics, but rest assured that your guide’s expertise will maximize what you can see, learn, and experience with limited time.
If you are looking for a 3-hour Seattle City Tour with hotel pickup, please see:
Seattle City Tour PLUS Hotel Pickup
When you’re ready to book, select your date and tour you have in mind to the right. After selecting the number of guests in your party, your pickup options will appear.
The first dropdown menu will ask which hotel you’re staying with; if you don’t see your hotel listed, you’ll select “Not Staying at Listed Hotel”.
A second dropdown menu will then appear. This is where you choose your meeting location:
Plan to arrive to your meeting location 5 minutes ahead of the scheduled pickup time. You’ll want to be on the lookout for a white mini coach that says Tours Northwest. Give our office a call if you haven’t been picked up 5 minutes past your scheduled pickup time: 206-768-1234
Extraordinary Seattle bus tours! Sit back and relax in spacious coaches as our knowledgeable guides present Seattle’s neighborhoods and attractions.
Meeting location pick-ups commence prior to the tour’s departure time. You should receive an updated email confirmation that includes your meeting location’s pick-up time in the Pickup Location section. If your confirmation doesn’t include your pick up information, contact our office immediately to confirm your pick-up time.
Please allow up to 5 minutes for your driver to pick you up from your scheduled pickup time. As well, allow extra time for return.
Please note that traffic and weather conditions can affect the routes for this tour. Traffic can be a challenge in Seattle, especially from 3 p.m. – 7 p.m. Please allow for additional time for drop-off during these hours.
Gratuities are optional and not included in the price of your tour. If you feel your tour guide has provided an exceptional experience, gratuities are encouraged — and welcomed — at the end of the trip.
We have 2 tours that offer hotel pickup from most downtown Seattle hotels: Seattle City Tour PLUS Hotel Pickup and our Seattle City Tour & Cruise Transportation.
Our Premier 3-hour City Tour and our Mt. Rainier Tour offer 3 meeting locations within a short walk of most downtown hotels:
Plan to arrive at your meeting location 5 minutes before the scheduled pickup time. You’ll want to be on the lookout for a white mini-coach that says Tours Northwest.
Downtown Seattle has such unpredictable and dynamic traffic conditions that offering hotel pickups on our standard tours (with up to 20 people who could all be staying at different hotels) would take valuable time away from the time we have for the tour. We have 4 departure points, each very centrally located and very simple to get to, which makes it easier for everyone and means that we don’t waste any precious tour time doing multiple pickups around Seattle, one of which is likely just a few minutes walk from your hotel. Feel free to contact us directly if you need further guidance on which pickup location is best for you, and if you haven’t yet chosen your accommodations, you can always let us know later.
In addition, if you do need door-to-door service, we offer a Premium City Tour and Pre-Cruise Tour for an additional fee which includes this service – the smaller group size of these tours allows us to pick up at hotels without anyone needing to be on the bus for an unreasonably long time.
The easiest option is to take an Uber, Lyft, or taxi to your pickup location (Our Seattle Public Library pickup option is the closest to SeaTac).
Another less expensive option is to take the Link light rail from the Airport or Angle Lake station towards the University of Washington Station and exit at the Westlake Stop. When you exit, take the escalator upstairs to get to the street level. Head north on 4th Avenue to our Midtown pickup at 1900 4th Ave Seattle, WA in front of the Urban Yoga Spa (Pickup is 10 minutes before tour start time)
If you’re driving into town to meet up with a tour, we recommend meeting us at our MoPOP pickup location and parking near here. Next to this pickup location is the Republic Parking (Memorial Stadium Lot) located on 401 5th Ave N, Seattle WA 9109 is right next to our MoPop pickup (they offer a $10 all-day rate if you’re in before 9am)
Other options include:
Pacific Place Garage located at 600 Pine St, Seattle, WA 98101 is two blocks from our Midtown pickup at 1900 4th Ave Seattle, WA, and has lower hourly rates than most downtown garages
On weekends (and after 4pm weekdays), take advantage of FREE Parking in the Amazon Doppler Building Garage located at 2021 7th Ave (7am – 2am) – this is about a 5 minute walk from our Midtown pickup at 1900 4th Ave Seattle, WA
All availability on our website is live and up to date – you’ll get instant confirmation after booking. Booking on our website also opens a direct line of communication so we can let you know about any important information or changes regarding your tour. Booking direct cuts out the middle man, which means we can spend more money on making your experience perfect while keeping our prices as low as possible for you. We guarantee to offer the lowest prices directly – if you find a tour operated by us anywhere else advertised for cheaper – we will refund the difference.
All of our tour buses are white and marked with Tours Northwest on the front or side. Our drivers should be wearing a yellow shirt or jacket that says Tours Northwest and will be looking for you by name.
If you book directly on our website or over the phone, a printed voucher or confirmation will not be needed. Our tour guides will check you in by name prior to boarding the bus.
None of our mini-coaches are equipped with bathrooms, but our guides make every effort to provide opportunities for a public restroom every 60-90 minutes during our tours.
It may be possible to accommodate a folding wheelchair/stroller/some luggage, but we have limited storage space, so please get in touch with your requirements before booking so that we can advise accordingly.
We have a 12-passenger wheelchair-accessible bus that requires a minimum 7 days’ notice to reserve and is based on the availability of tours. We can only accommodate the wheelchair lift bus on our Seattle City Tour PLUS Hotel Pickup. If you will only have a folding wheelchair, it can be stored on any of our buses with advanced notice.
Unfortunately, we cannot wait for more than a minute or two past the pickup time at any of our pickup locations. Please contact our office at 206-768-1234 as soon as you are aware you’ll be running late to discuss your options. There are no refunds available if you are not at your designated pickup location at the pickup time.
We understand that sometimes plans change or things come up. We offer full refunds on all tours canceled at least 24 hours in advance of the tour’s start time. There are no refunds in the 24 hours leading up to the tour. For private tours, we ask for a minimum of 48 hours notice for a full refund.