Seattle Hop On Hop Off Bus

There is a very comfortable and simple way to visit Seattle and that is aboard a tour bus. Read on and discover all the advantages, you won't want to miss this experience.

Camilla Graciano

Camilla Graciano

10 min read

Seattle Hop On Hop Off Bus

Seattle Sightseeing Bus | ©Mark Evans

While walking is often one of the best ways to get to know the city and the wide variety of things to see and do in Seattle, it can also be overwhelming and is not always the most comfortable way to get around. So, if you're short on time and want to get to see everything this modern, futuristic and dynamic city has to offer, I recommend buying a sightseeing bus pass.

You'll learn about the history of the city's main neighbourhoods, see the most popular attractions and get to the city's most important sites and museums with an expert guide on a bus that will allow you to appreciate every detail. Here' s all about the Seattle sightseeing bus.

The best option

Seattle Hop-On Hop-Off City Sightseeing Bus Tour

If you're looking to visit Seattle's main attractions, the Seattle Sightseeing Bus will be your best option.

You will tour Seattle's main and most popular sites with the best panoramic view of the city.

Buying your Seattle sightseeing bus pass from City Sightseeing gives you access to the city's best and most popular attractions for 24 or 48 hours. In addition, you can use it as a means of transport to get around the different parts of the city you want to visit.

This pass also includes a Scenic Seattle Scenic Tour so you can get some great, never-before-seen photos of Gas Works Park and Ballard Locks and see the best views of Seattle and Mount Rainier from the Kerry Park Overlook. Plus, a self-guided tour of the city.

Recommended if... you want to see key Seattle landmarks like the famous Space Needle, Pioneer & Occidental Square, Chinatown, Seattle Central Library, Capitol Hill, Pike Place Market and travel from one side of the city to the other without spending extra money on transportation. It's a great option, you'll love it!

How the tour bus works

Seattle Sightseeing Bus| ©Pampero
Seattle Sightseeing Bus| ©Pampero

The Seattle Sightseeing Bus operates with free stops. So, for as long as your pass is valid, you can take the bus as many times as you want and get off at as many stops as you want, allowing you to tour the main attractions at your own pace, without having to keep an eye on the bus.

Whether you buy the pass for 24 or 48 hours, it will be activated the first time you use it and the time you use it will be counted in hours, not days.

You can purchase your pass online and you will receive an email confirmation immediately. To use this pass you can present it directly from your mobile device or the printed ticket. And if you change your mind, you can cancel it free of charge.

Book the Seattle Sightseeing Bus

1 or 2 day pass on the Seattle Sightseeing Bus with free stops in Seattle

Hop off hop on Seattle| ©Can Pac Swire
Hop off hop on Seattle| ©Can Pac Swire

You'll recognise the City Sightseeing sightseeing buses by their striking red colour and double-decker structure. They are available for you to use in Seattle, every day of the week, from 10am to 4pm, with a frequency of 45 minutes.

You will have the option to choose to purchase this Seattle sightseeing bus pass for one or two days. In a complete route of 1 hour and 20 minutes, the Seattle Sightseeing Bus will give you a complete tour and cover the main attractions of the city.

The Seattle Sightseeing Bus Pass will give you access to a series of advantages and privileges. Among all of them, I have to highlight a panoramic tour of Seattle and a self-guided walking tour. At some stops you can even combine it with one of the best guided tours of Seattle.

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Advantages of using the sightseeing bus

Pioneer Square stop| ©David Valenzuela
Pioneer Square stop| ©David Valenzuela

I must confess that before using a tourist bus I was a bit hesitant and reluctant. But after using it on one of my trips, I have to admit that it has several advantages that I want to share with you.

  • You will be able to use it unlimitedly during the period of time it is active.
  • The different designated stops along the entire route are designed in such a way as to connect to all points of interest in the city. If you decide to do the whole tour, you'll have nothing left to see in Seattle.
  • As the route is designed around the city's most popular attractions such as museums, neighbourhoods and major monuments, this bus is much faster and more agile than the regular bus, which makes it more convenient, as you'll avoid wasting time on detours or stops that are unimportant on regular buses.
  • You will have the most breathtaking panoramic views of the city that no other tour or bus can give you.
  • The tour is accompanied by expert guides who will tell you more about the main highlights of the city and accompany you as you pass by.
  • If you have little time to explore the city, the tourist bus will be your great ally: you will see the main attractions in record time, being able to get off at the stop you want to know more in depth.
  • With the purchase of this pass you will have access to the Scenic Seattle Panoramic Bus Tour with a live guide and a self-guided walking tour.

Book the Seattle sightseeing bus

What to see from the sightseeing bus

Space Needle| ©mat79
Space Needle| ©mat79

With this tourist bus you will have access to the main points of the city that you must visit. Its route is very complete and it doesn't leave out any of Seattle's must-see places.

Besides, it's important that you know which are the stops so you can organise yourself well before taking the bus. You can get on at any of the following stops and get off wherever you want. Below you will find the itinerary of the stops and the attractions you will visit.

Tourist bus stops

  • Space Needle Loop

  • Bell Street at Pier 66

  • The Edgewater Hotel

  • Bell Street at Pier 66

  • Pier 55

  • 117 S Washington St

  • Historic Chinatown Gate

  • Panama Hotel and Tea House

  • Sky View Observatory - Columbia Center

  • Seattle Central Library

  • Washington State Convention Center

  • Starbucks

  • Jimi Hendrix Statue

  • Paramount Theatre

  • Tiffany & Co.

  • Pike Place Market

Attractions served by the tour bus

  • Space Needle: the world-famous 184-metre high Space Needle is an unmistakable symbol of the city of Seattle. Here you will find one of the most impressive observatories from which you can see the whole city.
  • Seattle Center: SeattleCenter is the city's renowned centre for arts, education, tourism and entertainment and a major tourist destination. Thousands of events are held here each year, making it one of the region's most popular attractions.
  • Occidental Park: One of the **city'**s premier parks,Occidental Park is located in the heart of the historic Pioneer Square district. Here you will find plenty of outdoor space to relax, stroll around and have a coffee. Nearby there are many bookstores, art galleries, boutiques and a variety of shops and restaurants.
  • Seattle Public Library: This is a striking building with a glass and steel façade and enough capacity to hold more than 1.45 million books. You can take a guided tour of its facilities.
  • Pike Place Market: one of the oldest public markets in the country, it is home to many small producers, artisans and merchants.
  • Historic Chinatown Gate: from the open deck you will be able to appreciate in detail and with a panoramic view the Historic Chinatown Gate. It is one of the key points to descend and tour the area.

Activities included

With the purchase of this pass you will have included two other activities so you can take advantage of your trip to Seattle and get to know a little more of the city.

  • Scenic Seattle Panoramic Bus Tour: you will have the best panoramic views with the company of a live expert guide. Please note that this tour, unlike the sightseeing bus, does not operate on a non-stop basis and has a set starting point and lasts approximately 2 hours and 30 minutes.
  • Self-guided walking tour: This is a novel activity that starts in historic Pioneer Square, the first place Seattle was settled. You will need to download the app on your mobile device to access the tour and follow the route to learn more about the history of the city, its people and its buildings. It will be like a typical guided tour, but at your own pace, taking as much time as you want in each place and enjoying the city.

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How much does the tour bus ticket cost?

Money in Euros| ©Pixabay
Money in Euros| ©Pixabay

You can access the Seattle Sightseeing Bus Pass from 35 Euros. Remember that you will have it active for 24 or 48 hours after the first time you use it and during that time you will have unlimited use of it to move around the city as you wish, saving on public transport between the stops included.

Seattle Sightseeing Bus Schedules

Chinatown Bus| ©Viator
Chinatown Bus| ©Viator

You can use the tour bus every day between 10am and 4pm and it runs every 45 minutes.

This gives you plenty of time to explore Seattle at your leisure. And remember, you can use it as a means of transport and take it as many times as you want to move around the city.

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How long does the full tour last?

Travel on the sightseeing bus| ©Kristen
Travel on the sightseeing bus| ©Kristen

Please note that if you choose to do the entire route as laid out in the itinerary, it will take you approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes. This makes it an excellent option if you have little time to explore the city, as during that time, you will be able to see the main and most popular sights of the city.

Some tips to get the most out of the Seattle sightseeing bus tour

In Seattle| ©Michael Gwyther-Jones
In Seattle| ©Michael Gwyther-Jones

If you've already decided that you want to take your Seattle sightseeing bus pass to get around the city, here are some things you can do to make the most of it so that you can definitely get the most out of it.

Plan your tour of the city

It's clear that the tour bus will allow you to get to know the city in depth in a relatively short time and will get you close to all the activities you want to see, but let me tell you that everything will be easier if you organise yourself in advance.

I recommend that you have the list of tourist bus stops at your fingertips and consider the days, times and locations of the activities you want to see in depth. This will allow you to access as many tourist attractions as possible, so you can take advantage of and enjoy each one.

In many of the areas you will visit, you will also have the opportunity to take a tour of Seattle. This way, you can organise yourself to do different activities by zones and timetables and combine them as you wish.

Keep in mind the schedules of the attractions you want to visit

I recommend that before you start using your tour bus pass you check the opening and closing times of museums and tourist attractions. Also keep in mind that some are closed on public holidays or special days.

This will also help you to be strategic in activating your pass, as it doesn't make much sense to start using it on a public holiday when many attractions are closed.

Check the attractions you want to visit before you start using the sightseeing bus.

While you can take the bus as many times as you want to go from one side of the city to the other, I recommend that you keep in mind the stops and all the attractions that are close to each of them. This will help you to optimise your visit to the city and save time.

I also recommend that you locate on your map places where you want to eat, drink or rest so that you can coordinate your visits to attractions with the bus stops and have shops or restaurants nearby when you want to take a break.

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If you're interested in the Seattle sightseeing bus, you'll also be interested in

Seattle CityPass tickets at the Aquarium| ©MMR Dad
Seattle CityPass tickets at the Aquarium| ©MMR Dad

It's clear that with the Seattle sightseeing bus you'll get to know the city perfectly and you'll walk around its main and most popular attractions, but you don't just have to limit yourself to that.

Here are a couple of ideas on how you can combine your sightseeing bus tour with exclusive guided tours and sightseeing cards to make your experience complete.

You can combine the Seattle sightseeing bus tour with the Seattle City Pass to get the full experience of the city.

With this tourist card you will have included access to the main attractions of the city and unique activities such as the Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), Woodland Park Zoo and even a boat ride on Lake Washington.

Please note that the Seattle City Pass does not include some worthwhile activities such as Museum of Flight and the Boeing Factory, Seattle Art Museum and Pacific Science Center, I recommend that if you have some time left over you check out the stops closest to each location and visit them on your own. You won't regret it!

Plus, you can complete the experience by sampling some of the local delicacies on a Best Seattle Food Tours and discover the most unique flavours of the city..:

The city of Seattle also offers activities in its surroundings and surrounding areas full of nature and attractions to enjoy Seattle's outdoors. You can get more information at: best tours from Seattle or tours to Mount Rainier from Seattle.

The sightseeing bus fits in perfectly with many other activities around Seattle, it's up to you to choose how to take advantage of it!

Book the Seattle Sightseeing Bus