YOU’LL SHORE LIKE SEATTLE
Dave Monk says the Emerald City is a must for a post-cruise stay
Alaska isn’t the only place of beauty if you take a cruise from Seattle on the United States’ northwest coast. There’s plenty to see in the city itself, and in its breathtaking surroundings, if you can extend your stay by a few days.
Here’s our guide to what to do if you’ve got that extra time...
DAY ONE
If you’ve never been before, the Space Needle is a must-see icon of Seattle. But it’s also worth revisiting, especially now it has been given glass floors for an even better view.
Next door is Chihuly Garden and Glass with its spectacular exhibits of glassware art. Take the Monorail and you’re not too far from the famous Pike Place Market. Wander around the stalls of local produce or treat yourself to a Show Me Seattle market tour to visit various outlets and taste plenty of free samples – from doughnuts to chowder.
The world’s first Starbucks, established in 1971, is also here, as is the Gum Wall. As the name suggests, it’s a wall covered in chewing and bubble gum. Quite a sight!
From Pike Place it’s not far to the waterfront and attractions such as Wings Over Washington – a thrilling virtual ride over the state – the Aquarium and the Great Wheel.
A Seattle CITYPASS, costing $109/ around €93 per adult, will get you into many attractions and lasts up to nine days (citypass.com/seattle).
DAY TWO
With a bit more time to spare, it’s worth taking the 40-minute drive to the Boeing factory in Everett to see how the firm’s jet airliners are put together on giant assembly lines (boeing.com/company/tours).
Back in Seattle, there’s the Museum of Pop Culture – known as MOPOP – to explore. Alternatively you could visit the Art Museum or take an Argosy Harbor Tour.
For something a bit different, Bill Speidel’s Underground Tour shows how Seattle looked before the city was rebuilt a storey higher after the Great Fire of 1889 (undergroundtour.com).
DAY THREE
A spare day is a great excuse to take a tour of wine country in Woodinville. Michael Hughes, or one of his other experienced guides from Bon Vivant Wine Tours, will pick you up from your hotel and take you 30 minutes northeast of Seattle to visit the giant Chateau Ste. Michelle estate, where they bottle wines from the east of the state, as well as much smaller producers in the “warehouse district”.
A full day of tasting wonderful wines – and someone else does the driving for you! A tour costs from $89/€76 per person.
(bonvivanttours.com).
LONGER
Further afield, Mount Rainier National Park is 80 miles from Seattle but is well worth a visit to take in the natural beauty of glaciers, forests, meadows, lakes and waterfalls.
In the other direction, 70 miles north of the city, are the beautiful San Juan Islands, which can be reached by ferry or a 40-minute seaplane flight on Kenmore Air. On the main island you can visit the English and American camps where the two sides nearly went to war in 1859 in a dispute over a dead pig.
Thankfully, reason prevailed and the opposing armies lived in peace for 12 years just 13 miles apart. The British even had time to develop a formal garden which you can still see today.
Another of the San Juan chain, Orcas Island, has great whale-watching opportunities, even though, oddly, it’s not named after the mammals. A three-night trip to the San Juan Islands and Orcas Island from Bellingham, Washington, costs from €514 per person, including flights, ferry and hotel stays (americaasyoulikeit.com).