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Seatle Centre fountain, Seattle

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United States of America

Travel to Seattle

Flying to Seattle

Direct flights to Seattle from the UK are available with British Airways. However, there are a number of airlines offering indirect flights to Seattle including Delta, American Airlines and United. Cheap flights to Seattle are available outside the peak summer months. Generally avoid travelling from mid-May to mid-September if you’re looking for cheap Seattle flights.

Flight times: 

From London - 9 hours 45 minutes; New York - 6 hours 30 minutes; Los Angeles - 2 hours 40 minutes; Toronto - 5 hours 30 minutes; Sydney - 18 hours.

Travel by road

Summary:

The USA has a good network of interstate highways and state highways. Speed limits are 40kph (25mph) in urban areas, 80kph (50mph) on county roads and 97kph (60mph) on state highways. All valid national licences are acceptable, but an International Driving Permit is preferred. US insurance is mandatory and can be purchased at customs points or from the car hire company. The minimum driving age is 16 years and cars drive on the right.

The American Automobile Association (AAA) (tel: 1 800 222 1134; www.aaa.com) can provide further information.

Emergency breakdown service:

AAA (tel: 1 800 222 4357 or AAA HELP).

Routes:

Seattle is served by two major interstate highways. The I-5 goes south to Portland and San Francisco and north to the Canadian border and Vancouver. The I-90 links Seattle with central and eastern Washington State, passing through Spokane on its way to Chicago and Boston.

Driving times:

From Portland - 3 hours; Vancouver, Canada - 3 hours; Spokane - 6 hours.

Coaches:

Greyhound (tel: (206) 628 5526 or 1 800 231 2222; www.greyhound.com) operates from the Greyhound Bus Station, 811 Stewart Street, between Eighth and Ninth Avenues in downtown Seattle. The facilities are minimal but include 24-hour ticketing, left luggage and a snack bar. Greyhound buses serve hundreds of destinations around the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Travel by rail

Services:

Rail services to and from Seattle are good.


Seattle’s rail services operate to and from King Street Station, 303 South Jackson Street, located in the historic Pioneer Square district. King Street Station has been restored to its original turn-of-the-century architecture. There are bureaux de change, banks, wheelchair access, luggage storage areas, snack bars and newspaper kiosks.


Operators:

Seattle is on the main Amtrak network (tel: 1 800 872 7245; www.amtrak.com). Service is slow but can offer a remarkably scenic journey. The Coast Starlight service runs southwards to Oakland and Los Angeles via Portland; the Amtrak Cascades runs northwards to Vancouver and the Empire Builder runs eastwards to Chicago via Spokane.

Journey times:

From Los Angeles - 35 hours; Vancouver - 4 hours; Chicago - 45 hours.

Travel over water

Summary:

Seattle's harbour, run by the Port of Seattle (tel: (206) 787 3000; www.portseattle.org/seaport) has terminals for cruise ships and local ferries. The new Smith Cove Cruise Terminal, Pier 91, 2001 W Garfield St and the Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal, Pier 66, 2225 Alaskan Way, are where cruise liners dock. Ferries to Victoria in Canada depart from Pier 69, 2701 Alaskan Way, and Pier 48.

Ferry services:

Several major cruise lines offer summer cruises to Alaska from Seattle. Princess Cruises (tel: 1 800 774 6237; www.princess.com), Holland America Line (tel: 1 877 932 4259; www.hollandamerica.com) and Royal Caribbean International (RCL) (tel: 1 866 562 7625; www.royalcaribbean.com) leave from Smith Cove Cruise Terminal at Pier 91.

Norwegian Cruise Line (tel: 1 800 327 7030; www.ncl.com) and Celebrity Cruises (tel: 1 800 722 5941; www.celebrity.com) sail from Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal at Pier 66. Victoria is also accessible daily all year round on the Victoria Clipper (tel: (206) 448 5000 or 1 800 888 2535; www.victoriaclipper.com) high-speed catamarans from Pier 69.

Nearest port:

Seattle.

Transport to the city:

A taxi service operates from both cruise terminals to SeaTac Airport. Shuttle service to/from the airport is available through Shuttle Express (tel: (425) 981 7000 or 1 800 487 7433; www.shuttleexpress.com) and Gray Line Seattle (tel: (206) 626 5200 or 1 800 426 7532; www.graylineseattle.com).

Contact Metro Transit (tel: (206) 553 3000; http://metro.kingcounty.gov) for public transport schedule information from downtown to Smith Cove Cruise Terminal.

To reach Bell Street Pier Cruise Terminal on Pier 66 and the Victoria Clipper embarking from Pier 69 take the waterfront streetcar line - currently being replaced by the free bus Route 99, while the line undergoes renovations.

Transfer distance:

2km (1.2 miles).

Transfer time:

5-10 minutes.

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