Car Rental Seattle-Tacoma Airport (SEA)

Parking in Seattle

• Seattle Airport parking is available in the onsite garage found over the road from the main terminal. It has more than 12,000 spaces for long and short-term parking, suitable for business and leisure travelers.
• There are loads of lots and garages in Downtown Seattle offering parking at varying prices. Madison Center Garage (98104) has more than 800 spaces, while the Columbia Center Garage (98104) has room for around 1,000 vehicles over the road from Seattle Municipal Tower.
• Street parking across the city is generally limited to two, four and ten/all-day hour slots. Charges are enforced by the government and vary from street to street – with free parking on Sundays. 

Traffic in Seattle

Rush hour in Seattle runs from around 6am until 9:30am. In the afternoon, roads can get busy again from 2pm to 7pm. Plan your journeys outside of these hours where possible, for a more peaceful driving experience.

Roads and freeways

Main routes in Seattle

Key freeways and highways running through Seattle and connecting it to the wider Washington State:

• Interstate 5 (I-5) runs east of Seattle Airport, through Downtown and all the way north to the Canadian border. Going south, it connects the city with Portland and Sacramento.
• Interstate 90 (I-90) originates in Seattle and is the country’s longest Interstate. From central Seattle it heads east across much of the northern US – including Minneapolis and Chicago – before reaching Boston.
• Highway 509 runs along the west side of Seattle Airport, directly connecting it with Downtown Seattle and Tacoma to the south.

Seattle to Vancouver

The 143-mile drive from Seattle to Vancouver takes between two and a half to three hours. Join the I-5 and head north for 111 miles to the Canadian border. Here it merges into the BC-99 N for another 25 miles to reach central Vancouver. Check you can take your Seattle Airport rental car across the border before making the trip.

What to do in Seattle

Pacific Science Center

Science comes to life at this eclectic, innovative and family-friendly ‘museum’ opposite the Space Needle. Learn about the simplest things, such as the meaning behind rolling your tongue, to understanding our galaxy in the planetarium.

Smith Tower

The Space Needle may be on all the postcards, but Smith Tower is just as important to Seattle’s famous skyline. Standing at 484 feet high with 38 floors, it was the city’s first skyscraper when built back in 1914 – starting the downtown transformation. Hop on one of the manually operated elevators up to the 35^th floor for views and photos you can actually fit the Space Needle in.   

Seattle Art Museum

Permanent collections at Seattle Art Museum span regions and eras as far and wide as the early Renaissance, to works by more local artists like Jacob Lawrence. Its Native American collection from the Pacific Northwest is a real highlight, full of totem poles, masks and decorative stone carvings.

Seattle Aquarium

As a seaport city, there’s tons of underwater wildlife in the nearby Pacific Ocean. Seattle Aquarium – out on Pier 59 along Alaskan Way – offers a chance to get up close to sharks, salmon and sea otters. Join them for feeding time and feel like you’re actually in the ocean with the underwater dome. 

The best restaurants in Seattle

Marination Ma Kai

Growing from a food truck to a full-blown restaurant in North Admiral – the other side of Elliot Bay from Downtown – Marination Ma Kai serves unique Hawaiian-Korean fusion cuisine. Enjoy a pork katsu sandwich or tofu taco overlooking the bay from its patio.

Champagne Diner

Got a hankering for diner classics but put off by the grease? Champagne Diner has you covered. Chef Brian Miyamoto’s creations focus on traditional diner fare but with a classy touch. Think a tuna melt but with Pacific cod and gruyere, or meatloaf using romesco sauce on a bed of grilled vegetables.

The best Seattle Hotels

Kimpton Palladian Hotel

High-end hospitality meets quirkiness with the rock and roll vibes of the Kimpton Palladian, in the Belltown neighborhood just north of Downtown. Modern and chic with an industrial edge, its pillows featuring celebrities painted as early 19^th-century Russian generals have become its star attraction.

The Edgewater Hotel

The only waterfront hotel in Downtown Seattle, out on Pier 67, the Edgewater has views overlooking Elliot Bay and rooms decked out like the inside of a mountain lodge (including fireplaces and wooden beams).

National Parks near Seattle

Olympic National Park

Covering close to a million acres with 70 miles of wide coastline, Olympic National Park is full of outdoor opportunities. Just under three hours from Seattle (depending on which part of the park you visit), it’s well worth the journey. Go fishing or boating on the various waters, hike through the forests, star gaze at night and ski down the slopes during winter.

Mount Rainier National Park

Around three hours south of Seattle and at 14,410 feet high, Mount Rainier is one of the most impressive landmarks on the Washington landscape. Still an active volcano, there are plenty of safe hiking trails across the park. Or you can drive up close and admire the peak from an even safer distance below.