Visiting the new waterfront sounds like a nice way to spend the day, but hunting for parking in that busy corridor surely does not. What’s a family to do?
Jump on the free shuttle launched last week by the Seattle Historic Waterfront Association. The service runs through mid-September and will make a loop that includes pickups and drop-offs at Seattle Center and Space Needle, Pier 69, Pier 62, Pier 56, Pioneer Square, and King Street Station in the International District every 20 minutes from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
City leaders hope the free ride will make it easier for folks to travel between major downtown attractions like Pike Place Market, the Seattle Aquarium, and Colman Dock and will encourage visitors to attend more than 270 waterfront events planned this spring and summer (including Waterfront Park’s grand opening celebration in September).
From 5:50 to 7:45 p.m., an evening shuttle will take riders from the waterfront to the Crowne Plaza Hotel, the Kimpton Hotel, the Sheraton Hotel, the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Pike Place Market, and the Four Seasons Hotel.
The free Seattle Waterfront Shuttle launched in 2018 but was suspended for three years due to COVID-19. It returned in 2023. According to a news release, three buses will run on a continuous loop through the downtown waterfront corridor.
(Image: Seattle Historical Waterfront Association)
Here are the shuttle stops and what you’ll have quick access to at each:
Shuttle stops heading Southbound
- Stop A: Seattle Center / Space Needle
- Stop B: Pier 69 / FRS Victoria Clipper / Cruise Ships at P66
- Stop C: Pier 62 / Waterfront Park / Bell Harbor
- Stop D: Pier 56 / Great Wheel / Aquarium / Pike Place Market / Ferries
- Stop E: Pioneer Square / Smith Tower / Ferries
- Stop F: King Street Station / Stadiums / International District
Shuttle stops heading Northbound
- Stop F: King Street Station / Stadiums / International District
- Stop E: Pioneer Square / Smith Tower / Ferries
- Stop D: Copperworks / Great Wheel / Aquarium / Pike Place Market / Ferries
- Stop C: Pier 62 / Waterfront Park / Bell Harbor
- Stop B: Pier 69 / FRS Victoria Clipper / Cruise Ships at P66
- Stop A: Seattle Center / Space Needle
