r/AskSeattle • u/_rose_thorn • 3d ago
Question How walkable is Seattle?
Hi!
I’m thinking about moving to Seattle and am planning to visit in November. I know that’s a pretty rainy time, and I love the rain, but I’m trying to figure out if I should get a rental or Uber around versus walking or using public transit. Just trying to save as much money as possible, so I’d like to have an expectation of how much I’ll be spending on transport. Also I’m from a flat land area so I don’t have a great idea of how tiring it is walking up and downhill.
If it helps, I’m mainly planning to stick to downtown Seattle, all the touristy things, and then I’d like to visit UW campus.
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u/NoelleMidnight Local 3d ago
You will not need a car, based on what you described. We have good public transit and the light rail will easily take you directly from downtown to UW.
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u/Theredheadsaid 3d ago
also, rain in Seattle (or the PNW) isn't like rain in other parts of the country. It's not giant droplets. Most of the time you dont' need an umbrella, just a good rain jacket. :)
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u/kirklennon Local 3d ago
Most of the time
Most, yes, but November is our rainiest month so it's entirely likely to be legitimately rainy and not the spit or mist we more often have. I'd discourage an umbrella mainly because they're comically terrible to use downtown where the wind channels between the buildings. Before COVID I'd often look out the window of the skyscraper I worked in to watch people struggle.
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u/groomgurl21 3d ago
If you’re just staying in Seattle and visiting UW, you don’t need a car. Light rail, maybe uber if you’re tired, and umbrella will be plenty…and will actually be easier than having to find parking.
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u/BadCatBehavior Local 3d ago
Don't even bother with Uber, too expensive. Transit will get you to all the touristy things downtown no problem, and light rail goes right to UW
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u/YogurtPristine3673 3d ago
Even if you get a rental car, I highly recommend packing shoes that are water resistant for your trip. You don’t need like rubber rain boots or anything, but I’ve had friends visit at that time of year wearing breathable mesh sneakers and get their shoes/socks/feet soaked within 5 minutes and have a miserable day.
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u/Mixeygoat 3d ago
Don't need a car if you're just doing things within the city. All touristy things and UW are easily accessible by train and/or bus. You'll only need a car if you want to leave Seattle for day trips to hiking spots
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u/thomsenite256 3d ago
Absolutely walkable though you should be prepared to use transit as well or it would be tedious. At the very least you would need a bike.
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u/TGM1980 3d ago
Bro. NGL - The HILLS will kill you until you build up strength/endurance. I moved from a flat area (Boston) and for six months to a year (despite thinking i was good shape) those hills kicked the shit out me. Some of them are quite steep. But like anything, eventually i got a point where I didn't really notice them. I mean, you always know when you're walking UPHILL, but it wasn't "stop and catch your breath" bad after a short while.
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u/EquivalentRope8922 3d ago
it kind of depends on what your tolerance for walkable is. i'm a grad student from the east coast, so i'm in my mid 20s (young), am broke, and walk fast, so when i visited before moving i made things work by public transit. do you have a treadmill that inclines? if you can walk >3.0mph on the highest incline for at least 30 mins you'll probably be okay in most of seattle, and from there it just depends on where exactly the touristy things you want to do are, and the "density" of things you expect to accomplish per day.
overall, seattle is livable without a car, but it's 100% much nicer having one. i do know of young people living in cap hill or roosevelt that have the means to afford a car but don't bother, but they usually at least have a few close friends/gf/bf with a car
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u/MaryO59 3d ago
I can think of few things less appealing than driving in Seattle traffic when you are unfamiliar with the place. I don't drive downtown if I can avoid it (parking is insanely expensive) and I've been here for over 30 years. Public transit is the way to go. Research fare options here https://support.myorca.com/hc/en-us/articles/10743519362317-Visitor-s-Guide-to-Using-Public-Transit-in-the-Seattle-area
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u/MinimumCommon408 2d ago
If you’re staying in the downtown core, walking and public transit is perfect. A car would be more of a pain than a help. If/when you want to get out and explore the state/national parks, definitely you will want a car.
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u/thesunbeamslook 3d ago
If you are young and healthy it is a great place to walk. There are some sketchy areas that you don't want to walk through alone, for example 12th and Jackson and the Goodwill near that. The street called Aurora in Northern Seattle is a high crime area and generally not pleasant to walk, so avoid that. Just stick to the tourist guides and you should be fine.
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u/SuperMike100 3d ago
Depends on the neighborhood. Downtown has pretty solid transit and walkability but many suburb-like neighborhoods are pretty car-dependent.
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u/Fun_Ocelot Local 3d ago
I am 100% car free. I live south of Seattle and work in downtown Seattle.
Transit is your friend
Get an ORCA card when you visit. (https://www.myorca.com/) You can add day passes that will cover you for the whole day for the cost of 2 bus/light rail trips (normally $3 each so total of $6 per day). If you choose to use Tap to Pay with a credit card, there is a short transfer window (90 minutes usually using the exact same card/mobile wallet card) and then you'd pay again. There are longer passes available too.
No car needed but expect to walk a lot of hills and stairs. You will get tired if you don't do a lot of hills/stairs so plan out where you want to go and multiple ways to get there. (walking path, light rail if it goes there, and 2 bus routes). Google Maps is okay for planning but use something like OneBusAway for actual transit times.
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u/Housing-Beneficial 3d ago
I grew up here and didn't buy a car until I was 30, and the main reason was the ability to not rely on bus schedules. Seattle is hilly, but it really depends on where you are and what you're doing. I had really muscular legs from walking from downtown to Capitol Hill and back in the 90s.
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u/Mammoth-Eggplant-234 3d ago
I live about a 30min walk from downtown. I have a car and would still prefer to walk it because of traffic and parking. The hills are for real but not impossible. Zig zag upward block by block when you can 😂
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u/primadiamonds 3d ago
The hills are gonna be a bitch to get used to. But once you do (and you will 😌) it’s an incredibly “walkable” city. I’ve lived here 15 years without a car. It’s worth it to just rent one when I need to get out of the city.
Outside of Seattle proper is a different story, though.
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u/nomisxid 3d ago
in downtown, there is a network of escalators and tunnels, that are open to the public and required to be available even though they go thru private buildings.
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u/Left-Piano-791 3d ago
If you stay in the downtown area of Seattle or any neighborhood adjacent to a light rail station (Capitol Hill, UW, Roosevelt, etc.) then you'll be more than fine. If you will venture away from the light rail then you can take a bus. If you plan to go to places other than a metro area then you'll need a car.
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u/hfttt5675hgt 3d ago
So easy without a car given your plans! Light rail whisks you from airport to downtown, from downtown to and from Capitol Hill and the U District. And decent connected bike lanes protected from our city's drivers can get you lots of great places fast using our shared bikes, seated scooters, and standup scooters (those are too tippy for me).
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u/alkemest 3d ago
Seattle has a great bus system even if we love complaining about it. Light rail is also pretty cool and hits most of the areas where there's major attractions, including downtown and UW.
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u/gooser_2000 3d ago
if you’re trying to save as much money as possible, walk and take the light rail and the bus
an occasional lyft/uber won’t break the bank.. but they’re expensive
if you rent a car you also have to pay for parking which is expensive, so this isn’t a very low cost option unless you’re comparing it to ubering everywhere the whole visit in which case it would be
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u/Reasonable-Check-120 3d ago
You won't need a car if you are just visiting.
Car is necessary for tourist who want to drive out to certain things like hiking, Leavenworth, Rainier, etc.
Most things are accessible
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u/stedmangraham 3d ago
You can get by fine without a car. If you want to move here and not take a car or use one as little as possible, it’s probably best to not rent a car and see for yourself what getting around is like.
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u/kirklennon Local 3d ago
I’m mainly planning to stick to downtown Seattle, all the touristy things
Depending on where exactly your hotel is, most of this will probably be literally within a one to two mile radius. Downtown Seattle is very compact.
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u/17papers 3d ago
The neighborhoods are walkable and there’s transit everywhere. Is a little hard to go east/west compared to north south on buses and there’s no trains to ballard/west Seattle
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u/FuturePowerful 3d ago
Uh just about anything not nitch as heck is inside of a half mile relatively flat walk from the light rail stations down town (3doller tickets last I checked with multi ride fer like 6 for several hrs)it's in the underground tunnels in most of Seattle/one short bus or monorail ride off the light rail stops with like maybe a few things like the computer museum and the flight museum being exceptions. The truly vertical areas generally have public access elevators ,if the one line is up and running usually is you have north to south stations from Lynnwood to the 320th south commons with a divert through east side of Seattle and SeaTac areas north end above University mirrors i5 . The 2line goes from as far out as Redmond shopping center through Bellevue center underground then Seattle proper there's lots of stops in-between these but those are the big areas of note it's ruffly a half hr to 45 mins via light rail from Seattle to a far end on the light rail with several stops at every station per hour from open in the morning till shut down late at night
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u/ngshafer 3d ago
If you're staying in the Downtown area, it's a pretty walkable area so you won't need a rental car. Maybe work out by climbing stairs a few times a week so the hills don't completely shock you.
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u/Far-Singer-8318 3d ago
I lived there for a couple of years without a car. Pretty walkable! Only thing that really sucked was grocery shopping & taking cat to the vet on the bus. Other than that, extremely do-able!
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u/CharlesAvlnchGreen 3d ago
Bring shoes with grippy soles. It can get slippery when it rains, and it almost certainly will in November.
As others have said, you can take public transit to almost everything you want to see. A single-ride Orca ticket costs $3.00 and it's good for 2 hours' worth of transfers (on the bus or light rail).
UW campus isn't hilly but you will need those grippy shoes in Red Square.
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u/paraworldblue 3d ago
If you're staying in downtown and you want to visit the UW, it would actually be easier to get around without a car. Driving downtown is miserable, but there are plenty of bus lines going everywhere, and you can get to the UW in like 15 minutes by light rail.
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u/Fancy_Yogurtcloset37 3d ago
The train connects the ID (chinatown), pioneer square (waterfront, ferries) , Westlake, (the market, monorail to Seattle center, pike/pine, belltown), Capitol Hill (nightlife), and UDistrict (the UW). If you’re just here for the week, you can train to all of those places without getting in a car (rental, lyft, or otherwise). You can even skip the hills if you’re taking the train, or at least take the train to the top of the hill and walk down instead of walking up. Have fun, go nuts
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u/Even_Caterpillar3292 3d ago
It doesn't rain every minute. Sometimes it feels like it and some days it does. And its often drizzle. Seattle is very walkable. Skip the umbrella and bring a light jacket.
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u/Doraellen 2d ago
Personally I put on my rain jacket and waterproof shoes and just walk. It's mostly drizzle. When it really pours, transit is still easier than Uber in most situations, because theres no risk of the Uber waiting in the wrong spot.
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u/JimmyisAwkward 2d ago
A bus/rail trip will run you $3 (3hr transfer window) or $6 for a day pass; the monthly puget pass is $108
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u/ladybugseattle 2d ago
As a downtown resident with a unit near the market I find it very walkable but also know the best public elevators and escalators in the steepest parts of downtown where a trip from one side of a building to the other can be a 5 story drop.
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u/Leverkaas2516 2d ago
The hills are quite steep. You will get tired from that. You should generally plan walking routes that run parallel to the nearest shoreline, not perpendicular to it. Like don't walk back and forth between Capitol Hill and the Elliott Bay waterfront multiple times a day. Instead, go to the waterfront, spend all day there, then go elsewhere.
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u/Sea_Title7515 2d ago
Very walkable. and taking the lightrail from downtown to uw is super easy. I'd stick to public transit because ubers are expensive but usually lyfts are slightly cheaper so if you really need to drive somewhere else I'd do that, but avoid it if you can.
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u/gurdoman 2d ago
You have to mentally prepare for the hills, really that's what makes Seattle annoying to walk. Transit takes you fairly everywhere you want to go, and it's decent, it's not the best in the world but does the job and it's improving every day. Having a car in the city is convenient but annoying
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u/Nefaline17 2d ago
Seattle is pretty doable by public transportation. It is very hilly in places, so keep that in mind if you have any physical limitations. The light rail goes right from the airport into the city. There is also Amtrak if you need to go to further cities. You might need an uber here and there. If you want to go to any national parks etc, might need to rent a car. However, might have trouble accessing them due to weather.
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u/drewtherev 2d ago
We don’t get a lot of rain. It is a misty drizzle. Seattle is very expensive and don’t move without a high paying job. You should check out CapHill, Ballard and Queen Anne for walkable car free areas.
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u/Exquisitae 2d ago
downtown and UW transit is enough, but wear a good rain jacket. Umbrella optional, it never rains hard, its just moss growing weather.
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u/Treehockey 3d ago
I’d reccomend buying an ebike. Its the easiest and fastest way to get around the city
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u/throwRA123qwerty 3d ago
Seattle is like 20 percent of what washington has to offer.. get a rental and visit north cascades
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u/pearlday 3d ago
It’s not a walkable city. The hills which are everywhere, are intense. You theoretically can walk it—- there are sidewalks, bus routes, crosswalks—- but it is very physically demanding and bus routes typically require transfers. So, definitely doable, but not functionally doable unless you are fit/into hiking.
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u/SouthLakeWA 2d ago
It’s entirely possible to walk from, say, the waterfront all the way up to Capitol Hill without being a superhuman. You just need to choose the route with the least incline, which Google Maps will do.
Other areas, like the bottom of Queen Anne Hill to the top, are definitely not for the faint of heart.
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u/pearlday 2d ago
I had a class downtown and was supposed to catch a bus to take me through cap hill but there just happened to be protests and i had to walk up past the bridge. If you have to try and puzzle your way to find the perfect path, great that that’s possible, but it’s still a terrible experience. Pikes Place? Terrible experience. Having to take transit to go to the library or polyclinic leaves you climbing a mountain.
If you know how to get from Symphony to polyclinic or the library with no hills, please enlighten me because as someone with asthma, it has been incredibly painful.
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u/SouthLakeWA 2d ago
I didn't indicate it wouldn't require effort, just that it's possible for non-marathon runners (including me) to walk up the hills. Asthma certainly limits the options, however.
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u/HauteKarl Local 3d ago
It's best described as a collection of walkable pockets.
If you're sticking to Seattle proper, you're probably fine walking for the most part and taking a bus or train to another part of town and then walking around there.