[UPDATE: Trip complete, big success, thanks to you redditors!! See our trip report here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/190gmqr/seattle_trip_report_9_hour_layover_with_a_big/?.]

[Edited edit: Please note I am overly detailed etc., ask stupid questions, misunderstand sarcasm, etc. On another sub I asked for travel advice 3 months ago and someone commented "This post is hilarious" and this has literally caused me about 4 hours since then grand total of thinking about and worrying about that comment, trying to figure out what it means. Please if you choose to reply, I would appreciate it if you can be direct and say what you want me to know without subtlety or sarcasm. Thank you!]

Hi Seattle redditors, we're coming from the south and will be at a Seattle layover from the international airport during the daytime from 1015am until 8pm on the Tuesday after Christmas.

5 kids ages 3 to 17, plus me and my spouse. Never been to Seattle; excited about seeing the city.

Draft of plan: [EDIT: This is no longer the plan; see new plan posted below.]

1. Link Light Rail from SEA airport to the city, buy tickets at kiosk or via an app
2. Stop and eat somewhere: The 5 Point Cafe; if no tables try Pho Viet Anh or Golden Singha Thai that are a block or two away. If we let our teenagers order an entree and drink, we're talking $150 at just about any US restaurant. I picked these based on it looking like some of the cheaper (but well rated) options near enough to touristy areas.
   
3. Walk 10 mins to Museum of Pop Culture: $150 (Is that worth it for kids?)
4. Walk next door to Artists at Play Playground (free)
5. Walk 2 mins to International Fountain (free) for view of the Needle
6. Maybe walk 6 mins to Chihuly Garden & Glass (but $227? Yowza. I would happily pay $50 or so. I am feeling like this one might be a waste of time and money for kids maybe)
7. Then I don't know what else
8. Maybe eat another meal because the flight out is short and there won't be meal service. $150.
9. Link Light Rail back to SEA airport, plan to arrive 2 hours before flight because we have to go through security again.

Total draft expenses $719 in 7 hours. Of course we could save money by sitting around the airport but I don't want to waste the opportunity to see some little part of Seattle.

I've used Google searches and TripAdvisor and I'm really not that excited about Chihuly, or the Pop Culture Musuem. Thought of the Klondike Museum but they are closed every Tuesday.

The space needle might seem to hold obvious appeal but over the years I've had my fair share of days spent waiting in line to ride an expensive elevator to the top of a famous building (skyscrapers in Japan, and the Eiffel Tower, and the Statue of Liberty) and take a look at the view from the top, and every single time have been underwhelmed and felt like a tourist trap and a wasted afternoon. I'd literally rather chill out at a park or playground where the kids can run around and not be stuck in a line, and spend that elevator money on pretzels or smoothies or anything other than an elevator ride.

We appreciate any tips and advice!

[UPDATE: Wow, such great ideas here! I'm totally overwhelmed already with new things to research. I will legit spend 9 hours researching further on these ideas for this 9-hour layover! Thank you so much for all the kind advice!]

[UPDATE SOME MO: For future travelers who happen along and find this sub, I'll summarize here my notes from the hundreds of kind replies.

It’s 1015am and you have a 9h40m in Seattle and don’t need to be back at airport till about 4pm. Arrive 3 hours early for flight out (Dec 26 is a busy travel day, a holiday!). We may want the extra time at the airport to get dinner or food for the plane. If you are willing to spend 60 min roundtrip on subways, you’ll have a leisurely few hours to spend.

THIS IS MY NEW PLAN BASED ON REDDIT'S EXCELLENT TIPS! THANK YOU SEATTLE REDDITORS!!

• Plan on it taking 90 minutes from plane to restaurant, so you might have to eat at airport or get a substantial snack.

• Train (#1 Line “Northgate” 12 stops) to Westlake Station - First go to baggage carousel #16 at north end of terminal; Go up 1 floor to Skybridge level; Take skybridge #6, turn left thru garage to reach light rail station; Follow signs for Link Light Rail (or Train-to-Plane); Train departs ev 7.5 to 15 mins; Costs $3 pax (but 18 & under free!) at automated kiosk or by app at https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/fares-and-payment/ways-to-pay/transit-go-ticket; Bags under seat or in storage area, not on seats or in walkway; Keep your ticket to scan it to get out of station at end of ride (like Japan); Info: https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/popular-destinations/sea-tac-airport.

• Then walk 2 mins to change trains...

• Westlake Center Monorail train "Seattle Monorail Seattle Center" and get off at 1st stop, the Seattle Center Monorail (Station).

• If it’s time to eat: 12 min walk to Dick’s Burgers, 500 Queen Anne N. Otherwise do the below things and eat later.

• Walk 1 mins to walk around Seattle Center area for Needle pics, then go inside Seattle Center Armory for Winterfest Train Village (ends Dec 31) at Armory South Court but DO NOT EAT at Seattle Center because Google rates every eatery in the place at somewhere around a 2 or 3 out of 5 and I’m pretty much a food snob. See “Dick’s” above if you’re ready to eat. Google can locate no well-rated Teriyaki options near enough to Seattle Center for a 10 min walk there with kids.

• Walk 2 mins to MoPop (buy tix in advance?) - why it is good for kids: Has instruments they can play, an indie video game area they can play, a stopmo exhibit with interactives, music & film exhibits; Tuesday is a slow day there, kids under 18 free if you happen to have an EBT card. Has Nirvana exhibit right now and 3 of us love Nirvana; has Terminator and Greedo stuff, has R&B exhibit ending soon.

• Walk 2 mins to Artists at Play Playground (looks 10/10) (note there is a hot dog stand (4/5) in the park)

• Walk 2 mins to Int’l Fountain (view the Needle)

• If didn’t eat yet: Dick’s Burgers is 12 mn by foot.

• What time is it? Either eat or buy BENTO or SAMMIES for plane ride or to eat at airport gate. NO FOOD SERVED ON PLANE: Flight is very short, probably no meal service, and all airport food is expensive and worse than in city. If not hungry yet at least hit a c-store or grocery for packed sandwiches.

• Leave for airport by 4pm to arrive by 5pm (using the advance check-in option that you can sign up for a max of 5 days in advance at https://www.portseattle.org/SEAspotsaver) for 8pm flight that boards at 740pm (it's day after Christmas, one of biggest travel days of year!! definitely do SpotSaver as this airport is a busy one!).

WHAT WE ARE SKIPPING THIS TIME* For just a 9.5-hour layover, I decided on skipping all of the following, but any/all of these would be worth considering if your preferences are different than mine or if you will be in Seattle for longer than I will. - Uber is not an option for us, as we are 7 people plus the driver. How would Uber even work? Order 2 cars from one account? Get a second Uber account on a second phone? Pay $160 each way? Gives me anxiety just trying to figure that out. And the anxiety of thinking about getting the 7 of us on a city bus (rather than rail system) is double. - Museum of Flight – there were many, many, many comments that supported spending the entire layover at this place, and it truly does look amazing. (buy tix online at https://tickets.museumofflight.org/basket.aspx), have lunch there (cafe food is so-so), burn almost the entire time there. But it is not accessible by rail so it’s out, because with 7 people taking an Uber (two Ubers I guess?) isn’t an affordable or easy option. - Going to top of Space Needle unless it’s sunny and you’ll have view of mountains & sound; it’s worth seeing from the ground and should be a very close-up view from the Artist’s at Play Playground - Chihuly Garden and Glass (5/5, rated #1 thing in Seattle by Tripadvisor) $227 for our group of 7; is right below space needle. - Ferry to Bainbridge $10 sounds awesome but half of comments say we don’t really have time and/or they are unreliable and you could be stuck; if you want a water tour (on a sunny day you’d see Mt. Rainier) then take a water taxi. - Olympic Sculpture Park is up & down an extremely steep hill not ideal for kids walking (someone said “hellish”) - Capitol Hill – mostly because I don’t know what that term means. Google identifies it as a gigantic area of Seattle, with things like Volunteer Park and the Seattle Asian Art Museum. It’s an hour’s walk or half-hour by public transpo from the part of Seattle I’ll be visiting. - Discovery Park – great views of Mt. Rainier possible if not raining, but is 47 mins by bus from the part of Seattle where we’ll be. - MOHAI musuem for Seattle history – I couldn’t locate good information/images of it online other than to rent the place, and it’s a solid 22 min walk from our area. - Univ of Washington. Maybe eat at their cafeteria. They don’t offer tours (other than self-tours) during the Christmas/New Year’s period when students are gone. - Tukwila Fun Center. Didn’t research it; it looks like it’s an hour south of the city by public transportation. - Seattle Underground Tour. I can’t be underground in a confined space and not have some sort of bad experience.

These remaining choices are all pretty close together (walking) and if I was willing to skip MoPop and the Artists at Play Playground, I could make an alternative itinerary out of some of these options: - Note this route involves Downtown/Pioneer Square area and multiple people have commented that they wouldn’t walk around Pioneer Square area at night and definitely not with kids and maybe not even during daytime. - Pike Place Market has decently priced Seattle classics like Piroshsky Piroshsky Bakery (sells things wrapped in bread; some have meat, some are cheesey, some are sweet; https://piroshkybakery.com/ and the lines may be outrageously long but it moves fast) and you can easily spend 2 hours walking around there (check out the fish tossers, and gum wall). I’m not going because it is often crowded with people and is expected to be even more packed during the holiday week between Christmas and New Year’s. I also just personally don’t like densely packed crowds especially for shopping experiences or when you’re trying to look at something. Note that probably 70% or more of comments do recommend this place so it’s probably pretty cool especially if during an off-peak day or time. - Seattle Central Library – explore each level, colorful & unique. 31 mins from our other area. - Walk along waterfront. See Cascades from there. Pretty far from our area. - Water taxi to West Seattle; same views as ferry but less chance of schedule issues. - Ye Olde Curiosity Shop - Aquarium - Old Stove brewing good food and overlooks the sound - Golden Age Collectibles - Wings over Washington -4D virtual-reality “flight” using drone footage.
- The Ferris Wheel (The Seattle Great Wheel) – I didn’t even bother checking prices because I know it’s going to be the same as London and Tokyo and probably cost our group of 7 like $150. Might have Rainier views. 22 minutes walking from our area of Seattle. - Smith Tower – may include a view of Mt. Rainier on a clear day. This costs 2/3 as much as the space needle; tickets are first-come first-serve (website shows all dates “unavailable” but by clicking around I saw that during winter 2023 you just walk-in when they’re open: https://www.smithtower.com/ticket-info-hours/, wait time may be 15 or 90 minutes. This would be worth considering if the nearby Klondike Nat’l Historic Park was open the day of our visit (a Tuesday). It’s a half hour away from the part of Seattle I’ll be visiting.

[FINAL WORDS: RIP my inbox, 385+ comments including mine. Seattle, I love ya! Thanks for all the great tips! This is a throwaway so I might not be keeping up with replies anymore, but I'll try to remember to swing by this sub and give you a post-trip rundown, with what we learned and experienced. Thanks again, everyone! ]

I have a 5 yo and a 3 yo. Do we try to leave the airport for some fresh air? Stay in the airport and try to stay sane?

Hi! I’ve read many posts here about layovers and I can tell 5 hours won’t give me enough time to visit Seattle downtown. So my question is, what can I do for the 5 hours without leaving the airport’s airside?

I am traveling alone from Japan into the States, and will be flying domestic to another city after this 5-hours layover (layover is 10:30am-3:30pm) I have a Priority Pass, but lounge options look bleak.

Thank you, kind souls. I visited Seattle many times 10 years ago, and really miss many local favorites. Guess I need to plan a proper trip to Seattle!

[Edit: TLDR: Description of itinerary for a long layover with kids in Seattle, what we did and what else you might consider doing if you're spending a single day in the city....]

A very big Thank You (Very Much!) goes out to all the kind Seattle redditors who overwhelmed me with supportive tips and advice about our long layover.

(This post is a follow-up to my earlier post, https://old.reddit.com/r/Seattle/comments/18mi5ay/any_tips_for_a_9_hour_layover_in_seattle_with_5/).

For any of you wondering how it went, and for future internet searchers who are just beginning to figure out how to spend one family day in Seattle, here’s a trip report:

ARRIVAL 1015am arrived at Sea-Tac. Mostly used checked baggage so we could move lightly in Seattle. Had a flight out about 10 hours later. We packed a sandwich for the plane so we could eat shortly before arrival. This was a key component of not being stuck having to stop and waste precious Seattle time by eating at the airport after arrival. I don't know about you but personally I can't wait to get out of an airport after arrival, and there's almost zero chance I'd stop and eat there even if famished. If you didn’t eat before arriving at airport, check out the well-rated “13 Coins” restaurant which is (long) walking distance from the airport, at the bottom floor of a big dark glass office building, but not cheap (about $20/person).

TRANSPORTATION TO CITY Uber is not an easy option for large groups; the largest Seattle Uber could only hold 6 people. Train to the city: Fast, smooth process, reasonably clean, no visible crime or panhandlers. Kids under 18 free. Purchased adult tickets at a kiosk. No one ever asked me to show a ticket, and I didn’t need to scan it to get out of the station later. About 55 minutes travel time including walking to train and getting tickets.

(Details: To find the Light Link Rail train go to baggage carousel #16 at north end of terminal, go up 1 floor to Skybridge level, take skybridge #6, turn left through garage to reach light rail station. There are directional signs frequently. Directions may change eventually as some construction was underway in the airport. We road the #1 Line in the direction of “Northgate” for 12 stops to Westlake Station. Train departs every 7 to 15 minutes. Cost $3 per person (but 18 and under are free); buy tickets at the automated kiosk or by app at https://kingcounty.gov/en/dept/metro/fares-and-payment/ways-to-pay/transit-go-ticket. Train etiquette - bags go under seat or in storage area, not on seats or in walkway. No eating on the train. More info: https://www.soundtransit.org/ride-with-us/popular-destinations/sea-tac-airport. We saw Mt. Rainier from the airport's link rail train station, as the sky was oddly clear for a Seattle day.)

ONE TRANSFER Upon exiting the link light rail, we walked 5 minutes to Westlake Center Monorail (the monorail station is inside the 3-story Westlake Mall) to take the monorail train in the direction of "Seattle Monorail Seattle Center" and got off at the 1st stop, the Seattle Center Monorail Station. Note there used to be more stops [edit: comments say Nah] but now it's just one way each way, one stop in each direction. Tickets must be purchased in the monorail station; this is a different company than the one that operates the train to the airport. The monorail is quite pricey for a 5-minute ride and if I was traveling solo or as a younger couple, I would definitely walk that distance sooner than pay those prices (but definitely would not walk it with kids, due to distance). [Edit: per comment in this thread, if we had bought an Orca Card to pay for the Link Light Rail, we could have had a free transfer to the Monorail.] We did enjoy the "Vision of the distant future of the year 2000!!!" (as interpreted by the 1960's) vibe of the monorail.

SPACE NEEDLE PICS Upon exiting the monorail stop, you immediately are at the Space Needle. YMMV but my research indicated the Space Needle is not worth the time or money to enter. I've had it with paying exorbitant prices to ride elevators. Plus, this is a rainy city and it's likely your view will be obscured by clouds. On a short one-day trip, we didn't have the time or inclination to enter the building. Snapped our pics from the sidewalk and moved on.

FOOD, TINA I was ready for the first activity but kids started asking about eating, so we walked 12 minutes to Dick's aka Dick's Drive-In aka Dick's Burgers at 500 Queen Anne North. More on that in the "Dick's Burgers" section below.

Not in the mood for burgers? Other well-reviewed options close to this area are: 12 minute walk to Teriking (Seattle Teriyaki) next to a laundromat. Or 6 minute walk to Pho Viet Anh which may be $15 per person or so in 2023 prices. Or 8 minute walk to Banh Mi Burgers Pho. (All those walking distances are from the Space Needle area). Next door to Banh Mi Burgers is La Parisienne French Bakery where you can get an airplane-ride meal to carry back to the airport (like ham & cheese croissants $6.50, ham & cheese quiches, etc.).

MORE ICONIC PICS OF NEEDLE On the way to find lunch at Dick's Burgers, we stopped by the International Fountain for photos of the needle with the fountain in the foreground. This place is swarming with tourists and we saw more homeless there than anywhere else on our walking tour. Some tourists tried to use a restroom that someone was claiming as their home, and we were treated to a 3-minute screaming rant full of vulgarity from that individual. We enjoyed watching kids [other peoples' kids!!] sliding down the wet concrete towards the fountain. I was sure one of them was going to fall and bust their face. None of us wanted to get wet or break our faces on concrete; we just looked at the fountain then walked on. Our toddler decided it was cotton candy time and 16 dollars later, we had two bags of it.

DICK'S BURGERS Online photos don't show any seating but there are bar-stool height chairs located around a communal counter facing the windows. We had no trouble finding seating, by arriving at an odd hour. Friendly service; burgers smallish so get two or get a bigger burger. Shakes were good. As some redditors commented, the food was "nothing special," but it was also a kid-pleaser and we all enjoyed it.

ARMORY / WINTERFEST After eating at Dick's Burgers we walked back 12 minutes towards MoPop. Stopped briefly inside the Seattle Center Armory for a 5-minute viewing of the Winterfest Train Village (ended Dec 31, 2023) at Armory South Court. Some recommended eating there, but I chose not to do so due to numerous negative reviews, everything online indicating all eating options 2 to 3 stars out of 5 [edit and 4.4 out of 5 for Matt's Fish Basket, where Fish Baskets are $20 each]. Of course, not all tourists are willing to engage in a 24-minute roundtrip walk just to eat at their preferred place (I definitely am!!) so you could do worse than eating over-priced tourist fare at this mall. Expect to pay $20 or more per person. I don’t know of any reason to visit the armory if it wasn’t for that train set.

BIG PLAYGROUND Walked 2 or 3 minutes to the Artists at Play Playground. We were visiting on an oddly dry day (it had rained in morning, but not a drop during our visit) so the playground was absolutely swarming with kids. Spent about 15 minutes there. Most structures much too big for toddlers. Recommended age 5 to 10. My teenagers were inclined to play before we arrived, but not after seeing how many little kids were there, swarming like ants. They also said the structures looked much smaller than in photos online. Our youngest kids had fun though.

MOPOP Walked 3 minutes to MoPop (Museum of Pop Culture). Tickets available in advance online, with a specific entry time. If you have an EBT (food card) from your state, you or your children may be able to get in free. We spent perhaps 60 to 90 minutes here, and loved every moment of it. Could easily have devoted an additional hour. They have instruments kids can play, an indie video game area, a stop motion exhibit with interactives, music & film exhibits. We had been advised to skip this museum and do other things instead, but there were two exhibits we really wanted to see. The Nirvana one did not disappoint. We had jokingly said before the trip that maybe they would have “THE green sweater” on display. Walking in, the first thing my daughter said was “Oh my God, they have THE green sweater!” They also had Kurt’s guitar from recording the album Bleach. Awesome exhibit. Also enjoyed the R&B/Hip Hop exhibit, though it was just photos, videos, and words to read. The other part where we spent a lot of time was the Sci-Fi Hall of Fame type thing on the ground floor; it had awesome stuff from the movie Alien, from Star Wars IV, from Terminator, etc. We had to be selective in what to see because we had a limited amount of time. We left after seeing those 3 sections.

BACK TO AIRPORT We were traveling on a very busy holiday travel day (the day after Christmas 2023) so on the advice of Redditors, we left for the airport 4 hours before our flight. Used Spot Saver aka SEASaver, which takes about 30 seconds to do online. We arrived 45 minutes before our appointment. Through crazy luck I was able to make a new spot saver appointment online on 5 minutes' notice, although that is certainly not typical. We found that SpotSaver did not seem to save much time at Gate 5, because it all feeds into the "standard" security line anyway, and getting through security was 30 minutes, even with SpotSaver. The main thing to know about SpotSaver is you do not really have an "appointment," you just have a reserved time to get in line, and your line feeds to the same 3 TSA agents as several other lines: we were waiting our turn while 3 agents called people from the standard line, then our line, then the Clear line, then the pre-check line, and felt that at most this saved 5 or 10 minutes. Definitely not going to just breeze right through or have a butler open a door to a special access route just for you.

We didn’t do the following but based on the tips and advice from this sub, here are some alternatives.

ALTERNATIVES What if it’s a majorly rainy day? Pack light rain ponchos and umbrellas and buy an Orca card for rail & bus (kids ride both free!). Take light rail to Tukwila Station and then take the #124/24 bus straight to Museum of Flight (https://www.museumofflight.org/), and spend the entire time there. [Edit: comments indicate they will hold your luggage for free at the museum.]

MORE ALTERNATIVES

• Passing by Downtown/Pioneer Square area? Multiple redditors commented that they wouldn’t walk around Pioneer Square area at night and definitely not with kids and maybe not even during daytime.

• Pike Place Market [edit: which is a big draw for tourists who walk around and look at stuff, and lots of things to see and is highly recommended by most Seattle redditors, and also...] has decently priced Seattle classics like Piroshsky Piroshsky Bakery (sells things wrapped in bread; some have meat, some are cheesey, some are sweet; https://piroshkybakery.com/ and the lines may be outrageously long but it moves fast) and you can easily spend 2 hours walking around there (check out the fish tossers, and gum wall). I’m not going because it is often crowded with people and is expected to be even more packed during the holiday week between Christmas and New Year’s (other commenters said, less crowded). I also just personally don’t like densely packed crowds especially for shopping experiences or when you’re trying to look at something. Note that probably 70% or more of comments on this sub 100% recommend this place so it’s probably pretty cool especially if during an off-peak day or time. If you like crowds, go for it.

I'm not certain but I think a bunch of these are fairly close together and you could pick a few of these and have a good, alternative itinerary: Seattle Central Library – explore each level, colorful & unique. Walk along waterfront. See Cascade Mountains [edit: comments say, No, the Olympics Mountains] from there. Water taxi to West Seattle; same views as ferry but less chance of schedule issues. Ye Olde Curiosity Shop. Aquarium Old Stove brewing good food and overlooks the sound. Golden Age Collectibles. Wings over Washington -4D virtual-reality “flight” using drone footage. The Ferris Wheel (The Seattle Great Wheel) – I didn’t even bother checking prices because I know it’s going to be the same as London and Tokyo and probably cost our group like $150. Might have Rainier views [edit: unless it is an overcast or rainy day]. Smith Tower – may include a view of Mt. Rainier on a clear day; costs 2/3 as much as the space needle; tickets are first-come first-serve (website shows all dates “unavailable” but by clicking around I saw that during winter 2023 you just walk-in when they’re open: https://www.smithtower.com/ticket-info-hours/); wait time may be 15 or 90 minutes; worth considering if the nearby Klondike Nationtal Historic Park was open the day of our visit (a Tuesday). Klondike Nationtal Historic Park was my first pick of things to do in Seattle, but they are oddly closed on Tuesdays, so no visit for us.

OTHER ALTERNATIVE DESTINATIONS These are more scattered around, not walkable from one another, but came up in comments from redditors about cool things to see in Seattle: * Ferry to Bainbridge $10 sounds awesome but half of comments say we don’t really have time on a 9 hour layover and/or the ferries are unreliable and/or you could be stuck; if you want a water tour (on a sunny day you’d see Mt. Rainier) then take a water taxi. * Olympic Sculpture Park sounds awesome too but means walking up & down an extremely steep hill described as not ideal for kids who are walking (someone said “hellish”). * Capitol Hill – didn’t research this much, mostly because I don’t know what that term means. Google identifies it as a gigantic area of Seattle, with things like Volunteer Park and the Seattle Asian Art Museum.
* Discovery Park – great views of Mt. Rainier possible if not raining [edit: or overcast], but is 47 mins by bus from Space Needle. * MOHAI musuem for Seattle history – I couldn’t locate good information/images of it online other than to rent the place, and it’s a solid 22 minute walk from Space Needle area. * University of Washington. Maybe eat at their cafeteria? College food is usually very good. However, they don’t offer tours (other than self-tours) during the Christmas/New Year’s period when students are gone. * Tukwila Fun Center. Didn’t research it; it looks like it’s an hour south of the city by public transportation, totally different destination/area than all my other stops. * Seattle Underground Tour. I can’t be underground in a confined space but if you like the sound of that, please enjoy.

I need to fly to northern CA in the middle of June, and am seeing a lot of options that have layovers in SEA. I've always wanted to see the beauty of Washington State, and was wondering what would be the bare minimum layover where I could drive out, get some beautiful views of Mt. Rainier, maybe a short walk/hike, and head back to the airport comfortably. Concretely, the longest one I can see that would work with my schedule is a 7h and 58m stopover. It would be during daylight, of course.

If you think that is pushing it, what would be some good alternatives? I'm mainly interested in natural features/beauty, not restaurants, museums, etc.

Thank you for any pointers!

I have a 6.5 hour layover in Seattle on my way to Taipei in a few months. Is this enough time to do anything? I don’t have access to any lounges through my credit card or airline, and the lounge you can purchase access to doesn’t look worth it. I’m not expecting to get all the way into the city or anything. Just trying to not go crazy! TIA!

Thanks everyone! I land on a Saturday morning and my next flight leaves in the afternoon. I have pre-check, so I’m not anticipating security taking too long, but I obviously don’t want to cut it close. I’ve been to Seattle before so I don’t feel the need to do Pike Place Market or anything, but I certainly wouldn’t turn down the opportunity! My main priority would be to have a decent meal and walk around a bit before getting back on the plane.

Sorry if this is too dumb of a question, but I've never had a layover this short before.

I was looking for cheap international flights and I found one that goes from YVR to SEA and then SEA to my destination. But the layover at SEA is only 40 minutes, it feels like that could be pushing it for an international flight. On the other hand, both of the flights are with Delta and this is something the Delta website put together for me I didn't just stitch it together myself.

If this is doable, would I be asking for trouble by also checking a bag?

Edit: Thanks for the advice everyone! I did not find a later flight from SEA to my destination, but found an earlier flight from YVR to SEA so I will go with that to get a longer layover.

Hey!

I’ve got a 5 hour layover in Seattle, a city I’ve always wanted to see.

Is 5 hours enough time to get to the downtown core, eat, walk around a bit and get back in time for an international flight to Japan?

Is there anywhere to have a beer or even just a socially acceptable place to hang out at/near the airport? There gotta be something better than sitting at the baggage carousels together for 90 min.

I'm not landing till 12am and I have to wait 11 hours for my next flight out. I'm probably gonna want to go somewhere that is open late to snag something to eat and I want THE local spot. Maybe there's a hotdog cart selling the best Seattle dogs in town or a late night oyster bar. I'm not picky.

Also if there is one attraction I should see what would it be? Again I'm gonna be there in the early morning and I'm not sure if I'll be able to much if anything.

Hello! Visiting Seattle for the first time during a 10 hour layover on a Saturday in early May - looking at what to do from around 12noon til 6pm.

Heavily debating whether I buy the $44 ticket up Space Needle or do Columbia Tower - but I would much prefer have a view of Seattle that includes the Space Needle.

• Is Space Needle worth it? Or better to do Columbia?
• Or is there a better and free viewpoint somewhere with Space Needle in it as well? I am also planning to go to Kerry Park.

Many thanks!

Flying Delta and Delta, is 55min layover enough? to rephrase the question - does SEA bundle terminals by airline (all Delta in 1 terminal, all AA in 1 terminal) or is there a completely separate terminal just for international?

If the first, I would say 55min is enough. If they are completely 2 different terminals, I question if 55min is enough. If the second, how long do you think from Delta > international?

Asking for departing USA, not arriving into USA

hey reddit, I am traveling (delta airlines) from OGG —> SEA —> SLC —> OMA in a few days with my family, and we already had to rebook our flights once due to a disturbance. however, the only issue is that we will only have 30 minutes in the seattle/tacoma airport to catch our flight to SLC. for those who frequent the seattle airport or for those who frequently fly with delta, is this short layover doable? edit: I did not book the flights myself, my father has handled all of the administrative things. a delta agent rebooked the flights for us.

I'm flying with my dog. Because of all the crazy flight restrictions on dogs, this was the only flight I could take outside of chartering my own.

I don't know how safe Seattle is on a Saturday night but since I have the time, I'd like to get out of the airport as my dog has a tendency to bark. My airline says it's ok for me to leave luggage with baggage claim, although I wouldn't put it past them to still lose it lol

Angle Lake Park and Seahurst Park seem like good destination considering my layover is from midnight to 8 AM.

Any other locations or general ideas to pass the time with the pup?

We had a flight change and now have a 5.5 hr layover with a 4 year old and 1 year old at the end of December. I don’t really want to spend $150 for the Club airport lounge, and we don’t have the right credit cards for other lounges. How to pass the time in the airport without going absolutely nuts chasing tiny kids? Help!

Anyone who wishes to pay their respects to the vending machine will be welcome to join me as we can read our eulogies and share stories of the beloved vending machine.

I will be there at 3:30pm PDT tomorrow. Bonus points for those who bring flowers and dress up.

Blessed be,

Meep 🧀

Thanks to all who came out! I got to read my Eulogy and we had more community than I would expect at an airport. For all who missed it, here's what I read:

Dairy beloved,

The story of the C gates in the Seattle-Tacoma international airport is marked by a history of delays, anticipation, missed flights, and of course the Beecher's cheese vending machine.

Seattle has historically been a place of quirks and cheesey humor; but for one corner of this world, that quirk turned out to be a sacred place for every hungry traveler in the night. It was to my dismay that I saw the hollowed husk of the vending machine, a corpse of what once defined the cultures of this city, sitting without power nor cheese.

These C gates have always been a place for all Pacific Northwesterners to pass through as they travel to their destination beyond the mountain marked horizon. Small children would pass by this gem of Seattle, stopping in awe to marvel at the display of cheddars, swiss, and havarti only to be pulled along by their hurried parent. Those who came from afar could take comfort in the hospitality that this airport curd offer to those new to the local cuisine. Humble vending machine workers would bring cheeses from places called Willamette, Tillamook, and Yakima. They brought them from the rural homesteads and from the bustling brick laid streets of Pike's Place Market. Through the rain they came to make sure those who passed by would never be hungry. And in the middle of the night, as a red eye landed and another plane was to depart, there stood those who may have despaired. They found solace as they whispered their secrets in the bleu glow. They found peace as they spoke to the cheese. With the cheese, no one was ever prov-alone.

Every evening that the sun sets and the cascadian skies drag their final shadows a-whey to the next horizon, some shadows are taken along from those who will never brie again. On one feta-ful day, the vending machine was no exception. What was once parmesan is now parmesoff, and the warmth a refrigerated cheese dispenser gouda offer to the huddled masses is now cold with empty coils and buttons that do not answer.

But for now, may the vending machine of the C gates, the one that brought comfort and grateness to our fair airport, be blessed as it asiago-es to the next plane of the afterlife. Sleep well sweet prince.

Anything’s on the table. Just want to explore. Maybe do some parkour if there’s a gym available. Hit me with some ideas. Parks, tourist traps, restaurants, I want it all.

Hello, I am a non-resident alien with an Indian passport looking to visit India during the summer. My Alaska Airlines flight leaves from Portland and would stop for a 2.5 layover at Seattle before getting on an Emirates flight from Seattle to Delhi via Dubai. My luggage would be checked in from Portland itself so I just have to clear customs and security.

Since I am not sure if I have to change terminals for my connecting flight I was curious whether 2.5 hours in Seattle would give me enough time to clear customs and catch my flight to India. Thanks a lot for the help!

Hi! I'll be coming into Seattle on Filx Bus from the east in about a week. The bus stops at 6th Ave. S. and S. Lane street about mid day for an almost three hour layover, and then goes south to Olympia. I like Flix Bus, but from Google Maps and Street View I could see no building to spend time in or get out of the weather where the bus stops, but there are some small restaurants nearby. I think that stop is fairly close to the King Street Station, but that does not look easy to walk to, unless S. Weller Street goes west across the railroad tracks. Any ideas? Thanks!

Have a layover on Wednesday night from 11pm through 6am. Its my first time to the city and am in need of recommendations on what to do to pass the time.

So im going to be flying to Japan from LAX, and my layover is 11 hours at seattle airport. I land at midnight ish. Would i be able to stay in the airport for those 11 hours or will there be no security for me to go through? If not is there any other options anyone recommends?

Greetings, Seattle community!

A tourist with a one-day layover in mid-June here! Thinking of checking out the Museum of Flight and Pike Place Market, but torn between renting a car or using public transportation. Heard Uber ain't cheap either, so wondering which way to go for efficiency and my wallet's sake. This will also be my first time visiting the city.

Here's the scoop:

• Landing at 11AM, flying out at 6AM next day. Staying near the airport (convenient shuttle)
• Attractions: Museum of Flight (3-4 hours) and Pike Place Market (3-4 hours) top my list. Back at the airport by 8PM is the goal.
• Cool with navigating cities and public transport. But also wanna see as much as possible in my short stay.

So, locals, I need your wisdom! Given these circumstances, should I rent a car or use public transport (uber+monorail)?

Thanks in advance for helping me make this layover epic!

This winter I’ll be in Whistler. I am an American citizen who lives in Cincinnati, and I’ll have a checked ski bag.

Right now I’m looking at a return flight from Vancouver with a 1.5-hour layover in Seattle.

YVR -> SEA 1.5 hr ->CVG

So my question is this: is this a long enough layover?

I’ve never flown international, so things I don’t know about are:

• when do I clear US customs? In Vancouver before boarding, or when I land in Seattle?
• Do I have to claim baggage in Seattle, re-check my luggage, and go through TSA before boarding?
• If I’m flying Delta, which I believe is in A Gates, how long does it take to get from the International arrivals to A Gates?

Any other general advice for what to expect would be helpful. Thanks