I am finally getting caught up on all of these travel guides from my summer of jet setting. I’m all about getting it in while I can without having to take tons of vacation days during the year. In case you missed it last week, be sure to check out my Oregon Coast travel guide. Today, I am taking it back to a beautiful seaport city on the Pacific Coast and sharing my Seattle travel guide. I went to both Oregon and Washington with with a few of my blogger babes: Brooke from One Small Blonde, Lynlee from Gal About Town, and Allyson from Allyson in Wonderland. We were so happy to enjoy some sweater weather and have some time to relax and unwind in Pacific City. Be sure to see all of my looks from this trip in my Pacific Northwest outfit recap post.

SEATTLE TRAVEL GUIDE

WHY VISIT

From Frasier to Twilight and tons of murder mysteries in between, I’ve seen Seattle on TV so many times. It’s intriguing that some of the biggest corporations, including Microsoft and Starbucks all started in Seattle, too. Seattle had been on my list for a long time. I was intrigued by this often gloomy city that seems to be the capitol coffee of the US. It has laid back cool vibes while still being ahead of the tech game. There are so many amazing neighborhoods to explore and such a great culture from art to food to architecture. I knew I wanted to visit Seattle during the summer to take advantage of their beautiful weather and try to avoid some of the rainy season, so when we went it was perfect! They even had sort of a cool front while we were there, which only made it more enjoyable. Especially in comparison to Texas. I loved being right on the water, too. Seattle has so many amazing things to offer and I loved our time there!

Dress // Belt Bag // Booties // Sunnies // Necklace

WHERE TO STAY

Seattle has some amazing hotels. We knew we wanted to stay in a certain area to make a lot of things we were doing walkable or a short Uber ride away.

The Thompson: I would definitely recommend staying here. It’s located just a few blocks from Pike Place Market making most things a convenient walk, but allowing you to be a little bit away from the madness that the market can bring. It has the most amazing rooftop restaurant and bar with a beautiful view and great vibe. The entire hotel is gorgeous and the on site restaurant downstairs is delicious! The rooms are spacious and the staff is so friendly and helpful!

Other great options for places to stay include-

Inn at The Market: Another option in a great location with a good water view. I’ve heard they have amazing service and do a great job at paying attention to detail during your stay.
Four Seasons Seattle: This hotel has a perfect view of the Seattle Ferris Wheel and all the amazing amenities you’d expect from a Four Seasons. The location is great and they have a really cool rooftop pool.
Loews Hotel 1000: Beautiful views, beautiful rooms.. what more could you need? This luxury hotel has everything you might need and of course, is in a great location for exploring the city.
Kimpton Hotel Monaco Seattle: This hotel has everything you’d expect from a Kimpton- good location, beautiful decor, and great service. They also have a cool bar and restaurant on site with great vibes.

When looking for a hotel, we used Triphop. Triphop allows you to search for over 500 hotels in a ton of destinations and you can earn rewards when you book and stay. Whether your travel for business, pleasure, or both, you’ll be surprised how much cash back you could earn! If you ever need anything, they are available 24 hours a day to help ensure you have an amazing stay. Every night you stay, you will be collecting cash back! No points, no black out dates and most importantly no restrictions. As soon as you check out you will be able to see the cash added to your account. Try searching for your next hotel on Triphop and start earning cash back for your stays!

WHERE TO EAT

Scout PNW: We ate dinner at this farm to table restaurant after getting drinks on the roof of The Thompson and loved it. Everything was amazing including the service. We tried so many different things and almost the whole dessert menu. You MUST try dessert here. I will for sure come back here next time I’m in Seattle! The restaurant is beautiful and has such a great atmosphere.
The Pink Door: This restaurant was recommended time and time again and it did not disappoint. It’s such a cute spot with fun indoor scene that often includes live entertainment and a great patio with water views. The food is Italian and is simple and delicious.
Pike Place Chowder: Because you’ve gotta get your chow-dah fix when you can. This place is a city favorite and food good reason. It’s supposed to be the best of the best and has not only one awards, but has been named one of the most popular dishes.. ever based on nationwide customer reviews of foods! They also have amazing lobster rolls.
Bacco Cafe: We came here for brunch after walking around Pike Place Market and it was delicious! It’s a perfect brunch spot in a relaxed atmosphere with good service. The crab Benedict was so good!
Pizzeria Crudo: Because you always need a solid place to grab pizza. This Napoletano style pizza is thin, crispy, and delicious. The pastas, especially the pasta carbonara, are supposed to be amazing as well.
Rocco’s: Another great pizza option in a laid back bar setting. You may find a crowd of people waiting to get in when you go at prime time for dinner, but that’s how you know its amazing and worth the wait.
Altura Restaurant: This fine dining restaurant is an amazing experience start to finish. The unassuming atmosphere and the amazing service all combine with well thought out menus to ensure you have a wonderful meal.
Chan: This restaurant is THE place for Korean gastropub style food. It has so many unique flavors that make up their dishes. It’s located at the Inn at the Market and is always busy. They don’t take reservations, so go early for dinner.
The Crumpet Shop: This little place has been family owned and run since 1976. They serve up classic crumpets with both sweet and savory flavors, all of which are supposed to be to die for.
Citizen Cafe: Located in the Lower Queen Anne neighborhood, this would be a great place to grab a bite when going to see the Space Needle. This cozy cafe serves breakfast all day long and everything is delicious.
Beecher’s Handmade Cheese: Who doesn’t love cheese? Go here for it. The mac and cheese and grilled cheese are fan favorites and were recommended time and time again!
Matt’s in the Market: It took us like 30 minutes to find this place after several locals recommended it to us and unfortunately they were closing for lunch by the time we got here. All the food looked amazing though and I cannot wait to eat here when I go back.

Dress // Booties // Bag // Necklace

Sweater Tank // Blazer // Jeans // Sneakers // Bag // Sunnies // Necklace

WHERE TO DRINK

The Nest: This was hands down my favorite ‘out and about’ experience from our trip. This outdoor bar/restaurant is at the top of the Thompson Seattle and has the most amazing view. I absolutely loved the vibe, the service was great, and the cocktails were delicious. This is a must.
Purple Wine Bar: Hello coolest staircase ever. The stairs wrap around their giant wine storage and it’s amazing. There are tons of big open windows making this a wonderful place to grab wine (and snacks or a meal) day or night.
M Bar: Another great rooftop spot with amazing views and good cocktails. You can get a good view of the Space Needle from here, too. This is a perfect spot for pre or post dinner drinks.
Havana: This booth lined cocktail bar is Cuba-inspired and has such a great scene for enjoying your craft cocktails. They often have a DJ playing which only makes the atmosphere more fun!
Unicorn: A carnival themed bar in Capitol Hill with fun decor, carnival style food, and fun games to play! Weekly events include mimosas cabaret, game night, live shows, karaoke, trivia and more.
Foundation: Foundation claims to be Seattle’s number one night club and I wanted to include it jusssttt in case you get the itch to go dancing while visiting the city.

My Cami // My Jacket // My Jeans // My Booties // My Bag // My Sunnies // My Necklace

WHAT TO DO

Space Needle: Seattle’s most famous landmark. There is a beautiful view at the top and they are working on opening a new restaurant. Part of it was under construction when we went, which may have added to the lines. Buy your tickets online first, but still be prepared to wait to go up and down the elevators. Go first thing to avoid this! They have snacks, drinks, and cocktails at a little stand up top if the restaurant still isn’t finished when you go or if you just want a little champagne to toast with at the top like we did.
Pike Place Market: Did you even go to Seattle if you didn’t go here? There are so many amazing shops, vendors, and restaurants here. Most places are taking out the middle man so you can get gorgeous flowers for super cheap. You can also have tons of fresh fish packed up for your plane ride home or shipped. Such a fun place to explore! Go early, it gets packed quick. The gum wall is right around the corner if you’re interested in seeing that, which I must admit, was rather odd and gross! haha
Chihuly Garden: I saw some of this exhibit when it was in Dallas a few years ago and it’s truly amazing. The pieces are so beautiful and the garden + glass house showcasing all of Chihuly’s work is such a cool thing to see.
Kerry Park: This park gives you an amazing view of Elliott Bay and the Central City, with an occasional backdrop of Mount Rainier. Helloo perfect photo opp spot. This is a great place to watch the sunset and snag a great view of the Space Needle from afar.
Arboretum: This pretty park is a great place to go enjoy any of the beautiful weather you may get when in Seattle. The lake/pond would be the cutest place to curl up with a good book.
Seattle Art Museum: A perfect activity for one of Seattle’s many rainy days. There are so many great exhibits here to see!
Seattle Great Wheel: Because a ferris wheel is always fun! You can get a great view of the city from here and it’s such a cute thing to do before/after dinner or any time of day really.
Ferry Ride: There are so many cute little islands around Seattle that are just a quick ferry ride away. Bainbridge Island was recommended a lot to me because it is supposed to be adorable with tons of good places to eat and drink. Plus, the ferry always gives you a good view of the city as you leave and come back to it!
SHOP: There are so many cute stores and boutiques and you must go visit the Nordstrom Flagship store. It is absolutely amazing and has every single thing you could possibly want or need. We had such a fun time shopping here one afternoon!

Sweater // Jeans // Mules // Bag // Sunnies

TRAVEL TIPS

Seattle was a very walkable city, so I’d bring decently comfortable shoes so you can walk around. If we needed to take an Uber, the ride was always under five minutes.
It’s cooler, especially at night, by the water so I would pack a sweater or jacket.
The weather can be unpredictable, so come ready for a little rain.
A lot of restaurants didn’t take reservations, so go a little earlier and know you may have to wait a little bit.

I hope that my Seattle travel guide is helpful for you when planning your trip! I always love to add to my list for my next trip, so if you have any favorites that I missed please let me know. You can see and shop all of my looks from this trip in my Pacific Northwest outfit recap post.

My husband and I are off on a trip to Chicago for Labor Day Weekend, which I am so excited about. Somehow with all of my travels I have never been. I also finish my Whole 30 today, which means I’ll be celebrating with some delicious food in Chi Town. SO many of you sent me amazing recommendations for where to eat when visiting and I can’t wait to try some of them out. I’ll be sharing where we go and more recommendations when we get back. XO

Thank you to Triphop for working with us during our stay in Seattle. They provided us with site credit to book our hotel. Also, thank you Scout PNW for hosting us for dinner. As always, all opinions are my own.