Dining in Seattle

Down oysters, clams, and fresh fish at waterfront restaurants or dine in Pike Place Market on French, Italian, and Russian cuisine. Asian restaurants pepper the International District, while everything from down-to-earth taverns to upscale Pacific Rim bistros give Belltown a great reputation.

Within Walking Distance

The waterfront Elliott Bay Trail is a scenic walking and biking path that ends near where Carnival cruises from Seattle dock. The trail is the best way to access Olympic Sculpture Park, a free outdoor showcase of modern sculptures, and Seattle Aquarium, at Pier 59, featuring the marine habitats and animals of the Pacific Northwest. Tiny Smith Cove Park, just west of the terminal, also has watery views, including places to watch the ships come in.

Beyond the Port Area

Before your cruise from Seattle, travel across Puget Sound from Pier 55 to Tillicum Village on Blake Island, where you can feast on fish at a salmon bake and watch members of the Coast Salish Tribe present a music-and-dance extravaganza. Across Lake Union is Volunteer Park, with its hundred-year-old conservatory, the Seattle Asian Art Museum, and a 75-ft. water tower. Climb up the tower for free to get lake and downtown views.

To the northwest of the downtown and where Seattle cruises dock is Discovery Park, with hiking trails tracing sea bluffs and beaches offering spectacular views of Puget Sound and the Olympic Peninsula. Across Salmon Bay, watch salmon spawn in summer and ships bob in the Hiram M. Chittenden Locks in Ballard. This neighborhood borders, filled with hip boutiques, public art, and the friendly cafes and coffeehouses Seattle is known for. South of the city, the Museum of Flight has a collection of historic planes and part of Boeing’s early factory.

Let Carnival take you to Pioneer Square on a Grand City Tour of Seattle. Pioneer Square is one of Seattle, Washington’s most atmospheric neighborhoods, but some of its best-kept secrets are underground. Go below the surface of the streets into tunnels and passageways on Bill Spiedel’s Underground Tour. Just inland from Piers 62 and 63, the life-size bronze Rachel the Pig statue welcomes you to Pike Place Market—as does the iconic pink neon sign. Listen to street performers, watch fishmongers sling giant salmon through the air, and snack on baked goods from the traditional vendors. The best souvenirs here are handmade crafts, local blackberry jam, and smoked salmon. A few blocks up from the market, board the Seattle Monorail to glide up to Seattle Center. Overlooking the whole city is the 605 ft.-high Space Needle, a science fiction remnant from the 1962 World’s Fair with an observation tower and revolving restaurant at its apex. The Seattle Center’s EMP Museum, established to hold memorabilia of native son Jimi Hendrix, is an all-encompassing rock and roll repository.

Nightlife in Seattle

Seattle, Washington, is best known for rock music, and Belltown and Pioneer Square pulsate with plenty of live venues for jamming out. But jazz at Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley, classical at Benaroya Hall, or a drama or cabaret performance at a local theater bring real vibrancy and diversity to the city arts scene.

Travel Tips

• Though the weather in Seattle, Washington has a rainy reputation, summers are dry and warm, with highs averaging around 75 degrees and lows in the mid-50s. Winters are wetter, but rarely bitter cold.
• Seattle cruises depart from Pier 91, the Smith Cove Cruise Terminal near the Queen Anne neighborhood. It’s just a couple of miles northwest of Seattle Center, and a quick ride to Pike Place Market, Waterfront Park, and Pioneer Square.

Travel Tips