Getting Around Seattle
To/From the airport
Link Light Rail
Opened in December 2009, visitors to Seattle can now take the new Link Light Rail system directly from the airport terminal to Westlake Center in downtown Seattle with 11 stops along the way in just 37 minutes. Click here to learn more about this clean and green transportation option!
Taxis and limousines are available on the third floor of the parking garage. Courtesy vans can be found there as well.
Airporter Shuttle and Downtown Airporter by Gray Line pick up and drop off passengers in the parking lot outside of door “00” at the south end of the baggage claim level.
Shuttle Express passengers are picked up and dropped off on the third floor of the airport garage on the inner drive.
Public Buses
Metro and Sound Transit buses are available outside door six by baggage carousel five, on the baggage claim level.
Rental car counters are located in the baggage claim area. Some provide pick-up and drop-off from the first floor of the garage. Other rental car companies provide courtesy van service to the airport.
Seattle Metro (Public Bus System)
Seattle Metro Transit is the public transit agency serving King County and has twice been honored as the best-run large public transportation system in North America. Metro operates a fleet of some 1,300 vehicles — including coaches, electric trolleys, dual-powered buses, hybrid diesel-electric buses and streetcars — that serves an annual ridership of 100 million.
Use the handy online TripPlanner to map your journey.
For quick and easy trips in the downtown core, take a free ride! Metro buses in downtown Seattle are all free from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily. Just jump on or off as you like. The Free Ride Zone extends from Jackson Street in the International District and Pioneer Square on the south end of town to Battery Street on the north.
Seattle's South Lake Union Streetcar
A terrific addition to Seattle's transportation options, the South Lake Union Streetcar Line runs between Westlake Center through Denny Triangle to South Lake Union Park and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center every 10 to 15 minutes. This affordable and attractive neighborhood transit service will connect the growing Denny Triangle and South Lake Union neighborhoods to the regional transit hub where Sound Transit light rail, the monorail and regional buses converge.
Washington State Ferries
Washington state has the largest ferry fleet in the nation. From Colman Dock at Pier 52 on Seattle’s Waterfront, travelers and their vehicles can take a ferry to Bremerton or Bainbridge Island.
A passenger-only ferry goes from Colman Dock to Vashon Island. The Fauntleroy ferry in West Seattle takes passengers and cars to Vashon Island and to Southworth on the Kitsap Peninsula.
Check the Washington State Ferries web site for wait times, fares, schedules and other information.
Trains
Amtrak trains arrive and depart at historic King Street Station (303 S Jackson St.), providing service to Vancouver, B.C., Tacoma, Portland, Spokane and other destinations. King Street Station is located between the International District and Pioneer Square, just north of Qwest Field. Tickets may be purchased online or at the station. Greyhound tickets are also sold at the station.
The Sounder is a commuter train running from Seattle to Everett and from Seattle to Tacoma. The trains are boarded at King Street Station.
The Monorail runs from Seattle Center to Westlake Mall in downtown Seattle.
