There is an arts festival, Bumbershoot, happening in Seattle the same weekend as our wedding, so we recommend you book rooms well in advance.
There are lots of places to stay in Seattle! Choosing one will depend on what and when you’re looking for. We listed a few options below, but there are many more if none meet your needs. Feel free to ask us if you have any questions!
If you’re looking for more reviews/info, Tripadvisor has been a reliable source of information for me (Thomas) in other cities, and I’d expect Seattle to be no different.
As far as areas of the city go… for a city culture feel, try neighborhoods like Downtown, Belltown, and Lower Queen Anne/Seattle Center. For a quirky neighborhood feel, look in Fremont, Ballard, or Capitol Hill. For a university town vibe, look towards the U-District. We would avoid places to stay on WA 99 / Aurora Ave north of N 34th St or so.
We live in northeast Seattle, near the University District in the Bryant/Ravenna neighborhoods, just a few miles from downtown. These are some hotels nearby.
Willows Lodge, in Woodinville, has very nice rooms which are on the same property as the venue, but the rates are quite high. Woodinville is a great jumping off point for visiting the Cascades or enjoying a wine tasting or two (or three).
If you’re making a trip out of coming to the great Pacific Northwest, there are also many options to rent apartments or small houses in Seattle for a few days to a week or more. They’re often as affordable or even cheaper than a hotel room for the same amount of time. Check out VRBO (Vacation Rentals By Owner). We’re happy to provide neighborhood suggestions if you’re considering this route!
From the SeaTac (Seattle-Tacoma) airport you can catch a cab to downtown for about $40 and the University District area for about $60. The trip takes about 20-30 minutes.
Shuttle Express, a shared ride service, may be scheduled in advance to pick you up at the airport and drop you off at central locations. It’s usually cheaper than a cab.
You can also take the light rail to the International District (near Downtown) and catch a bus or cab from the terminal there.
Willows Lodge is about 30-45 minutes from most parts of Seattle and, unfortunately, not easily accessible via public transportation. If getting to the venue will be a challenge for you, let us know and we’ll try to connect you up with a local friend to give you a ride.
For getting out to the wedding from Seattle without renting a car, a taxi should run about $60 and a flat rate hired car about $50 (reserved in advance). More info on cabs.
Seattle has two bus services, the Metro and Sound Transit. The Metro will likely serve most of your needs, but it’s important to know that both services exist because transfers between the two are not free. It’s easiest to pay in cash or change when you get on, and fares are $2.25 off-peak / $2.50 peak. Make sure you have exact fare (bills and/or coins), as the tills don’t make change. On a smartphone you can use OneBusAway to lookup nearby routes, schedules, and real-time arrival predictions.
Most hotels also have free shuttle services to/from downtown and other popular areas of the city. Check with the place you’re staying!
The city provides online and paper walking maps of the entire city and will mail you a free copy at your request. There are also basic maps of Downtown from a tourism board.
A number of other kinds of maps are linked to on the city’s page about finding your way around, which also includes wayfinding information such as that avenues run north/south and streets run east/west.
The city is mostly a numbered grid system with NW, NE, SW, SE quadrants. There are exceptions, of course, for the common obstacles of hills and water, but it’s not as difficult as understanding, say, Boston’s cowpaths.