Seattle Travel Report – Experience the Highlights with the CityPASS

Seattle in January 2017: It was cold, but the city had plenty to offer! To explore the city in a relaxed manner, we opted for the Seattle CityPASS. This not only saves on admission, but also gives you direct access to five of the most famous attractions. Long lines? No chance of waiting. We simply held up our ticket booklet and were able to get started right away. You can find out which attractions particularly impressed us in my travel report.

Chihuly Garden and Glass – A riot of color in glass

At first we thought, "An exhibition about glass—can that be exciting?" But the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum completely surprised us. The artist Dale Chihuly presented hundreds of glass artworks in all colors and shapes—from delicate bowls and flowers to enormous chandeliers. Each room had a different theme and enchanted us in its own way.

The live demonstration in the courtyard was particularly exciting, where glassblowers showed how they created fascinating shapes from molten glass. The museum is located right next to the Space Needle. Our tip: Don't park directly in front, but one block away. Parking there costs only $1.50 per hour.

Space Needle – Seattle's landmark

A visit to Seattle isn't complete without seeing the Space Needle. Built for the 1962 World's Fair, it still looks futuristic, almost like a landed UFO. Thanks to the CityPASS, we were even able to visit the observation deck twice within 24 hours: once in the morning and once in the evening.

The ascent felt like stepping back in time to the 1960s. Even the ride in the external elevator offered fantastic views. Once at the top, we enjoyed a 360° panoramic view of the city, the harbor, and, on a clear day, even Mount Rainier. In the evening, Seattle was shrouded in a mysterious fog – an unforgettable sight.

Important: Anyone wanting to photograph the Space Needle should definitely go to Kerry Park. From there you have the world-famous view with the skyline and the Space Needle in the foreground.

MoPOP – Museum of Pop Culture

Right next to the Space Needle is the Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP), designed by Frank Gehry. The building itself is a real eye-catcher: colorful, modern, and a little chaotic – perfect for a museum dedicated to pop culture. We visited exhibits on fantasy, horror, and science fiction, featuring original props from famous films. We found the horror section particularly fascinating. Stars like Nirvana and Jimi Hendrix also had their own sections, though these were smaller than we had expected.

The interactive rooms were a real highlight: In the "Indie Game Revolution" we could test various games, in the "Sound Lab" we could try out instruments ourselves and even record short pieces of music. That was great fun!

Seattle Aquarium – Underwater World at Pier 59

The Seattle Aquarium is rather unassuming from the outside, but surprised us with its exciting exhibits. Right at the entrance, we marveled at a huge tank where a diver was feeding the fish. The aquarium is a real treat, especially for children – from anemones that you could pet in the shallow water to Nemo and his friends, there was something for everyone.

Outdoors, the focus was on the wildlife of Puget Sound. Inside the Underwater Dome, we were immersed in a vast underwater world. The highlight for us was the sea otters, whose feeding was not only adorable to watch but also provided a wealth of information about their care and training.

Unfortunately, parking on-site is quite expensive. However, you can park directly in front of the building for $4.00 per hour. There are no other options, unfortunately.

Argosy Cruises – Harbor tour with a view of the skyline

One of our most memorable moments was experiencing Seattle from the water. We took an hour-long harbor cruise with Argosy Cruises, passing the skyline, the Olympic Mountains, and the Cascade Range. Our young guide entertained us with humorous anecdotes about the city as we enjoyed the fresh breeze and sunshine – in temperatures as low as 10°C.

Here's a tip: In winter the boats are pleasantly empty, while in summer it's worth going early in the day. It's best to sit on the right-hand side facing forward – the view is simply the best there.

Conclusion on the Seattle CityPASS

The Seattle CityPASS was the perfect way for us to discover the city's highlights. The combination of world-famous landmarks like the Space Needle, cultural highlights at MoPOP, and nature experiences at the aquarium and on the water made our trip so diverse. Anyone visiting Seattle should definitely consider this pass.

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The Seattle CityPASS was kindly provided to us by Visit Seattle. We would like to extend our sincere thanks once again for their cooperation. This article represents our free and independent opinion. Further information regarding journalistic independence can be found under the heading [link to relevant section]. Cooperation.