Downtown Tours

The City & the Sound: Seattle’s Waterfront

From its beginnings, Seattle has been a city shaped by waterways. While early developments supported industrial trade rather than leisure and tourism, the removal of the Alaskan Way Viaduct and a new urban design by Field Operations (designers of The High Line, New York City), has transformed the waterfront into a lively public space, bringing together people, industry, infrastructure, and local ecosystems. On this tour, we’ll explore historic and redeveloped sites that blend Seattle’s maritime history and modern design to serve today’s diverse waterfront visitors.

Starts: Stairs at the base of the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building – 915 2nd Avenue (corner of 1st Avenue and Marion Street)

Ends: Overlook Walk above the Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion – 1505 Alaskan Way

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Photos: Alessandra Brescia, Marissa Lordahl/Hoffman Construction Company

 

A view of downtown Seattle from Colman Dock, with the fire boat in the foreground

People sitting on the steps of Overlook Walk on a sunny day

Miner's Landing and the Great Seattle Wheel on the waterfront

A carved eagle faces the downtown skyscrapers

A view of Overlook Walk and the Great Seattle Wheel on a sunny day, full of people

 

A view of Elliott Bay and the Great Seattle Wheel from Overlook Walk

Downtown Tours

Our Downtown tours begin in various locations.

Please review your confirmation email to ensure that you have the right address.

Tours are approximately two hours in length, unless otherwise noted. Tickets purchased in advance cost $25 for General Admission, $20 for SAF Members, and $22 for Students and Seniors over 65. Advance registration is strongly encouraged. Walk-ups are limited to space available and cost $30. Ticket sales close at 9:00am the morning of the tour. Online registration is handled through Bold Type Tickets. For our tour policies or to learn about booking a private tour, visit our Tours FAQ page.

Please note: A minimum of three people must be registered for tours to take place. Tours with fewer than three registered attendees on the Thursday before the tour will be cancelled. SAF may cancel tours in cases of extreme weather. We do not cancel tours due to rain. If you purchased a ticket for a cancelled tour, you have the option of transferring the ticket to a future tour date or being issued a refund.