Washington Travel Guide

Washington — Travel Tips

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Getting There By Air

Main Airports

Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) (www.portseattle.org) is 22km (14 miles) south of the city (journey time - 20 minutes). To/from the airport: Shuttles and buses link the airport to points throughout the city, running continuously 24 hours; a door-to-door service is available from Shuttle Express, serving a variety of destinations, including Seattle and Tacoma. The Airport Express Gray Line departs to downtown Seattle hotels. Metro Transit offers a public bus service to Seattle, while Sound Transit has regional services. Taxis are available. Facilities: Car hire, currency exchange and Internet access.

Getting There By Water

Washington State Ferries (tel: (206) 464 6400; www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries) links Seattle with the Olympic Peninsula, Bainbridge Island and other points in the region. The Victoria Clipper (tel: 1 800 888 2535, in the USA only; www.victoriaclipper.com) links Victoria and Vancouver (British Columbia, Canada) to Seattle via high-speed catamarans. Water taxi services are available on Elliott Bay from spring to autumn).

Getting There By Rail

Three Amtrak (tel: 1 800 872 7245, in the USA only; www.amtrak.com) lines cross the state. The ‘Empire Builder' from Chicago splits at Spokane, with onward services to Seattle and Portland (Oregon). There are trains from Seattle to Portland; the ‘Coast Starlight' continues on to Los Angeles, while the ‘Amtrak Cascades' service comes from Eugene-Springfield (Oregon) and heads north to Vancouver, British Columbia via Tacoma (journey time - 4 hours). The Seattle station is located at 303 South Jackson Street; most major car hire firms are available.