SEATTLE Sample 2-Day Itinerary & Budget Breakdown

Here’s the truth about Seattle: two days isn’t enough. But if two days is what you’ve got, and if you play this right, you’ll leave with your camera roll completely full but your heart half-broken, aching for more.

In this article, we’ll share with you a sample Seattle itinerary, complete with a budget breakdown. But this wasn’t the itinerary we followed. We actually stayed longer and visited more attractions than what’s featured here. However, this is the itinerary that we wish we had followed if we had known back then what we know now.

This itinerary assumes you arrived the previous evening or in the early morning that day. We’re not going to flesh out the arrival process at the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and the transfer to the city center because we will discuss them in our Seattle Travel Guide.

WAIT, WAIT, WAIT! If your are traveling soon and still on the planning stage, you can also visit our The Poor Traveler Masterlist. Here, we compiled travel essentials, including immigration requirements and all our recommended hotels and tours. Just visit this page: TPT Masterlist. We have a compilation for destinations around the world.

So let’s start with…

DAY 1: SEATTLE CENTER

Seattle Center is a cultural complex originally built for the 1962 World’s Fair, serving as the city’s concentrated hub of iconic attractions. It’s home to the Space Needle, Chihuly Garden and Glass, MoPOP (Museum of Pop Culture), and the Pacific Science Center, all within easy walking distance of each other. The entire area has a retro-futuristic, mid-century vibe that reflects its World’s Fair origins.

All the attractions I mentioned are covered by the Seattle CityPASS. If you plan on visiting all four, get it as it will give you a big discount. In this post, we’ll show you the cost of entrance fees in case you don’t have a pass. But if you have one, you don’t need to worry about it. The CityPASS costs USD 129, which includes admission to the Space Needle, Seattle Aquarium, and three other attractions of your choice from this list. That’s a total of five attractions.

If you only plan to visit three attractions, get the C3 variant instead, which costs only USD 102.

You can get the main Seattle CityPASS on Klook. Don’t forget to visit www.thepoortraveler.net/klook to automatically redeem our Klook discount voucher or use our promo code THEPOORTRAVELERKLOOK.

✅ GET SEATTLE CITYPASS HERE!

So let’s go to our first stop:

Space Needle

You’ve seen this thing in Sleepless in Seattle, in Grey’s Anatomy establishing shots, in your friends’ vacation photos. Now it’s your turn.

Board the elevator to the top, and when the doors open, brace yourself for a view of the city. Mount Rainier dominates the southern horizon like it’s been Photoshopped into reality. The Puget Sound spreads out below you, and you can watch ferries cutting white lines across blue water. Take your time.

To be honest with you, we skipped Space Needle. We’re just not as mesmerized by views from skyscrapers as before. What we usually seek is the view with the skyscraper in the frame. And we have a lookout just like that later.

Just before noon, your stomach will be making executive decisions. But don’t worry about trying to find local food; we’ll take care of that tomorrow. For now, it’s all about museums, so let’s just find something to fill your tummy for lunch quickly. Find a café or head to the nearby McDonald’s. Whatever is easiest to access is okay because we don’t have much time today.

If you don’t have the Seattle CityPASS, you can also get your ticket in advance online through Klook.

✅ GET YOUR TICKET HERE

Address: Space Needle, 400 Broad Street, Seattle, Washington 98109, United States
Opening Hours: Opening time, 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM; Closing time, 8:30 PM – 9:30 PM. Note that the schedules vary by season, so check the official website for updates before going.
Entrance Fee: General Admission, $49; Senior/Child (5-12yo), $44; With Chihuly Garden & Glass, $69
Covered by: Seattle CityPASS and C3

By the way, our hotel was very close to the Space Needle, so we just walked almost all the time.

✅ If you have an upcoming trip and you’re still looking for a place to stay, book with AGODA and get up to P5800 (USD 100) discount. Just visit www.thepoortraveler.net/agoda to redeem the discount voucher. Or enter the promo code AGODATPT on the Coupons tab of the Agoda app. Then, after choosing a hotel and room, enter AGODATPT again upon check out. It has to be all caps. It will give you 10% OFF, capped at 100 USD or P5800 based on the current conversion.

Chihuly Garden and Glass

Walk into Chihuly Garden and Glass and prepare to have your mind blown and your understanding of glass completely recalibrated. Dale Chihuly is Seattle’s glass wizard, and this museum is his spell book. Hop from room to room, admire collection after collection. You’ll stand there with your mouth slightly open. Everyone does.

When we visited, some parts of the museum were closing early as it was booked for a private event, so that’s what we prioritized. Move slowly through the galleries. There’s a room where the ceiling is covered in glass flowers. There’s another with massive spheres. In the garden outside, glass sculptures rise up among actual plants, and the juxtaposition (fragile art meeting natural wilderness) will make more sense than it should. Find the crimson tower spiraling toward the sky.

Take all the photos you want, but don’t be too disappointed if they don’t capture the pieces’ grandeur in real life. They are truly more stunning in person, so just be in the moment.

✅ GET YOUR TICKET HERE

Address: Chihuly Garden and Glass, 305 Harrison Street, Seattle, Washington 98109, United States
Opening Hours: Opening time, 9:30 AM – 10:00 AM; Closing time, 5:00 PM – 7:30 PM. Note that the schedules vary by season, so check the official website for updates before going.
Entrance Fee: General Admission, $35 – $42.50; Seniors, $30 – $37.50; Youth (5-12 y/o), $30 – $37.50; Children (4 y/o & below), FREE; With Space Needle, $69
Covered by: Seattle CityPASS and C3

Museum of Pop Culture (MoPOP)

By 2:30 PM, shift gears completely and head to MoPOP — the Museum of Pop Culture. This was our favorite attraction at Seattle Center.

Frank Gehry designed the building to look like a smashed guitar, which tells you everything you need to know about what’s inside. This is where Seattle celebrates its cultural legacy, including its music scene, which gave us Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Hendrix. There were also rooms about horror, sci-fi, and video games. When we visited, there was even a collection dedicated to Asian horror comic books. And yes, we found Filipino titles that I used to read when I was a kid. It was nostalgia overload.

Here’s what you do: stop trying to see everything in one visit. You can’t. Instead, find what speaks to you. Prioritize them, and see the rest if you still have time to spare.

Address: Museum of Pop Culture, 325 5th Avenue N, Seattle, Washington 98109, United States
Opening Hours: Daily, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Entrance Fee: Regular, $35.50 – $39; Seniors, $31.75 – $35 ; Students (w/ ID), $31.75 – $35 ; Youth (5-12 y/o), $26.50 – $29.25 ; Children (4 y/o & below), FREE
Covered by: Seattle CityPASS and C3

International Fountain

By 5:00 PM, you should be standing at the International Fountain. The water jets shoot 120 feet into the air in choreographed chaos while music plays, children get astonished, and locals and tourists alike watch from the benches surrounding the fountain. This fountain was built for the 1962 World’s Fair.

Address: 305 Harrison Street, Seattle, Washington 98109, United States
Operating Hours: Daily, 10:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Entrance Fee: FREE

Kerry Park

At 5:30 PM, book an Uber ($13) to Kerry Park.

The ride takes you up into Queen Anne, one of Seattle’s hilltop neighborhoods. In a few minutes, you’ll arrive at Kerry Park. It’s tiny. There will be other people there, probably a dozen or more, all angled toward the same vista like worshippers at a shrine. Find your spot. Don’t rush.

Here’s what you’re seeing: the Space Needle (which you were inside just hours ago) now punctuating the skyline. Downtown Seattle rising up in layers. Elliott Bay spreading out beyond the city. And there, in the distance — if the weather gods are kind — Mount Rainier presiding majestically over everything like it owns the place. Which, spiritually, it kind of does.

Stay through golden hour. If it’s not too cloudy, watch the light do its thing. It’ll shift from gold to pink to purple, and the city will transform from modern metropolis to something that looks almost painted. The buildings will start lighting up one by one. Other tourists will take their photos and leave. You should stay a little longer. Some moments deserve to be stretched out.

Address: Kerry Park, 211 W Highland Drive, Seattle, Washington 98119, United States
Opening Hours: Daily, 6:00 AM – 10:00 PM
Entrance Fee: FREE

Dinner: Metropolitan Market

Around 6:30 PM, walk down to Metropolitan Market. You’ll pass beautiful houses and trendy new condos, and you’ll feel like you’re seeing the Seattle that people actually live in, not just the Seattle that tourists photograph.

By 7:00 PM, you’re wandering the aisles of Metropolitan Market. Assemble a quick dinner for under $20. You’ll find a whole rotisserie chicken for roughly $10. Get cheese, bread, and a drink. Or get a plate of maki.

This is an underrated travel move, by the way — the grocery store dinner. You’ll spend half what you’d spend at a restaurant.

Back at your hotel by 8:00 PM, spread your feast across the desk in your room. Dig in.

DAY 2: SEATTLE WATERFRONT

Your alarm goes off at 7:00 AM. You’re checking out early. If you can find a luggage deposit place in the downtown area, preferably near Pike Place Market, that would be awesome. We found some online, but the timings were not aligned. Most likely you’ll end up dropping your bags at the hotel desk to be picked up later that afternoon.

From the hotel, we traveled on foot to our first stop of the day.

Olympic Sculpture Park

The sculpture park descends from the city down toward Elliott Bay, and you’re walking through art without even realizing it at first. Then suddenly you’re standing in front of Alexander Calder’s “Eagle” — nine tons of bolted steel painted red, somehow capturing the essence of motion while standing perfectly still. It’s massive and playful and deeply serious all at once, which is basically Calder’s entire vibe.

There are more sculptures scattered throughout, each one in conversation with the landscape. There’s Richard Serra’s “Wake,” two massive steel plates that create a path you can walk through. There’s Roxy Paine’s “Split,” a stainless steel tree that looks both organic and mechanical. This isn’t art in a white-walled gallery; this is art that’s in dialogue with its surroundings.

Address: Olympic Sculpture Park, 2901 Western Avenue, Seattle, Washington 98121, United States
Opening Hours: Daily, 30 minutes before sunrise to 30 minutes after sunset.
Entrance Fee: FREE

Pike Place Market

By 9:00 AM, you’ve reached the Waterfront proper, and Pike Place Market is just starting to wake up. You’re here early enough to see the vendors setting up, the fishmongers arranging their displays, the flower sellers filling buckets with bouquets. In thirty minutes, this place will be packed.

Address: Pike Place Market, 85 Pike Street, Seattle, Washington 98101. United States
Operating Hours: Opening hours vary every day per establishment, but the general operating hours start as early as 7:00 AM to as late as 12:00 AM.
Entrance Fee: FREE

But for now, it’s time to start our food trip. Thankfully, even though the main market is still closed, some food establishments open much earlier. One of them is…

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese

Beecher’s Handmade Cheese is famous for making cheese right there in the shop. Yes, you can even watch through large windows as cheesemakers pull and stretch curds throughout the day. Their signature product is Flagship, an aged semi-hard cheese. But if you don’t like eating cheese on its own, it’s used in their equally popular mac and cheese.

There’s usually a line, but it moves fast. When your mac and cheese arrives, find a spot to stand (there are never enough seats), and take your first bite. To be honest with you, we weren’t keeping our hopes up because it didn’t look much. It was very plain-looking, and the cheese seemed thin and soupy, but when we had our first mouthful, it was undeniably immaculate.

It was creamy and rich, made with the cheese completely covering the penne pasta, and then some spices were added. Order the 8-oz option or the 16-oz if you’re sharing. You don’t want to get full this early. We have more spots to try.

Address: Beecher’s Handmade Cheese, 1600 Pike Place, Seattle, Washington 98101, United States
Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM; Friday to Sunday, 10:00 AM – 6:00 PM
What to Order: “World’s Best” Mac and cheese – Small (8 oz), $6.49; Large (16 oz), $10.99

Pike Place Chowder

After a cheesy time at Beecher’s, join the line at Pike Place Chowder. Yes, you just ate. Yes, you’re doing this anyway. You won’t be able to reserve a table while waiting. You only get to occupy one after you order.

When you reach the counter, order the New England clam chowder — it’s won awards, and it’s what you came here for. Of course, the clams are the star in this bowl, but you could really taste the bacon and the herbs, too.

We also ordered their seafood bisque, which is a blend of Bay shrimps, Pacific cod, and Northwest salmon in a tomato-based soup, but still very creamy.

All chowders are available in several serving sizes: small, medium, and quart. But we also tried to have one in its signature sourdough bread bowl, just because it’d look good on camera. But to be honest, what we should have done was order their 4-piece chowder sampler. This way, we could have tasted more of the different concoctions that they offer.

Address: Pike Place Chowder, 1530 Post Alley, Seattle, Washington 98101, United States
Operating Hours: Daily, 11:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Prices: Small, $9.95; Medium, $11.75; Large, $12.95; Sourdough Bread Bowl, $16.95; Chowder Sampler – 4-chowder, $21.95; 8-chowder, $34.95

Rachel’s Ginger Beer

Rachel’s Ginger Beer specializes in handcrafted ginger beer made fresh daily. Unlike the mild ginger ales you find in supermarkets, Rachel’s is intense and bold, made with real ginger that you can actually taste.

Actually, the ginger flavor will smack you in the face, especially the original version. Vins had the pink guava-flavored beer because, according to the staff, it was their bestseller. No surprise, because the sweet fruitiness of the guava complemented the punchy and spicy ginger base.

It served both as a drink and as a palate cleanser, washing down the richness of the chowder and mac and cheese.

Address: Rachel’s Ginger Beer, 1530 Post Alley, Seattle, Washington 98101, United States
Operating Hours: Sunday to Thursday, 10:00 AM – 7:00 PM; Friday to Saturday, 10:00 AM – 8:00 PM
Prices: Small (14 oz), $6; Large (20 oz), $8.5

Gum Wall

By 11:30 AM, thoroughly food-drunk and happy, waddle yourself down to the Gum Wall. You’ve seen photos. You think you know what to expect. You don’t. Nothing quite prepares you for the reality of thousands — tens of thousands — of pieces of already-been-chewed gum pressed into brick walls in layers several inches thick. It’s disgusting. It’s weirdly beautiful. But it’s disgusting. (Oh, I said it already.) It’s the kind of collective art project that could only happen organically, piece by piece, over the years.

The colors are layered and mixed. There are sections that look like painted, abstract expressionism by way of dental hygiene. Some pieces are fresh and bright. Others have weathered into muted tones. There are patterns and designs and messages. There’s gum that’s been there so long it’s become part of the wall’s texture.

You don’t have to add your own gum (though you can, and no one will judge you). Just take your photos. This is a testament to human creativity and gross human habits, enshrined in the same narrow alley. If you want to find yourself in a sticky situation, this is the place to be.

Address: Gum Wall, 1428 Post Alley, Seattle, Washington 98101, United States

Down Under

Pike Place Market has lower levels that most tourists miss. It’s called Down Under, and this is where things get interesting. Down here, beneath the main market floor, you’ll find a warren of antique shops, used bookstores, and vintage stores.

You can also shop for souvenirs! Find something. It doesn’t have to be expensive. Choose something that will sit on your shelf or in your drawer and, years from now, make you remember this morning in Seattle when you wandered through a market’s basement.

Address: Down Under, Pike Place Market, 85 Pike Street, Seattle, Washington 98101. United States
Operating Hours: Opening hours vary every day per establishment, but the general operating hours start as early as 7:00 AM to as late as 12:00 AM.
Entrance Fee: FREE

Hellenika Cultured Creamery

Surface back into daylight at 12:45 PM and make your way to Hellenika Cultured Creamery. This is Greek-style cultured gelato, which means it’s richer and denser than the frozen yogurt that you’re used to. We asked the staff what their bestseller was, and all of them mentioned the ube coconut. The staff started describing what ube tastes like, which I really appreciated, but it was funny too because hello, I’m Filipino. I know what ube tastes like! It’s my favorite. I have a Caramia Cakes loyalty card because of their ube cake! But of course, they didn’t know that!

The ube flavor wasn’t too strong, but for me, it was just right. Ube has a tendency to be too extra (umay), and the coconut tempered it a bit, making it lighter and not too intense. But it did taste more like ice cream than yogurt.

Vins had dark chocolate, and to our surprise, the first spoonful flooded our brains with childhood memories. It tasted like the “dirty ice cream” peddled in the streets when we were kids, but much more expensive.

I wish I had just gone for dirty ice cream. It’s way cheaper! Hahaha. But kidding aside, we loved it. It’s creamy and complex. Each bite was better than the last.

Address: Hellenika Cultured Creamery, 1920a Pike Place, Seattle, Washington 98101, United States
Operating Hours: Monday to Thursday, 10:30 AM – 6:00 PM; Friday to Sunday, 10:30 AM – 6:30 PM
Prices: Small, $6.90; Medium, $8.90; Large, $13

One final stop: coffee. You have choices here, each with its own appeal. You can choose just one of the three. Or all of them, no judgment.

Le Panier

Le Panier is a French bakery and café that’s been serving authentic French pastries and coffee since 1983. The bakery is known for its beautiful, meticulously crafted pastries, including flaky croissants and delicate tarts. Their coffee is excellent and decidedly European.

Address: Le Panier, 1902 Pike Place, Seattle, Washington 98101, United States
Operating Hours: Daily, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM

First Starbucks

The First Starbucks (established in 1971) is said to be not really the first but more like the oldest operating branch because the original site was located elsewhere and was demolished in 1976. But here, you can still see the original logo and shop for exclusive cups and tumblers. The queue can get really long, so prepare to burn some time if you wish to go inside.

But we also wanted to get a sip of other local cafes, so off to Anchorhead we went.

Address: First Starbucks, 1912 Pike Place, Seattle, Washington 98101, United States
Operating Hours: Daily, 6:00 AM – 8:00 PM

Anchorhead Coffee

Anchorhead Coffee takes pride in its serious Pacific Northwest coffee culture. It has established a name for single-origin beans and precise brewing methods. We were in the mood for something ice cold, so Vins ordered Honey Bunches of Cold Brew ($7.25), which combines cold brew coffee with burnt honey, cinnamon, maple, and creamy oat milk. It tasted like cereal, almost dessert-like. It was also more full-bodied than usual, so the taste also lingered in the mouth.

I’m not a big coffee fan in general, so I had Iced Blueberry Matcha ($6.75). It looked like your typical plain matcha drink at first glance, but the blueberries sang only after I gulped. I appreciated the subtlety because I was afraid that it would taste more like juice, but it didn’t. It used oat milk, too, instead of cow’s milk. It was fantastic.

Address: Anchorhead Coffee, 2003 Western Avenue #110A, Seattle, Washington 98121, United States
Operating Hours: Monday to Friday, 8:00 AM – 3:00 PM; Saturday to Sunday, 8:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Going Back to the Airport

At 2:25 PM, the Monorail ($4) will whoosh you back toward your hotel through downtown Seattle. The Monorail is another 1962 World’s Fair relic, a retro-futuristic train that still runs the same route it did sixty years ago.

Pick up your bags from the hotel reception, and take another Monorail ride to Westlake Station ($4) at 3:10 PM, then the Link Light Rail ($3) at 3:24 PM, cutting south through Seattle neighborhoods toward the airport. Watch out the window as the city passes by: stadiums and industrial areas, residential blocks and community gardens, the full spectrum of Seattle life that exists outside the tourist bubble. This is your last look. Take it in.

It feels wrong. You’re just starting to understand this city’s rhythm, just starting to feel like you could navigate without Google Maps, and now you have to leave. That’s what we get for not allocating enough days for a city as lovable as Seattle.

By 4:15 PM, you’ll be at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, joining the river of travelers flowing toward gates and destinations.

SEATTLE BUDGET BREAKDOWN

Here’s a summary of this 2-day Seattle itinerary and the breakdown of expenses PER PERSON, assuming you’re a party of 2.

PRE-TRIP EXPENSES:
Hotel: USD 119 (PHP 6970)
Seattle CityPASS: $102 (C3) / $129 (Full), Book here! ✅
Sub-Total: USD 221 (PHP 12,945)

DAY 0 – ARRIVAL
07:15 PM – ETA Seattle-Tacoma Airport
08:46 PM – Link Light Rail to Westlake Station, $3
09:24 PM – Walk/Bus/Uber to hotel
10:00 PM – Hotel check-in
Sub-Total: USD 3 (PHP 176)

DAY 1 – SEATTLE CENTER
10:00 AM – Space Needle
11:30 AM – Lunch: $20
12:40 PM – Chihuly Garden and Glass
02:30 PM – MoPop
05:00 PM – International Fountain
05:30 PM – Uber to Kerry Park, $6.5/pax ($13)
06:00 PM – Kerry Park
06:45 PM – Walk to Metropolitan Market
07:10 PM – Grab grocery dinner, $20
08:00 PM – Back to hotel
Sub-Total: USD 46.50 (PHP 2,724)

DAY 2 – SEATTLE WATERFRONT
07:00 AM – Early check out, drop bags
08:15 AM – Olympic Sculpture Park
09:00 AM – Waterfront & Pike Place Market
09:30 AM – FOOD TRIP
– Beecher’s Mac and Cheese, $8
– Pike Place Chowder, $15
– Rachel’s Ginger Beer, $8
11:30 AM – Gum Wall
11:45 AM – Explore downstairs
12:45 PM – Hellenika Creamery, $8.50
01:15 PM – Coffee: La Panier, Anchorhead, or First Starbucks $8
02:25 PM – Monorail back to hotel, $4**
02:35 PM – Pick up bags at hotel**
03:10 PM – Monorail to Westlake Station, $4**
03:24 PM – Link Light Rail 1Line to Airport, $3
04:15 PM – Seattle Airport
**Skip if you opt with luggage storage near Westlake
Sub-Total: USD 58.50 (PHP 3,426)

TOTAL: USD 329 (PHP 19,271)

Assuming you have a Day 0 and you’re spending two (2) nights in Seattle, prepare to shell out at least USD 329 (PHP 19,271) for this itinerary, excluding flights.

If you arrive in the early morning of Day 1, then the cost can go down to at least USD 269.50 (PHP 15,835).

I say “at least” because you should still add more to it to account for possible price movements, incidental purchases, other costs we may have missed, and in case you decide to veer away or order more at the food places.

Two days in Seattle isn’t enough, so if you have more days, just build on this itinerary. You can add days to check out Capitol Hill or go on a cruise. Or you can also check out other attractions outside the city center, like Mt. Rainier.

Have Peace of Mind While Traveling!

Getting a travel insurance is optional, but we highly recommend this, especially when traveling abroad. Travel can be unpredictable, and though we hope we’ll never use it, having it gives us peace of mind in case of unexpected delays, cancellations, or emergencies.

For international destinations, consider PGA Sompo’s TravelJOY Plus insurance. You can GET IT HERE. Don’t forget to use WORTHIT for a special affordable rate.

Join The Poor Traveler Support Group

✅ If you have any questions or need travel tips, feel free to post them to the TPT Support Group. The members are very helpful. This Facebook support group has been around for a long time, and many members have found travel buddies through it. You can join too! Just visit The Poor Traveler Support Group. Note that this is different from The Poor Traveler Facebook page.

2026 1 19 – First uploaded

Edited by: Asta Alvarez