Housing & Transportation


Getting To Seattle, Booking Flights & Hotels:


You can get great discount prices for travel, hotels, and car rentals using online search engines, particularly if you book your flight, hotel, or car together.  You can shop and compare at:  


For cheaper alternatives to hotels (and more unique options for housing), don't forget:


If you're traveling locally to/from another regional city, you may also consider using:



Transportation In & Around Seattle:


A)   Airport transportation:   

- Overview:

  • A very helpful guide to "Airport Ground Transportation Options by Location" is available at the Sea Tac Airport Site

- by Light Rail:

  • The "Link" Airport Station is connected to the fourth floor of the airport parking garage
  • service runs from 5 a.m. to 1 a.m. Monday through Saturday and 6 a.m. to midnight on Sundays. Trains arrive and depart every 6 to 15 minutes, depending on the time of day.
  • Journey time: 40-50 mins (Airport Station -> Downtown stops)
  • CLICK HERE for Light Rail webpage
  • Current price of a one−way ticket is roughly $5.25 to downtown

- by Bus: 

  • King County Metro currently uses the Link Light Rail for the final leg to get to the airport from downtown, but has a helpful guide for planning your trip using the bus + light rails on their website.

- by Uber, Lyft, or Sidecar (ridesharing)

  • Uber, Lyft, & Sidecar offer in-city transportation from local drivers.  All rides can be scheduled using smartphone apps.

- by Metered or Flat-rate Taxi/Shuttle or Limousine 

  • Cabs (E-cab)
    • There are Taxi stands on the 3rd floor of the parking garage with taxis waiting. Sedans and 8-10 passenger vans are also available.
    • Contact Info:
  • Limousine (STILA)
    • Stationed at the airport, STILA offers town cars, SUVs, and stretch limos, and picks up passengers either at the curb outside of Baggage Claim or on the third floor of the parking garage.
    • To arrange for a limousine or town car, use the touch screen to access "Ground Transportation" on any of the Travelers' Information Boards in Baggage Claim (located near the escalators), use curbside phones, or go to the Ground Transportation Booth on the third floor of the parking garage. You can also contact STILA at (206) 243-1811.
  • Shuttle Express (Group vans)
- by Rental Car 

  • All car rental companies providing service at Sea-Tac are located in the off-site car-rental facility. Dedicated shuttle buses run 24/7 to pick up passengers outside baggage claim at the north and south ends of the main terminal. If you prefer to enjoy the city using public transit when first arriving, car rentals are available at multiple downtown Seattle locations.
  • Visitors can rent vehicles by the hour from Zipcar or by the minute from Car2Go or ReachNow.

- by Hotel Shuttle or Courtesy Vehicle 

  • Hotel courtesy shuttles pick up and drop off passengers on the third floor of the airport parking garage at Islands 1 & 2. Shared-ride vans and airport services are available to passengers outside door 00 at the south end of the main terminal on the baggage-claim level. Shuttle Express Downtown Airporter offers shuttle service for under $20 per person to downtown Seattle hotels


B)   City transportation:  There are various options for getting in & around Seattle or the region cheaply on public transport, and these include:

- Link Light Rail:

  • Sound Transit’s Link light rail makes trips from Angle Lake Station to the University of Washington through downtown Seattle making 14 stops along the way, including downtown Seattle and Sea-Tac Airport. Trains arrive every 6 to 15 minutes, depending on the time of day, and take about 40 minutes to travel between Sea-Tac International Airport and Westlake Station in downtown Seattle. One-way fare for adults ranges from $2.25 to $3.25. Schedules and station maps are available on the Sound Transit website.

- by Bus: 

  • King County Metro Transit provides bus service in downtown Seattle and outlying neighborhoods in King county. Time-tables and route maps are available at the Transit Information Center in the tunnel under Westlake Center at 4th Avenue & Pine Street, or can be found on the King Country Metro Transit Website.  King County Metro also has a mobile app available for iPhone and Android.
  • A helpful guide for planning your trip by location is on their website.
- All Day Regional Transit Pass (bus, light rail, streetcar, water taxi combo): 

  • An all-day regional transit pass is available for visitors to Seattle. These $8 all-day passes are loaded onto regional transit cards ($5 each) at all ORCA vending machines and are used for unlimited riding on all local public transit (including all public buses, trains, streetcars and water taxis, but excluding the Seattle Monorail and Washington State Ferries). Transit pass value covers $3.50 per ride.  Full Details can be found at the Regional Day Pass Website
  • The day pass is available at ticket vending machines (TVMs) located at train stations, some transit centers, in the downtown Seattle transit tunnel, and at ORCA retailers and transit customer service offices. When a pass is purchased at these locations, it is available for immediate use. Visit orcacard.com for complete lists of locations. You can buy multiple day passes at the same time (up to 12) and load them on your ORCA card.  You can also add day passes by phone at 888-988-6722 or online at orcacard.com. Passes added by phone or online will be available for use in 24-48 hours.

- by Uber, Lyft, or SideCar (rideshare)

  • A great and cheap alternative to a taxi, but requires you to download the phone app

- by Seattle Street Cars (2 Lines)

  1. The South Lake Union Streetcar makes 11 stops through the South Lake Union area. Streetcars arrive every 10-15 minutes and run from 6am to 9pm (Monday-Thursday), 6am to 11pm (Friday & Saturday), and 10am to 7pm (Sunday & holidays). Adult fare is $2.50. Schedules and maps are available on their website.
  2. The First Hill Streetcar makes 10 stops from the Chinatown-International District through Capitol Hill. Departures are every 10-25 minutes and operate from 5am to 1am (Monday-Thursday), 6am to 1am (Friday & Saturday), 10am to 7pm (Sunday) and 10am to 8pm (holidays). Adult fare is $2.50. Route maps and schedules are available on their website.

- by Seattle Center Monorail

  • The iconic Seattle Center Monorail travels between Westlake Center in downtown and Seattle Center at the base of Queen Anne hill. Regular operating hours are between 7:30am and 11pm, Monday-Friday, and from 8:30am to 11pm, Saturday & Sunday. Trains depart every 10 minutes and the trip takes only 2 minutes each way. One-way fare for adults is $2.50; tickets are cash-only at the ticket window. Schedules, information and FAQs are on the Seattle Center Monorail website.

- by Water Taxi: 

  • King County Metro currently uses the Link Light Rail for the final leg to get to the airport from downtown, but has a helpful guide for planning your trip using the bus + light rails on their website.
  • CLICK HERE for King Country Metro Transit Page

- by Ferry: 

  • King County Metro currently uses the Link Light Rail for the final leg to get to the airport from downtown, but has a helpful guide for planning your trip using the bus + light rails on their website.
  • CLICK HERE for King Country Metro Transit Page

- by Taxi 

  • There are numerous taxi cab options for travel throughout the region
- by Rental Car 

  • A variety ofar rentals are available at the airport or at multiple downtown Seattle locations.
  • Visitors can also choose to rent vehicles by the hour from Zipcar or by the minute from Car2Go or ReachNow.
- by Bike 

  • You can rent a "Lime" bike as needed by the hour anywhere in Seattle.  They are scattered throughout the city. You can pick them up and drop them off wherever you like.  Download the app, and off you go.  
  • You can also rent bikes from Gregg's Greenlake bike shop or other retailers in various parts of the city