Washington State Ferries

We are going to be in Seattle in August and was wondering about riding the Washington Ferry. Has anyone done this and was it worth doing. Don't want to spend a lot of money so I thought this might be something to do. Does it run in the evening. Would it be a good idea to do it in the evening so you get a nice view of the city?

If you just want to experience a ferry ride and see the city from the Sound, a short ride to Bainbridge Island would probably be best. It takes about 30 minutes one way. It is cheapest to to as a walk-on passenger rather than to take your car, but you could do either. A downside of taking your car is that you may have quite a wait both leaving Seattle and getting back from Bainbridge if you are going during a busy time (ie, rush hour) as a lot of commuters use this ferry.

Here is the current (winter) schedule for this ferry:

http://www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries/schedules/current/index.cfm?route=sea-bi

You can link to fares from that page too. For a walk-on without a monthly pass you will pay about $6.75 each way.

Another option would be to take a visit to Tillicum Village on Blake Island, where you would have the round trip boat trip (although not a ferry), your traditional alder plank salmon dinner, and a Native American dance show for one price. In August they offer both lunch and dinner shows most days. Make reservations early:

http://www.tillicumvillage.com/

Not sure why this didn't bump up.

As a local, I wouldn't recommend Tillicum Village. I took out-of-town friends there and it was very disappointing. More like something the boy scouts would do. (And not cheap)

Just walk on a ferry. At Bremerton you can see some old war ships.

At Bainbridge you can get a free shuttle to their casino.

There isn't much on Vashon Island

You can take a ferry through the San Juan islands which is breathtaking if you have a car to get to Anacortes.

The ferry system is a state highway system so it's not like riding in a nice boat. 1000's use them to commute to Seattle for work every day.

There is a small ferry from the waterfront near the Old Curiosity Shop to Alki across the bay for about $2. Alki will give you a beautiful view of the city and Mt Rainier as well as both stadiums.

There are also Argosy cruises that will take you around Puget Sound for about $20. Google it.

We are going to be in Seattle in August and was wondering about riding the Washington Ferry. Has anyone done this and was it worth doing. Don't want to spend a lot of money so I thought this might be something to do. Does it run in the evening. Would it be a good idea to do it in the evening so you get a nice view of the city?

The ferry system is fairly impressive. Out of town guests (especially those in land-locked states) really seem to enjoy riding them; but, they are not really a destination experience in themselves. Those I've taken on them view them more as a unique way to experience the region while on the way to other attractions. Also, regulations require that all passengers disembark at the furthest terminals (ie: you can't ride and just get off where you started - you must get off on the other end, then buy a return ticket). As others have mentioned, it's an extension of our highway system - and locally they are viewed as a means of travel/commuting, although the state does sometimes refer to them on the state website as the most popular tourist attraction in the state (I assume because so many ride on them on their way to other attractions).

If you want to include a ferry trip - I would say to research the possible attractions that could be reachable from the ferry terminus. The towns on the Olympic penninsula and islands on Puget Sound tend to be smaller towns and less touristy than Seattle, but still have some unique attractions - depending upon your interests. If you just want to see the area from the water, another option is to take a tour boat - I think Argosy has a few different options for those.

Also, regulations require that all passengers disembark at the furthest terminals (ie: you can't ride and just get off where you started - you must get off on the other end, then buy a return ticket).

Not sure on the getting-off-the-boat part, but walk-on passengers only "buy" a ticket for one way ... the other way is free. I THINK it's pay Seattle to Bainbridge, free Bainbridge to Seattle -- been awhile since I've done it. All that info should be on the web site.

Not sure on the getting-off-the-boat part, but walk-on passengers only "buy" a ticket for one way ... the other way is free. I THINK it's pay Seattle to Bainbridge, free Bainbridge to Seattle -- been awhile since I've done it. All that info should be on the web site.

Yes, on all the ferries, you pay to come to the islands and we send you back to Seattle for free.

I think you would find that Bainbridge would make a nice day trip. Our downtown is a very short walk from the ferry. There are lots of cute shops, a downtown grocery store that is a great destination in itself and there's a marina a few blocks from the ferry.

There is a #100 bus that will take a loop up the road to our beauiful library with it's Japenese Meditation Garden in the front and mini woods in the back. Inside the "one percent for the arts" was well used.

Stop at one of our coffee shops and watch the world go by while you relax. Imagine what it would be like to live here and you might get a hint why we were named #2 on Money's Best Places to Live.

As a former Winslonian (Bainbridge Island), I agree with cruznut. Bainbridge is a 30 minute ferry ride from downtown over (usually) calm waters, and there are lots of things to see and do there before a 30 minute ride back. Ferries run from 5:30 am to 1:00 am or so during the week, a little later during the weekend. You pay only westbound, eastbound is free, but you MUST disembark the boat and then get back on if all you are doing is taking the ride.