Seattle ferry tips?

Greetings all,

The family and I are out in Seattle for a few days. We are staying near Pioneer Square about 2 blocks from the Bainbridge and Bremerton ferry docks.

Which ferry should we hop on for a fun little trip? We do also have a car and can drive anywhere to another ferry as well. My idea was to leave the car parked and hop on a boat by foot. Or should we take the car?

We are looking for a boat ride of course, but also maybe a destination for lunch or dinner and neat stuff to see.

My kids are 5 and 7 and well travel trained, walking long distances is ok.

Thanks for your ideas!

Sean and family.

Both are easy to walk on. The walk on fare is about $8.50 round trip.

The Bainbridge ride is 35 minutes. The boat is a bit bigger. More to do on the Bainbridge side. The Bremerton ride is 1 hour and a more scenic trip. I don't think there is as much to do once you get to Bremerton, though.

If the ride is the priority, I'd go to Bremerton. If the destination is more important, I'd go to Bainbridge.

Walk on the Bainbridge ferry and take in downtown Winslow on Bainbridge Island. Plenty of places to eat within walking distance. The Bremerton ferry gives you a longer ride through the passages with more views of shore sides and you can see the Naval shipyards. Bremerton is not as quaint or upscale as Bainbridge but dining options are available within walking distance. Enjoyed the Horse and Cow submarine bar/grill in Bremerton.

Tator

Bremerton ferry is by far more scenic. Winslow which is at the end of the Bainbridge ferry is more touristy. You can’t go wrong. If you want to make lunch out of it, go to Bainbridge.

If you have a car and a day, I'd suggest drive north to Anacortes and walk on the ferry to Friday Harbor.... On the way back you could detour through LaConner..... This will provide a much different vibe then Seattle..

Ka_sea_ta said:

If you have a car and a day, I'd suggest drive north to Anacortes and walk on the ferry to Friday Harbor.... On the way back you could detour through LaConner..... This will provide a much different vibe then Seattle..

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I agree and have done exactly that a few years ago.

Ka_sea_ta said:

If you have a car and a day, I'd suggest drive north to Anacortes and walk on the ferry to Friday Harbor.... On the way back you could detour through LaConner..... This will provide a much different vibe then Seattle..

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Indeed! Or...

Take the ferry (drive on) to Vashon Island, then travel the island south to Tacoma to take the Point Defiance ferry to the Tacoma side. Have dinner on Ruston Way, maybe catch a movie, then travel back along I-5 to Seattle, or thru Gig Harbor to Bremerton to catch the Seattle ferry home.

Lots of options all presented above. Really depends on whether you want a scenic ride that you can get to quickly (Bremerton) or a longer scenic ride (Friday Harbor/San Juans) or just a nice lunch out (Bainbridge). I'm partial to Vashon Island as well, having grown up there, and it is a lot quieter and more rural, but the ferry for that leaves from West Seattle/Fauntleroy which requires driving.

What is a bit more ambitious but super fun is the Clipper ferry Seattle to Victoria BC, though I suppose you’d have to have passports. It’s a beautiful ride and you’d also have to stay overnight in Victoria.....

I'm not a "frequent flyer" on the ferries but I like Ka_Sea_Ta's suggestion. Friday Harbor is our favorite place to visit in all of Puget Sound. Yes, it's touristy but there are lots of shops to look in, good restaurants, docks to walk, etc. It's just a great place to visit. You might even make it an overnighter in FH.

+1 for Friday Harbor, and if you have kids (or even for adults) there is a small tucked away place there called the Whale Museum; very interesting and fun to visit!

mncruiser said:

Greetings all,

The family and I are out in Seattle for a few days. We are staying near Pioneer Square about 2 blocks from the Bainbridge and Bremerton ferry docks.

Which ferry should we hop on for a fun little trip? We do also have a car and can drive anywhere to another ferry as well. My idea was to leave the car parked and hop on a boat by foot. Or should we take the car?

We are looking for a boat ride of course, but also maybe a destination for lunch or dinner and neat stuff to see.

My kids are 5 and 7 and well travel trained, walking long distances is ok.

Thanks for your ideas!

Sean and family.

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Wifey B: This one.

One of my favorite songs from back then!

Good advice above. We almost always take our of town guests on the ferry to Bainbridge. From where you are staying it all walkable and there are lots of shops, food and beverages in Winslow. It also runs more frequently to if you only have "X" hours it works well.

Streamliner Diner for breakfast
Docs or The Public house for Lunch/Dinner
The Bainbridge Brewery on your way back to the ferry

I also recommend walking down to the public docks and along the marina. Lot's of fun and some terrific vessels to drool over.

Bremerton has a decommissioned Navy destroyer that you can tour. The kids might get a kick out of that. There is also the Puget Sound Navy Museum ( that I haven't visited yet).

If you did take the car on the ferry to Bremerton, a visit to the Keyport Navy Undersea Museum is very interesting (and free). And that could be combined with a visit to Poulsbo which is fun to walk around. Decent food options here.

I find that the restaurants in Bremerton are adequate at best. Bainbridge better for food.
Lots of options.

DW1979OA said:

...a visit to Poulsbo which is fun to walk around.

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Two words: Sluys Bakery

DW1979OA said:

Bremerton has a decommissioned Navy destroyer that you can tour. The kids might get a kick out of that. There is also the Puget Sound Navy Museum ( that I haven't visited yet).

If you did take the car on the ferry to Bremerton, a visit to the Keyport Navy Undersea Museum is very interesting (and free). And that could be combined with a visit to Poulsbo which is fun to walk around. Decent food options here.

I find that the restaurants in Bremerton are adequate at best. Bainbridge better for food.
Lots of options.

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That would be a great day’s outing. The ferry trip from Seattle to Bremerton is very nice. It gives you a good sense of Puget Sound. The destroyer and the museums mentioned would be good. The drive from Bremerton to Poulsbo is quick and easy and Poulsbo offers the three major food groups; lefse, baked goods, and beer. Poulsbo has a number of breweries/brew pubs.

We are staying near Pioneer Square about 2 blocks from the Bainbridge and Bremerton ferry docks.

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I lived in Pioneer Square quite a few years. Now on the Eastside. BUT: ther's a flappin' lot of noise on this thread of people who I don't think have lived downtown, ridden the ferries a lot.

I had both a car and motorcycle(s) (several) parked a few blocks from the Seattle ferry terminal. I had family spread on the Key Peninsula and Camono Island, So I always looked for the best route. The Seattle, Ferry? I never used it. Basically useless if you want to actually tour; it's for commuters.

Unless you are forced to commute across the sound, what's the point? IF you have bags and a desire to explore, you need a car. Also, even if time is of the matter, look at the ferry times vs. what the Tacoma Narrows Bridge (two spans) now does. I used to use the Bremerton and Southworth Ferry a lot, but now it is not so competitive in time vs. price, or either, given increased SR16 flow.

Hey, I'm also a Midwesterner at source. PM me if you want some WA awesome drives.

Now if your goal is just to see stuff, buy a pedestrian pass, go to Bremerton and come back. Much like I used to do on the Staten Island Ferry. ;

I think the OPs point was to sightsee while visiting. Puget Sound ferries are a good way to see the Sound and are an iconic part of the PNW. OTOH, if you like spending hours stuck in some of the worst traffic in the US, take a drive to anywhere from Seattle. I will agree that the drive across the Narrows Bridge is interesting to visitors, but to get there from Seattle is simply not worth the aggravation.

BandB said:

Wifey B: This one.

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you're dating yourself

dhays said:

OTOH, if you like spending hours stuck in some of the worst traffic in the US, take a drive to anywhere from Seattle. I will agree that the drive across the Narrows Bridge is interesting to visitors, but to get there from Seattle is simply not worth the aggravation.

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Amen. I’d walk on at Colman, enjoy the trip (whichever route you choose) and return the same way. Watch your kids and stuff downtown though, lest the criminals that are rampant in the area pounce.

Rusty said:

Both are easy to walk on. The walk on fare is about $8.50 round trip.

The Bainbridge ride is 35 minutes. The boat is a bit bigger. More to do on the Bainbridge side. The Bremerton ride is 1 hour and a more scenic trip. I don't think there is as much to do once you get to Bremerton, though.

If the ride is the priority, I'd go to Bremerton. If the destination is more important, I'd go to Bainbridge.

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bRMERTON IS A LOT COOLER THAN bAINBRISGE. tHE WATERFORNT IS A MIX OF YACHT HAVEN AND NAVY. to TOWN IS A REAL TOWN, PLENTY OF PLACES TO EAT AND WALK AROUND.

Tator said:

Enjoyed the Horse and Cow submarine bar/grill in Bremerton.

Tator

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Well. I'm guessing the Horse & Cow has changed a bit from the Jimmy Looby (sp?) days in Vallejo. Wasn't exactly a family place in those days. Today's sailors would probably be courtmarshalled for an average night's activities then. But it sure was fun!

If you take the Bainbridge ferry or the Bremerton ferry schedule your return at or just after sunset. Coming back into the city at night is beautiful. As said the Bremerton ferry is the more scenic run. For a day trip I wouldn't take the car, just walk on. You can always get on as a walk on, but that is definitely not the case with a car. This time of year sunset is early enough that you can make reservations in Seattle for dinner since the ferries are quite punctual. If the kids get hungry, buy them a snack on the ferry. Ivars right next to the ferry dock is easy for that and pretty good although there are lots of other places in the area.


A scheduling tip: If you take the Bremerton ferry, avoid the 4:15 return because the ferry will be full of shipyard workers heading home.

If you have kids 5 and 7 you might take the car when going over. There is a lot to see on Bainbridge that is not within walking distance, like the Ft. Worden State Park and a walk on the beach there after a walk through the deep, dark, spooky primordial forest. Bremerton? From Bremerton you can drive around the end of the inlet and see Port Orchard, a charming place. There are so many possibilities. If you just want to cross the sound on the ferry and see a few shops and eat out, it is not worth taking a car. You would have to stay in the area two weeks to do the ferry rides alone. The system is amazing, the destinations are fabulous in one way or another.

Ka_sea_ta said:

If you have a car and a day, I'd suggest drive north to Anacortes and walk on the ferry to Friday Harbor.... On the way back you could detour through LaConner..... This will provide a much different vibe then Seattle..

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Yes indeed!

Civilitas said:

I lived in Pioneer Square quite a few years. Now on the Eastside. BUT: ther's a flappin' lot of noise on this thread of people who I don't think have lived downtown, ridden the ferries a lot.
...
I had both a car and motorcycle(s) (several) parked a few blocks from the Seattle ferry te rminal The Seattle, Ferry? I never used it. Basically useless if you want to actually tour; it's for commuters.
...
Unless you are forced to commute across the sound, what's the point? ;

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Jeez! What a Grinch!! I used to live at #88 Virginia, coffee at THE Starbucks, sticky bun at 3 Sisters; you don't get more Seattle than that, and I love the ride to Bainbridge. First date with my wife (of 26 years) was a ride to Winslow for Saturday brunch at the Streamliner. The OP had a great idea and he should execute.

A bit off topic but amusing story. After the end of WWII, my grandparents, mostly the Pa side, wanted to move out of Seattle and live on an island. They took a few looks around the Sound and being as my grandmother never learned to drive a car, she was pretty much dependent on grandpa to move her around. They went across the Sound on the ferry a couple of times, when it hit her that to live "over there" would require a boat ride to get to Seattle!
She totally nixed that idea and told grandpa, "if I have to take a stupid ferry to get to Seattle, just forget it!". They moved to Camano Is instead, still an island but has a bridge!
I can totally relate to that. When I worked at Fishermans Terminal at the shipyard there, several of the guys lived either in Poulsbo, or Eagle Harbor or Vashon. I lived in Ballard! I was home in 10 minutes with my feet up having a brewski while these guys were still driving to get to a stupid ferry! So much living lost on commutes. And no one is forced to live anywhere.

Seattle has changed a lot in the past ten years. Google “Seattle Is Dying” if you want to see how and why.

Seattle started really taking a dive in the 80's. I was born and raised there, and left for good in '89. I wouldn't move back if they gave me the place.
I saw the best of it in the 50's and 60's, when it was still a fairly decent and safe place to live.