mrace

We plan ondoing a 3 hour city tour the first day we arrive in Seattle (Sept.1st). Since we'll be arriving around 1:30pm, it would have to be an afternoon tour. Of the many choices, which would be the preferred?

happytrailstoyou

If you want a Frat-house type experience with goofy narrative, take The Duck Tour. The merits of the other city tours depends on the knowledge and personality of the tour guide you end up with.

The Argosy Cruise that goes through the locks is a unique way to see Seattle from the water. It includes views of the Seattle Skyline, several close-to-downtown neighborhoods, houseboats, the Lake Washington Floating Bridge, and Bill Gates estate. All Argosy narrators are held to a high standard. Discount tickets are often available on Goldstar.

HTtY

mrace

ok,thanks

Gardyloo

Note that September 1 is on Labor Day weekend, and the main Ducks departure point is across the street from the Space Needle and Seattle Center.

That weekend the big Bumbershoot music/arts festival will be taking place at Seattle Center (a couple hundred thousand people will attend) so that whole area will be congested beyond words. http://bumbershoot.org/

So the Argosy option might not only be more "professional" but by boarding on the central waterfront you'll be far away from the mobs at Seattle Center.

mrace

It sounds like the Argosy option might be the way to go, also because the other typical City Tours (on a tourist van) might be difficult because of the crowds/congestion in and around Seattle Center. However, we were also planning on doing the Tillicum island cruise to Blake Island on possibly Monday or Tuesday, so maybe back-to-back cruises might be too much? Other possibilities to consider for that first day might be renting a car for a trip to Snoqualmie Falls or maybe taking a ferry ride to Bainbridge Island, or maybe we could just take a walk to the Market and the Waterfront (which should be far enough away from the Bumbershoot activities).