1stvisitseattle
 

We are planning to visit Seattle in June or July but I also want to visit Alberta Canada. We are looking for suggestions of what to do in Seattle, things to see and transportation. Also what is the best way to get from Seattle to Alberta Canada? Are there things we need to see in between? Is there a train?
In Alberta Canada what should we see and where should we stay? And again what’s the best transportation there to be able to see and do everything we want to do?
We are going the last week of June 1 week of July. Going to Seattle until 30th June then to Banff. We like activity and beautiful sites. I love taking pictures We are not avid hikers but don’t mind a little bit. We just want to see and experience as much as we can. We are in our 50s and probably won’t get this opportunity again

OK -- you are on the right track now :)

However -- your title is your screen name - people will probably figure it out or at least open it for curiosity. It is essentially 'First Visit Seattle'. But next time put what you want in the title . . . something like "3 days in Seattle - need suggestions?" or whatever.

6 days (per your other thread) is not anywhere near enough time to do what you are describing.

What to do in Seattle?

Pike Place Market
Woodland Park Zoo
Pioneer Square Historic District
The Underground Tour, Klondike Museum, Waterfall Garden Park
Space Needle, Seattle Center, Monorail
Waterfront, Olympic Sculpture Park
Seattle Art Museum, The Frye Museum, Wing Luke Museum

I'm not clear - are you planning 6 days in each location or 3 days in each location? If you only have a total of 6 days, choose one location.

There are 3 different posts going on this topic. And the timeline seems unclear.

Hopefully 1stvisitseattle will check in and clarify so we can be of more help.

Actually there are 4 threads -- one is on the Canada board and that one the OP responded they have one week in Seattle and one week in Banff (not 100% sure about that since it says they "have one we in Seattle" which I assume is a typo.

This is my first time using this site so I was confused. Sorry.
We have two weeks that we can play with. The two places I have always wanted to visit is Seattle and Banff. Can it be done in one trip? In looking at the scenic train prices it is way out of our range even though it would be perfect.
Also we are flexible on the dates of travel so if the weather is better or there is a special event that we should see, we can change the date. I would love to see light snow on the mountains in Banff. Thank you for all the help you can provide

I think if you want to visit both Seattle and Banff in one trip, you would be wise to fly from the Seattle area to Calgary. That said, you could spend your whole two weeks in the Seattle area or in Banff and not run out of things to do/see.

The Seattle area encompasses a major metropolitan area, but also two National parks (Mt. Rainier and Olympic National Park) and some other very scenic areas like the San Juan Islands and the North Cascades.

I agree the scenic train looks wonderful, but the prices give me pause. But the prices are in Canadian dollars, so it is less than it looks like once you convert from Canadian dollars to US dollars.

Happy planning!

Sure you can do both. I think flying between would be the most efficient use of time.

Yes, a week in each area is easily doable. We have made the drive from Seattle (as well as Portland) to Banff a handful of times and all but once, did it in one day. Yes, it is a long day, but definitely doable. It is quite scenic too depending on which route you take.

I have heardFriday Habor is beautiful as well. What do you think?

Sure, pretty much every town and island in the area is very beautiful! It's the PNW :-) Just depends how you want to prioritize your short stay.

We just did a trip to Friday Harbor and loved it - got to see orcas in the wild which was amazing. Friday Harbor is gorgeous. In Seattle, we liked the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum, the Space Needle (heard it's undergoing construction now?), and we did an awesome food tour of Pike Place Market. We also spent a couple of days at Lake Crescent and went to Hurricane Ridge. Victoria, Canada is also really beautiful if you get the chance to go there. Butchart Gardens was spectacular and tea at the Empress.

I would do 4 nights Seattle, two nights Friday Harbor, and then fly to Calgary. That probably gives you bit of everything. Or alternatively, Seattle and then an Alaska cruise. You’d get the scenery, a lot of variety, and not much effort on your part.

And via rail (Canada train) seems very expensive but if you really like trains, then sure, go for it. But you’d have to take Amtrak to Vancouver and then via onwards- it would eat up time.

bringing this question back to the top, to get it above all the spam -lol

Can you please give a price range? "Affordable" means different things to different people :-)

Lowest priced hotels in downtown are The Moore or The Ace (shared bathroom rooms will be cheapest).
Also City Hostel and Belltown Inn.
Pensione Nichols is a B&B right by the Pike Place Market.
Nice mid-priced hotels downtown core include: The Mayflower Park, The Warwick, Hotel Max, Hotel 5
Mid-priced Seattle Center area: Maxwell, Mediterranean