Going to Seattle? Why You Should Visit Tacoma Too

How far apart they actually are

Roughly 35 miles on I-5 — commonly 40 to 60 minutes outside peak traffic, longer during it. By rail, Amtrak Cascades and Sound Transit's Sounder both connect Seattle's King Street Station with Tacoma Dome Station. Seattle–Tacoma International Airport sits between the two cities, which is why many trips already pass through this corridor.

What Tacoma adds to a Seattle trip

A museum district you can cover on foot rather than across a metro area. A working glass hot shop. Public shoreline with actual beaches at Ruston Way and Point Defiance. Restaurant strips in Proctor, Sixth Avenue, Hilltop and the Lincoln District where you are not queueing behind a tour group. Generally lower prices for a room, a table and parking.

The easiest way to fit it in

Take one full day. Come down mid-morning, do the waterway and one museum, eat in a neighborhood, and be on Ruston Way for the evening light. If you are flying out of SEA, a Tacoma day on your last full day works well because the airport is on the way back north.

• Driving: aim to travel between roughly 9am and 3pm to avoid the worst of I-5
• Rail: check current Sounder and Amtrak Cascades schedules before you plan around them
• Staying over: a Tacoma night is usually cheaper than a Seattle night

Or sleep here instead

Some visitors flip it: base in Tacoma, day-trip north to Seattle, and use the same base for Mount Rainier. That works because Tacoma is closer to the park than Seattle is and still connected to it by rail.