Tacoma, Washington for International Visitors

Where Tacoma is

Tacoma is a city of about 220,000 people on Puget Sound in Washington State, roughly 35 miles (56 km) south of Seattle and about 150 miles (240 km) north of Portland, Oregon. Vancouver, Canada is around 190 miles (300 km) north. Mount Rainier, a 4,392 m volcano inside a national park, is visible from the city on clear days.

Washington State is not Washington, D.C. If you are booking flights, the airport you want is Seattle–Tacoma International (SEA).

Arriving

Seattle–Tacoma International Airport sits between Seattle and Tacoma, about 20 miles (32 km) north of Tacoma. Rental cars, rideshare, scheduled shuttles and public transit connections are available from the airport. Amtrak Cascades trains also serve Tacoma Dome Station from Seattle, Portland and Vancouver, B.C.

Entry requirements

Visa, ESTA and entry rules change and depend on your nationality. We do not publish immigration guidance because stale information is worse than none — check the U.S. Department of State for visa information and U.S. Customs and Border Protection for entry and customs rules before you travel.

Getting around without a car

Tacoma Link light rail runs from Tacoma Dome Station through downtown to Hilltop, and Pierce Transit buses serve the neighborhoods. Rideshare apps operate throughout the city. A car is helpful for Point Defiance Park and essential for Mount Rainier, where there is no public transport from the city.

Distances in the United States are posted in miles, and speeds in miles per hour.

Practical notes

The U.S. dollar is the currency and card payment is accepted almost everywhere. Sales tax is added at the register rather than shown on the shelf price, and tipping in restaurants is customary. Electrical outlets are 120 V, type A/B. Emergency number is 911.

Current sales-tax rates, transit fares and admission prices change; confirm figures with the business, operator or venue rather than relying on a travel article.

What to see if this is your only Pacific Northwest stop

The glass hot shop and the Bridge of Glass, the Ruston Way shoreline, Point Defiance Park's old-growth forest, and one day at Mount Rainier. Between them they cover most of what people come to this corner of the country for: water, forest, mountain and a working city that is not a resort.