Seattle Budget trip Looking for ideas!

[DizneyLizzy]

We will be in Seattle for 3 days before our cruise. We are now thinking of renting a car to get out and explore. How far is Mt. Rainer vs San Juan Islands. Any recommendations on where to stay.

Mt. Rainier is about two hours from Seattle. I don't know about places to stay bc we camped. Check the weather before you go - while the visitors center is cool, if the visibility is low and you can't see the peak, it's not really that exciting. Going early in the morning in July/August is your best shot!

Seattle to Anacortes (where you catch a ferry to the various islands) is about an hour to and hour and a half. Again, we camped on Orcas Island, so I'm unsure of places to stay.

 

[ICan'tWait]

Any recommendation on where to stay for the Falls?

They have a resort right there but it's pricey (Salish Lodge). The drive is not that far from Seattle (about 45 minutes) so you could stay in Seattle and make a day of it. There's a nice town nearby where you can ride a train, get food, etc. (Northwest Railway Museum)

 

[hsmamato2]

Well, we did our one night in Seattle..... It kind of reminds me of Boston but on a BIG hill By the time we met our DS,and got settled at our hotel (crowne plaza downtown,very nice) I'm so glad I took your advice here and switched to downtown. We had time to walk to Chinatown area for dinner(vietnamese) and wander a bit,(Uwajimaya) then walk to Pikes Place Market, through Pioneer square,etc. It was cool and rainy,and not difficult.The gum wall was disgusting,but made us laugh. Pikes Place market was ok, but we were tired by then, so didn't stay long,just looked around a bit. There's a convenient target right up the hill from there where we stopped to buy some bottled water. Then walked back to hotel. So essentially had about 4-5 hours before dark,and enjoyed our walking tour. It's a pretty city. (I wish we had time for MoPop,it sounds cool)