Sightseeing in Seattle, what is the best way to do it? The city offers many things to a tourist, from cozy authentic streets to wide, impressive cityscapes and mountain views. You can see all of it at once by having a Duck Boat Tour, a tour on a WWII vehicle that goes both, on land and sea. 

This post is sponsored by Ride The Ducks Seattle Boat Tours, who I believe, created a unique way of exploring the city. In this post, you will get to know the must-see places of Seattle, about the Duck Boats and why they allow seeing more than a regular tour. 

From now on, Ride the Ducks of Seattle:

Why Seattle Sightseeing Tours Are More Fun On A Boat

Have you ever wanted to visit Seattle? 

It is the place where innovation and nature go hand in hand. The famous Space Needle and downtown skyscrapers are next to Seattle’s endless forests and Mt. Rainier.

Few facts about Seattle

• Seattle is located in the north-western corner of the United States in Washington state 
• It is  located on a very large body of water called the Puget Sound
• This body of water eventually runs past Vancouver Island, which is the largest in North America
• Seattle is an eclectic city of 725,000 people
• The city has the greatest amount of people who have a college degree or higher
• Seattle is home of Starbucks, Nirvana, Microsoft, and Boeing; Alaskan Golden Rush has also started here
• The largest manmade island in the US is Seattle Harbor Island
• There is the largest in the US amount of people, living on houseboats (despite the high price)

Seattle is a visual feast

The waterfront view of Seattle is one of the most recognizable. Under the iconic 605 ft (184 m) high Space Needle lays a compact, yet very busy modern downtown. But, that is not the only reason Seattle is famous, it is also known to be close to nature.

Views of mountains, are everywhere you look. The deep green forested Olympic Range resides to the south and west and the iconic towering image of Mt. Rainier to the east. It is an active volcano, that casts a remarkable presence over the city.

If you are like photography or videography, Seattle is the perfect playground to get shots that will leave an impact on your viewer. Now, naturally, you might be asking yourself, “What’s the best way to take in all this scenery?”

Good question. 

Sightseeing in Seattle from a Duck Boat, why should you choose it?

Well, if you are like most people, when you visit a new city, you don’t know anyone, and you don’t know what to do and where to go. If you don’t make any effort to figure this out, you will do nothing exciting and tell your friends, “It wasn’t that interesting.”

Well, there is a solution. You need to be a little adventurous. Your best bet for taking in all the differing and dramatic views Seattle has to offer is to take a tour. Not just any tour. You should take a boat tour.

You see, Seattle is a town surrounded by water, and it’s from the water that you can get not just any view of the city, but all the views of the city.

Of course, there are many different options to consider when choosing a boat tour in Seattle.  But, since you are visiting an eclectic city, you might want to consider taking an eclectic tour like the Ride The Ducks Seattle Boat Tours. 

Our Duck Boats

Why would you want to tour Seattle in a duck boat?  Well, do you know what a duck boat is? In this case, a duck boat is not a boat for hunting or viewing ducks. 

These duck boats are amphibious landing craft that was originally designed for World War II.  They were created to deliver cargo from ships at sea directly to the shore. These watercraft were designed to be highly maneuverable on land and water, being able to handle rough seas and to climb onto sandy beaches without losing any traction.

So, it turns out that they are also great for sightseeing in waterfront cities like Seattle. 

The Ride the Ducks tour takes advantage of the amphibious duck boats by creating the only land and water tour in Seattle.  On a Duck tour, you will get to see both historic areas in downtown Seattle and the beautiful scenery of the Seattle waterfront. 

Not too many tours that can do this, right?  Well, that’s because it takes a Duck boat.

Our Sightseeing Tour

The tour starts in downtown Seattle right near Pioneer Square, which was once the heart of the city, until the Great Fire of 1889 burnt everything to the ground. In the following 90 minutes, the tour will bring you to the top sights of Seattle. 

Here are some of the highlights of our tour:

Seattle Waterfront

Our tour will bring you along the Seattle Waterfront, where you will see the Great Wheel, Seattle Aquarium, and the place, from where Klondike Gold Rush has started. 

Pikes Place Market

On the tour, you will also get to see the original Starbucks coffee café which is located in historic Pikes Place Market, which happens to be the oldest continuously operated public farmers markets in the US.  When visiting Pikes Place, you’ll be able to catch a glimpse of the world-famous fishmongers that throw the fish the customer is thinking of purchasing.  It’s one of those things you just have to see if you visit Seattle.

Lake Union

Next, the tour gets wet when the duck boat plunges directly into the fresh waters of Lake Union. From this part of the tour, you can see Seattle’s famous floating homes, as well as views of one of the largest green spaces in the city, Gas Works Park. 

Seaplanes

Because Lake Union is protected by land and city stretching its shores, the water is usually calm and flat.  This makes it a perfect place for seaplanes to take off and land. Seattle may be the seaplane capital of the world, and while it’s not guaranteed, you can often catch a seaplane either landing or taking off, during this stretch of the tour.

Mt. Rainier

During the tour, we pass the place, from where the snowy peak of Mt. Rainier is very well visible. 

Mt. Rainier is an active volcano and the most glaciated peak in the Lower 48.  It rises to a height of 14,411 feet above sea level and is at a short distance of only 90 miles from downtown Seattle. 

Explore Seattle with us

Ride the Ducks of Seattle is a great way to get to know the city because it’s an informal and fun tour.  The tour guides are funny and will fill you in, not only on important information about the history of Seattle but equally important facts about the music scene in Seattle (Kenny G got his start here!). 

So, if you’re visiting Seattle, why not take a ninety-minute tour by land and water?  It’s more exciting than sitting in your hotel room and going shopping and you’ll get to see many beautiful and hidden sides of Seattle.