Sea-Tac Airport is located in Washington State, 14 miles from Seattle and 30 miles from Tacoma.
Car rental
Seattle is a great base for exploring the Cascade Mountains and the beautiful west coast of the USA. Virtually the only possible means of transportation suitable for exploring the outdoors is a car.
Seattle has a wide range of car rental companies and prices for weekly rentals in both the winter and summer seasons are around 430 usd.
Car rental agencies are located in a building 2 miles north of the airport.
Free shuttle buses run from the main terminal to the car rental offices, stopping immediately outside the terminal. Frequency is 3-10 minutes and buses run 24/7.
Link Light Rail (Tram)
The fastest transport to the city centre is the fast tram. Link 1. Sometimes this rail line is also referred to as the metro.
The station is about a 5-7 minute walk from the terminal. The route runs through a covered corridor and is well signposted.
The route goes through the Columbia City neighborhood directly into downtown Seattle and then north through University of Washington. There is no terminus at the airport, so follow the signs to the correct platform (Seattle direction).
The streetcar in the opposite direction only makes one stop at "Angle Lake".
- Travel time - 35 minutes to "Pioneer Square" station
- Frequency - 10 minutes
- First streetcar from "Pioneer Square" - 4:59 a.m. (Monday through Saturday), 6:00 a.m. (Sunday and holidays)
- Last tram from the airport to downtown - 23:43
- Timetables and connection search: soundtransit.org
Fares and prices
Individual fares are calculated according to the distance travelled.
- Downtown (all stations in the tunnel) - 3 usd
- University of Washington - 3,25 usd
- Stadium - 3 usd
- Columbia City - 2,75 usd
All-day fares are only available for the streetcar on a specific route. You can purchase a day pass for 8 usd, but it is only valid for King County (Seattle and surrounding areas) bus service.
Payment types
You can pay your fare in three ways.
- Transit GO mobile app (available at: Google Play / App Store) - you activate your ticket before boarding and show it to an inspector or bus driver.
- ORCA Card - a rechargeable card that can be purchased from a vending machine at all bus stops. The cost of a blank card is 3 usd, you can load any amount up to $400. Fares are charged by attaching the card to the reader on the platform before boarding and after alighting.
- Single ticket - can be purchased at the ticket machines at the bus stops.
Card and cash payments can be made at ticket machines.
Public transport buses
Public transportation buses are the fastest for getting to Tacoma, Bellevue, and the outskirts of South Seattle.
Two companies operate service to the airport: King County Metro and Sound Transit. However, with both companies, you can use your ORCA Card or the Transit GO mobile app to pay your fare.
Only exact cash can be used to purchase tickets from the driver. The driver will not refund on larger amounts.
Sount Transit (direction Tacoma, Bellevue)
Stops are located on the arrivals level in the south terminal near gate "00".
- Line 560 - runs to Bellevue and the south end of Seattle, frequency 30-60 minutes
- Line 574 - goes to Tacoma and Lakewood, frequency 30-60 minutes
- Connection search and information: soundtransit.org
Fares are flat for 3,25 usd.
King County Metro
Stops are located below the light rail (streetcar) station, at which station you purchase an ORCA Card.
- Line A - runs to Federal Way, frequency 10 minutes
- Line 156 - goes to Des Moines and the Souhtcenter, frequency 30 minutes
- Line 161 - goes to Burien and Kent, frequency 30 minutes
- Timetables and connection search: kingcounty.gov
Fares are flat for 2,75 usd.
Map of public transport to SEA Airport
View a map of all train and bus routes serving Seattle SEA Airport.
Taxi, Uber, Lyft
The fastest and most convenient way to get to Seattle and the surrounding area is via the ubiquitous taxi or Uber or Lyft mobile apps.
It takes about 20 minutes by car to get to downtown Seattle in the early morning or late evening. During the day, depending on traffic, the journey time can be up to 45 minutes.
Prices for Uber and Lyft are usually slightly lower than for regular taxis. Below are indicative prices to selected destinations.
- Seattle Downtown - USD 44
- Tacoma - 55 USD
- Bellevue - 52 USD
Long-distance buses
Flixbus long-distance buses also stop at the airport.
The best way to buy tickets is online at flixbus.com.
- Portland - 2-3 times daily, prices from 25 usd
- Vancouver - 2x daily, price from 30 usd
- Spokane - 1-2x daily, price from 32 usd
- Bellingham - 2x daily, price from 27 usd
- Olympia - 2x daily, price from 12 usd
