Visiting Washington on a Budget
Washington splits budget travel into several distinct trips: the Puget Sound corridor anchored by Seattle, the museum-rich South Sound around Tacoma and the capital at Olympia, the Victorian Olympic Peninsula, the wet evergreen north Sound, and the dry, riverside Inland Northwest. Seattle leads — Pike Place Market, the free Olympic Sculpture Park, 560-acre Discovery Park, Gas Works Park, and Kerry Park's Space Needle view are all free. Half an hour south, Tacoma's walkable Museum District pairs the free Chihuly Bridge of Glass with the Museum of Glass and Washington State History Museum, while the capital, Olympia, offers free Capitol tours, the free WET Science Center, and the $3 Nisqually wildlife refuge. North up I-5, Everett brings Boeing's Future of Flight, the Imagine Children's Museum, and a summer ferry to Jetty Island. On the Olympic Peninsula, Port Townsend is one of only three Victorian seaports on the National Register, while Bellingham, 90 miles north of Seattle, has Boulevard and Whatcom Falls Parks and the Victorian Fairhaven district. Spokane anchors the east with Riverfront Park's falls and the 90-acre Manito Botanical Gardens. May through October across all of it.
Cities in Washington
Pick a city to see free attractions, cheap activities, and budget travel tips.
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the Pacific Northwest's largest city, and surprisingly easy to do on a budget — most of its most iconic stops cost nothing. Pike Place Market, the free nine-acre Olympic Sculpture Park, the 560-acre Discovery Park with its lighthouse, Gas Works Park on Lake Union, the Space Needle view from Kerry Park, and Rem Koolhaas's Seattle Central Library are all free. Add the always-free Frye Art Museum, the free Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park, Pioneer Square Historic District, and the working Hiram M. Chittenden Locks with salmon ladder, and a long weekend in Seattle barely cracks $50 for two.
16 listings →
Spokane, Washington
Spokane is the heart of the Inland Northwest, a riverside city packed with free historic landmarks and the $15 Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture. Riverfront Park's falls-and-gondola centerpiece and the 90-acre Manito Park & Botanical Gardens lead the outdoor side; the free Bing Crosby House Museum at Gonzaga and the soaring Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist anchor the historic walks; and the Victorian Browne's Addition and retro-neon Garland District deliver quirky walking on opposite sides of downtown. The free John A. Finch Arboretum and historic Steam Plant round out a deep roster of under-$20 picks.
12 listings →
Bellingham, Washington
Bellingham is a laid-back college and outdoor town on Bellingham Bay, 90 miles north of Seattle. The free Boulevard Park, Whatcom Falls Park, and 180-acre Sehome Hill Arboretum anchor the outdoor side; the Victorian Fairhaven Historic District and the Saturday Bellingham Farmers Market handle the strolling. Indoor picks include the free WWU Outdoor Sculpture Collection on campus, the $10 SPARK Museum of Electrical Invention (with its Tesla-coil MegaZapper Show), and the $12 Whatcom Museum (free First Fridays). Larrabee State Park, 7 miles south, rounds out the coast with tide pools and a $10 Discover Pass.
12 listings →
Port Townsend, Washington
Port Townsend is one of only three Victorian seaports on the National Register of Historic Places — a Puget Sound town on the Olympic Peninsula whose 1880s commercial district and bluff-top mansions survived intact when the railroad bypassed it. The free Victorian downtown, hillside Chetzemoka Park, the free Kah Tai Lagoon Nature Park, and the 434-acre Fort Worden ($10 Discover Pass) anchor the visit, while the $12 Jefferson Museum of Art & History, the free Northwest Maritime Welcome Center, the $8 Marine Science Center, and the $12 Rothschild House round it out. A weekend on the Olympic Peninsula barely tips $40.
11 listings →
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma sits on Commencement Bay 35 miles south of Seattle, and its compact downtown holds one of the Northwest's best museum districts. The free Chihuly Bridge of Glass links the $18 Museum of Glass to Pacific Avenue, where the $17 Washington State History Museum and $18 Tacoma Art Museum (free Thursday evenings) cluster beside Union Station's free Chihuly-filled courthouse rotunda. The donation-only Children's Museum and the now-free Foss Waterway Seaport round out the indoor picks, while 640-acre Point Defiance Park, the Ruston Way waterfront, Wright Park, and the free 1908 W.W. Seymour Botanical Conservatory cover the outdoors.
12 listings →
Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington's capital at the foot of Puget Sound, pairs free civic landmarks with an outdoorsy small-city core. The free Washington State Capitol — its 287-foot dome among the tallest masonry domes on earth — runs free daily tours, with landscaped campus grounds and a conservatory open to wander. Downtown, the free WET Science Center and the $19.95 Hands On Children's Museum entertain kids, while the Percival Landing boardwalk and year-round Olympia Farmers Market line Budd Bay. Nearby, free Brewery Park at Tumwater Falls, Squaxin Park's forest trails, and the $3 Billy Frank Jr. Nisqually Wildlife Refuge fill out the nature side.
11 listings →
Everett, Washington
Everett anchors the north Puget Sound 25 miles up I-5 from Seattle, blending aerospace, art, and a revived waterfront. Boeing's Future of Flight ($14) opens the gateway to the world's largest building, while downtown holds the three-story Imagine Children's Museum, the free Schack Art Center hot shop, and Funko's wildly themed flagship store. On the water, the redeveloped Port of Everett marina, the free summer ferry to Jetty Island's warm-water beach, and Mukilteo's 1906 lighthouse line the Sound. Add Forest Park's free Animal Farm and the Evergreen Arboretum, and Everett fills an easy budget day or two.
10 listings →
More on Washington from TravelCheapUS
In-depth budget travel guides from our companion blog that mention Washington.