Walking to Pike Place Market

The route: one street, mostly downhill

Pike Street connects the Seattle Convention Center to Pike Place Market. Arch, the original convention center building, sits at 705 Pike Street. Walk west on Pike, away from the freeway, and you will reach the market at 1st Avenue and Pike Place, where the famous Public Market sign hangs.

From our building at 1400 Hubbell Place it is about a 15-minute walk (the time quoted in our listings), and about 0.6 miles in a straight line measured from OpenStreetMap coordinates. Along the way you pass:

• Westlake Center and Westlake Park at 4th Avenue and Pine/Pike, about 7 minutes from us, home to the Westlake light rail station and the Seattle Center Monorail terminal.
• Downtown's main shopping blocks around Pine and Pike between 4th and 6th Avenues, including Pacific Place, about 7 minutes from us.
• 1st Avenue, where the land drops toward Elliott Bay and the market begins.

A short history

The market's own history page tells the story: in 1907, food prices in Seattle had soared, and Council Member Thomas Revelle pushed through an ordinance creating a public farmers market on Pike Place. On opening day, August 17, 1907, a handful of farmers arrived with produce-filled wagons and sold out within minutes. The Seattle City Archives describe it today as the oldest continuously operating public market in the United States. A near demolition later led to the creation of the Pike Place Market Historical District in 1971.

Hours and how to time your visit

Per the market's Plan Your Visit page:

• Open daily, closed only on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.
• Most of the market is active 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
• Breakfast and fresh produce and seafood from 7 a.m.
• Crafts Market 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; Farm Tables 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Some restaurants stay open until midnight or later.

The market stretches across a nine-acre historic district, from 1st Avenue to Western Avenue and from Virginia Street to just past Pike Street. For a calmer visit, go early: that is when the produce and seafood stalls open and before the midday crowds. If you are in town for a show, a pre-session breakfast walk works well, since the market is a straight walk down Pike from Arch.

What to look for

• The main arcade along Pike Place, with produce stands, flower sellers and fishmongers.
• The lower levels, below the main arcade, with small shops and stairways down toward the waterfront.
• Victor Steinbrueck Park at the north end, named in 1985 for the architect who led the campaign to save the market, per the City Archives.
• Views of Elliott Bay from the market's western edge.

Extending the walk

• Seattle Art Museum, 1300 First Ave, is about a 12-minute walk from our building and just south of the market, an easy add-on.
• The waterfront. From the market's lower levels you can continue down to the waterfront; the ferry terminal at Colman Dock is about a 20-minute walk from us.
• Pier 66, Bell Street Cruise Terminal, is along the waterfront to the north; see our cruise guide.

The walk back

Downtown Seattle slopes up from the water, so the return trip up Pike is steeper than the way down. With full bags, many visitors take a bus up 3rd Avenue or a short ride-hail. Back at the apartment, a full kitchen means you can cook what you bought: every apartment has an oven, cookware and a full-size fridge, plus an in-unit washer & dryer.

More walking guides

• Capitol Hill food walk near the Convention Center
• Rainy-day Seattle
• Downtown Seattle on foot, with walking times to the Paramount, Pacific Place and more
• Our free printable Seattle guide

Stay a short walk from the market

Our three 2-bedroom apartments, the Lumière 2BR, the Top-Floor 2BR and the Two-Bath 2BR, are in one downtown Seattle building, a 3-minute walk from the Convention Center and about 15 minutes from the market. Check dates on our booking search or our secure booking site. You get 10% off when you book direct.