Getting There

By Plane

The Major Airlines -- The Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (tel. 206/433-5388; www.portseattle.org/seatac) is served by about 30 airlines. The major carriers include:

Air Canada -- tel. 888/247-2262; www.aircanada.com

Alaska Airlines/Horizon Air -- tel. 800/252-7522; www.alaskaair.com

American Airlines -- tel. 800/433-7300; www.aa.com

British Airways -- tel. 800/247-9297; www.britishairways.com

Continental -- tel. 800/523-3273; www.continental.com

Delta -- tel. 800/221-1212; www.delta.com

Frontier -- tel. 800/432-1359; www.flyfrontier.com

JetBlue Airways -- tel. 800/538-2583; www.jetblue.com

Northwest/KLM -- tel. 800/225-2525; www.nwa.com

Southwest -- tel. 800/435-9792; www.southwest.com

United -- tel. 800/864-8331; www.ual.com

US Airways -- tel. 800/428-4322; www.usairways.com

International carriers that fly from Europe to Los Angeles and/or San Francisco (from where you can continue to Seattle on a domestic carrier) include Aer Lingus (tel. 0818/365-000 in Ireland; www.aerlingus.com) and British Airways (tel. 0870/850-9850; www.britishairways.com). The latter airline also flies direct to Seattle from London.

From New Zealand and Australia, there are flights to San Francisco and Los Angeles on Qantas (tel. 13-13-13 in Australia; www.qantas.com.au) and Air New Zealand (tel. 0800/737-000 in New Zealand; www.airnewzealand.co.nz). From Los Angeles, you can continue on to Seattle on a regional domestic carrier.

Seaplane service between Seattle and the San Juan Islands and Victoria, British Columbia, is offered by Kenmore Air (tel. 866/435-9524 or 425/486-1257; www.kenmoreair.com), which has its Seattle terminals at the south end of Lake Union and at the north end of Lake Washington.

Getting Into the City from the Airport

By Car -- There are two main exits from the airport: From the loading/unloading area, take the first exit if you're staying near the airport. Take the second exit (Wash. 518) if you're headed to downtown Seattle. Driving east on Wash. 518 will connect you to I-5, where you'll then follow the signs for Seattle. Generally, allow 30 minutes for the drive between the airport and downtown -- 45 minutes to an hour during rush hour.

During rush hour, it's sometimes quicker to take Wash. 518 west to Wash. 509 north to Wash. 99 to Wash. 519 (which becomes the Alaskan Way Viaduct along the Seattle waterfront).

By Taxi, Shuttle, or Bus -- A taxi into downtown Seattle will cost you about $34 to $36 ($28 for the return ride to the airport). There are usually plenty of taxis around, but if not, call Yellow Cab (tel. 206/622-6500) or Farwest Taxi (tel. 206/622-1717). The flag-drop charge is $2.50; after that, it's $2 per mile.

Gray Line Airport Express (tel. 800/426-7532 or 206/626-6088; www.graylineofseattle.com) is your best bet for getting downtown. These shuttle vans provide service between the airport and downtown Seattle daily, every 30 minutes from 5:30am (5am from downtown) to 11pm. Passengers are picked up outside the baggage-claim area, at Door 00 just past baggage carousel 1. Shuttles stop at the following downtown hotels: Madison Renaissance, Crowne Plaza, Fairmont Olympic, Seattle Hilton, Sheraton Seattle, Grand Hyatt, Westin, and Warwick. Fares are $10 one-way and $17 round-trip for adults and $7.25 one-way and $12 round-trip for children 2 to 12. Connector service to and from the above hotels is also provided from numerous other downtown hotels, as well as from the Amtrak station, the Washington State Ferries terminal (Pier 52), and the Greyhound station. Connector service is free from some downtown hotels, but from other locations it costs $2.50 one-way; call tel. 206/255-7159 1 hour before you need service to arrange connector service. The biggest drawback of this shuttle service is that you may have to stop at several hotels before getting dropped off, so it could take you 45 minutes or more to get from the airport to your hotel. However, if you're traveling by yourself or with just one other person, this is your most economical choice other than a public bus.

Shuttle Express (tel. 800/487-7433 or 425/981-7000; www.shuttleexpress.com) provides 24-hour service between Sea-Tac and the Seattle, North Seattle, and Bellevue areas. Rates for scheduled shuttles to University District hotels are $32 for one adult, $38 for two adults, $45 for three, and $50 for four. Rates to downtown Seattle are $29 for one or two adults, $33 for three, and $36 for four. Children 12 and under ride free. You need to make a reservation to get to the airport, but to leave the airport, simply head to the Ground Transportation Center on the third floor of the parking garage. If there are three or more of you traveling together, this will be your cheapest option for getting into town other than a public bus.

Metro Transit (tel. 800/542-7876 in Washington, or 206/553-3000; http://transit.metrokc.gov) operates two public buses between the airport and downtown. These buses leave from near Door 6 (close to carousel no. 5) of the baggage-claim area. It's a good idea to call for the current schedule when you arrive in town. Bus no. 194 runs every 15 to 30 minutes; it operates Monday through Friday from about 6am to 9pm, Saturday from about 6:30am to 9pm, and Sunday from about 6:30am to 7:30pm. Bus no. 174 runs every 25 to 30 minutes; it operates Monday through Friday from about 4:50am to 2:45am, Saturday from about 5:20am to 2:45am, and Sunday from about 6:25am to 2:45pm. Bus trips to downtown take 40 to 50 minutes, depending on conditions. The fare is $1.25 during off-peak hours, $2 during peak hours.

By Car

Seattle is 110 miles from Vancouver, British Columbia, 175 miles from Portland, 810 miles from San Francisco, 1,190 miles from Los Angeles, 835 miles from Salt Lake City, and 285 miles from Spokane.

I-5 is the main north-south artery through Seattle, running south to Portland and north to the Canadian border. I-405 is Seattle's eastside bypass and accesses the cities of Bellevue, Redmond, and Kirkland on the east side of Lake Washington. I-90, which ends at I-5, connects Seattle to Spokane in the eastern part of Washington. Wash. 520 connects I-405 with Seattle just north of downtown and also ends at I-5. Wash. 99, the Alaskan Way Viaduct, is another major north-south highway through downtown Seattle; it passes through the waterfront section of the city.

All the major car-rental agencies have offices in Seattle and at or near Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. These include the following:

Advantage (tel. 800/777-5500 or 206/824-0161; www.arac.com)

Alamo (tel. 800/462-5266 or 206/433-0182; www.goalamo.com)

Avis (tel. 800/331-1212 or 206/433-5232; www.avis.com)

Budget (tel. 800/527-0700 or 206/444-7510; www.budget.com)

Dollar (tel. 800/800-4000 or 206/433-5825; www.dollar.com)

Enterprise (tel. 800/261-7331 or 206/246-1953; www.enterprise.com)

Hertz (tel. 800/654-3131 or 206/248-1300; www.hertz.com)

National (tel. 800/227-7368 or 206/433-5501; www.nationalcar.com)

Thrifty (tel. 800/847-4389 or 877/283-0898; www.thrifty.com)

By Ferry

Seattle is served by Washington State Ferries (tel. 800/843-3779 or 888/808-7977 within Washington, or 206/464-6400; www.wsdot.wa.gov/ferries), the most extensive ferry system in the United States. Car ferries travel between downtown Seattle and both Bainbridge Island and Bremerton (on the Kitsap Peninsula) from Pier 52, Colman Dock. Car ferries also connect Fauntleroy (in West Seattle) with both Vashon Island and the Kitsap Peninsula at Southworth; Tahlequah (at the south end of Vashon Island) with Point Defiance in Tacoma; Edmonds with Kingston (on the Kitsap Peninsula); Mukilteo with Whidbey Island; Whidbey Island at Keystone with Port Townsend; and Anacortes with the San Juan Islands and Sidney, British Columbia (on Vancouver Island near Victoria).

If you're traveling between Victoria, British Columbia, and Seattle, several options are available through Victoria Clipper, Pier 69, 2701 Alaskan Way (tel. 800/888-2535, 206/448-5000, or 250/382-8100 in Victoria; www.victoriaclipper.com). Ferries make the 2- or 3-hour trip throughout the year, at prices ranging from $79 to $140 round-trip for adults (the lower fare is for advance-purchase tickets). Some scheduled trips also stop in the San Juan Islands.

By Train

Amtrak (tel. 800/872-7245; www.amtrak.com) service runs from Vancouver, British Columbia, to Seattle and from Portland and as far south as Eugene, Oregon, on the Cascades (a high-speed, European-style Talgo train). The train takes about 4 hours from Vancouver to Seattle and 3 1/2 to 4 hours from Portland to Seattle. One-way fares from Vancouver to Seattle or from Portland to Seattle are usually between $28 and $37. Booking earlier will usually get you a less expensive ticket. There is also Amtrak service to Seattle from San Diego, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Portland on the Coast Starlight, and from Spokane and points east on the Empire Builder. Amtrak also operates a bus between Vancouver and Seattle, so be careful when making a reservation or you won't even be on a train.

Like the airlines, Amtrak offers several discounted fares; although they're not all based on advance purchase, you'll have more discount options by reserving early. The discount fares can be used only on certain days and during certain hours; be sure to find out exactly what restrictions apply. Tickets for children 2 to 15 cost half the price of a regular coach fare when the children are accompanied by a fare-paying adult.

Also inquire about money-saving packages that include hotel accommodations, car rentals, tours, and so on with your train fare.

By Bus

Greyhound (tel. 800/231-2222; www.greyhound.com) bus service provides connections to almost any city in the continental United States. Seattle's Greyhound bus station is located at 811 Stewart St. (tel. 206/628-5561), a few blocks northeast of downtown. Several budget chain motels are located nearby, and you can grab a free ride into downtown on a Metro bus.