What Lies Just Over Each Border
- South, past Virginia Street: Pike Place Market and the rest of Downtown.
- North, past Denny Way: Seattle Center, Lower Queen Anne and Queen Anne Hill.
- Northeast, past 5th Avenue: the Denny Triangle, home to Amazon's downtown office towers and Cornish College of the Arts.
This is the real appeal of staying here. From a single base, you can set off in different directions and reach several of the city's main sights in a short walk.
The Feel of the Streets
Belltown began as a low-rent, semi-industrial arts district, and over recent decades it has grown into a place of residential towers, boutiques, trendy restaurants and nightclubs. Stroll a few blocks and you will still spot older warehouses and art galleries tucked among the newer buildings, a mix that keeps every walk interesting.
Several colleges call the area home too, including Antioch University, City University of Seattle and the Seattle School of Theology and Psychology. Add the nearby office workers, and the sidewalks stay busy all through the day.
Noise and Late Nights
Nightlife sits at the heart of Belltown's identity, with bars and music venues spread across many blocks. If you are a light sleeper, ask about room placement when you book. Night owls, meanwhile, will find plenty to enjoy within walking distance.
Free and Low-Cost Days
Staying this central saves you money mostly by cutting transport costs. On top of that, Belltown offers a few genuinely free attractions worth building your days around.
Olympic Sculpture Park
Head to the northern edge of the waterfront for the Olympic Sculpture Park, 9 acres beside Myrtle Edwards Park. Wander past contemporary sculpture, native Pacific Northwest plantings and a restored beach and seawall in a park run by the Seattle Art Museum, with no walls and no admission charge.
The park is generally open from just before sunrise until just after sunset, though hours can change, so check its official page before heading over. With views across Puget Sound, it makes a lovely early morning or sunset walk.
The Cottages and Community Garden
Walk up Western Avenue to Vine Street to find the Belltown P-Patch and Cottage Park. The small homes here date from 1916 and are the last remaining wood-framed residences in downtown Seattle, and they also mark where the shoreline sat in the 1850s. The garden is part of the City of Seattle P-Patch program.
A Self-Guided Walk Along Old Film Row
Second Avenue was the heart of Seattle's film distribution trade from the 1920s into at least the 1960s. Exchanges clustered here partly because of zoning concerns about flammable nitrocellulose film, and at their peak, Seattle's silent-era exchanges supplied roughly 470 theaters across four states.
The grand Film Exchange Building, which once filled a full block between Battery and Wall Streets, was torn down in 1992. Cross Battery heading south, though, and you can still trace many relics:
- The former MGM building at Second and Battery, now a bar and restaurant.
- The old William Tell Hotel, once a film industry favorite and now a hostel.
- The former National Theater Building, now home to small businesses.
- The Jewel Box theater inside the Rendezvous, the last screening room left in the neighborhood.
Finish at 2332 First Avenue, where Paramount's former exchange has housed the Catholic Seaman's Club upstairs since 1955, with the Sarajevo restaurant and lounge now on the ground floor.
Getting Around Without a Car
Frequent King County Metro routes lace through Belltown, including RapidRide bus rapid transit. Hop on RapidRide E, which runs from North Seattle through Belltown into Downtown along Aurora Avenue and had the highest ridership of any Metro service as of 2022.
Just south of the neighborhood, Westlake Station is served by Sound Transit's 1 Line light rail. Check the official transit agencies for current routes, schedules and fares. If you are driving, note that the State Route 99 tunnel runs beneath Belltown for several blocks, linking to Aurora Avenue North.
Evenings of Music, Film and Food
Venues with History
Catch live shows at The Crocodile, the center of Seattle's grunge scene in the early 1990s and still a working stage today. Screwdriver Bar once served as a rehearsal space for bands including Nirvana, while the Rendezvous, the Lava Lounge, Ohana and Shorty's round out a set of long-loved local nightspots.
Film fans can settle in for a screening at SIFF Cinema Downtown. For a quieter, reflective visit, spend time at the Holocaust Center for Humanity, which tells the history through the stories of local survivors.
Eating on a Budget
Queen City has operated in some form since 1910 and now runs as a neighborhood bistro inspired by its original menus. For a late bite, Palace Kitchen offers a reverse happy hour from 10 p.m. to midnight with discounted oysters and cocktails. Deals and times can change, so confirm before you go.
