Seattle · UNDERGROUND & CITY HISTORY WALKS
14 reviewed
After the fire of 1889, Seattle rebuilt a full storey higher and buried its old streets, and you can still walk them. Below are the best Underground and history tours through Pioneer Square, with how much of the buried city each covers, how long they take, which lean spooky versus scholarly, and which to book with kids along.
Tour Seattle’s Pioneer Square Underground in an hour, seeing 1890s passageways, Klondike Gold Rush stories, and Indigenous history.
“Well worth the $s, our guide was funny and informative...loved the history and humor mix! GREAT!!!!!”
Walk Pioneer Square’s underground passageways from the 1890s on a guided 1-hour history tour, including the Great Seattle Fire.
“The tour was extremely interesting and gave great insights into how Seattle was settled and developed. Patti our guide was fantastic and very engaging.”
3-hour Seattle mural tour tracing Henry’s work through Fremont, Ballard, Queen Anne, and Greenwood, ending with a free Waterfront gallery stop.
“Roman was very enthusiastic about the Seattle Arts Scene. Very knowledgeable about Henry and his art. Enjoyed it very much.”
A 90-minute self-guided history puzzle from Union Station to the Seattle Waterfront, with 10 interactive challenges and no maps or GPS.
“Had a very hard time accessing the game. Of course I tried to use my Apple account as a short cut to setting up a new account in the new app I had to download. So it didn’t work. User error. All my fault so I’m the loser. Also time consuming and frustrating.”
A 7-hour Seattle land-and-sea day with early Pike Place, West Seattle skyline stops, and an included Argosy harbor cruise.
“Great experiencing all the the sights, sounds, and tastes of Seattle, . It was fun exploring the Market. Really cool checking out the Starbucks reserve and learning all about the coffee experience. We got to see the Seattle skyline from several vantage point and from the water. Guides were knowledgeable and helpful throughout our tour. Looking forward to another visit!”
A 45-minute Seattle food-and-history walk through the Waterfront, Pike Place Market, and a key block near Pike Place.
“We squeezed in this tour before leaving on an Alaska cruise. Our tour guide was fantastic and very knowledgeable. We learned about Seattle's rich history and even got to sample some smoked salmon. Thank you for a great experience!”
Seattle’s Queen Anne true crime tour: a small-group van ride with stops at Kerry Park, Pioneer Square, and Chinatown. $45, 2.5 hours.
“What a day! A must for anyone visiting Seattle. I wish we planned this tour earlier as our guide filled in valuable information that tied the other tours together. Just loved our tour guide and her winning charm, with and outstanding personality won our hearts. Thankyou for the four sisters.”
Small-group Bainbridge Island tour from Seattle: ferry, Bloedel Reserve, Japanese American memorial, gourmet lunch, and winery tastings included.
“Daniel is an excellent guide …provides a full day of activity and information at a leisurely pace. Recommend highly.”
A $35, 1.5-hour small-group Pioneer Square walk telling six women’s stories from 200 years of Seattle. Rare stops, real bite.
“The six women tour with Carter was amazing! Carter knew all of her history, stories, and was able to answer all of the questions that we had that went beyond her normal tour. Carter presented information and stories about women that we did not know before and impacted Seattle as it is today. We take lots of tours in Seattle and would rate both the tour and the guide a full 10. I fully recommend both this tour of the six women of Seattle and Carter as a tour guide. Any chance you can get to take a tour with Carter would be well worth both the time and money…”
Small-group Seattle half-day: Space Needle, Argosy waterfront cruise, Underground walk, and Kerry Park skyline views in 4.5 hours.
“Erica was great, kind and very informational learned a lot about Seattle and would come back again because of her.”
Solve a Seattle time-travel scavenger hunt with the Questo app, hitting Space Needle, Seattle Center, and more for $7.20 and flexible pacing.
“Difficulty finding the instructions once we signed up - they were not clear, and we just kept being sent to the same page, essentially going in circles for about an hour. Customer service was great - they were prompt and helpful. That's about the only positive I have to share. When my partner went to download the trip instructions, they wanted all his information, rather than mine (I was the one who signed up/paid). He chose not to have it on his phone, because they wanted too much info. So we just used the one phone (we paid for two, which it turns out we didn't need to). The path…”
A 4-hour Seattle small-group tour with Space Needle, a harbor cruise, Beneath the Streets underground walk, and Kerry Park views.
“It was average. This tour is mainly a taxi for you to get to the various activities. You can probably save money by purchasing your own tickets to the attractions and just do a ride shares to and fro at your own pace.”
Private Suquamish Culture tour from Seattle with ferry ride, museum visit, Chief Seattle gravesite, lunch, and door-to-door pickup.
“Cheryl’s NW Tour was excellent. We had a detour b/c the museum was closed due to rain damage. She took us to Heronswood Gardens instead. They were magnificent! We then walked around the town & had lunch on the waterfront. Highly recommend this tour.”
A guided Seattle Waterfront Park walk with old photos, Indigenous stories, and fresh viewpoints, ending near Pioneer Square for easy next stops.
“I was excited to check out Seattle's new Waterfront Park and learn all about the indigenous connection to the land and people who call Seattle home. There were spots on the tour that I would have just walked past unbeknownst to the unguided eye, so I really appreciated the knowledge shared by our wonderful and passionate guide. I now see the waterfront in an entirely new way!”
