Seattle Great Wheel

The Seattle Great Wheel is a 53-metre Ferris wheel perched right at the end of Pier 57 on the downtown waterfront, jutting out over Elliott Bay. Its enclosed, climate-controlled gondolas carry you up for several rotations, with views over the bay and islands, the working waterfront, the ferries, and back across the city skyline, and, on clear days, out to the Olympic Mountains. It's especially lovely at sunset and after dark, when the wheel itself lights up with colourful displays.

It's a quick, fun, family-friendly stop, easy to combine with the adjacent Pike Place Market and the waterfront's other attractions (the aquarium is a short walk). Not a major time-sink, but a pleasant way to get a bay-and-skyline overview, especially as part of a waterfront stroll.

Don't miss

• Enclosed gondola rides over Elliott Bay
• Views of the skyline, ferries, and Olympic Mountains
• Sunset and after-dark light displays on the wheel
• Its pier-end location over the water
• Easy pairing with Pike Place Market and the waterfront

Good for

How travelers rate it

Know before you go

• Go at sunset or after dark for the skyline and the wheel's light displays.
• Gondolas are enclosed and climate-controlled, fine in any weather.
• It's a short, fun stop, combine with Pike Place Market and the waterfront.
• Clear days reveal the Olympic Mountains across the bay.

A bit of history

Opened in 2012 at the end of Pier 57, the Seattle Great Wheel quickly became a fixture of the city's waterfront, part of the broader redevelopment of the central waterfront area.