01
The crossing
King County Water Taxi
Pier 50 to Seacrest in about ten minutes, skyline the whole way. Check the sailing schedule — off-peak and winter service is thinner.
EMERALD/Neighborhoods/West Seattle & Alki
Dossier 07 — The Territory
West Seattle & Alki
A peninsula that behaves like its own seaside town, reached by the best value in Seattle tourism: a water taxi across Elliott Bay with the skyline receding behind you.
✓ Field-checked July 2026
Get thereKing County Water Taxi from Pier 50
Time neededHalf a day
Best atSunny afternoons into sunset
The crossing from Pier 50 takes about ten minutes and costs a few dollars on an ORCA card — it is, mile for mile, the best skyline viewing in the city, and locals treat it as a commute. From Seacrest dock, rent a bike or walk the shoreline path 2.5 miles around Duwamish Head to Alki Beach.
Alki is where the Denny Party landed in November 1851 and optimistically named the place 'New York Alki' — 'New York eventually' in Chinook jargon. Today it's Seattle's only real beach scene: volleyball courts, firepits, a miniature Statue of Liberty, and fish and chips eaten against a railing while the Olympics go pink across the Sound. Up the hill, the Junction is the neighborhood's main street, anchored by one of the best bakeries on the West Coast.
The MapTap a marker for directions
Field-tested stops
02
Dockside first stop
Marination Ma Kai
Hawaiian-Korean at the Seacrest dock: kalbi tacos, spam sliders, shave ice, and a patio pointed straight at the skyline you just crossed.
03
The beach
Alki Beach
2.5 miles of sand, volleyball, firepits, and promenade. The birthplace-of-Seattle monument and the tiny Statue of Liberty are both here.
04
Worth the hill
Bakery Nouveau
William Leaman took a U.S. team to the Coupe du Monde de la Boulangerie and then opened this. The twice-baked almond croissant has a citywide following.
Common questions
How do you get to Alki Beach from downtown Seattle?
The King County Water Taxi from Pier 50 to Seacrest dock — about ten minutes, costs a few dollars on an ORCA card, and doubles as the best skyline view in the city.
Is Alki Beach worth visiting?
Yes — it's Seattle's only real beach scene, with volleyball courts, firepits, a mini Statue of Liberty, and the spot where the Denny Party first landed in 1851.
What's the best bakery in West Seattle?
Bakery Nouveau in the Junction, up the hill from Alki. Its twice-baked almond croissant has a citywide following — arrive early before it sells out.