SeatacSeatac Connection
Things to do in Seattle

Ballard

Seattle's old Scandinavian fishing neighborhood: a historic brick main street, a year-round Sunday farmers market, the Nordic Museum, the Ballard Locks and a beach park.

Get a ride therePlan a Seattle trip with itTours nearby

The useful answer

Should this fit your day?

Best for
Food lovers and market browsers, anyone with Nordic roots, and visitors who want a neighborhood that still feels local.
Time to protect
Allow a half day to walk Old Ballard, see the locks and stop at the museum. A Sunday morning at the market takes an hour or two.
Cruise-day fit
Ballard is just north of the Pier 91 cruise terminal across the Ballard Bridge, so it's one of the easiest neighborhoods to explore the day before or after a Pier 91 sailing. From Pier 66 it's a longer ride north. Drop your bags first.
From the terminals
Pier 91 is the close terminal, a few miles south over the Ballard Bridge. Pier 66 downtown is farther, through Belltown and Interbay.
Before a flight
There's no light rail to Ballard, and SEA is a long drive south. Keep it for an arrival day or a free day rather than the hours before a flight.

A walk through Ballard

Go from west to east and you'll end up in Old Ballard in time for lunch.

  1. 1. The Ballard Locks

    Start with the boats, the fish ladder and the botanical garden at the west end.

  2. 2. The National Nordic Museum

    A short walk east along Market Street.

  3. 3. Old Ballard

    Carry on east to Ballard Avenue NW for the historic brick street, and the farmers market on Sundays.

Want to finish by the water? Golden Gardens' beaches are a short ride northwest.

Read the Ballard Locks guide →

What to know before you go

  1. 01

    The Ballard Alliance calls Ballard an eclectic, independent urban village, and its Scandinavian heritage is still easy to find.

  2. 02

    Ballard Avenue NW was the old main street before Market Street took over. The city made it a landmark district in 1976. Its modest commercial buildings date from the 1890s to the 1940s, and the locally cut granite curbs still have hitching rings for horses in places.

  3. 03

    The Ballard Farmers Market is open every Sunday, rain or shine, all year. It runs from 22nd Avenue NW and NW Market Street down Ballard Avenue NW to 20th Avenue NW. It was Seattle's first year-round neighborhood farmers market, and its produce comes only from Washington farmers.

  4. 04

    The National Nordic Museum, on Market Street toward the west end of the neighborhood, covers 12,000 years of Nordic history and the immigrants who built Ballard.

  5. 05

    The Ballard Locks are a short walk west of the museum: boats going through, a fish ladder with salmon in season and a free botanical garden.

  6. 06

    Golden Gardens Park, northwest on the shore of Puget Sound, has sandy beaches, fire pits, two wetlands, a short loop trail and an off-leash dog area. Harry W. Treat built it in 1907 as a destination at the end of a new streetcar line.

  7. 07

    There's no light rail in Ballard. Buses and rides are the way in.

Market details and street closures change, and parking near the Nordic Museum can be tight during events. Check the Ballard Alliance and market sites before you go.

Tours and activities

Tours that visit Ballard

Entry itself is free. These well-reviewed tours include it, with current prices. Check a date to see open start times, then book with Viator.

Tours are sold and run through Viator; booking opens viator.com in a new tab, and Viator confirms the final price and time. Seatac may earn a commission.

Free to visit, with tours nearby

There's no ticket for Ballard: just go. If you'd like a guide, a harbor cruise or another stop the same day, start here.

  • Tours and activities

    Seattle tours and tickets

    Guided tours, attraction tickets and day trips around Seattle, including options near Ballard.

    See tours and tickets

Opens a booking partner in a new tab; Seatac Connection may earn a commission. For current notices, see the Ballard Alliance Visit Ballard page.

Get a ride there

Drop-off: Ballard: Old Ballard, the Sunday market and the waterfront, Ballard Avenue NW and NW Market Street

Starting from

Your fare is worked out for the exact trip on the next step, before you pay. Want the car to wait while you visit? Book by the hour.

Cruise day: Ballard between the ship and your flight

Off the ship with a few hours before your flight? Book the ride from the pier and the ride on to the airport now, so each driver knows where you are going.

  1. Step 1

    Ride from the pier

    Pier 91 is the close terminal, a few miles south over the Ballard Bridge. Pier 66 downtown is farther, through Belltown and Interbay.

    From Pier 66From Pier 91

  2. Step 2

    Visit Ballard

    Allow a half day to walk Old Ballard, see the locks and stop at the museum. A Sunday morning at the market takes an hour or two.

    Tours nearby

  3. Step 3

    Ride on to Seatac Airport

    There's no light rail to Ballard, and SEA is a long drive south. Keep it for an arrival day or a free day rather than the hours before a flight.

    Ballard to the airport

Big bags

  • Pier 66: Same-day bag storage is available. Pick bags up by 3 pm to avoid a late fee.
  • Pier 91: Same-day bag storage in the Crew Center, north of the Ground Transportation Center. Pick bags up by 3 pm to avoid a late fee.

Stored bags mean a stop back at the pier before the airport. To keep them with you instead, book a car by the hour and the driver waits with your luggage.

Planning the whole cruise trip? Keep Ballard on it with the rides around it.

Plan the whole cruise trip

Not sure which pier? Find your ship and pier or compare Pier 66 and Pier 91.

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