SeatacSeatac Connection
Things to do in Seattle

Helicopter tours

Small, private-feeling helicopter flights from Boeing Field with Helicopters Northwest: over downtown, the Space Needle, the lakes and, on the longest tour, out to Snoqualmie Falls.

Get a ride therePlan a Seattle trip with itTickets and tours

The useful answer

Should this fit your day?

Best for
Couples and small groups who want a close, low view of the city, and anyone pairing it with the Museum of Flight next door.
Time to protect
Allow about an hour: 30 to 50 minutes on site depending on the tour, plus getting there.
Cruise-day fit
Boeing Field is south of downtown, away from both cruise piers, so treat it as its own outing the day before a sailing. It pairs well with the Museum of Flight on the way to or from SEA.
From the terminals
Pier 66 is the closer terminal, a ride south through downtown. Pier 91 is farther. Plan a ride either way.
Before a flight
Boeing Field is between downtown and SEA, which makes it one of the easiest flight-day stops. Book an early slot and leave a cushion for weather delays and your airline's bag-drop cutoff.

Which tour to book

All three start and end at Boeing Field. The longer ones add more of the region.

  1. Alpha

    The city highlights in about 15 to 20 minutes. Enough for a first look at downtown and the lakes.

  2. Bravo

    About 25 to 30 minutes: everything on Alpha plus north Seattle and the Puget Sound shoreline.

  3. Charlie

    About 35 to 40 minutes: everything on Bravo plus Snoqualmie Falls, Bellevue and the foothills of the Cascades.

Pair any of them with the Museum of Flight, a few minutes south along East Marginal Way.

Read the Museum of Flight guide →

What to know before you go

  1. 01

    There are three tours. Alpha is about 15 to 20 minutes in the air: downtown, the Space Needle and South Lake Union, Pike Place and the waterfront, Husky Stadium, the stadiums and the floating bridges.

  2. 02

    Bravo, about 25 to 30 minutes, adds Green Lake, Phinney Ridge and the Puget Sound shoreline. Charlie, about 35 to 40 minutes, adds Snoqualmie Falls and Salish Lodge, Bellevue, Lake Sammamish and the Cascade foothills.

  3. 03

    Each flight takes two or three passengers. A solo traveler can fly by paying for two seats.

  4. 04

    There's a weight limit of 280 pounds per seat and 580 pounds in total, and you may be weighed before the flight.

  5. 05

    Book ahead by phone: flights depend on helicopter and pilot availability. Cancelling or changing within 48 hours, or not showing up, costs a fee.

  6. 06

    Tours fly in rain, wind and low cloud when it's safe and legal, and the company makes the weather call. All tours leave from its Boeing Field base, and nowhere else.

  7. 07

    Helicopters Northwest flies Robinson helicopters and also runs a flight school, so you're flying with a working Seattle aviation company.

Tours depend on weather, pilots and aircraft. Call Helicopters Northwest or check its official site for current availability before you plan around it.

Tours and activities

Tours and tickets for a helicopter tour

Well-reviewed tours and tickets, 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.

Book tickets and tours

Pick a ticket time that leaves room for the ride back. Timed entry, guided tours and city passes all work; check the live price and times for your date.

  • Tours and activities

    Seattle tours and tickets

    Guided tours, attraction tickets and day trips around Seattle, including options near a helicopter tour.

    See tours and tickets

Opens a booking partner in a new tab; Seatac Connection may earn a commission. You can also buy direct on the Helicopters Northwest tours page.

Get a ride there

Drop-off: Helicopter tours of Seattle, Helicopters Northwest

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: a helicopter tour 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 66 is the closer terminal, a ride south through downtown. Pier 91 is farther. Plan a ride either way.

    From Pier 66From Pier 91

  2. Step 2

    Visit a helicopter tour

    Allow about an hour: 30 to 50 minutes on site depending on the tour, plus getting there.

    Tickets and tours

  3. Step 3

    Ride on to Seatac Airport

    Boeing Field is between downtown and SEA, which makes it one of the easiest flight-day stops. Book an early slot and leave a cushion for weather delays and your airline's bag-drop cutoff.

    Helicopter tours 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 a helicopter tour 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.

Compare another stop