Seatac Co
Things to do in Seattle

Central Library

Rem Koolhaas's glass-and-steel library downtown, free to walk in: the four-story Books Spiral, the red floor and a top-floor reading room with views out to Elliott Bay.

Get a ride therePlan a Seattle trip with itTours nearby

The useful answer

Should this fit your day?

Best for
Architecture fans, photographers, anyone with an hour downtown and no ticket, and travelers who want a free indoor stop on a rainy day.
Time to protect
Allow 45 minutes to an hour to ride up to Level 10 and walk down the Spiral; add half an hour for the audio tour.
Cruise-day fit
The library is downtown, under a mile up the hill from the Pier 66 cruise terminal, so it's an easy stop the day before or after a sailing. From Pier 91, take a ride downtown. It's a library, so drop your luggage first.
From the terminals
Pier 66 is the closer one, a short ride or an uphill walk. Pier 91 is several miles north at Smith Cove, and no public transit serves it.
Before a flight
The 1 Line runs straight from SEA to Symphony Station, a few blocks from the library; by car it's about 15 miles, roughly 20 to 30 minutes without heavy traffic. With no ticket or time slot, it's one of the easiest free stops on a flight day, as long as you leave plenty of time to get back to the airport.

See it in an hour

Start at the top and walk down, so the building unfolds as you go.

  1. 1. Ride up to Level 10

    The reading room is at the top, with the view down through the building and out to the bay.

  2. 2. Walk down the Books Spiral

    Follow the ramp from Level 9 to Level 6 through the nonfiction shelves.

  3. 3. Find the Red Floor

    Take the stairs to the meeting-room floor, a corridor in 13 shades of red.

  4. 4. Finish in the Living Room

    Level 3's tall glass hall along Fifth Avenue, with the coffee cart and the shop nearby.

Next: the Seattle Art Museum, a few blocks away →

What to know before you go

  1. 01

    It's the Seattle Public Library's main branch, open every day except a few holidays, and free to walk in: you don't need a library card to look around.

  2. 02

    The building opened on May 23, 2004, designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas with Seattle's LMN Architects. It's 11 floors behind a diamond-shaped skin of glass and steel with nearly 10,000 windows.

  3. 03

    The Books Spiral holds the nonfiction collection as one continuous, wheelchair-accessible ramp from Level 6 to Level 9.

  4. 04

    Go up to the Level 10 reading room, light and full of views. From the library's highest point you can look straight down to Level 3 and out to Elliott Bay.

  5. 05

    Don't miss the Red Floor, where the meeting rooms sit in a corridor of 13 shades of red, or the 50-foot-tall Level 3 Living Room along Fifth Avenue.

  6. 06

    Self-guided tour maps are free for adults, teens and kids, along with a 25-minute audio tour and a cell phone tour. Free guided tours run for groups of 5 to 20 adults, Monday to Saturday, by arrangement.

  7. 07

    There's a coffee cart and the FriendShop. Underground paid parking holds about 143 cars, and the building is fully accessible.

  8. 08

    About 1,500 people come through each day. Be a quiet guest: it's a working library, so keep calls off speaker.

Library hours and holiday closures change. Check the Seattle Public Library page before you go.

Tours and activities

Tours that visit the Central Library

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 Co may earn a commission.

Free to visit, with tours nearby

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

  • Seattle tours and tickets

    Guided tours, attraction tickets and day trips around Seattle, including options near the Central Library.

    See tours and tickets

Opens a booking partner in a new tab; Seatac Co may earn a commission. For current notices, see the Seattle Public Library Central Library page.

Get a ride there

Drop-off: Central Library, 1000 Fourth Avenue

Map of the drive from Seatac Airport to Central Library: 14.7 miles, about 27 minutes
14.7 mi · about 27 min from the airportOpenFreeMap © OpenMapTiles © OpenStreetMap

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: the Central Library 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 one, a short ride or an uphill walk. Pier 91 is several miles north at Smith Cove, and no public transit serves it.

    From Pier 66From Pier 91

  2. Step 2

    Visit the Central Library

    Allow 45 minutes to an hour to ride up to Level 10 and walk down the Spiral; add half an hour for the audio tour.

    Tours nearby

  3. Step 3

    Ride on to Seatac Airport

    The 1 Line runs straight from SEA to Symphony Station, a few blocks from the library; by car it's about 15 miles, roughly 20 to 30 minutes without heavy traffic. With no ticket or time slot, it's one of the easiest free stops on a flight day, as long as you leave plenty of time to get back to the airport.

    Central Library 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 the Central Library 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.

Next stop nearby