A Walking Tour Of Seattles Capitol Hill Neighborhood

The Capitol Hill neighborhood, with its roaring nightlife and dense, vibrant culture, is one of Seattle’s most prominent areas.

Capitol Hill is home to the literary institution the Hugo House and the indie film center Northwest Film Forum, as well as Seattle’s alternative magazine The Stranger. Locals and tourists flock to its many coffeehouses, green spaces, and, of course, its beloved Elliott Bay Book Company. See all that the Capitol Hill neighborhood has to offer with our walking guide below.

1. Volunteer Park

Park

Start the day by taking a walk through one of Seattle’s most beloved parks, Volunteer Park, which sits in the center of the neighborhood and covers 48 acres. It’s home to the Art Deco-designed Seattle Asian Art Museum—free admission on the first Thursday of every month—as well as the botanical garden conservatory. On the north end of the park sits the water tower with an observation deck. Visitors can take the stairs up to the top to enjoy scenic views of the Space Needle and Lake Washington.

Visitors can then meander through the Lake View Cemetery on the northeast edge of the park. People from all over come to visit the cemetery where martial artist Bruce Lee and his son, actor Brandon Lee, are buried. Indeed, so many visitors show up that the cemetery had to plant shrubs around their graves so that people wouldn’t trample the surrounding headstones.

2. Harvard-Belmont Landmark District

Building

Located on the west slope of Capitol Hill is the Harvard-Belmont Landmark District, an area packed with Seattle’s most historic structures. The district housed Seattle’s leading financiers, entrepreneurs, and industrialists, including railroad builder H.C. Henry. Visitors of the district will enjoy the array of architectural designs such as the colonial, Tudor, and Victorian-style mansions. Primarily built in the first decade of the 20th century, the area was officially registered as a preservation site in 1980.

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.