King County Water Taxi

Good for tourists in Seattle. Frequent connections /​scenic view and very reasonable rates.

For $ 4.75 you get a 10+ minute scenic ride between West Seattle and downtown which is an absolutely gorgeous view from the west. They do not give out change so make sure to have exact change or if you have a $ 10 bill like I had, they will remember your face on your return trip. Pretty laid back.
The boat was relatively empty except on the outside deck which is the prime location to take in the views. I noticed a lot of working professionals using the water taxi service to commute home to West Seattle from downtown. I would hate my commute far less if I was able to take the water taxi to and from work.

Used the water taxi daily for a week. Perfect for tourist travelers. You can get your tickets at one of the automatic ticket machines. They are good for a month so no need to freak out if you literally miss the boat!

This is one of my favorite things to do in Seattle. Where else has a water taxi service? I might move to West Seattle just so I can take this to work once or twice a week! Beautiful views, free shuttle from the dock in W. Seattle to the Admiral District or Alki Beach, and the ride is not too long but not too short. The only drawback is price… it is $ 4.00 one way with an Orca card, $ 4.75 with cash or ticket. Definitely cheaper and more fun than a taxi, but not as affordable if there are numerous people.
If you are visiting Seattle, I strongly recommend going on this taxi if you like boats at all!

The best public transportation in Seattle! Crew is incredible – they will give you a few minutes of buffer time when returning (stumbling?) from an evening Mariners game. Boat gets filled up quickly on game nights both coming and going, so plan accordingly… and that means 2+ hours before games start.
Highly recommend.

Have your Orca card or bring exact change (yes the $ 0.50 will get YA!) and watch the clock, they have a tight limited weekday schedule. Other then that this is a real treat and a great way to get to and from Seattle. Its fun for date night or to get into the city for work. Don’t spend time waiting on the West Sea Bridge!

I have caught this taxi many times from West Seattle over to downtown, parking is free over here, you don’t have to worry about circling the block for half an hour downtown to find a parking spot. And it is only like a 15 to 20 minute ride across. Nice and convenient way to get downtown.

Do you want to be a tourist for a day? Rediscover why you love Seattle? Well, here comes the King County Water Taxi! I’ve been a Seattleite for 10+ years, and I never used the Taxi before. I forgot how awesome Seattle was until my friend from Germany came for a visit, and I was racking my brain for things to do.
Located in West Seattle, the loading dock for the Water Taxi is conveniently on Harbor Ave past Salty’s on Alki and right next to a cool-​looking Hawaiin/​Korean food joint called Marination Ma Kai. The Taxi comes every hour (depending on their schedule) and arrives on the Waterfront 15 mins later.
It was fairly easy to use my credit card on the self-​service kiosk. You can’t beat $ 4.75/adult one way (which is full price w/​out the Orca card).
However, there was a moment of worry where I attempted to buy (2) tickets at once, but it only spit out (1) ticket instead. My first thoughts: What the heck? Why have the option to order multiple tickets at once if it wasn’t going to work? Did I end of paying for an extra ticket? Since I ultimately had only (1) ticket, I had to buy one more and hope I didn’t get double charged. Luckily, that didn’t happen when I checked my bank statements later, but it did cause some concern.
Here are my tips:
–Though a little bit of a hassle, maybe buy (1) ticket at a time on the kiosk in the event it goes glitchy on you.
–Dress warmly! If you sit on top with the open air around you, it gets chilly. Enjoy the beautiful view but bundle up!
–Just an fyi, the Waterfront is currently under construction, so some of the busineses were not open for us to explore. (Too bad!)
Overall, I liked my first experince using the King County Water Taxi. It’s also a good way to visit the downtown Waterfront area without paying an outrageous amount for garage parking. It’s a quick, fun, inexpensive ride with a gorgeous city view!

You have to take a trip on the water when you visit Seattle — since I was pressed for time I took a short trip on the King County Water Taxi. Nice people — clean boat — speedy journey — OK price. I am sure if you are a local using this service it would be a major time saver.

Finally tried the water taxi the other day when I had family visiting and wanted to try it out. We rode it there and back. It was pretty convenient — didn’t realize there’s a long gap in the afternoon where it doesn’t run — thankfully we got the last boat right before.
It was bigger than I expected — for some reason with a word taxi in it I thought it’d be smaller. The way from Seattle to W Seattle was rockier than back.
Overall, it was kinda fun touristy thing for us to do– I imagine if I lived closer I’d use it to get to work!
It is a bit expensive though!

My last review was when the Water Taxi was a kind of cool oddity with slightly sketchy boats and an uncertain future. But with the construction of the tunnel (bwahahhahahah) and the resulting traffic issues it’s become a vital part of transportation as well as a tourist attraction.
Back when I reviewed this a few years ago, the whole payment andboarding process on the Seattle side were awful. But now they have a dedicated pier next to the Ferries with an efficient payment and line-​up process.
If you’re traveling to work or an event it’s quick and efficient but it’s also a nice way to spend the afternoon. I often take it and then go to Pike Place for the afternoon. During the right times of the year you may get to pass one of the wildlife buoys loaded with Sea Lions or seals (I never can tell). They’ll often slow down for a second to give a good look.
If you come from the city you can get some great Hawaiian/​Korean fusion and a beer at Marination Ma Kai which is right there. Or if you’re feeling fancy you can go to Saltys for some nice food, coktails and a view. I you want to see Alki Beach there are handy, free shuttles that will take you there and back.

As a West Seattle local, we use this service several times a week. We can walk from our place to Seacrest Park when the weather is good and it’s a short ride on the water taxi to downtown. Beautiful views both ways. Whenever we have guests and want to go downtown, we all take the water taxi. It is very convenient. No getting stuck in traffic, dealing with parking, and you can even bring your bikes. Beats the bus or driving.

This was by far the most convenient way for us to get to downtown Seattle from West Seattle in minutes.
We needed to be downtown for an event at 6pm on a Friday. One of the free DART shuttles to the Water Taxi at Seacrest Park stopped right in front of our hotel so we took that route instead of driving. We purchased our Water Taxi tickets ($ 4.75/person) at the terminal & after boarding we arrived at downtown Seattle waterfront less than 10 minutes later. It could not have gone any easier than that for us.
The Water Taxi was for the most part comfortable. We decided to go upstairs to sit outside so we could view the beautiful downtown skyline. There weren’t very many passengers so we had plenty of room to move around & take pictures. Definitely sit outside on a beautiful day if it’s your first time on the Water Taxi.
The Winter schedule was still in effect in early April & since it was later than 7pm when we were ready to go back we had to take the bus. That was a bummer but at least when we figured out where to catch our bus for West Seattle it was a quick trip back.
The ticket station accepts debit & credit cards or exact change only. Tickets are just $ 2 for 65+/disabled & it’s free for children 5 & under. There’s no extra charge for bringing your bike on board either.
The Water Taxi is very convenient, efficient, stress free, & most likely a cheaper way to travel if you’re wanting to get to downtown from across the bay & vice versa, especially on game days. We enjoyed it very much & I’m sure you will too.

The Water Taxi is by far the most convenient way of getting to Seattle from West Seattle. As an Alki resident, there are only busses that go directly downtown during weekday mornings. If I have any desire of getting downtown on say, a Friday evening, the Water Taxi is the most efficient (and without a doubt the most scenic) way of getting there.
There’s a convenient shuttle that goes from the main business district of Alki to the water taxi (which is free) and once at Seacrest Dock you can grab a snack or drink at Marination Ma Kai if you’re early! The shuttle also goes to California and Admiral Junctions.
The approximately 15 minute trip from Seacrest Dock to Coleman Dock provides amazing views of the Seattle Skyline and some great photo opps. Once at Coleman Dock, downtown Seattle, Pioneer Square, the stadiums, and Pike Place Market are just short walks away.
Their summer service (April-​end of October) definitely warrants 5 stars. However, their winter service isn’t as frequent and as memory calls, the shuttles only run weekdays which drops the overall rating to 4 stars.

Want to take the visiting family or friends out on the water, show off the amazing views, and brag about how you get to do this whenever you want?
Would you rather not spend more than $ 5.00 or more than thirty minutes on the water?
The King County Water Taxi is an awesome alternative to those Argosy cruises. Sure, there’s no tour guide but that just means that you get to make up the story as you go.
The added bonus is that you can carry the tour on to Alki Beach and take in the Seattle skyline.
Win!
The only issue I have is the chaotic lines to board. That could be better.

We took out of town guests on the taxi. It was a nice, quick trip. REALLY sunny day so we lucked out. You pay both ways and on Sunday we paid $ 4 each. Sunday — only W. Seattle. No Vashon Island trips. I’ve never been there. Wanted to go, but our trip was nice. We sat outside, but it was at the back of the boat. Would have been cool to have open seating in front.
Anyhow, seems convenient for commuters.

I’m loving the water taxi! I utilize it mainly on game days to avoid dealing with traffic as the stadiums are a hop, skip, and and a jump away from the waterfront drop off.
When the weather is nice it is a great boat ride with the scenery. On a crappy day get there early so you can get a seat inside but be prepared for interior foggy/​muggy conditions and choppy waters.

Loves me some water taxis!
The free shuttle is amazing, and will take you to most big places or intersections in Wsea.
It’s the only way to get to work, and to M’s games. Glad we are in year round service… and only want MORE SAILINGS!
Hoping the Via-​DOOM will only help the water taxi grow!!!

AWESOME WATER TRANSPORTATION
(4.5 stars)
Only runs when the weather is decent or nice (not during winter, obviously). While living near Alki Beach and instead of driving 5 minutes to downtown and beat traffic, it was pleasant to have the water taxi available for those who are on the westside of Seattle.
It’s also recommendable for those who want to go public transport themself to Alki beach from downtown (visa versa), there is also a free shuttle service to go to the alki strip and the junction.
Work paid for my monthly public transportation card which also covered the water taxi. I’ve only taken it once or twice and wish to have taken more advantage of this service. How cool is that to take a «water taxi» across the waters of Seattle (to go home or to go to the office)!!!

I had been meaning to hop the water taxi to West Seattle for some time, but had just not gotten around to it. Thankfully, my sister and niece visited from out of town, so I had a good excuse to take the ride.
It’s a quick trip across the bay — about 10 minutes, but along the way you get some of the most beautiful views of the city. Once you dock at Seacrect Park, there are free shuttles to West Seattle Junction, or you can get off and walk. We opted to walk about a block south to Salty’s for lunch on the patio.
West Seattle has the best views of the city, and the water taxi is by far the easiest way to get there.