The Seattle Space Needle is an iconic sight on the city skyline. But, with tickets costing at least $35, it’s a pricey experience.
On my second visit to Seattle, I visited the Space Needle, and the views were quite nice. I would recommend it, but with a catch (I’ll share a tip that will save you money). Here are my honest thoughts on it as a travel blogger.
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FAQs About Visiting the Space Needle
How much do tickets cost?
The price ranges from $35-39. It varies depending on the time of week and day, with mornings and evenings tending to be a couple dollars cheaper. You can save money by buying combination tickets with Chihuly Garden and Glass.
Best time to visit?
I went in the morning, but I would’ve loved to visit at the golden hour (an hour before sunset) to get both daylight and night photos. I love a good photo of city skylines at sunset and night.
How long does the visit take?
I would budget at least an hour for the visit, but you could easily spend more time there if you wanted to rest your feet after a long travel day and sit down while taking in the view.
Is there food available to buy?
The Space Needle is home to Atmos Cafe and Loupe Lounge. Atmos Cafe is a casual cafe on the top floor of the Space Needle. It’s not well-reviewed, however, so I wouldn’t count on getting food here. The Loupe Lounge is a fancy restaurant experience that requires advance reservations. The price is $125-175 per person, not including the price of entry to the Space Needle.
Seattle Space Needle Review
Here’s a walkthrough of what it’s like to visit the Space Needle.
“Museum” walkway
The initial part of the Space Needle visit has historical panels and artifacts along the walkway to the elevator. It feels much like a mini-museum, and you’ll pick up fun tidbits about the Space Needle’s construction.
For example, the Space Needle took 400 days to build, and it’s held together by 74,000 massive bolts. The tower officially opened in 1962 and has had almost 60 million visitors since then.
If you’re only here for the views, or you’re with kids who might get bored, you can skip by this area pretty quickly.
Top Level/Outdoor Observation Deck
After the “museum” area, you make it to the elevators. There may be a wait here, but on a weekday morning, it wasn’t much of a wait at all. Once you’re in the elevators, it’s only a 43-second ride to the top level.
The top level has both an indoor and outdoor portion. The indoor area has seating an a casual cafe. The outdoor portion is where you get a 360-degree view of the city.
To keep you safe, there are glass panels surrounding the outdoor observation deck. There’s just no roof, which makes this area unprotected from the elements—we went on a rainy day and were still able to get good views, but it did make the visit a little damp. The rain on the glass also makes it more difficult to get good photos, but there are small spaces between each panel where you can get a clear shot.
In general, I wouldn’t recommend visiting on a rainy day, but if you have no choice and it’s not foggy, then I think it may still be worth it for the city views and rotating floor level.
Rotating Glass Floor Level
After snapping shots on the top level, we went down to the indoor level, which has a rotating glass floor and bar. If you get dizzy easily, rest assured that the floor makes a full rotation only every 45 minutes, so it’s a very gentle movement.
Also, while the floor is glass, it’s opaque from the outside according to Space Needle FAQs, so it is safe to wear a skirt/dress.
Once you’ve gotten your photos on the rotating floor level, you can take the elevator back down to the gift shop. This is another area where you may need to wait, depending on the number of visitors, but again, it wasn’t crowded on a weekday morning in March and we had no problems.
Gift Shop
The gift shop is worth browsing, even if you plan to get nothing. There’s a large lego replica of the Space Needle, as there are many Space Needle shaped figurines. My friends and I also became enamored by the quirky gifts, like solar-powered name keychains.
Is the Space Needle Worth it? How to Save Money on Tickets
All in all, I’d say the Space Needle was worth a visit. It’s a unique experience with nice city views. It didn’t blow me away, but I think the views would’ve been more awe-inspiring on a clear day and at the golden hour.
Personally, I would not pay full price to visit. We bought combination tickets to the Space Needle and Chihuly Garden and Glass, which is right next door. Rather than paying $70-75 total for both experiences, we paid $62.50 total for both. It’s a small discount, but everything counts when visiting an expensive city.
Chihuly Garden and Glass is also definitely worth a visit, as the glassblown art is very dramatic and eye-catching. There are even sometimes glassblowing demonstrations.
If you have to choose between the two, I personally would recommend Chihuly over the Space Needle (and that’s exactly what I picked on my first trip to Seattle). But it ultimately comes down to whether you want to see city views or art.
Let us know what you think of the Space Needle if you visit, and enjoy your Seattle trip!
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Why You Should Visit Chihuly Garden and Glass at Night
Guide to Hiking Around Seattle Without a Car
Easy Spring Hikes Near Seattle
